This PS3 port shows just how powerful Android and the Tegra 4 can be
If you picked up an Nvidia Shield it means one thing — you're a gamer. You might do other things on your Android, or maybe even have another device you use for messaging or social networking or web browsing, but you like to play serious games. Now you have another serious game to add to your list.
Zombie Tycoon II is a faithful PS3 port of the RTS game of the same name, and is designed for the Tegra 4 and devices with physical controls. For now, this means it's Shield-only. Hopefully, they can expand to other Tegra 4 tablets with a game controller, but right now you'll need that green and black clamshell to get your pop-culture zombies on. Do we like exclusives? No. But that doesn't mean that people with a Shield shouldn't have titles specially built for the device. Moving on.
It's a typical RTS (Real Time Strategy) game, with a bit of role-playing and a lot of campy humor thrown in. It's also complicated. Like most games built for consoles and their multi-button controller, you need to memorize a lot of buttons and combos, and we can see why this one is delegated to physical controls only.
The graphics are wonderful. They show the potential of the Tegra 4, and why developers will optimize titles to be exclusive. You just don't find this level of detail running this smoothly on any other mobile hardware. The fluidity while moving around the map, the motion of the characters on the screen, and the scenery and general ambiance of each level really impressed us. Frima — the publishers — aren't bullshitting when they say it's console quality.
The game plays well, with easy to understand goals and objectives. Move your squads to perform some sort of action somewhere on the map. This usually involves killing, but it's all cartoon violence and is something I think would be safe for older kids. Multiplayer is built-in via Google+, and player matchups look to be simple. That part of the game isn't live on the beta. Once you get the controls down, you'll have a lot of fun.
We've got a short video walkthrough below, and it's worth a look to see just how far gaming on Android has come. And if you're one of the few who picked up an Nvidia Shield, you can check the game out via Google Play today at the link above for $9.99.
