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Is The War Z a DayZ Rip Off?

If zombies actually did eat my neighbors I might think that they were just jumping on the bandwagon to fit into the modern zombie craze. With the success of Walking Dead (all mediums), the upcoming movie adaptation of the World War Z book starring Brad Pitt and games like Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, Project Zomboid, and the ARMA II mod, DayZ, it comes as no surprise that many companies are coming out of the woodworks to debut their newest zombie-inspired iteration regarding those smelly rotting people who walk around whilst moaning, farting, and search for brains to munch.  Well, the latest addition to the zombie list is a game developed by Hammerpoint Interactive and published by Arktos Entertainment Group called The War Z.

The War Z, not to be confused with notorious undead rapper Jay Z or the ARMA II mod DayZ, is Hammerpoint Interactive’s take on the hardcore zombie survival genre for PC players. The War Z’s release is strangely short after the exploding success of DayZ and supports many similar characteristics, but the fact remains that The War Z was in development many months before the DayZ mod ever saw the light of day. The War Z is not a blatant rip of DayZ, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that some aspects of DayZ’s success have influenced War Z, because quite frankly it’s inspired by all things zombie.

Like the insanely popular DayZ, The War Z will put you in the shoes of a survivor set in a post-apocalyptic sandboxy world. The difference is that DayZ is a mod for a wartime combat simulator, whereas The War Z was created from the ground up to be the game it is. It will also incorporate some online RPG elements like skill trees, trading, and experience points to give the game its own unique twist on similar concepts.

Regarding The War Z’s RPG and post-apocalyptic aspirations, senior game designer, Eric Nordin, went on to say “The whole team is completely obsessed with the zombie culture as well as with post-apocalyptic games like Fallout. Since we started the design of the game, we have continued to incorporate new features that inspire us as we go.  At the end of the day we want to ship a game that we want to play ourselves and we’re hoping that other gamers will recognize our passion and be excited about playing as well!”

Well Eric, you can count me amongst one of those excited gamers. Even if The War Z does appear to adapt one, two, or five elements from DayZ, would we care even if it was a blatant rip off? “Incorporate new features that inspire” huh? That sounds great to me, I know I wouldn’t care.

The first time I saw DayZ I thought to myself “Wow, this looks groundbreaking for the survival genre… now let’s see what more than one person can do with it and get a team of developers behind it to make a game based around this idea”. The War Z seems to do just that.

But you can decide for yourself, check out some of The War Z’s key features.

  • Big open worlds to explore between 200 to 400 square kilometers
  • Two modes of play: Normal and Hardcore
  • Combination of first-person and third-person perspectives
  • Meld of PvE (player versus environment) and PvP (player versus player)
  • Strong Role Playing Elements
  • Multiple playable characters with customizable features
  • Unique social elements, including bounties, help requests, trap setting, etc.
  • Safe settlements where players can purchase, sell and store items as well as post notes for other players
  • Dozens of unique skills that can be learned and improved
  • Up to 250 players per game server
  • New weapons and items become available as players explore the game world
  • Full developer support with regularly scheduled, free content updates
  • Dedicated public servers as well as private servers that can be completely self-managed in game client
  • Single purchase, downloadable client with ability to play full game without subscriptions or requiring in-game transactions


The War Z is scheduled for release this Fall for $30 and will not have subscription fees… I’m in.

 

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