New Game Passes the Bechdel Test

I know what you're thinking: another zombie game? You've played through all five Resident Evils and Left for Dead (1 &2) AND Dead Rising (1&2). You played zombie mode on Black ops and the zombie DLCs for Borderlands and Red Dead. You passed on Dead Island because, really, what could be different? And here comes another one.

So let me start by telling you what's different. There's a storyline here. There are characters you care about. There is campy humor. There are some truly awesome weapons. Ok, that's not different for the genre, per se, but the weapons in this game definitely provide many of its best moments. Can I say, "jelly shot?" No, not often enough! (And no, it doesn't mean what you think).

Let me give you the gist of the game:
      Single mom Liz Reese has been recruited to join the mysterious M.A.Z.A. (Mothers Against the Zombie Apocalypse) through a grief chat room after her husband's death. M.A.Z.A. has infiltrated most of the country's major corporations and government agencies all in the name of early detection of a zombie-creating disease and preparing their members to survive its outbreak, should they contain it. Liz, who is ex-military, declined a position high up in their combat division in favor of staying home to school her children in zombie survival methods. She works as a recruiter, fishing for new members on the net. The game starts when she's been doing this for about 7 years (you learn all of this through flashbacks and conversations). Liz and her children are the pariahs of their normal, upscale suburban neighborhood. Sarah Patton, President of the Neighborhood Association, is determined to drive the Reese family out of the neighborhood.
      Liz's two children, Joan and Xander, have opposite reactions to their mother's regime. Joan, 11, is a hardcore M.A.Z.A. disciple. She's known nothing else, and her dedication has brought her to the brink of overtaking her brother in training. Xander, 17, can't wait for the day he turns 18 and can move out and start a "normal" life. He lives and breathes for the slightest attention from the neighbor girl, Emily. Xander's noncompliance forms the basis of nearly all family conflicts.
      As co-op, you and a partner will play as Joan and Xander, during whose daily training you will learn the ins and outs of using and upgrading weapons and skills. Training points (which allow you to level up) may be gained both through physical practice and passing training programs on computers placed throughout the game.

If I haven't piqued your interest, gamer girls, remember this: the only objectified female in this game, Emily, brings only trouble to her objectifier. This game passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, meaning that the female presence in this game is both strong and equal. Female characters in this game are not tokens, the one female in a group of four who manages to serve as its most annoying member. They are strong, determined, and they just might save the world!

To check out more about M.A.Z.A., take a look at their website.