Zombies Ate My Neighbor, a cult classic well over a decade old, has returned thanks to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console service. Is it every bit as good as I remember. Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is the absolute pinnacle of survival horror gaming. Forget Dead Rising, House of the Dead, even Resident Evil; Zombies Ate My Neighbors blows them all out of the water. It may take a tongue-in-cheek approach, but the second you face your first hockey-mask wearing, chainsaw-wielding maniac, you'll know what fear is, because your pants will be full of it.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors originally hit the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo over 16 years ago in the Summer of 1993. Since then, it's become a total cult classic and it isn't hard to see why. There's something inherently likable about the game and its perfect blend of horror and comedy. The concept involves a couple of kids running around saving their neighbors from attacking monsters, using an arsenal of ridiculous weapons like squirtguns and soda can grenades. It's a hilarious premise, yet losing a spunky cheerleader or, even worse, an adorable toddler, to a bloodthirtsty werewolf has the power to wipe even the biggest smile off of your face.
This is the game's biggest strength - the ability to make you afraid. Playing Zombies Ate My Neighbors fills me with the same fear and dread that I get playing games like Resident Evil, but instead of fighting horrifying abominations created by a deadly virus, I'm throwing silverware at cartoon mummies and dropping inflated clown decoys so that I can escape from Friday the 13th rejects. It's the kind of fear that, once you're out danger, you laugh out loud at.
Obviously I can't compare the 16 bit graphics of Zombies Ate My Neighbors to the games of today. I can, however, comment on the game's art direction, which is stellar. The character designs, which is probably the most important of the game's visuals, are fantastic. Off of the top of my head, there are around ten or so different neighbors, each sporting a funny, often exaggerated look. The clueless, picture-snapping tourists and the angry teacher with her flame red beehive hairdo will have you laughing out loud, even though all they do is stand there.
The enemies are just as fun, if not moreso, than the neighbors. While every enemy of a certain type looks the same - the shambling zombie with the brown shirt, the Chucky-like doll with the light blue onesie - there are enough types to keep it from getting repetitve throughout the game's near-50 levels. Plus, the monsters are so hilarious to look at, I'm not sure one could get tired of fighting the same enemies over and over.
The levels deserve plenty of praise as well, both in layout and design. You're always look down on your character from above, so each level has a maze-like aspect to it, some more than others. The levels have different themes to them and you'll fight off monsters in backyards, malls, tombs, and more. Repetition really isn't an issue because the setting jumps around and you're never in one place for very long.