When making a sequel, most studios make it a priority to build on the strengths of the original while patching up weaknesses. State of Decay 2 gets the first part right. Five years after the first game clawed its way to cult-favorite status, Undead Labs has released a follow-up that offers...

If you zone out on something too long, one might jokingly call you a zombie. You're in a mindless state, your only desire is whatever lies ahead of you-a bingeable Netflix show, a Platinum trophy or big achievement in a video game, a good meal.

Bethany is dying. She'd been bitten by a blood plague zombie on a supply run gone wrong. She didn't have much time left at this point and a decision needed to made. She was past the point of being cured, leaving only two choices.

State of Decay 2 is an immersive and mechanically interesting zombie-survival gameplay experience - whenever the bugs aren't plaguing player progress.

The original State of Decay was a fantastic game, one that had a lot of features people have always wanted from Zombie based survival games, such as an open-world littered with resources needed to sustain a base or community.

fluid combat and animations; Fantastic Music by Jesper Kyd; Choices can be Important; Base Management System

Lacking Content; Buggy with Performance Issues; Limiting PC Version; Co-op seems tacked on; No Visual Identity

In all my years of reviewing video games I've had one core rule – finish the game before reviewing it. Sometimes this means the reviews are a bit on the slow side. Other times this means that my reviews are a bit harsher since I found the story unsatisfying.

Massive open world maps to explore; base building requires strategy; randomly generated survivors create dynamic situations; game difficulty ramps up very smoothly

Bugs, bugs and all the bugs; rate at which infestations spawn is ridiculous; friendly enclaves are far too easy to chase off

With State of Decay 2 one of the few exclusives Microsoft has confirmed, at least so far prior to E3, there is understandably a lot of pressure riding on Undead Lab's sequel to their fan favorite State of Decay on the Xbox 360 back in 2013.

Buy State of Decay 2 In 2013, State of Decay introduced players to a different kind of zombie apocalypse. It eschewed big action set pieces for the thrill of mere survival. Taking down massive zombie hordes with powerful and inventive weaponry was cast aside in favor of practicality.

There are lots to like in State of Decay 2 and if managing people and finite resources against an environment that wants to eat you alive is your thing, you'll likely have a blast. And with its online co-op that allows you and three other people or friends to play together, it could even be more fun...

It's fun to play at first but after a few hours you get tired of always finding your community food, ect. I just keep letting them die. It gets boring after awhile.