We have teamed up with Virgin Trains’ ‘Don’t Go Zombie’ Google Street View game to offer readers the chance to win £100 Amazon voucher. Our very own ZC Barry is featured in the game which you can play by visiting Don’t Go Zombie where you will be able to Zombify yourself and share with friends on Facebook.

To be in with a chance of winning £100 Amazon voucher all you need to do to enter this competition is do at least one of the following (and you can enter once for each method)…

1. Leave a comment below saying what your high score was and whether or not you saved ZC Barry. (1 entry)

2. Like Zombie Command on Facebook and then leave a comment on the Zombie Command Facebook page entry for the Amazon Vouchers saying something along the lines of “I’d go zombie for Zombie Command”. (1 entry)

3. Follow Zombie Command on Twitter and tweet about this competition with the phrase “I’d go zombie for Zombie Command #dontgozombie”. Make sure and use the hashtag. (1 entry)

So you know what you’re looking for here’s a couple of pics of ZC Barry (click to embiggen):

Competition closes 27th of November and the winner will be chosen from all entries. Usual terms and conditions apply.

For those of you who don’t know already

This sci-fi/zombie/comedy/adventure follows a group of rag-tag Trekkies getting together for the fifth annual GulfCon (billed as the “largest Starfleet Convention in the western Gulf Coast region”).

Our heroes are dressed in homemade uniforms and armed with prop phasers-but soon find themselves defending their hotel and convention center against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Suddenly, all of their useless knowledge about particle physics and old Star Trek episodes has genuine real-world applications! And while hotel employees and regular civilians are dying left and right, our Trekkies summon strength and courage by emulating their favorite starship-voyaging characters.

Packed with hundreds of gags referencing Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books, and fan conventions, Night of the Living Trekkies reads like the strange lovechild of Galaxy Quest and Dawn of the Dead. Journey to the final frontier of zombie science-fiction satire!

and you can also check out the trailer here.

For a chance to win Night of the Living Trekkies just tell us:
Who would win in a fight, zombie Kirk or zombie Picard and why?

Winner will be chosen Monday 11th, standard terms and conditions we made up and amend as we want apply.

Don’t forget to check out the official page or to like the book on Facebook.

So, after a bit of a sabbatical, ZC is back and what better way to kick off than a competition to win Capcom’s latest zombie game, Dead Rising 2.

Will you survive the zombie outbreak in Fortune City? Find out by entering the Dead Rising 2 Giveaway! Be sure to check out tapeitordie.com to create your own weapons and submit them for a chance to get your creation featured in the next Dead Rising game!

Check out some of the brand new DR2 features:

• Thousands of Zombies On Screen: The undead are everywhere creating a dynamic and challenging zombie-killing experience for the player as weapons will be created to kill massive amounts of zombies at one time!
• 2-Player Co-Op: Co-op play is introduced to the Dead Rising universe for the first time as players can invite their friends to partner up with them at any time to take on the zombie massacre- tag-team style! Play with a friend and have even more fun as you lure zombies in using strategic items like a toy helicopter or a firecracker. Once the zombies have gathered, your friend can rain bullets from above or shoot at a strategically-placed gas tank to create a deadly explosion that will take out masses of the enemy. Killing zombies with a friend is always more fun!
• Terror is Reality: Allows 4 players to compete in a gladiator type show that pits zombies against a group of players in the ultimate Vs. multiplayer blood bath
• Combo Weapons: Players can combine two everyday items using duct tape to create the ultimate zombie killing creations such as the Portamower and Paddlesaw. Unlocking combo cards along the way will give players the advantage as the helpful cards will show you what items are best for combining. The more zombies you destroy using your creative combo’s, the more Prestige Points you can earn which levels up Chuck along the way.

To enter simply tell us in the comments what items you would tape together to make the ultimate combo weapon (or what your favourite one in the game is).

Competition is open to US and Canadian residents only (though check back for an EU giveaway later) and ends September 30th.

Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: The A-Z Guide To Staying Alive is the first book from How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse‘s head honcho (and titular) Dr Dale. In it Dr. Dale tries to cover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about how the zombocalypse and gives us a glimpse into one of the most brilliant zombie-focused minds of our generation*

As the title suggests, items and ideas in the Zombie Dictionary are organised by the letter they begin with (in case you’re unfamiliar with what a dictionary is), starting with Aardvark and ending with Zoos. Obviously it doesn’t cover every word beginning with each letter, but armed with the knowledge of a hundred zombie movies and unlimited access to Wikipedia, Dr Dale has covered a wide variety of things that will keep you alive when the zombies rise.

An example of the topics covered from the sublime

CURE
There is no cure. Once you are bitten you become a zombie. So stop thinking there is a cure, because there isn’t. Even if there is, you need to think there isn’t. Because thinking there’s a cure will give you hope and hope will make you weak and weakness will make you lose and losing means you die and dying means you rise and rising means you become a zombie – for which there is no cure. So stop thinking there’s a cure because that will give you hope and hope will make you weak and… You get the message – THERE IS NO CURE!

to the ridiculous

Kangaroo
For those who think it’s possible, you cannot hide in the pouch of a kangaroo. You won’t fit, the zombies will still get you and the kangaroo probably won’t be pleased either.

The pages are also accompanied with hundreds of illustrations to highlight Dr Dale’s points. And since you were wondering…

If I have any complaints about the book it would be that it is sometimes overly Anglo-centric; I’m not sure if many of non-UK readers have ever seen an episode of chav chat show, Jeremy Kyle or know who Lorraine Kelly is. That said with over 300 pages and at least as many entries there is a lot to learn here that anybody worried about zombies can enjoy.

Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: The A-Z Guide To Staying Alive is available now from Amazon UK and Waterstones.

*A quote that proudly sits on the inside cover. We didn’t make the front :(

Readers of Zombie Command can get £3 off the list price of Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: The A-Z Guide To Staying Alive at Waterstones by using code

BY9274

At some point, cord is going to be essential for your survival in the zombie-infested world of tomorrow; whether you need a fishing line, a bowstring or a shoelace, you’ll be glad you had the foresight to learn how to make your own.

Finding Suitable Materials

Cord can be made from any strong, flexible plant or animal fibres depending on what is available to you.

• Bark from trees such as oak or ash can be peeled off in long strips with a knife. The inner layer of the bark, once dried, will be more flexible and less likely to break when being prepared or in use.
• Some grasses can be used to make a basic cord; choose grasses or stems which are tough without being brittle.
• Both sinew and rawhide can be made into durable cord if cleaned and treated properly before use.
• Hair from animals or even people can be used to make exceptionally strong cord and (unlike sinew or rawhide) can be regularly ‘harvested’ from the same animal.

Making Cord

If you are using plant fibres, you will need to separate out the fibres; roll the material back and forth against a flat surface until you have a ‘bunch’ of individual threads to work with.

If you are using animal sinew, you will need to cut it from the animal carefully so that none of the fibres are damaged. You should allow the sinew to dry and then beat them with a heavy object (a mallet if you have one) until the fibres separate and then put the fibres into hard water. If you chew sinew strands just before you start to make your cord, the fibres will bind together more strongly when you are finished, making the result even stronger.

When your basic fibre bunch is ready, hold one end of the bunch firmly and roll the fibres against a flat surface in one direction to create a basic cord. Then, bend the cord in the middle and wrap the two ends around each other to create a twisted rope-like effect. This rope can then be wrapped around another of a similar size to create a thicker, stronger ropes as required. Bear in mind that the more you twist your fibres, the stronger the resulting cordage will be. When you are finished, tie a simple knot in the end to keep the strands together.

Cord can either be used on it’s own or made into something else; by knotting, knitting or weaving cordage of different thicknesses, you can potentially make a huge selection of essential equipment including nets and baskets.

