Those of a nervous disposition are advised to press the back button now. For the inspiration behind today's list of games is one of the most terrifying creatures man has invented: the zombie. You have been warned. If being inundated with slavering human-shells bent on your destruction fills you full of dread, then you best be on your way. Braver souls, however, are in for a treat. We have rounded up all the zombie games on the web, incinerated or decapitated those that were not up to scratch, and are left with what we consider to be the 20 best. Here they are:
1The Last Stand 2
Indie game studio ConArtists has been responsible for some of the greatest casual games to grace the internet, including such legends as Crush the Castle and Warfare 1917. The game that first won ConArtists acclaim, however, was The Last Stand, a brilliant defend your base-style game featuring zombies. ConArtists recently released a sequel to the game, and The Last Stand 2 is everything one would want from a sequel. You can play The Last Stand 2 here.
2Boxhead
There have been five games in the Boxhead series and each has improved on the previous. The latest game - Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is one of the slickest (and bloodiest) zombie games out there. The graphics are first rate. The action is fast and furious. There is also a bit of strategy. In addition to blowing zombies to smithereens using standard weapons such as pistols and shotguns, you can also build turrets and barricades to help you survive the zombie hordes. Play Boxhead: The Zombie Wars here. Other versions of Boxhead can be played here and here.
3Sonny
In Sonny - a turn-based rpg with impressively high production values - you don't kill zombies but, in an unusual plot twist, play the part of a zombie. Sonny wasn't always a zombie. He used to be a normal bloke. But then he was involved in a accident on a ship. He should have died but instead he became a zombie. Now he is an all-out battle for survival. One of the highest rated Flash games of all time, Sonny can be played here. A competent sequel to the game can be played here.
4Infectionator
Most people hide away in their bedrooms when they are suffering from an infectious illness. They don't want to pass their illness on to their friends and family. Not the god-like protagonist of Infectonator - a fun strategy game by Toge Productions. He loves nothing more than sharing his infectious illness with as many people as possible, and he has at his disposal a particularly insidious infection, one that turns people into zombies. Your task on each level of the game is to infect or kill all the people within 60 seconds. You can play Infectionator here. A sequel - Infectionator: World Dominator - fleshes out the original game, providing a campaign mode in which you infect the whole world continent by continent.
5Zombies Took My Daughter
This has got to be any parent's worst nightmare. Your sweet little daughter has been kidnapped. If that wasn't bad enough on its own, the kidnappers are zombies. Thus begins Zombies Took My Daughter, an innovative and fun little zombie game. The game has everything you would expect from a zombie game: lots of weapons, loads of places to explore and, of course, tons of zombies to destroy. The thing that sets this game apart from most zombie games is that the game's city environment is generated randomly. Each game you play therefore will be different. Zombies Took My Daughter can be played here.
6The Breach
The Breach is a space-based zombie rpg featuring great platformer action and top-notch graphics. If you like platform games, space-themes and zombies, then you won't be able to go wrong with this game. Click here to play The Breach.
7Days 2 Die
You are trapped in a zombie-infested city. You need to get to the harbour and board the last ship out of town. Days 2 Die is a side-scrolling action bloodfest. Chop, smash, blast or incinerate zombies into bits using a variety of weapons. Play the game here. A sequel to the game - Days 2 Die: The Other Side - can be played here.
8Dead Frontier: Outbreak 2
A text adventure set in a zombie world, Dead Frontier: Outbreak 2 features a great story and some of the best voice acting we've seen in a casual game. Might not be to everybody's liking, but fans of choose-your-own adventure games should love it. You can play Dead Frontier: Outbreak 2 here.
9Desolation 2
Not all zombie games are non-stop gory action. Some actually require you think a bit. Desolation 2 is one such game. Find items and solve puzzles in this atmospheric point and click game, and help the hero to track down a remedy to cure a zombie illness that has struck down the local population. You can play Desolation 2 here.
10SAS Zombie Assault
A classic top-down zombie game where you have to fend off wave after wave of undead monsters. Once you have wiped out a wave, you are given the chance to upgrade your defences or buy new weapons. SAS Zombie Assault starts off relatively easy but surviving all the 20 waves requires cunning and lightning fast reactions. Play SAS Zombie Assault here. Two newer versions of the game can be played here and here.
11Zombie Hooker Nightmare
You're a hooker, and Zombies are scaring off your customers in this adult take on the zombie action game. Great fun. Play Zombie Hooker Nightmare here.
12ZomTV
This is one of the odder games on the list. But we like odd. You are in charge of a secret government installation and your task is to defend it against zombies without killing humans. ZomTV deserves credit for trying something different. Play ZomTV here.
13Zombie Taxi 2
Play the part of a taxi driver in a zombie-infested city in this fun driving game. You need to rescue people before they are turned into zombies. Spend your hard-earned cash on upgrades to your car. Play Zombie Taxi 2 here. You may also want to take a look at the first game - here.
14More Zombies
Defend your burger stand against seemingly never-ending waves of zombies. Don't forget to pick-up ammo, weapons or upgrades else you won't have a snowflake-in-hell's chance of surviving. Play More Zombies here.
15Cursed Village
This defend-your-base style game is damn scary, especially when a zombie continues to drag itself along the ground towards you after you have shot its legs off. The zombies in this game do not die easily, which is a real shame, because there are lots of them and they are all after you. Cursed Village can be played here.
16Endless Zombie Rampage 2
Our research revealed Endless Zombie Rampage 2 to be one of the most highly-rated zombie games around. We are not entirely sure why, because the graphics and game-play, while good, are not particularly special. We obviously know nothing, because everyone else seems to love it. We bow to their superior knowledge. Play Endless Zombie Rampage 2 here.
17Autumn War
In Autumn War, you are not alone in your battle against the zombies. You have at your disposal an army of soldiers. Command them well and you will prevail. Do a bad job and you will end up zombie meat. A fun little strategy game with a zombie theme. Play Autumn War here.
18Zombie Apocalypse: Left 4 dead
Amble around a city nonchalantly taking out zombies in this rpg-style top-down shooter. Pulsing music, neat graphics, an rpg-style progress system and a huge number of weapons make for some great fun game-play. You can play Zombie Apocalypse: Left 4 dead here.
19Marksmen
Marksmen has the standard zombie plot. You're stuck in the middle of a zombie infested city and need to fend off wave after wave of undead to survive. What sets this game apart from most is that you are given a first-person perspective on the action. It doesn't quite work perfectly but the developer deserves credit for trying something different. You can play Marksmen here.
20Meat Mansion 2
You are trapped in a dark mansion. You are scared. Your heart beat is ringing in your ears. You can hear strange creatures scuttling around in the darkness. You've got to get out. Meat Mansion 2 is an atmospheric point and click game with elements of shooter games in it. You can play the game here.
As usual, if you think we have missed out any brilliant online zombie games or even if you just want to vent your spleen, then please tell us everything in the comments section below.
