One thing series veterans may notice is that while this game looks and sounds very much like the first two, there has been a clear shift toward a more combat-heavy experience. That means many of the more irreverent quests have been replaced by additional missions of “enter this area and kill everything that moves.” There’s still a certain appeal to it thanks to all the crazy weapons you wield and unusual foes you encounter, but I found that it became a bit excessive.

That would be Moon, which answers the age old question, “Can zombies survive in outer space?,” with a resounding yes. You begin on Earth in a location referred to as No Man’s Land, which provides a potentially significant challenge right out of the gate as the small space fills up with zombies and hell hounds in a matter of moments. I say potentially because you can leave the area in under 30 seconds and transport to the moon, but there are a couple powerful items available if you can stay alive long enough to earn the points necessary to purchase them.

It may take a little time to acclimate to the game’s button layout, but once that’s squared away the actual shooting mechanics are solid. You’ll carry three guns (two pistols and a rifle/shotgun) and have the ability to dual-wield your two smaller weapons with the usual drawback of not being able to aim down the sight. Grenades and melee attacks are also available.

Working the turrets is solid, though a manual reload function is strangely absent. Vehicular setups have been smoothed out considerably from the original, and I rarely felt like I was fighting to get the various tanks and choppers to do what I wanted. There are still some limitations with the camera, though, which leave aspects of the map obscured even from an overhead perspective. It’s a frustrating issue, especially when you’re trying to set up defenses and suddenly run into an invisible wall that halts your scanning.

With little variation, you and your squad mates have two objectives: 1. find the Ravagers (the general term used for the combined insect/alien armada); and 2. kill the Ravagers. A few boss fights will be sprinkled in throughout the 15-mission campaign, but there’s nothing realistic or tactical about any of the game’s combat. This is a title where you basically shut off your brain and just revel in the act of eliminating wave after wave of massive insects.