Keep a length of the finished cord in your pocket and when you next need a make-shift tourniquet or a zombie-slowing trip-wire you’ll be well prepared.

The aim of Cowboys Vs. Zombies is to protect your fledgling town against waves of zombies coming in across the desert. Cowboys take the place of ‘towers’ in traditional TD games and, while they can be placed anywhere along the path the zombies are coming down, putting them in specific places on buildings offers added protection from the zombie hordes.

Each zombie killed is worth a $1 bounty and cash can be used to promote cowboys to Deputies and Sheriffs, increasing their range and rate of fire. As you progress through each of the 6 levels shotguns, snipers and dynamite are all opened up to help in the zombie killing and you’ll have to balance retreating to save money for more cowboys versus repairing buildings.

CvZ differs slightly from usual tower defence games in a few ways but in general these aren’t improvements. The first change is the view. There is no traditional top down (or almost top down) view, unstead the view is almost 3rd person, not much higher than head height. Turning the screen pulls back and up but it’s still not far enough to be able to accurately grab and place your units.

Which leads us on to the second issue, the layout. Sacrifices have been made in order to fit onto the small iPhone screen, but with both sides and the top of the screen filled with icons it’s all to easy to grab one of them instead of a cowboy or vice versa. This happened far too often and almost made me give up half way through. Being able to move the camera a bit more may have helped but you’ll fail more often due to this than the actual zombies being a problem.

The whole game actually disregarded conventional wisdom when it comes to these kinds of games, there’s no indication of: damage to buildings/cowboys/zombies, where cowboys can be places, range of units, cost of units, type of damage, cost of units or cost to upgrade, when the next wave’s coming or what it consists of. While it eventually becomes reasonably clear it makes the whole affair far less strategical. Not helped by the fact that the zombies only ever come in a straight line towards you so you are always only guarding on one front.

It’s also a very short game, the 6 levels aren’t very difficult (control issues aside) and once you’ve completed the main game there’s little reason to go back with no endless mode or scores. This may change in future updates as the game does have space for x00 waves but never goes above 30.

For all it’s issues Cowboys Vs. Zombies isn’t without it’s charms, lots of zombies on screen with good looking cartoony characters and I imagine that future updates will go a long way to improving the experience and longevity. Until then if you’re the kind of person who likes to gamble then CvZ is available today only for $0.99 before going up to the normal price of $2.99.

You can keep track of future updates on the official site.

Provided the small game around you hasn’t been zombified, there’s a fairly high chance you’ll decide to kill and eat some of it at some point. The type of game available will depend entirely on where you are; in most rural areas, for example, there is usually an abundance of rabbits, squirrels and small birds. Urbanites will probably have more luck trapping the local rat, mouse or pigeon populations.

Most small mammals and birds you are likely to find are edible, although some species of shrew are poisonous and should not be eaten. In general it is best to avoid eating:

• Carnivorous animals or scavengers such as crows; you never know what they might have eaten.
• Any animal with signs of disease, as this could potentially be passed on to you.
• Animals which show signs of zombie infection or have been killed by a zombie; why take the risk?
• Any animal which is already dead unless you are completely sure of the cause of death; animals which have been poisoned can in turn poison you.

Finding Small Game

Whilst rats are omnipresent in most towns and cities, to find some types of small game you will have to be more vigilant. Signs that animals are living in an area might include:

• Evidence of burrowing or nesting
• Tracks or trails
• Droppings
• Evidence of feeding (for example pine cones stripped by squirrels)

In any area where you find two or more types of evidence, you will have a good chance of finding and catching some kind of prey.

Catching Small Game

[Pic Credit]

ZC's favourite trap

Once you have found some small game in your area, you need to catch it. If vehicles are still being used, you might be lucky enough to find road kill which can be collected and prepared. Alternatively, if you have a good aim, you may be able to use basic projectiles (for example rocks) to stun birds or slower-moving animals. This will have the disadvantage of scaring away animals from the area, making prey increasingly more scarce.

