End of Days: Infected vs Mercs (XBLIG): "An Affordable & Well Presented FPS With A Zombie Twist"

Nowadays consoles of all types are dominated by some type of FPS title. Whether it's the "Call of Duty" series or "Battlefield 3" you've likely experienced it first hand. Recently 'Sick Kreations' released a $3 FPS shooter titled 'End of Days: Infected vs Mercs' which boldly stood to prove itself against the previously mentioned $60 games. It was presented with all the FPS glory worthy of a CoD (Call of Duty) game, and the back story reminiscent of the 'Resident Evil' series. The game was marketed mainly as an online multiplayer, and supported up to 16 players in three different match types. Like 'CoD', and other FPS out there it featured FFA (Free-For-All), and TDM (Team Deathmatch). One other mode that stood out from the rest was 'Head Fest' in which the characters heads were 2X their normal size, and the goal in it was to make head shots only. With the mysterious plague driven story/intro, and impressive FPS gameplay mechanics I think 'Sick Kreations' made a game that could actually contend with their high end FPS competitors.

Gameplay in 'End of Days: Infected vs Mercs' was grand on so many levels. It featured a decent weapons customization setup with unlockable guns for different world regions (USA, Russia ...), attachments (scopes, grenade launchers, iron sights ...), skins, and character selection (infected/zombies, mercs). If I had to compare the customization to any game it would be 'CoD: Black Ops', because it had a somewhat similar layout. Aside from character, and weapon customizations the game also features a 'skills' leveling system with things like faster running, and weapon accuracy that can be improved on with points earned from playing online. The game features only one map at the moment which is an urban city setting with plenty of vantage points, and hiding places. The map is even multileveled featuring an underground railway station, and sewers that can be accessed from the streets. If your a sniping kind of FPS player then the game also features multilevel buildings, and rooftops that can be accessed by ladders. The map is large in scale, and full of vivid details, and impressive lighting that makes it comparable to some next-gen console based FPS titles.

The controls in 'End of Days: Infected vs Mercs' are what you'd expect from a low budget FPS title. The developer tried hard to keep the FPS controls similar to what 'CoD' players have come to expect, and succeeded in doing so. The game's controls operate basically like CoD's controls with only a few minor control tweaks (LB = Grenade Launcher). You can switch between a primary, and secondary gun as well as use a melee knife attack. Each player has a set amount of ammo, and grenades to use during each life. Once you die though you will respawn with replenished ammo, and grenades. The respawn in 'End of Days: Infected vs Mercs' is different from the 'CoD' series in that you can change your weapons load out each, and every time you are killed. When I did my playthrough I found that aiming the guns was a little more difficult than it should be, but not too terribly bad. Everything else about the game ran smoothly except for the occasional lag due to bad host connections, and an issue with a certain amount of players being online at the same time.

In conclusion I think 'End of Days: Infected vs Mercs' stands a fighting chance as one of the best XBLIG titles to date. Not only does it succeed in making an enjoyable FPS experience, but it does so with the lowly cost of only $3, or 240 msp. The level design in this game was brilliant, and the developer's attention to detail was truly impressive on so many levels. The only thing that didn't stand out as graphically impressive were the infected/zombie characters. They looked as if they stepped out of a dated zombie game (a certain Dreamcast game comes to mind ...). The explosions, and gunfire sounds didn't do the game justice either, but they were ok. I actually found it hard to locate where a weapon was being fired from just by listening for it. One other complaint I have is the twitching, and somewhat stiff kill animations. I realize this is an indie game, but it would have been nice not to see 'stiffs' with flailing limb issues. I've been chatting back, and forth with the developer about the lag. The developer actually told me that there is a patch in the works to fix the issue. I also got news that a new level may be in the works, and that it might be a prison level! With all of this considered I think this game is definitely worth picking up. For $3 (240 msp) you can't find a better indie FPS.