So I saw the best zombie movie thread:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.348241-Whats-the-best-zombie-movie

I thought that this should go up too. Pretty straight forward question, what is your favorite or best in your eyes? For me it is a hard question, I like most of the Resident Evil games but they never really seemed like a pure zombie game to me, there was always monsters like the Licker or the Hunter that sort of muddled the whole zombie thing for me.

When Dead Island was announced I thought that would finally be the game to settle my need for a realistic zombie survival horror game, unfortunately in my own and my friends opinion it basically fell flat on its face and didn't deliver what we wanted it to.

I like Left for Dead but it lacks any substance beyond zombie killing spree type gameplay. It doesn't have any humanity to it.

I don't think there is a definitive answer as to which is the best because I don't think there is a standout title yet but which is your favorite?

I don't really play a lot of zombie games as I do game with zombies in them, but since I don't really play a lot of those either, I have to give this one to Plants vs. Zombies. It's fun, takes up a fair amount of my time, and I actually enjoy the zombies that I'm fighting.

The original Resident Evil. Newer ones are more action games/shooters than survival horrors.

Dead State does sound like the closest thing to the old school Romero style (which are the best zombie movies, btw) http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/08/25/a-blood-red-state-dead-state-revealed/

IF it ever comes out, that is.

Has to be the Dead Rising games for me. Couldn't pick between them as to which is my favourite though.

Left 4 Dead 2 is my favourite and is also the best. I'd actually call it a survival game, since you need to work as a team to live, if on your own, you're fucked.

Screw Resi.

Just looked at some gameplay footage of Left 4 Dead (looks like COD but with zombies) and Dead Rising, which looks better but still far from an actual horror game. The zombies didn't look nearly dangerous enough. The player was basically surrounded by a huge crowd of zombies (which should mean certain death), but he was just swinging his melee weapon taking them out, two and three at a time, without a care in the world. What the fuck ??

Idk, I guess I'm crazy for associating zombies with horror.

My favorite is definitely L4D1, tho the second one isn`t half bad, either.
And I´m not talking about just joining a random lobby and playing a round on normal.
I´m talking about Expert mode (and realism on L4D2). Now that`s where i sometimes get those sweet feelings of horror (or something along those lines), where the screen is black-white (meaning that you`re about to die if ya get much more damage), you`re moving very slowly, the other players is dead, there`s a safety room so damn close, and you hear a lot of zombies behind you, closing in, louder and louder and louder, until you`re sure they`re about to start clawing your spine. Those moments truly are so awesome, love them. And those moments, plus the game is actual CO-OP survival, not just survival. You really can`t run off alone. Which kinda contradicts with my example, but at those parts, the other guys are dead, and what else can ya do besides run and pray that a smoker doesn`t show up.
So, yeh. That`s my two scents.

The Dead Rising games are always fun. Sure, they aren't scary in the slightest, but they're silly, campy and fun. I think they're pretty well designed too, I know people hate it, but I actually like the time limit. Means you can't do everything on a single playthrough unless you either time it well or on a higher level.

Anthraxus:
Idk, I guess I'm crazy for associating zombies with horror.

Dead Rising really isn't survival horror. It's more like beat 'em up/hack and slash with zombies. As for L4D, it's more of a co-op shooter with zombies than anything else. Very few actual survival horror zombie games, which is a shame. Dead Island looked like it could be it, but then it turned out to be Borderlands with zombies.

Left 4 Dead 2, Versus in particular.

Best semi-competitive multiplayer in years!

Anthraxus:
Just looked at some gameplay footage of Left 4 Dead (looks like COD but with zombies)

Nothing like COD to be honest, the gameplay is extremely innovative. I guess you've already made up your mind so won't say any more, apart from recommending Dead Island with a ton of mods (Romero mod sounds like the type of thing you're after).

The Nazi Zombie mode for the Call of Duty games. It's funny, it's challenging, and I believe its storyline puts all other zombie storylines to shame. Now, if they took the gameplay style of the Left 4 Dead series and took the story, characters, and general feel of Nazi Zombies and mixed those two together...
Best. Zombie. Game. EVER.

The Resident Evil Remake on GC for sure. I'd even say that it's my favorite game on the gamecube.

Probably Left 4 Dead. Number 2 was so bad.

I really can't think of anything. Until there has been a fully fledged survival horror ZOMBIE game for this generation, I will stick by this well worn genre.

Dead Rising series for me. Sure, Dead Island was okay, and Left 4 Dead is some great fun with friends. But you can't beat a game that allows you to go through it all wearing a banana hammock.

Another vote for Plants vs Zombies. Very addicting game I've spent hundreds of hours playing.

L4D2. Is great and has literally everything the first had + more.
RE4 was good, too.

For me the original L4D is miles beyond almost every other game. But I am a sucker for the versus mode on that game.

Dead Rising 2, it really fun gameplay and also has pretty good writing for a Capcom game.

As far as doing actual surviving in a zombie game, I'd give it to Fort Zombie and Rebuild.