The best and most reliable option in most situations will be to use a basic trap. Traps need to be positioned in places where you know animals are going to go, for example on a trail or in an area with relatively fresh (still wet) droppings. You should avoid leaving signs that an area has been disturbed as this might scare away potential catches; clean away any soil you disturb as this will be immediately obvious to a small animal and use either mud or non-predatory animal urine to cover up your scent on the traps.

You will almost certainly increase the likelihood that you will catch something if you bait your trap; use a small amount of a food which is not readily available in the area.

Making simple traps

One of the and most effective traps you can make is a snare, a noose-like loop of wire which is attached to a stake and placed at the entrance to a run or den. When the animal emerges, their head goes through the loop but their body will be too large to follow. As the animal struggles, the loop will tighten and your prey is trapped.

For smaller game such as mice, a bottle trap can be used effectively. First, you need to locate a trail which is currently in use. Then, you should dig a small hole with an opening at the top which is narrower than the bottom in the ground. Prop a piece of bark over the top and leave the trap for a few days. Small animals such as mice will hide under the bark, fall into the hole and be unable to escape. These can then simply be collected from the hole.

When catching small animals to eat, it is important not to catch so many that the population in the area will be damaged; by catching only what you need to eat, you should be able to trap sustainably in the same area for quite some time.

Happy trapping survivors!

A few weeks back on ZombieCommand you may have seen the fantastic College Humor sketch on Nazi Zombies which addressed some interesting points. Namely: Are Nazi Zombies any scarier than regular zombies? Well, we’ve dug through the DVD archives and put together a top 5 list of some of the best (and indeed worst) the 3rd Reich has to offer in the way of the undead, so you can decide if they really ARE extra-terrifying!

5. Zombies of War

Coming in at number 5, and therefore the worst zombie film on this list is the recent Zombies of War. Apparently the UK distributors decided that this film was much more of a zombie movie than when it was released over in the States, as they changed both the title (it is known as Horrors of War in the U.S.) and also zombified the artwork on the DVD box. (Check out the US versus the UK sleeves! Maybe the UK are just bigger suckers than the US, who knows?

It belongs at the bottom of this list as it is, quite frankly, a shocking movie. A mad Nazi scientist has created a serum to turn people into paranormal creatures, sometimes werewolves, sometimes zombies. However he has only really created one or two of these creatures as that’s all we get treated too.

The rest of the movie just consists of a bunch of chaps in WWII clobber roaming around in some woods for an hour and a half. It comes across as a thourally boring war movie, mixed in with a paranormal werewolf movie, with one or two Nazi Zombies that pop up and take a few bullets a few times along the way.

What we like about it:
Well the cover has some great looking hordes of marching Nazi zombies. Plus the Werewolf makeup (or rather ‘rubber mask’) is quite humorous.

4. Oasis of the Zombies

“Let’s get some bottles to make Molotov Cocktails, like at school!”

Allegedly directed by Jess Franco, Oasis of the Zombies (or ‘La tumba de los muertos vivientes’ as it has also been released, albeit with several different scenes, actors and music) fares slightly better than Zombies of War. There are certainly more zombies in this one for a start, and Jess has opted for the slightly less familiar Afrika Korps Nazi’s to zombify. (Maybe because Korps reads a little bit like Corpse?).

These zombies are much more impressive looking, with some particularly bizarre googly eyes going on too. Sure, they’re not on screen for all that long but considering the film itself looks like it was thrown together from stock war footage and random test shots for other films it’s not too bad overall. And being a Franco movie there is also some nudity thrown in too, if that’s your sort of thing.

What we like about it:
The googly-eyed zombies are fantastic!

3. Dead Snow

Right, into the Top 3, so surely we’re into the realms of the good Nazi zombie cinema? Well perhaps, as Dead Snow is a bit of a puzzler. It seems to be either loved or loathed judging by popular opinions, and that is understandable.

