Sony has busted out a surprise beta for Housemarque's upcoming downloadable twin-stick zombie shooter, Dead Nation. Codes to download the beta have hit inboxes (including my own), presumably to select folks who have signed up for the free PlayStation Network.
The beta begins now and will run through September 3. The email mentions two "free play" "scheduled events" -- August 24, starting at 12PM US PT and August 26, starting at 2PM US PT. It's unclear as to what these "free play" events are for; I downloaded the 1 GB beta this morning, booted it up, and was able to play just fine outside of these scheduled times.
While the game features cooperative play, the beta only appears to feature solo play, allowing you to choose between two characters -- the grizzled Jack McReady and P.Y.T. Scarlett Blake -- to shoot up mobs of undead. Global leaderboards are active, so this is a great chance to hone your skills (and report some bugs to Sony) before the game's fall launch.
I had a chance to play Dead Nation awhile back, so check out my preview for more details. Or check your email for a beta invite -- the level I played this morning in the beta was the same I saw at a PlayStation event last month.
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Contest:
9:00 AM on 08.24.2010
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Is it arena based like Zombie Apocalypse? Or is it a bit more like an open city to explore and kill zombies.
If it's another "kill all the zombies in this arena" game I'll give it a miss.
I buy nearly every ps3 exclusive on launch. I became a PSN plus member on day one. I have yet to ever recoeve any type of beta invite, ever.
Fuck Sony.
From what I've seen, it's level-based, not arena based. The first level has you getting to a gas station.
First person only for zombie games, please. I like my suspense and surprise.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Level based I CAN handle, just can't bring myself to play another zombie stick shooter with my buddy screaming "HIDE IN THE CORNER WITH ME! HIDE IN THE CORNER!!"
There's just something not-fun about hiding in a corner rolling the stick to cover the only approach for hours and hours - Zombie Apocalypse.