The Last Stand: Dead Zone

The Last Stand: Dead Zone is the latest edition to The Last Stand series of epic zombie games. The games  are a product of renowned game designer ConArtist. The latest, Dead Zone uses some features from Union City and is the most daring and boldest of the series. Currently in its Beta version and only available through Facebook, The Last Stand: Dead Zone is a fun, challenging and a real time waster if you let it. And I mean that in a good way.
TLS and TLS2 were third-person shooter zombie games and featured a shoot 'em up to defend your camp. The third, Union City, was an adventure-travel through the mean streets, looking for survivors, weapons and food. 

The Last Stand: Dead Zone - City Map. Yes, my character's name is StubbornFool Com.

There are a couple drawbacks to the game, I will get to that later. Overall it is a blast. The idea in The Last Stand: Dead Zone is to grow your compound. DZ is a mix of role playing, logic, and adventure and is as much different, as it is more advanced than its predecessors. Instead of running and escaping you are building a home, scavenging for tools and food for survival. You characters will build, gather scraps to build a home and compound and new society all the while shooting and pummelling zombies.

What the programmers need to do is to take this out of real time and speed up game play. There are some free options to to speed up play by up to five minutes. Otherwise you can pay real cash.

TLS: Dead Zone - Mission

The length of certain missions prevents you from playing continuously throughout the day. You will need to take at least fifteen minute breaks as the game progresses, and up to two hours, as your team returns from their more advanced missions. This too can be sped up if you are willing to spend some real cash. Options are there for community play, whether attacking or helping other players. Otherwise you are smashing AI driven zombies and invading homes set up by the system.

And now the negatives. It's has the potential to be a money grab. Real time needlessly extends the game. The concept of a real time game is to ensure the gamer comes back. It extends playtime over days and even months. It also frustrates those amongst us who want to see a conclusion to their game. I finally gave up on Mafia Wars after realizing there was no end in sight. Just as you are approaching the finish line, it would be moved back 100 metres and your sprint would become a marathon.

You can play for free, pay as little a a couple of bucks (dollars, pounds or Euros, hey it's Facebook, all money is taken equally) in real money to buy fuel which will help you complete your tasks. Again, let me restate, you can play for free without any setbacks.

If you have an older computer or a slow video  card you may experience slow play. Make sure that your video card is supported at Stage3D unsupported chipsets. Just like any game with a good following, you can check out the Wiki here. Walkthroughs are available. And as it is a Facebook game, you won't have much luck finding game cheats. The Last Stand: Dead Zone is violent, creative and fun for any zombie enthusiast and the adventure - RPG gamer. If you like Mafia Wars or The Walking Dead, The Last Stand: Dead Zone can be considered a combination of the two.