Zombie Tricks of the Trade

It ain't easy being Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield. Business slacked off during the Great Depression (what was so great about it, anyway?), leaving him little choice but to hit the pavement and double his door-to-door efforts. But he got a little sidetracked during a not-so-routine sales call in Punchbowl, PA and woke up dead—thirty years later. It's clobberin' time in the city of the future, and he's just the zombie to do it. Read on as we teach you the finer points of possessing humans in Stubbs the Zombie™ in Rebel without a Pulse™.

Enslaving the masses is no easy affair. You'll need to master the tools at your disposal (including some pea-brained locals) before you can conquer this territory for Stubbs. Get schooled in the wicked ways of the undead and learn the zombie trade the Xbox.com way.

No, walk this way.

Let's Go Bowling!
Punchbowl sure is purty. Too picturesque for a zombie perhaps, so it's only right that Stubbs stirs up a ruckus. He can unleash a small arsenal of sickening assaults on the living that include the following:

• Melee Attacks: Even after 30 years of decay, Stubbs can brawl like a barbershop crooner. Soften your enemies up with a few swipes before trying to eat their brains. Note that weaker enemies only need one or two hits before they are stunned (or run off in a panic).
• Melon Munching: Sneak up behind any human not wearing a helmet and you can dig into his skull like it was a ripe melon. You'll gain a small health boost and replenish some special powers to boot, but you'll also be vulnerable to attack while dining. If your lunch date notices you before you start snacking, you'll have to resort to fisticuffs.
• Brain Farts: Stubbs' diet consists solely of grey matter. Combine that high protein diet with an affinity for smoking, and you can guess the explosive results. When you're feeling naughty, cropdust a cadre of enemies and watch them gasp for oxygen. Your silent but deadly excretion will snuff the life out of 'em, or at least stun them long enough for you to feast on their noggins.
• Gut Grenade: You can take out pesky machinegun nests and clusters of militiamen with the toss of a gut grenade. Aim in the general direction of your target and pitch your innards—they're gooey enough to stick onto most anything (or anyone). Either wait for it to explode on its own or detonate it manually when the time is right. This works well for gassing annoying tank operators, though it'll take a few direct hits to do the job.
• Sputum Head: To bowl over the competition with your heady attack, simply position yourself a distance away from a group of advancing soldiers and roll your noggin' down the line. Don't forget to steer!
• Possession: Possession is the most versatile trick in Stubbs' bag. To effectively possess an enemy, you must first hide in a safe spot, preferably far away from foes. Detach Stubbs' arm and throw it on the ground, then twiddle your way to the desired target (make sure he's not wearing a helmet). Once you grasp control of your host's feeble mind, you can wield his weapon (be it a sniper rifle, machinegun, blaster ray, or other implement of destruction) on his buddies until he expires. Get creative and experiment with using different hosts.

Learn to use these powers to grow your zombie armada. You'll need to snack on the living to replenish your limited-use powers, so keep an eye out for wandering citizens, unsuspecting students, and dazed opponents.

Thanks for the Ride, Lady!
Any time you encounter a vehicle, chances are you can put it to good use. Simple jeeps are great for getting from point A to point B in a flash, and they also make great steamrollers. Flatten clusters of soldiers with reckless abandon when behind the wheel, but remember that you won't transform any of them into zombies unless you (or one of your cronies) deals the finishing blow by hand.

"Hand-head" Willy wasn't well-liked at the plant.

The Sod-o-mobile is a handy dandy ride that sports a wickedly powerful sod cannon. Arc your shots at enemy soldiers and vehicles for full effect. Then chuckle to yourself about the sod state of affairs your foes are in.

Backwater freaks The Quaker State Irregulars modified a farm tractor and fitted it with pitchforks and pointy implements. You can make quick work of any chainsaw wielding goon or shotgun toting inbred while behind the wheel of this doom plow.

Tanks are hard to come by. In fact, you'll only find them toward the end of the game. As mentioned before, you'll have to blast the driver out of his cockpit with a few gut bombs or dusty rippers before he'll give up his seat. Once you gain control, you'll be nearly unstoppable. Beware of flying barbershop singers and soldiers with rocket-propelled grenades. They can take you out if you get careless.

Give the Man a Hand
While you can't feast on a soldier's helmeted cranium, you can tear his "second favorite arm" from his torso with relative ease. Wear him down with a few swipes, then select the special attack when prompted. Your new "armament" can bludgeon most enemies to death in one hit. (You can stop groaning now.)

Feel free to explore the environment. You will discover some hidden surprises (like special cutscenes for clearing out a particular barn, for instance) as well as find alternate (and safer) paths to your destination.

The Punchbots are pesky critters that shock you when you get too close. Sneak up behind one and whack it a few times. Rattle its circuits enough and it'll spin off and attack anything nearby. A few more hits will elicit a telltale warning (pay attention to the dialogue) before it eventually explodes. Back away if you can.

After you finish the game, you'll unlock developer commentary. To listen to these pearls of insider wisdom, you need to play through the game again and collect the Wideload logos scattered around each level.

Punchbowl won't crumble under its own pomposity, so get going and give 'em heck.

Article by Bobby Stein