Console Corner: Dying Light preview

Goodnight ... and good luck.
Zombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypseZombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypse
Zombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypse

Zombies seem to be everywhere at the moment and the latest game in the zombie apocalypse genre is one of the most ambitious to date.

Dying Light – out on January 30 – is an action survival first person game set in a vast and dangerous open world.

During the day, you roam an urban environment devastated by a mysterious epidemic, scavenging for supplies and crafting weapons to help you defeat the hordes of mindless, flesh-hungry enemies the plague has created.

Zombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypseZombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypse
Zombie nation: Can you survive the infected apocalypse

At night, the hunter becomes the prey as the infected grow in strength and aggression - but even more lethal are the nocturnal, inhuman predators that leave their nests to feed.

You will need to make use of all your skills and any available means to survive until dawn.

This is Minecraft on heat.

Made by Polish game developers Techland and published by Warner Bros, Dying Light is the first major game of 2015.

It features an incredible 50+ hours of gameplay with the downloadable content.

The game is mostly melee-based (its like Dead Island meets Mirror’s Edge) with the majority of fighting using melee weapons. There are more than 100 weapons that can be used and more when players begin crafting new weapons.

There is a dynamic day and night cycle and you can also set up traps, save random survivors, and make their way to airdrops. In the day the infected are slow, apathetic, and easily visible, allowing the player to simply make their way past them, but their danger grows in numbers.

The game will also feature a dynamic weather system, which will include a variety of conditions such as fog, rain, and wind.

When the sun goes down the infected transform into something much more dangerous (a bit like hoodies).

Without daylight, the senses of the infected become more acute and accurate. They gain the ability to sprint after the player and have increased damage, as well as the ability to jump and climb buildings like the player.

There is a multiplayer mode where up to four of you can play cooperatively while there is also a special Be the Zombie mode, although I think initially this is exclusively for those who pre-order the game. I think gamers are in for a great start to the year.

Related topics: