Age of Zombies Message Board

Hey guys, James here from Halfbrick. I hope you’re feeling fresh and re-energized for the year ahead! Today, we’re pleased to announce the U.S. launch of Age of Zombies for PS Vita. We’re super excited about this, and I think you’ll agree that BlitWorks has done an incredible job taking Age of Zombies to a whole new level of awesomeness on PS Vita.

It’s been almost four years since Age of Zombies was first released as a PS Mini, but despite a wealth of improvements and updates, there’s always been one thing missing: physical twin stick controls. That all changed with the launch of PS Vita, and we’ve finally found the perfect device to capture the sheer joys of blasting zombies on the go.

So, what’s the game all about? Glad you asked! Age of Zombies was the first game to star wise-cracking hero Barry Steakfries, who many of you will know as the main character from Monster Dash and Jetpack Joyride. It’s a crazy, hilarious, and over-the-top adventure. And it features time travel, romance, and a whole lot more.

The evil Professor Brains has sent hordes of undead to the farthest reaches of time, and it’s up to you to save the day. You’ll be up against ninjas, mummies, cavemen, and massive bosses with a huge variety of weapons and explosives. You’ll also go face-to-face with possibly the coolest opponent ever: the Zombie T-Rex!

This is without a doubt the definitive version of Age of Zombies. When BlitWorks wanted to help us bring the game to PS Vita, it was a total no-brainer. With a pedigree of bringing titles like Spelunky and Jet Set Radio to players around the world, we were able to work hand-in-hand to finally give our players what they’ve been asking for.

Everything from the original is here, along with completely remastered graphics, the bonus Wild West chapter, and a host of Survival Challenges to test your skills. We’ve also raised the difficulty slightly, added a nifty little health bar, and incorporated global leaderboards for some extra competition. There are Trophies, too! It all comes together beautifully, and Age of Zombies runs at a silky smooth 60 FPS on PS Vita.

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Age of Zombies. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the game. Here’s to a stellar 2014!

What's the best way to celebrate a year (plus) since Age of Zombies' release on iOS? By buying another version of Age of Zombies on iOS! Halfbrick has just released Age of Zombies Anniversary, a remastered edition of Barry Steakfries' inaugural adventure.

The new version features redone HD graphics (for iPads and iPhone 4 or 4S, of course), iCloud support, and new "Wild West content" -- a new western-themed level, in which even the dinosaurs don cowboy hats. If you want to experience this new, youthful Age of Zombies, it's on the App Store right now for a limited-time price of 99 cents.

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. Three times a week, our new Portabliss column will tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Age of Zombies! The only way to survive the zombie apocalypse is through constant, preemptive preparation and a cache of military grade weapons - thankfully for all the procrastinators out there, Halfbrick has found a way to make one half of that as easy as making a phone call.

Age of Zombies is a straightforward, zombie-slaughtering top-down shooter featuring our time-traveling hero, Barry Steakfries, because you never know when the next phone booth you step into will be a time machine covered in the t-virus. Barry travels through five eras of undead history, including the age of decomposing dinosaurs, mummies, the American mafia, ninjas and a cyborg future. Professor Brains, evil genius, infests each era with hordes of zombies, which Barry has to mow down with a variety of weapons and his supply of snarky witticisms. Normal zombies are killed in one hit while Barry boasts regenerative HP, making running for your life a viable strategy at times. Guns and projectiles spawn across the maps frequently, and it is usually in Barry's best interest to grab a minigun, shotgun, turret or mines, as the pistol is largely ineffective when trapped in a corner by a mass of hungry zombies, which can happen often.

Age of Zombies comprises five eras of three rounds, each ending with a boss fight. The first levels are generally stress-free, but as they increase in difficulty the control scheme becomes equally frustrating. Dual-touch controls appear wherever your thumbs touch the screen, meaning they can shift at any ill-timed tap, and when you desperately need a grenade but only end up vacantly staring at the approaching horde again, the game can become incredibly irritating (Zombie lesson number one: Never vacantly stare down a zombie horde. You don't have laser vision).

Clumsy thumbs aside, Age of Zombies is entertaining, with as much strategy as Angry Birds and more violence than Words with Friends. First released on iOS devices last year, Age of Zombies released on Android July 8, 2011 and is available through the Amazon App Store, listed for $2.99 but available now for $1.49 - a small price to pay for your survival during the apocalypse. It's also available as a PSP Mini.

Halfbrick's Age of Zombies takes players on a shooting spree through five historical, zombie-fied eras of time, including the age of dinosaurs, mummies, cavemen and Aquarius. Today, to celebrate its launch on Android systems, Age of Zombies is free for Android download through the Amazon Appstore.

Protagonist Barry Steakfries has been shooting undead dinos on iOS devices and PlayStation Minis since the ancient era of 2010. After today, Age of Zombies will cost $2.99 for Android systems -- get it before this deal is lost to the whims of time and tar pits.

Age of Zombies will not only go down in the history books as being the first awesome PlayStation Mini and a PSP Funniest Game of 2010 runner-up; it will also go down as having the greatest Zombie T-Rex in the history of video games. In Age of Zombies, players take protagonist Barry Steakfries on a time-traveling adventure jam-packed with the undead. Zombie gangsters, zombie cavemen, zombie ninjas -- but none compare to the Zombie T-Rex Barry runs into during the first half of the game...

Halbrick's brought its twin-stick shooter, Age of Zombies, from iOS and PlayStation Minis on over to the Xperia Play, as seen in the video past the break. Currently available in the Android Marketplace (but, like the PSOne Classics releases, only downloadable on the Xperia Play), the port is certified "Xperia Play optimized" and brings with it touch-screen controls as well as support for Xperia's gamepad control scheme.

The app will set you back A$2.99 (about $3.10) and will be available to the greater Android marketplace after "about a one month period."

We’ve tallied up the votes, slipped into our tuxedos, polished up the trophies and are finally ready to reveal the winners of the first-ever PlayStation Network Gamers’ Choice Awards.

First off, we want to thank all of the nominees for participating. All of the games that we showcased were the highest user-rated games released in 2010, so that is an honor in and of itself. Second, and most importantly, we want to thank all of you – the PlayStation Network community – for participating. We had a great turnout during the voting period which made for an intense competition. For instance, the battle for the Best PS3 Downloadable Game literally came down to the last day between Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game.

As a reminder, the 20 nominated games competed in four categories – Best PS3 Downloadable Game, Best PSP Downloadable Game, Best PS3/PSP mini and Best PSN Exclusive Game. So, without further ado, the winners are…

Best PS3 Downloadable Game: Castle Crashers

Best PSP Downloadable Game: God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Best PS3/PSP mini: Age of Zombies

Best PlayStation Network Exclusive Game: Dead Nation

Of course, this isn’t the end of the awards ceremony! The celebration continues as the award-winning titles will be featured during the first week of our Spring Fever event, kicking off tomorrow, with the winning games discounted 30% in the PlayStation Store and available for a 50% discount to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Thanks again for making our first-ever PlayStation Network Gamers’ Choice Awards fun and exciting. Enjoy the discounts on these great games!

Halfbrick has scored big on Apple devices (thanks, Fruit Ninja!) and has initiated a port of its Minis title, Age of Zombies. It's coming to the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad in the form of a universal app sometime this October. The new port will feature "updated graphics, new menus and the intuitive touch-specific controls and tutorials," along with the original's five game worlds and Survival mode.

There's no word yet on pricing, but the Minis game was set at $4.99, so we expect something similar. If you're looking for a taste of Barry Steakfries' antics, head past the break for a trailer of the Minis game or hit up the gallery below for some new screens.

Another Mini standout -- this time with guns, blood, and brains.

BRAAAAAAAINS!

Need proof Minis can be cool?

Why do zombies eat brains? There's usually perfectly available, good meat around, so what's with the brain-cravings? It's not like they do anything special with them. If they saved them for some kind of a stew or possibly pulled a Sylar, then you could understand it, but this willy-nilly shambling towards grey matter? Weird. Plus, do they have some sort of brain detector built-in? They always seem to know exactly which way to go.

Whoops, pardon our tangent. You want to get right to the swag, don't you? We're giving away nine copies of Halfbrick's brand new Age of Zombies, the PSP minis game that combines cute and cuddly with brain-hungry and undead. Seriously, these little zombies are adorable, and they'll look super keen on your PSP or your PS3. Since we can't explain why zombies crave brains, all you have to do is follow the rules below and tell us what the perfect side dish would be.

• Leave a comment telling us what the perfect side dish would be for a serving of brains.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- it has to do with Pierre Duchesne and he knows why).
• Limit 1 entry per person per day.
• This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Monday, March 8.
• At that time, we'll randomly select nine winners to receive a code good for one copy of Age of Zombies for PSP or PS3 (ARV: $4.99).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.

Take on some zombies on your commute.

Hey guys, this is Phil Larsen from Halfbrick checking in to give you some details for the newest addition to our range of PSP minis – Age of Zombies!

You’ll step into the shoes of our hero, Barry Steakfries, who is thrown into a lab where Professor Brains is taking the next step to creating a zombie apocalypse – by sending them through time portals!

Barry doesn’t take too kindly to this news, and after dispatching Professor Brains, ventures forth into the portal to save the world from a history of eating brains. Along the way, he’ll crack bad jokes, have fun blasting heads and deal all kinds of destruction with a wide array of weapons.

Age of Zombies features the single player Story Mode starring Barry Steakfries, which takes place over five time periods containing three levels each. You’ll visit the Prehistoric era, Ancient Egypt, Feudal Japan and more!

You can also unlock Survival mode, where hordes of undead will attack relentlessly in a level of your choice. Aim for the top score by killing zombies in quick succession to gain combo points, and wield a huge arsenal of weapons including the shotgun, SMG, flamethrower and minigun.

Age of Zombies will be released tomorrow for $4.99, and we’re looking forward to this tongue-in-cheek game designed to make you laugh while doing what everyone loves doing best – kill zombies! Through time!

Blast some zombies in the face in this PSP/PS3 minis shooter!

Halfbrick Studios, the Minis-producing development factory in Brisbane, has announced a new title: Age of Zombies. Not to be confused with the Age of Aquarius or the beloved children's film Ice Age, Halfbrick's game is decidedly more macabre -- with a pinch of cute tossed in. (We never thought we'd call zombies both those things, but there it is.)

Age of Zombies follows time-traveling protagonist (and delicious side dish) Barry Steakfries, doing his best to eradicate the hungry undead looking to get a mouthful of his tasty vittles. The debut trailer nestled above gives us a vibe akin to a cross between Robotron and Zombies Ate My Neighbors, which kinda sounds like a good time. There's also the promise of zombified T-Rex dinosaurs, which hardly seems possible in the real world, but, hey, we'll take it.

Age of Zombies will be available to download from the PlayStation Store on Thursday, February 25 for $4.99. In the meantime, fight your way through a horde of new screens in our gallery below.

More ways to entertain yourself with zombies.