TOP 1:Dead Rising // Capcom (Xbox 360)
Capcom's ode to Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and every other "of the Dead" you can think of is the world's quintessential zombie game. Make no mistake, Keiji Inafune has captured the spirit of the zombie mythos incredibly well -- combining the tension and gore of popular feature films with the "man against a horde" mentality that other zombie games still haven't nailed. Unlockable moves, strong presentational elements, and a ton of replay value have had us begging for a sequel from the day we first played it, and even if we never get it, Dead Rising is good enough to keep us happy for a long, long time.
TOP 2:Resident Evil 2 // Capcom (Multi)
Of all the thrilling, terrifying, and downright scary moments that the Resident Evil has provided us, it was the two-disc Resident Evil 2 that captured the essence of the series like no other. Before the crazed villagers of RE4 and an overabundance of mutated experiments, RE2 gave us more zombies than we could handle with chilling musical cues and two intertwined adventures from two separate points of view. Zombie for Zombie, Resident Evil 2 is still the breakout star of the original series and remains one of the greatest horror games of all time.
TOP 3:DOOM // id Software (Multi)
Some experts would argue that DOOM is not only one of the coolest zombie games ever made, but also, that it's one of the single-most important games about anything ever made. A leader in the 3D revolution and the most popular multiplayer title of all time, DOOM popularized terms like BFG and encouraged a booming user modification underground that remains fanatical to this day. In fact, DOOM has such a legendary level of zombie-crushing action that The Rock made a movie about it... a very, very bad movie yes, but it's the thought that counts.
TOP 4:Zombies Ate My Neighbors // Konami (Multi)
LucasArts and Konami may not team up to make games anymore, but when the powerhouse pair joined forced to create Zombies Ate My Neighbors in 1993, they created a cult smash so addictive and easy to get into, that no game like it has been made since. A tribute to the monster movies of the '50s and '60s, Neighbors had everything -- aliens, werewolves, vampires, and most importantly, one of the highest zombie counts of any game ever recorded. Its imaginative weapons, kickin' soundtrack, and 55 totally different levels didn't hurt matters either. Classic!
TOP 5:Typing of the Dead // SEGA (Multi)
Okay, so the bizarre Typing of the Dead is almost identical to House of the Dead 2 in terms of its layout, enemies, visuals, and soundtrack. But even those copycat similarities aren't enough to stop the game from being one of the most badass zombie games you'll ever play. Why you ask? Forget about the fact that it will actually teach you how to type more accurately and with more speed; forget about the fact that it supports two-player co-op for both the PC and Dreamcast versions; You needn't worry about that. The only thing you need to know is this -- that at one point in the game, you actually have to type, "I lay my hand upon yours, my sweet, and let out the nastiest fart you'll know." Yep, that's badass all right.
TOP 6:They Hunger // Black Widow Games (PC)
A popular mod for the original Half-Life, They Hunger may not be as popular as any of the other games on our list, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth a look. Blending strong stage design and good AI with frightening situations and super sharp graphics, all three episodes of They Hunger combine to provide one of the best "unknown" zombie gaming experiences you'll ever find. We can't wait for Lost Souls, an all-new installment of the series built on Source due out sometime later this year.
TOP 7:House of the Dead 4 // SEGA (Arcade)
Forget the tamer weapons of earlier installments, the sub-machine guns of House of the Dead 4 kill so many blasted zombies at a time that we feel almost guilty for blasting them all... almost. The ultimate in modern-day light gun shooters, HOD4 also boasts everything that made the earlier games such great and immersive experiences (cool locales, branching pathways) and a few new gameplay innovations like the "Shake Escape." We can only hope that it's beamed into our homes sometimes soon.
TOP 8:Alone in the Dark // Interplay (Multi)
Yes friends, the game started the survival horror genre, Alone in the Darks is one badass scary game. What's even better is that it has its very own band of meandering zombie bad guys just waiting to get their evil purged. And while it is true that the combat and annihilation of the dead plays second fiddle to the storytelling and puzzle solving, there's no denying that the undead confrontations were so terrifying and engrossing for their time that people still talk about it nearly 15 years later.
TOP 9:Stubbs the Zombie // Aspyr (Xbox)
Unlike most games with reanimated corpses, Stubbs actually allows you to play as the zombie rather than hunt one. Using all of his cool and interesting powers, players can build their own zombie hordes, cough up undead sputum, and control a severed hand to get into those "hard to find places." Throw in some genuine sarcastic humor and technology built on Bungie's Halo engine (yes, really), and the "Rebel without a pulse" really delivers.
TOP 10:Hunter: The Reckoning // Vivendi (Multi)
A favorite among early Xbox horror fans, Hunter: The Reckoning was a surprisingly addictive death festival that not only allowed players to take out and annihilate zombies with 20 different weapons and spells (including flamethrowers and axes), but it also let them stake vampires, shoot werewolves, and upgrade their characters like a traditional RPG. It may not have been as pretty as some of the other games on our list, sure, but hey -- who says Zombies are supposed to be pretty (and no, Night of the Living Dead III, doesn't count)?
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