Reborngamers Ratings: 7.0
Recommended
Pcgamer: 7.4
Ign: 7.5
Gamespot: 5.0
State of Decay2 Review:
State of decay 2 is a zombie survival Open world game Which was published by Microsoft Studios and developed by Undead Labs. let's have a look at what this Zombie version has to offer.
Reborngamers Review:
State of decay1 was fun, taking the survival part into consideration and making it as their primary formula was the big take on the first game. For new players who haven't played the first version, this is a great place to start.
State of Decay2 Offers you to start in 1 of the 3 Rural Maps. The game also allows players to freely select their preferred characters which have been randomly generated. You start with 3 characters to start a community to survive the post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies. As usual, you start with the home base and to survive you have to scout for various resources like Food, Materials, Ammo, and Fuel. Scavenging for these resources can be fun at the start but as you progress it becomes a tedious and boring stuff to do. The game might drag you into the boring stuff where you just can't stop scavenging for resources if you don't figure it out soon. Scavenging for Resources is a necessity in the start but you can switch your focus if you know how to obtain those resources.
Moving on to the characters, Character selection in the start is a welcome addition to the game. The Traits of the characters is a must look for the players. Don't ignore the traits as it could help you a lot in building your base. The character Progression for each character is Awesome and interesting. The only negative element in character section is you cant rename your characters which could have been so exciting. Be very careful with your characters early game because if you lose a character its gone forever. There is NO Load option in the game which makes it absolutely thrilling when your character is surrounded by zombies. You will just Shout out aloud many times in the game “ Leave Me alone” when fighting the zombies.
Starting in your home base and scavenging for resources you will encounter many survivor activities. You will have the option to recruit those survivors into your community. It's a good thing to plan ahead in recruiting these survivors as they will have their own traits which will make a huge difference in building your base or even defending it from zombies. If you just don't need a particular character you have the option to exile them. Undead Labs have tried something good with these traits but it feels they haven't completely achieved the goal.
The characters in the game are very important when they gain experience. There are no Official stats displayed but you will know when it happens. The characters will level up to be Heroes and the player will have the option to select a Leader of the community as the whole game revolves around this stat. The Leader can be classified to be a Trader, Warlord, Builder or a Sheriff. I have tried the various Leader roles by becoming a Warlord and then Exiling him will enable you to choose another Character of becoming a Trader or a Sheriff based upon their traits. So there's a possibility in experiencing various end-game scenarios as these Leaders have different goals to achieve as their end game.
Scavenging for a resource and bringing back to your base or killing a zombie will earn Influence. The cash used in the game. Influence can be gained by helping a survivor or helping a Friendly enclave. They can be used to trade with Enclaves or taking control of a new base. Influence is Precious in early game so use it wisely.
Zombies are everywhere in this game. You cant be left alone for 30 seconds, you must hit the escape button to pause the game so you don't get dragged out from your car by a Plague Zombie. The Plague zombies are the upgraded versions of the normal ones. They will infect you if you get constantly attacked by them. To cure your infected you have a administer a cure in your Infirmary. So watch out for these Red Zombies. Occasional zombies like the Juggernaut which are harder to kill and the feral zombie which are hard to hit is fun. The normal Zombies will absolutely kill you if you let them surround you. Walking into an Infested House or trying to destroy a Plague Heart is where the real action lies and it is not a good idea. Just hit the Horn button to lure them out, so you can ride them over with your car. Sometimes I felt it too easy to clear out these Infestations, but when you want the real action you can walk in and try killing them which is so exciting.
