Zombie games have infected and devoured their way through all platforms. Their popularity and demand have never been higher, and as a gamer and horror fan, it is a trend I'm happy to see. Last month alone saw at least three major zombie releases, including young Juliet Starling's wacky adventure in LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW, and now, two new downloadable titles ―ZOMBIE HQ for iOS and THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 2: STARVED FOR HELP.

Publisher Fuse Powered and developer Rebellion combined forces in their latest outing, available free on iOS, called ZOMBIE HQ. ZOMBIE HQ places you in control of a survivor during the zombie apocalypse. Like other undead titles, your job is to fight off the endless hordes, while rescuing survivors and scouring for supplies such as powerful guns and ammunition to keep you alive. As with most other games in the App Store, don't expect much in terms of a storyline here; gameplay and presentation makes or breaks most iOS titles.

Luckily, ZOMBIE HQ features both addictive gameplay and an excellent presentation. You'll battle your way through waves of zombies across three stages and 18 different missions that include scavenger, food drops, and of course, boss battles. ZOMBIE HQ isn't a cakewalk, but you'll earn experience points to unlock statistical upgrades to become a master zombie slayer. You'll also unlock various costumes to look the part with armor, hockey masks, beerhats, sports equipment and other costume accessories ready to wear. No zombie game would be complete without tons of powerful weaponry to tame the hordes, so it's no surprise that you'll find machine guns, shotguns, flamethrowers, chainsaws, explosives and plenty of other awesome weapons to take out your enemies in ZOMBIE HQ.

While ZOMBIE HQ doesn't do a whole lot to differentiate itself from other top-down zombie shooters on the market, you'll still have a blast with the game. It presents a post-apocalyptic world full of exhilarating gameplay and tons of unlockables and outfitting your very own zombie headquarters with anything from televisions and jukeboxes, to missile systems, while better equipping yourself for combat is time consuming, but fun. ZOMBIE HQ looks great, and has a great control scheme to ensure you can stay in the action as long as you want. Most importantly, ZOMBIE HQ is action-packed and addictive. What more could you want from a free game?

In another popular downloadable zombie title to play this July 4th, experience the dramatic story of THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 2: STARVED FOR HELP. Telltale Games' THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 1: A NEW DAY released just two months back for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC and instantly received unanimous praise—accompanied with thousands of downloaded purchases—for bringing a fantastic new approach to the zombies in video games. Rather than going the modern horror gaming route with plenty of guns and ammunition to blow the dead away, Telltale made a zombie game with a sophisticated storyline entailing a character-driven narrative that would produce as many dramatic moments between characters, as there were zombies to fight. This gave fans of THE WALKING DEAD comics and television show the perfect companion piece to add to the universe. The game series would only continue to improve with the late June release of THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 2: STARVED FOR HELP.

STARVED FOR HELP continues the story of Lee Everett's group of survivors. It's now been three months since the end of the first episode, and while the group has managed to build up a fairly safe place to live, they've yet to procure an adequate supply of food, as theirs is now nearly depleted (along with morale). Most are either losing hope of survival or attacking each other for the entire group's misfortunes. That's when Lee's group begins encountering other survivors in the world; some seem friendly enough, while others are an obvious threat.

A nearly identical style of gameplay returns to STARVED FOR HELP. You'll still primarily spend your time talking with other characters in the game and reacting to their statements, and you'll still have to make tough choices in a timely manner that will further change the remainder of the game. Fighting enemies is still mostly the same, although, several of the fights throughout STARVED FOR HELP will call on you to perform moves you've not yet had to execute. There are new puzzles to solve here as well. The most important change the new episode makes is how you'll notice the choices you've made in the last episode begin affecting things in STARVED FOR HELP. This new twist will have you replaying through both episodes multiple times to encounter all of the ways scenes can change based on prior decisions.

STARVED FOR HELP changes very little you've come to expect from the first episode, and that's a good thing. The game's core mechanics have become familiar by now, but you're given a far greater storyline to dive into. The game's presentation remains flawless, with its beautiful cell-shaded graphics, and now, even more in the way of horrific scenes, blood and gore. The narrative manages to improve upon the already impressive storyline and is supported by great sound effects, a tremendous voiceover and a soundtrack that keeps you fully immersed in the game's important moments. The game's controls also remain the same. Essentially, STARVED FOR HELP presents the same high quality presentation you loved from the original episode, so you'll love it all over again these two short months later.

ZOMBIE HQ is now available for download for iOS devices on its page in the official store.

For more information on THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 2: STARVED FOR HELP, check out the official THE WALKING DEAD website.

ZOMBIE HQ: 

THE WALKING DEAD EPISODE 2: STARVED FOR HELP: 

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