Last week, Irrational Games opened up their vault of secrets to show everyone Division 9, a canceled zombie shooter with heavily-borrowed elements from the SWAT series.
As hilariously fun as it sounds to take on zombies as a SWAT team, there were some legitimately neat ideas to be found -- your allies could become infected, for instance.
Then-publisher Vivendi dug the idea for Division 9, so what went wrong? Irrational was acquired by Take-Two, which was all it took to prevent the concept from coming to fruition. On top of the in-game footage shown above, you can also check out the pitch for the shooter on the fancy Irrational site.
Had it come out according to schedule -- before the recent onslaught of zombie games -- I think it could have been a cool game for the time. Nowadays, though? I'm not so sure.
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This could have found an audience. They should have released a demo to let us try it out. Left 4 Dead is cool, but I wouldn't pass on a worthy challenger zombie game. It could have done a lot of things L4D doesn't do.
I like the tactics options. Graphics are very murky mudwater though, but it probably wasn't near complete anyway.
It looks like they tried to make it scary at least, unlike Left 4 Dead.
Left 4 Dead : proudly killing any zombie fear since November 2008!
While a great game mechanically, it is a shame that it has helped remove zombies as a legitimately frightening foe. May you rest in peace next to your fallen brother, the vampire.
There's so much more that can be done with the zombie apoc game that isn't even being considered. I'd still ike to see a zombie game with a better kind of depth.
Hunting for food and water, med supplies, saving survivors (something even Dead Rising does, but Left 4 Dead doesn't), commandering and modifying abandoned vehicles for use, even clearing a space to just live and rest in. None of this has been done yet, and with this game, since the characters are military types, they'd would have been perfect for all of the above.
Its unfortunately all about the run and gun gameplay now, but that can get tired fast.
Also some new locations would be nice too. America isn't the only location on earth. What about other nations in the same situation? Again, no one has tried this either. Big shame really.
Also some new locations would be nice too. America isn't the only location on earth. What about other nations in the same situation? Again, no one has tried this either. Big shame really.
Well, someone could try a zombie game in Africa--if the very idea wasn't blatantly racist!
Gameplay wise, It doesn't seem like it could compete in a post Left 4 Dead 2 world. But it looked like it could have been an interesting game. The "Status: Not Infected" thing looked like it could lead to interesting things.
THOOOOSE BIIIITCHES. Am I the only one that finds this incredibly promising, even still in this day and age? You're insane if you wouldn't play something to this extent, even updated, filled out and enhanced with a sandbox environment, third-person view, character customization and realistic gameplay, and enjoy it. Sure, its my imagination running wild, and the game of my dreams starting to leak out of it, but can't we all just... dream once in a while?
Also, that guy at the end gave me a hardcore flashback of the intro to the original Resident Evil.
Most notably:
Jill: "JOSEEEEEEEPH!"
Chris: "No, don't go!"
This game reminds me of FEAR with the lighting in the rooms and such. Then again I haven't play a lot of horror games so forgive me on that front...
I still think that this game would be quite sought after even now. Granted, the whole zombie thing has been played out terribly now. Resident Evil games, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, NAZI Zombies, Half Life 1 & 2 has zombies in it.
And that's just video games. Counting movies and books and you just have far too much. Quite a bit of it is good, but too much of a good thing just makes you sick after awhile. FPS games are starting to hit that wall too and have only lasted this long due to FPS being vague enough to encompass a plethora of stuff. Hell, just look at the current plastic accessory flooded music genre...
@ cowboy TTop sounds like you want a zombie MMO almost and that sounds like a helluva an idea. Also game looks like it could be fun and i loved the SWAT series especially 4 GET OUT OF THE WAY SIR!!
I want a game that is more survival horror zombie based rather than like L4D2's run and shoot 50 zombies in 10 seconds, these zombies actually shamble at you rather than sprint like mofo's on acid
It's a real shame this never came out. Get rid of the overly clunky squad command UI for something more streamlined and it very possibly could've been great. I hope a game like this DOES get made, though to be perfectly honest I hope someone other than Irrational makes it.
I don't want an MMO (kinda hate them to be honest), just a first/third person action game that offers more options that just shooting zombies. Even L4D needs something more IMO.
Maybe someone should pick this game up and turn it into The Walking Dead game, and maybe I might get the things that I desire from this kind of game.
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Contest:
7:00 PM on 01.28.2010
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I like the tactics options. Graphics are very murky mudwater though, but it probably wasn't near complete anyway.
Left 4 Dead : proudly killing any zombie fear since November 2008!
While a great game mechanically, it is a shame that it has helped remove zombies as a legitimately frightening foe. May you rest in peace next to your fallen brother, the vampire.
Hunting for food and water, med supplies, saving survivors (something even Dead Rising does, but Left 4 Dead doesn't), commandering and modifying abandoned vehicles for use, even clearing a space to just live and rest in. None of this has been done yet, and with this game, since the characters are military types, they'd would have been perfect for all of the above.
Its unfortunately all about the run and gun gameplay now, but that can get tired fast.
Also some new locations would be nice too. America isn't the only location on earth. What about other nations in the same situation? Again, no one has tried this either. Big shame really.
I know, right?
"You bastards--you took our chopper
I am mildly annoyed!"
Well, someone could try a zombie game in Africa--if the very idea wasn't blatantly racist!
Oh, wait.
Am I the only one that finds this incredibly promising, even still in this day and age? You're insane if you wouldn't play something to this extent, even updated, filled out and enhanced with a sandbox environment, third-person view, character customization and realistic gameplay, and enjoy it. Sure, its my imagination running wild, and the game of my dreams starting to leak out of it, but can't we all just... dream once in a while?
Also, that guy at the end gave me a hardcore flashback of the intro to the original Resident Evil.
Most notably:
Jill: "JOSEEEEEEEPH!"
Chris: "No, don't go!"
I still think that this game would be quite sought after even now. Granted, the whole zombie thing has been played out terribly now. Resident Evil games, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, NAZI Zombies, Half Life 1 & 2 has zombies in it.
And that's just video games. Counting movies and books and you just have far too much. Quite a bit of it is good, but too much of a good thing just makes you sick after awhile. FPS games are starting to hit that wall too and have only lasted this long due to FPS being vague enough to encompass a plethora of stuff. Hell, just look at the current plastic accessory flooded music genre...
I want a game that is more survival horror zombie based rather than like L4D2's run and shoot 50 zombies in 10 seconds, these zombies actually shamble at you rather than sprint like mofo's on acid
I want a game JUST like this!!
I don't want an MMO (kinda hate them to be honest), just a first/third person action game that offers more options that just shooting zombies. Even L4D needs something more IMO.
Maybe someone should pick this game up and turn it into The Walking Dead game, and maybe I might get the things that I desire from this kind of game.