Please keep in mind that your Maxed Out character is not powerful to destroy all the zombies when engaged in Melee. The stamina meter will fall down rapidly after ditching out 6 or 8 Melee attacks and if surrounded by Zombies the Health bar rapidly reduces. You have to run away to use an Item to restore your health or stamina. So keep a Close eye on your stamina Meter because if you don't have the stamina to run you can be in serious trouble. The ranged attacks tend to lure more enemies in your direction. In this game, if you make a Sound you are at risk of getting attacked by more zombies. The guns in this game are loud, and there is variety in firepower. But it should be used as a Last Resort. Melee and ranged weapons are not immune as they get damaged or broken. But the melee and Ranged fights tend to be Simple and nothing more. Humans of other Enclaves or a Wandering Survivor can turn against you, you will occasionally encounter Humans who will be hostile against you.
Base building was good in State of Decay2. Various options to explore and it's all exciting. But figuring out the Best base which will suit you can take a lot of time. Investing time and effort to scout out these Potential bases can be exciting but also can be a little irritating as these bases have their own unique construction buildings. The traits of the Leader will also have a great influence in base building. For an Ex: Warlord Leader enables you to build an Armory, where a Trader Leader will allow you to build a Trade Post. So the Dilemma in figuring out which Leader, base and base buildings is huge which is actually pretty exciting. Players can learn about these roles and build their base accordingly or Exile the leader move to a Different Base and select a new Leader.
Base Building enables you to obtain the resources. Build a farm for food or an armory.to craft Weapons and repair them. There are many options on how you want your base to function. It's well worth it to take time to learn all information about Resources or buildings. To build these buildings takes a lot of time so plan it accordingly. While building your base always keep a watch in the noise meter. If it Fills up then you are in danger of a Zombie siege which can be difficult to handle. There is also a meter for the Morale of the base if its too low some characters will threaten to leave the community. So make sure you meet their demands. Outposts can be set up in addition to these bases which will yield you free supplies for each day.
There are 3 Potential maps. Choose a map and set up a Base. If you don't like the map, you have the option to move to another map with all your resources except the cars you have. So try all 3 maps. In order to attempt a Relocation, you must have a Level 3 Command Center in your base. Maps tend to be easier or harder to travel. In meager Valley, you have straight roads and it is much easier to move. So select the map which best suits you. Driving around in a car and exploring is so much fun, but always keep an Eye on the fuel bar. If you don't have fuel in the car you have to abandon the car and walk to your base which can be irritating. Always have an Extra can of fuel stored in the car. You can also store resources which you scavenge in the car.
The attractive feature about this game is the Radio call action. You can call in to find the location of the resources or get a Heavily Upgraded car if you have the Influence to spend on it.
Apart from Surviving, Scavenging and killing zombies there is not much to the game. After you put in all the hours of figuring out the game and exploring there is no real Objective. You can find the Occational Bug here and there. The Bugs issue also Persists in Multiplayer. When it comes to playing with friends in Multiplayer it is so much fun. You can team up with your friends to play in a Co-op to get a new experience with the game. With all said and done, the main Problem with this game is Repetition. Constantly looking for resources and looking after your communities needs can be a little frustrating. NPC following you will suddenly vanish and then will rejoin you when it thinks its time. Waiting for your NPC to get in the car while the zombies around just makes you yell at the NPC. Apart from what we have discussed till now, there is not much.
Verdict:
A Zombie Infested game which is suitable only for Scavenge, Fight and Survive. This game needs a lot of Polishing.
Pros
Survival and Constant Fear of Zombies
Exploring
Satisfactory Combat
Character Progression
Cons
Repetitive Gameplay
Bugs
Irritating Npc's
Watch The Trailer
Release Info :
Initial release date: 22 May 2018
Developer: Undead Labs
Engine: Unreal Engine
Designer: Richard Foge
Composer: Jesper Kyd
Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Windows 10
System Requirements :
Minimum
CPU: AMD FX-6300 or Intel i5-2500 @ 2.7GH
RAM: 8 GB
OS: Windows 10
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon HD 7870
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2048 MB
Recommended
CPU: AMD FX-8350 or i5 4570 @ 3.2 GHz
RAM: 16 GB
OS: Windows 10
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 380
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2048 MB
