While yesterday’s Nintendo Direct arguably didn’t have many major surprises, I was taken aback by one particular reveal. No, Ninja Gaiden wasn’t the only shambling corpse dragged from the earth yesterday during the show. The return of Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse was a reveal found nowhere near my bingo card. Still, ol’ Stubbs, the undead hero of a game that came out on the original Xbox nearly 16 years ago, has risen from his grave. Stubbs the Zombie will shamble onto the PC via Steam this March, and without a hint of remastering in sight.
Stubbs the Zombie marks perhaps the second announced port that will evade the current remaster/remake trend. I’m still not sure what’s going on with the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection just yet. But Stubbs? Nope, Stubbs the Zombie aims to be a regular, good old-fashioned port of the 2005 game. And it almost seems a bit too proud of this fact.
The game will “remain flawless and unchanged,” according to the press release. This means we’ll get the authentic Stubbs experience when it lands on PC, which is something. All the game will get is “achievements and modernized controls.” At least give us uncapped framerates, people.
Rebel without a high review score
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse has an interesting history. Developed by Wideload Games, it was headed by Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian, who opted to use the Halo: Combat Evolved engine. The latter face was also advertised on the game box. There were issues, however, as Wideload didn’t have the notes for the engine, which caused some development issues. It eventually released, earning criticism for confusing level layouts, but praised for its voice acting and ’50s-inspired soundtrack.
In the game, you play as Edward “Stubbs” Stubblefield, who is murdered by his girlfriend’s father in 1933. He returns as a zombie in 1959 on a hunt for revenge. As a zombie is known to do, you murder hapless civilians, eat their brains for health, or turn them into fellow undead and control them to do your bidding. It was a quintessential early 2000s game. If you missed out on it the first time, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse returns to the land of the living on PC via Steam on March 16.