Fort Zombie
+Required to find gas, food, ammo, and medicine.
+Third-person with accuracy determined by one's skill. (Skills progress by use like Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy II)
+A time limit of about 12 in-game days.
+Minor construction of barricades.
+Rescue and dependency on survivors.
|Randomly generated neighborhoods
-Buggy. (Zombies sometimes clip through walls)

Rebuild (Flash)
+Need to collect supplies.
+In the second, several objectives to end the game.
+Rescue and ''
|Random generation
|Managerial play-style

Other games I'd suggest would be:
The Last Stand: Union City (2D sidescrolling rpg flash)
Trapped Dead (Top-down tactical rpg)
Zombies Took My Daughter (2D flash)
Dead Frontier (Top-down online rpg flash)

Look out for:
Dead State
Class 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W5ZqDzZIQ4

Dead Island is also in my favorites due to the AI. Zombies have substance to them unlike the paper mache and cannon fodder zombies that've been seen in games. It's great that struggling with zombies isn't an automatic bite and that other surrounding zombies are more of a worry. Heck, it's great that breaking a zombie's hold is a simple left, right and not a different set of buttons each time nor the tapping of a button nor the waggling of the control stick; making it feel natural to gameplay.

If they'd make the zombies more aggressive and pursue you when you've been knocked down and not delay when you've been grappled, they could get rid of the other four or five types and maybe make the thug a simple variant of the walker and infected types. To me that'd make playing with two or more players vital. And since it was hinted at in-game, maybe add zombified animals such as bears and wolves.

Ultimately, one must ask what one wants most from a game with zombies. One where you kill zombies, one where you can kill zombies or one where you want to play as zombies.

Wow, no love for Killing Floor? That's definitely my favorite.

Wanderer787:
Wow, no love for Killing Floor? That's definitely my favorite.

I am so disappointed in The Escapist at the moment for taking this long for Killing Floor to pop up.

For shame, brethren.

Killing floor, it's the good parts of left for dead and zombies combined.

Left 4 Dead 2, Resident Evil 4 or Revelations, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Dead Rising 1 and 2, The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, I could go on for a long time....

I'm gonna go with Siren Blood Curse followed very closely by Resident Evil 4 (I don't give a damn if they're not really zombies).

I'm gonna be original and creative and say Left for Dead 1...

I've never put as much time into a zombie game as L4D1 on Expert with my friend split-screen (I got no Live so co-op is all I have)...

Aerosteam 1908:
Left 4 Dead 2 is my favourite and is also the best. I'd actually call it a survival game, since you need to work as a team to live, if on your own, you're fucked.

Screw Resi.

Pretty much this :P if you just try on expert mode to go on you own... you are fucked.. or just have to be extremely lucky and make it to the safe room and leave the 3 rest of your mates getting thier guts spilled by hunters, tanks and the lowly zombie... yes im a horrible person in L4D2... but its so fun >:D

The top zombie game I've ever played is probably Zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Let's be honest, did anybody else buy Black Ops for something OTHER than Zombies?

After that, Dead Rising was probably the best, in terms of pure fun at least

Anthraxus:
The original Resident Evil. Newer ones are more action games/shooters than survival horrors.

Dead State does sound like the closest thing to the old school Romero style (which are the best zombie movies, btw) http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/08/25/a-blood-red-state-dead-state-revealed/

IF it ever comes out, that is.

I've been hearing about Dead State for a while, I was really excited initially but now, yeah, I am definitely skeptical as to whether or not it will actually get finished.

Andy Shandy:
Has to be the Dead Rising games for me. Couldn't pick between them as to which is my favourite though.

I played the first Dead Rising and personally never got into them, they weren't really scary, I went into it with the wrong mentality and just couldn't seem to have any fun.

Owlslayer:
My favorite is definitely L4D1, tho the second one isn`t half bad, either.
And I´m not talking about just joining a random lobby and playing a round on normal.
I´m talking about Expert mode

Playing Expert mode on L4D with my friends was a lot of fun, definitely the most fun I had with the game but the appeal went away too quickly (also two of my friends suck so it made the game way too hard, haha)

pezwitch:
Another vote for Plants vs Zombies. Very addicting game I've spent hundreds of hours playing.

Haha, who doesn't love some PvZ?!?!

My favorite from sheer nostalgia would be Resident Evil 2. As a kid playing through the very beginning of the zombie infested town with nothing to really defend yourself, scared the shit outta me. The best however is not Resident Evil 2 lets face it its aged about as well as milk. For me it is Dead Rising for me never was it more fun and unique to go around finding different ways to kill things.

totally heterosexual:

Anthraxus:
Idk, I guess I'm crazy for associating zombies with horror.

Well yeah. Zombies are not scary at all. Ever.

They can make for tense as shit games if used right but they have NEVER been actually scary.

Also Left 4 dead 2 is far better then any call of duty and dead rising 1 isboth challenging and funny as hell.

Wow. Way to misunderstand. When did I say scary ? I said HORROR. And I said Left for Dead LOOKED like COD. (obviously it has zombies instead of ppl though)