Dead Trigger 2 Review

The first Dead Trigger, which was arguably one of the better attempts at making a console-like first-person shooter for mobile, was highly successful and widely praised. It didn't reinvent the wheel by any means, but it did show that there can be a competent FPS made for mobile devices.

Just recently, Madfinger games released the follow up to their zombie shooter with Dead Trigger 2 - boasting more expansive gameplay, better graphics, and a comprehensible story line. Dead Trigger 2 isn’t out to be a revolutionary experience, nor will it be the game that topples popular hits like Angry Birds, but it is the game that sets out to show up the naysayers who claim that tablets and phones will never hold a flame to console or PC gaming.

Dead Trigger 2, for anyone not familiar with the series, is in many ways a typical zombie shooter akin to games like Left For Dead. However, the difference here comes with not only the story mode, but in how the developers learned from the first game and made Dead Trigger 2 work as well as a FPS can on a mobile device; especially in lieu of an actual controller. While gamepads can be used, the casual player may not own or have access to a $40 to $60 bluetooth gamepad, nor be tempted to use it except at their own home or dwelling. In Dead Trigger 2, the X Y axis movements are done by using an exceptional on screen joystick which appears wherever the screen is touched, as though the player were holding a controller. There isn't an attack button in this version of the series however, as any attack is done automatically just so long as the cross-hairs are on the enemy and they're within the selected weapon’s range.

Additionally, this title has also added crafting from a group of survivors that are rescued in the first couple of missions. Players will be able to craft new guns, medical supplies, and ancillary weapons such as grenades or other fun explosives. This is where the in-app purchases come into play, but much like the first Dead Trigger these only really exist for the impatient player, or for one who needs to be an absolute rockstar. In other words, they’re totally optional and don’t beat players over the head trying to take their money.

It may be another zombie survival shooter, but Dead Trigger 2 - with its awesome looking graphics, functionality for tablets and phones, and added features and story - gives mobile enthusiasts hope that the gap between mobile and console gaming is shrinking substantially. While it isn't going to challenge Rockstar for game of the year, in terms of a mobile game that is appealing to the console gamer Dead Trigger 2 has to be up near the top. Yes, Virginia, there is a good mobile “hardcore” game.