Half*Dead

**Half\*Dead** is a 3D survival horror third-person shooter developed by ACS Production Studios Osaka published by ACS. Released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360.

## Gameplay

The game plays similar to most survival horror games. Players choose between a male or female character (Kristoff Banks or Juno Hawkins) and use their chosen character to fight for survival inside the now-mutilated town of Ardent City, admist fighting zombies using guns or melee weapons, and solving puzzles to access certain parts in the game.

The game does not use a life meter and instead, the game uses a "body damage" system in wihich damage sustained from enemies will be allocated to a certain body part. When the legs are badly damaged, the player would lose his/her ability to run. When the arms are badly damaged, the player cannot use heavy weapons such as the Rocket Launcher. A badly damged head or body will result in death. The game also includes a "quick-swap" system which allows players to switch between the weapons in his/her item slots (see below) using a face button. This removes the fuss of having to open the inventory screen in the middle of the game just to change weapons, although players can still use the inventory screen to change weapons at times.

The player could pick up first aid kits in certain parts of the game, which, depending on the color (red, blue or green) could heal sustained damage, neutralize poison or do both at the same time (healing and neutralizing poison), respectively. The player could also pick up weapons (rarely), key items, ammunition (which automatically add up to a weapon's bullet count) and written files.

The player's inventory, which can be accessed by pressing a button on the controller, can accommodate up to 15 items. When all 15 slots are occupied, the player cannot gather any more items. The player can store unused items in certain item chests, which can be found in safe rooms. Up to 100 items can be stored inside these item chests.

The player could save their game progress at any point using diaries, which can be found in certain safe rooms and can be used for up to 5 times per stack. When playing on Easy mode, there is only one diary in the game and it can be used infinitely.

## Weapons

* Handgun

A 9MM handgun with fast recoil and quick firing rate. Exclusive to Juno. Light.

* Shotgun

A .410 shotgun with strong close range damage. Exclusive to Kristoff. Medium.

* Assault Rifle

An M16 assault rifle with a semi-automatic firing system. Medium.

* Submachine Gun

An UZI submachine gun that shots rapid fire with little-to-no delay. Light.

* .44 Magnum

A .44 Magnum with high firepower and long range. Medium.

* Flamethrower

A bizarre weapon that shoots fire at an enemy. Heavy.

* Chain Gun

A Gatling chain gun that allows the user to spray bullets with its rapid fire system. Heavy.

* Rocket Launcer

A rocket launcher with explosive firepower. Strongest weapon in the game. Heavy.

* Dual Handguns

A pair of 9MM handguns with more ammo and faster firing rate. Exclusive to Juno. Weapon Upgrade. Light

* Auto Shotgun

An automatic .410 shotgun with faster recoil. Exclusive to Kristoff. Weapon Upgrade. Medium.

Besides the aforementioned weapons, there are also a number of melee weapons in the game such as knives, axes, bats, iron pipes and 2x4s. Most of these weapons are classified as light weapons, although some melee weapons, such as the iron pipe, are classified under "Medium".

## Story

Ardent CIty, a quiet, peaceful suburban city located near an abandoned laboratory. One day in August, Ardent City was plagued by a mysterious disease that had turned the residents of Ardent CIty into undead monsters. Kristoff Banks, a member of the United States Special Operations and Rescue team, along with his comrades, were tasked to gather information about the mysterious disease that struck Ardent City, as well as to rescue any possible survivors. However, minutes after the mission had started, the whole team was wiped out by the undead monsters, and Kristoff has to progress through the mission alone.

Along the way, he meets Juno Hawkins, a polide officer from the Ardent City Police Department, as well as one of the survivors of the incident, who was also conducting an investigation on the disease. The two formed an alliance and began to search for useful information.

Kristoff and Juno meet a young girl named Amity, a girl who was said to be the daughter of the deranged scientist John Maddox. It is then that they learn the secrets behind the mysterious disease: the disease was caused by the "M1" virus and that John was responsible for the M1 virus outbreak in the city. They later meet John inside the abandoned laboratory near the city. John then drinks a serum containing the most powerful strain of the virus, which then turns him into a mutated monster of sheer size and overwhelming power. A mutated monster that was considered the strongest among the others. The ultimate bioweapon: Type-M1 Atilla.

## Characters

The single player campaign includes two playable characters: Kristoff Banks and Juno Hawkins. Both characters have certain differences in both their gameplay styles and the areas they can access.

* Kristoff Banks

A member of the US Special Operations and Rescue (S.O.A.R.) team. He and his comrades were tasked to gather info about the disease and to rescue any possible survivors. He is a straightforward man with a strong sense of justice and is dedicated to his job as a S.O.A.R. member. His default weapon is a .410 shotgun.

* Juno Hawkins

A police officer from the Ardent City Police Department. She was immune to the mysterious disease that had plagued Ardent City, and this led her to become one of the survivors of the incident. She may to appear stoic on the outside, but inside, she is actually a warm-hearted persion. Her default weapon is a 9MM handgun.