Long before Housemarque gave us classics like Resogun and Alienation, they gave us one of my favorite twin-stick shooters ever, Dead Nation. Released in 2010 for the PS3 and re-released in 2014 for the PS4 as the Apocalypse Edition, this game, of course, leaned on the (at the time) super-popular zombie genre. To be clear, this isn’t a Retro Runback. I don’t need to ask the damn question. I’m here begging Housemarque to find it in their hearts and schedules to give me another Dead Nation.
housemarque helped me DISCOVER MY LOVE FOR TWIN-STICK SHOOTERS
It wasn’t that I didn’t play games in the genre before. Geometry Wars 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. But there was something about the way Dead Nation stuck to me that very few games of that kind did. I think part of it was the scorekeeping system. My constant need to win being ever-present no matter what, co-op games would turn into a Lord of the Rings-esque counting game.
Videos by VICE
When I wasn’t unintentionally forcing someone into a friendly game of “Who can kill the most zombies?” co-op sessions were always fun. Like any twin-stick shooter, enemy management and communication were key, and I just liked mowing down hordes of zombies over and over again. Beyond that, the weapons just felt good. Personally, in just about any shooting game I play, I’m partial to single-shot guns. I do fine with automatic weapons, though. I just want full control of every shot. And when I would get into a zombie-killing rhythm, there was nothing like it.
Housemarque has been incredibly consistent in their quality of work when it comes to twin-stick shooters — and their games in general. And I know the chances of getting another Dead Nation game are low to nonexistent. But I wouldn’t be doing myself any favors by not sitting here and asking them for another. I can’t imagine what they could do with more experience and a much more powerful console. But I would love to see a switch in perspective. Bring us down into the fight a bit more. Returnal proved they could pull that off, and a zombie would go crazy from that angle. But for now, I will be more than happy with Saros and await greatness.
