| Zombies Ate My Neighbors | |
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The cover art shows several zombies.
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| Developer(s) | LucasArts |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Designer(s) | Mike Ebert |
| Released | NA September, 1993 EU January 27, 1994 |
| Genre | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | single player, Cooperative |
| Ratings | ESRB: Everyone |
| Platform(s) | Super NES, Sega Mega Drive |
| Media | 16-megabit cartridge |
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a run and gun horror video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and Super NES platforms. The game was produced by LucasArts as a comical tribute to both classic and schlocky horror films of the 1950s and 1960s. A sequel entitled Ghoul Patrol was released in 1994, but was not as well received as its predecessor and no further sequels were produced. A similar game, Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia, contains references to Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
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Gameplay
The player chooses between two teenage characters, Zeke and Julie, or both in two-player mode. They navigate suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls, pyramids, and other areas, destroying a variety of horror-movie monsters, including vampires, werewolves, huge demonic babies, and the game's flagship, zombies. In each of the 48 stages (excluding the bonus levels) the goal is to rescue the surviving neighbors, at which point a magical door opens that will take the player to the next stage. However, if the player is not careful, any enemy in the game will kill the neighbors, preventing them from being saved. At least one neighbor must be saved from each level to progress to the next. The game is lost if all of the neighbors in a certain stage are killed or if the player(s) lose all of their lives. Scoring points earns players more neighbors to save (but only up to the maximum of 10) and extra lives.
Victims
Zombies Ate My Neighbors also has diverse cast of "neighbors", including tourists, Archaeologists, babies, cheerleaders, dogs, and more. Each level has a maximum of ten neighbors, but if they all die without the player saving at least one throughout the stage, the game is over. Most victims are fully vulnerable to the monsters. The victim lounging around in an innertube can only be killed by Squidmen. The only victim who can never be killed by any enemy whatsoever is the girl jumping on the trampoline. Though every victim can appear in generally any out-of-place area, they usually come in abundance in areas where they fit in. Archaeologists, for example, appear in large amounts in the pyramid, but can still be in the average neighborhood. Victims are instantly killed or saved upon contact with an enemy or the player, respectively. The one exception is the soldier victim, who will survive the first attack by an enemy, but will begin to "freak out," indicating that the next hit will kill him. Victims become angels upon death, floating to the sky.
In-game references
The game makes several references to horror movies, including An American Werewolf in London, Child's Play, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mars Needs Women, Dracula, Night of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th, Them!, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Day of the Triffids, and Tremors, as well as the classical novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The final villain of the game is named "Dr. Tongue," first referenced in the level "Dr. Tongue's Castle of Terror". This is perhaps an homage to George A. Romero's Day of the Dead. The first zombie shown in the film was given the nickname "Dr. Tongue" during production because he is missing his jaw and has a protruding tongue. The name could also be based on the character of the same name portrayed by John Candy on the 1970s-80s TV series SCTV. Another level is called "The Day the Earth Ran Away" which is a reference to the classic sci-fi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still There is also a level called "Dances with Werewolves", which is a parody of the movie Dances with Wolves, There is another level called "Martians Go Home", which is reference to the Fredric Brown story of the same name and the 1990 film adaptation. A hidden bonus level, Day of the Tentacle, is a reference to the LucasArts adventure game of the same name. The bonus level can be accessed using BCDF as the level code. Level 5, titled "Weird Kids on the Block", is a reference to the boy band, New Kids on the Block. Level 19, titled "Nightmare on Terror Street", is a reference to the movie, Nightmare on Elm Street. Level 26, titled "Where the Red Fern Growls", is named after Wilson Rawls' novel Where the Red Fern Grows. It may also be a reference to the red weed from The War of the Worlds. Additional parodies include "Mars Needs Cheerleaders," a reference to the Sci-Fi film "Mars Needs Women," and "Seven Meals For Seven Zombies," which is a parody of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Level 31, titled "Look Who's Coming to Dinner", is possibly named after the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
Censorship
Due to the theme of the game, it was subject to some censorship. In some countries the name was considered unsuitable, and so it was renamed simply Zombies. The chainsaw-wielding lunatics were replaced with lumberjacks with axes, and levels such as "Chainsaw Hedgemaze Mayhem" were renamed to suit.
In Popular Culture
In Shaun of the Dead, the scene with the trampoline in the garden, is a direct homage to Trampoline Girl from Zombies Ate My Neighbours.
External links
- Maniac Zombies – a Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Ghoul Patrol and Maniac Mansion fansite
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors at MobyGames
