Oct 31 2011
Halloween Game Feature Wk4: Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)
For my last Halloween game feature this year, I wanted to look at a game that combined horror, humor, and the feel of the classic B-movie era. While many games have tried since (Stubbs the Zombie and Destroy All Humans both being fun and decent examples), only one game has ever perfectly taken this combination and made it a fun game. Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a fantastic example of a great romp on Halloween.
You start out by selecting your playable character, either Zeke or Julie (or both if you have a friend over!). You'll have 48 stages to go through in tons of different areas, from the local neighborhood to the mall to hedge mazes to haunted houses. There's also a huge variety of enemies. Just because its called Zombies Ate My Neighbors doesn't mean Zombies form the meat of the game. You'll also deal with giant ants, evil dolls, vampires, UFO's. even giant infants. This game has no lack in the variety department.
The game is played from an overhead camera angle. Your job is not only to survive, but also to save as many people as possible. You save them simply by touching them. You also get points for rescuing people, ranging from big points for the hot cheerleader to only a few for the wrinkled teacher. Be sure to act fast, as whenever a ghoul takes out a person, the effect is cumulative as the levels go on. You don't want to start later levels with only one person to save and tons of ghouls between you and them.
Thankfully, you have plenty of options to take the ghouls out. You start with a water pistol, which is surprisingly effective against the undead. You also used canned sodas as bombs, which also does surprisingly well. You can also use a fire extinguisher, weed cutter, a bazooka, dishes and silverware, and even footballs. Be sure to conserve your ammo, as it becomes scarce in later levels.
This one is a great one to just sit and play a few levels, or to go through the whole thing during a late night gaming session. If you find yourself up late on Halloween and don't feel like sitting through another movie, dust this cart off and slap it in your console! It won't disappoint.
Leathco