Being an anti-hero in a videogame is still a fairly new trend. Games like God of War and Grand Theft Auto have really developed the idea, and the idea of playing the bad guy is always a refreshing change from the normal "save the world" routine we see so often. In Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse, the concept of the anti-hero is taken to a new level.

Stubbs puts players in the ragged shoes of a zombie who shares his name with the game’s title; after blasting away countless numbers of zombies in so many games (Resident Evil, Cold Fear, Timesplitters, etc.), the thought of playing as one of the undead has an interesting appeal to it. Of course, it also helps that the game’s developer, Wideload Studios, has a great pedigree (President Alex Seropian is a former Bungie staffer), and they’re going to try some original concepts.

Stubbs was a traveling salesman before his death in 1933. He was murdered and buried in a then-remote Pennsylvania field. Twenty-six years pass by and Punchbowl, PA, "city of the future," is being built on and around this field. On the city’s opening day, Stubbs climbs out of his grave pissed-off, clueless as to why he died, has no idea who killed him, or why he’s returned to the land of the living. His goal is to turn all of the residents of Punchbowl, PA into zombies.

Being a zombie comes with some interesting powers, some of which have never been explored before. The game is primarily set in third person, which might come as a surprise to people since the game is using the Halo engine (the original, not Halo 2). While controlling Stubbs, players can’t wield weapons, but they’ll be able to take control of other characters in the game that have weapons and use them.

Stubbs can rip off his hand, giving the player control of the disembodied limb. The player can then access places they normally wouldn’t be able to, like ventilation shafts and the like. Then, when a suitable target presents itself, the player can make the hand jump up, and cast a spell on the character, bringing them under Stubbs’ control.

Stubbs will be able to bite people and turn them into zombies, thus bringing an army under his control. No real details have yet been announced as to how controlling your army will work, but the idea of attacking people with a mob of zombies brings a pang of excitement I haven’t felt in a while. Also notable is that the zombies you create will in turn create more zombies, and that Stubbs and his army can attack through windows and doors.

So far, it sounds like helping Stubbs take over Punchbowl is going to be a blast; this game is running on a solid engine, and has enough original concepts to warrant your attention. Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse is due out this fall for the Xbox and PC.