To be a bit subjective here, I felt it was a film of 2 halves, one decent and one very poor. The problem this film has was going for the comedy angle half-way through the movie. It started out as an interesting take on the standard ‘teens in a cabin in the middle of nowhere’, and by setting this film in the daylight and with snow all around the possibilities for a unique enjoyable movie were all there. Even when the expected scares started happening they were actually quite effective. However it was around this point that it changed from trying to scare you into trying to make you laugh, and sadly Norway isn’t known for being a comedy hub. ‘Ooh, a zombie grabbing a crotch! How side-splittingly funny!’

Still, the zombies themselves are easily the most impressive looking Nazi Undead that I’ve ever come across, so it is probably worth watching for that. Just go in expecting it to switch from horror to lame comedy and you’ll be fine.

What we like about it:
The Nazi Zombies are some of the best looking of their type, and the gore isn’t too bad either.

2. Shock waves

In at number 2 is a little known, but really quite enjoyable little movie. Peter ‘Twins of Evil’ Cushing stars as an old Nazi Commander living ‘mostly’ alone on an island, when a group of shipwrecked divers turn up and start investigating / sticking their noses in. Unfortunately for them this is the time when the Nazi Zombies who’ve been living under the sea for several decades decide to rock on up to the surface and partake in a little (sadly bloodless) killing.

The zombies in question are less undead looking than standard Nazi zombies, and appear to be wearing swimming goggles. Although they do not look particularly scary themselves the scenes of them all slowly rising as one out of the water is quite chilling at times. There’s also the bonus of Peter Cushing hamming it up good and proper.

It’s quite an original take on the genre, with some decent ideas going on. It could have done with some more gore though, but then that could be said about a lot of zombie movies.

What we like about it:
The creepy zombies rising up out of the sea should have been a classic scene, if anyone had ever seen this cult film.

1. Zombie Lake

Yes, at number one it’s one of the greatest works of cinema ever created. Nazi Zombies in bright green face paint living at the bottom of a lake who rise from the water to eat the flesh of naked ladies. And numerous naked ladies at that. Including an entire (naked) volleyball team.

Watch as the green zombie makeup rubs off on victims clothes!
Be amazed at the under water ‘lake’ locations that include swimming pool ladders!
Wonder at the bending of time and space where entering a door in daylight turns the next room to nighttime!

Jean Rollin delivers a truly spectacular movie here. It is virtually guaranteed that you will enjoy this movie infinitely more than any other on this list. Sure, you won’t enjoy it for the plot, acting, effects and direction, but enjoy it you will. You will probably feel guilty for liking it so much, as every sense in your body will be laughing at you for it, but you won’t care. Zombie Lake is a work of genius, as any film with a 2 / 10 score on IMDB should be.

What we like about it:
The awe-inspiring zombie effects, and the fantastic music… no of course not. It’s obviously the naked volleyball zombie-attack scene!

Special mentions should probably go to Outpost (although that is more of a Nazi ghost story than a zombie one), and the upcoming 4th Reich (Although we are yet to have seen more than just a website for that one, but it can’t be worse than Zombies of War now, can it?)

In the midst of the zombie invasion, you might imagine parasites and biting insects such as fleas, mosquitoes and ticks will be the least of your worries. Think about it though; if a flea can spread diseases and illnesses such as the bubonic plague, myxomatosis or endemic typhus, what makes you so sure they couldn’t pass on a zombie virus or infection? Do you really want to risk fighting off zombie hordes only to be infected by an insect bite? No, me neither.

Fleas

Fleas often live on soft furnishings and in carpets, hopping onto animals or humans as and when they need to eat. Flea repellent is relatively easy to make and there are many effective home-made recipes. Equal parts of vinegar or lemon juice and water sprayed onto skin or worked into an animal’s fur will both discourage fleas from biting.

