I've gone on record that zombie games are the bane of the mobile landscape, the interactive equivalent of the buddy cop movie: creatively bankrupt, innovative as a brick, and now only rarely entertaining. I'm inclined to stay my hatred for all things green and groaning on this one occasion, if only because the source material is still relatively pure. The Walking Dead: Assault is a squad-based strategy game, born from the same comic book series as AMC's monster hit TV show (but not the show itself). It's available for $2.99 in the Play Store now.

Assault started its unlife on iOS eight months ago, so it's yet another example of an untimely port. But the game got stellar reviews, something that's a definite rarity for licensed games, and mobile licensed games in particular. You play as some of the more recognizable characters from the comic book, starting out as Georgia lawman Rick Grimes when he wakes up in a post-apocalyptic hospital. The iOS game features ten chapters that are roughly analogous to comic book issues, but unfortunately, only the first is out for Android at the time of writing.

Players move their team through the 3D, pulp-flavored levels, collecting weapons and supplies and fighting off the undead. But this is the thinking man's action game: it's much better to avoid or distract the zombies than to fight them directly. As with the comic and TV show, going head-on against the hoard is a recipe for failure. Progress through the levels quickly enough and meet your objectives, and you get some fan service goodies like promotional art or wallpapers.

Graphics and audio are pretty good, though the interface seems to have been photocopied from iOS - never a good start. The $3 game has a few in-app purchases as well. It's compatible just about everything, but Assault looks like the kind of game that plays best on a tablet.

Via VG24/7