The easiest way to kill fleas is to dehydrate them; sprinkle salt or borax over an infected area such as a carpet and leave for a few days and most of the fleas will be killed. Be warned, fleas will bite more when dying so it might be a good idea to be somewhere else while the treatment works.

Flying Insects

Flying insects which bite humans include mosquitoes, midges and horseflies. These will usually avoid you if you apply citrus oils (for example lemongrass or orange) to your skin. The most effective way to do this is to crush citrus leaves and rub the oil directly onto yourself (remember to patch-test for potential allergic reactions first). There is also some evidence that insects will avoid biting people with garlic in their bloodstream.

If there are large numbers of flying, biting insects in your area, it is probably a good idea to put up a net to protect you whilst you sleep. The best way to do this is to hang fine netting over your rest area so that the ends easily reach the ground. Remember to check nets regularly for rips and other damage.

Ticks

Ticks will fasten themselves to skin whilst feeding and are often difficult to remove. Their natural habitat is long grass or trees, where they will attach themselves to the legs and bodies of passing mammals. You are fairly unlikely to find large numbers of ticks in urban areas.

The easiest way to repel ticks is to rub a mixture of vegetable oil, aloe vera gel (scraped from the inside of an aloe vera leaf) and an insect repelling oil such as lavender onto your skin before going into an area where they are likely to be living.

Following these simple de-infestation tips will help you stay zombie virus free or at least stop that nagging itch when you’re aiming at a zombie’s head!

Undead The Last Refuge is a first-person zombie shooter (FPZS?) for the iPhone which pits you against unrelenting waves of the Undead in an abandoned building armed with only a pistol for company.

The game is from BulkyPix who are alse responsible for Nun vs Zombie hack and slash Twin Blades, as well as an abundance of other games in a lot of genres for the iPhone.

Undead The Last Refuge plays almost identically to Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies. Players start in a run down room with only a pistol as zombies approach from various sides through the window. The windows have shutters which players can run up to and close to help slow down the zombie entry, which comes at the trade off of not being able to cover the other entrances.

As zombies are killed the score increases as does the amount of money the player has. Once enough has been saved up the next room and next weapon are unlockable for a cost which present the zombies with more ways to try and attack the player. It’s the same scenario in the next room apart from more money is needed to unlock the subsequent room.

Players can move using their left thumb on a control and aim by dragging their right finger around the screen to narrow the sights. The shoot button however is inconveniently place above the move area meaning that it’s almost impossible to move and shoot at the same time which, as I’m sure Resident Evil 5 finally proved, is not a great idea.

Visually Undead The Last Refuge is a nice looking game. Shooting zombies in the face and seeing the blasted off mess left behind is about as realistic as you could expect on the iPhone. The rooms are obviously part of a whole house, with each is shaded in it’s own colour and atmosphere and the zombies are pleasantly detailed though lacking in variety.

Unfortunately though, the game itself is somewhat flawed. The aiming, while feeling more natural than CoDWaWZ, was a much more variable affair; often zombies that I clearly missed would give me headshots and those that I nailed in the head wouldn’t even register being shot, combined with hitting the window edges far too often and unfavourably it was a hugely frustrating affair.

I also initially couldn’t find my way out of the first room as the door wouldn’t appear with the unlock sign and only after emailing the developer and being assured I only needed $30k to leave the first room (I was often over $100k) I wandered to the far side of the damaged wall which eventually allowed me to leave. I may have been being stupid but I walked as far as the middle of the wall without getting a message and the instructions show a picture of the door when telling you how to progress.

Undead The Last Refuge also doesn’t have the same multiplayer features that CoDWaWZ has and while the game is fun for couple of hours the too often random nature prevents me from rushing back to it in order to try and beat my high score.

That said, it is a lot cheaper than Activision’s offering at only $2.99/£1.79 and if you’re looking to make your last stand it’s available in the iTunes store now.