Big trends can be hard to appreciate when you're at their epicenter. Like, the dinosaurs probably never looked around during the Jurassic period and said, "Man there seem to be a lot more small mammals running around. Wonder if that means anything?" With a couple hundred-million years worth of perspective, we all know the answer. Today's analogy is brought to you by the twin-stick shooter, a genre that was probably presumed dead once the last person claimed a high score on Robotron: 2084. Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone doesn't know this, nor do a slew of games released in the last two years. An astute reader can probably school us on exactly when this trend started, but it's undeniable. Zombie Apocalypse further cashes in on the popularity of anything Zombie, a second trend that shows no sign of slowing.

If you're thinking you've seen this game before, it's no surprise. Zombie Apocalypse was released in 2009 and is now followed by Never Die Alone. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1 is another point for comparison, a raw adrenaline-fest of shooting action through wave after wave of zombie attackers on XBLA. What Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone does better than either of these two is style and sculpt the playing experience with flashy graphics, special effects, and even some voice talent. Each of the playable characters has a series of quotes, routine after a while but funny the first time out. The visuals are better than average and include decent lighting effects as you dole out damage to the walking dead. Basically, this is incremental improvement for fans of the first game, a big step up for players of the indie title mentioned earlier, and more like a mini-game for those with a Left 4 Dead itch they can't quite scratch.

What Left 4 Dead got right that Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone carries through on, in arcade-fashion, is the thrill of multiplayer action. The Multiplayer or Single Player Story modes here are set up in such a way that extra players can be added quickly, on the fly, and in Multiplayer you can customize slots to your heart's content. Up to four players can take on the Zombie Apocalypse, but you can also load in bots, to fill out a party when you can't find three friends. Matching online, or custom games, helps get you into the action quickly as long as there is sufficient activity around the game on Xbox LIVE. Considering the popularity of both genres (shooting, zombies) we'd imagine that Never Die Alone has a good 90-180 day run ahead of it, if you want to jump on the train now. An Xbox LIVE Party session can be quickly pulled together, if you want to hook your friends in on the game early...

The feature attractions of Never Die Alone are its characters. Jeremy (aka Assault Gamer) is styled after a run-and-gun style of gameplay, and is probably the best introductory character to play. Alma (aka Stealth Engineer) is quite a bit harder, considering her focus on ranged, slow weapons. She's terrible for clearing crowds, but can do big damage that helps with more powerful enemies. Father Bill (aka Upbeat Healer) leans a bit toward Alma in the sense that he's a more specialized fighter, but is still a good blend of the two. Def Money (aka Hip-Hop Brit Brawler) is prone to dropping f-bombs that will have you covering any kids' ears who might happen to stroll through while you're playing, and will definitely offend your grandmother. His play style is also hybrid but favors offense in much the same way as Jeremy. You might imagine this collection of characters adds replay value, but it's only partly true because of some fairly weak A.I. for CPU-controlled allies.

If you're a stud (or a glutton for punishment), it is possible to complete Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone in Single Player Story mode, but we wouldn't recommend it. The real joy here (as the title suggests) is to get some friends, and Never Die Alone. We found the party A.I. was decent with CPU-controlled characters, up to the point where huge waves of zombies and powered-up enemies start appearing. Eventually, and we're not talking very late into the game, your allies are completely overwhelmed. This leaves you with a difficult choice, to try reviving them or going on alone. Hint: Once three of four party members are wiped out, you're probably facing off against some fairly strong zombies. Reviving players works a bit like Castle Crashers, where you rhythmically tap to bring an ally to life again. In principle this sounds fine, but anyone who has tried will tell you it has a limited chance of success in later levels. The play experience with even one human player is so superior, that you won't have much patience again for solo campaigning. Some characters like Alma or Father Bill, make for tough solo play, because they're support fighters by nature. Pairing Jeremy with any other character goes a long way toward building a great team, and you can experiment with friends to find a favorite combination. The solo campaign ends up being a good way to practice and get a feel for each character, but a pretty poor option for getting your money's worth on the game. If you're looking for a superior twin-stick shooting game you can sink hours of time into by yourself, keep on looking.

The most interesting aspect of Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone is the leveling of your character as you play through. Points are awarded during play, based somewhat on achievement. Once a level is completed, you'll have the chance to select a skill to augment. The difference in your play experience isn't immediately evident, but as you use a skill you'll find it becomes more and more powerful. Each character has a slate of special abilities and weapons' proficiency that you can accumulate points toward during the game. This supports replay value to a great extent, since most of us choose a steady character and can appreciate the opportunity to grow more powerful. There aren't many "bad" choices in the skill tree, just some options you may appreciate more than others. The in-game options are pretty simple: Run around shooting and pick up items or cash whenever possible. There are a few interesting devices, such as side missions where you can rescue stranded innocents, and special areas that trigger massive attacks or chains. Exploding barrels? Check! We appreciated the fact that almost 100% of Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone action is handled with simple controls that allow you to wreak havoc on enemies with minimal effort. This is a large part of the appeal of twin-stick action, we suspect.

As a single-player game, Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone would be a disappointment, but it succeeds as a party game for consenting adults. It's not for kids, and does its fair share to keep the bloody zombie meme going. While the twin-stick shooting wave has yet to crest, games like Never Die Alone should find an audience and be successful. Whether you've trying to recapture the party fun had with Left 4 Dead or you are just in need of something catering to a more modest budget, we'd recommend checking out Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone on the basis of its multiplayer carnage. The fun may be a bit short-lived, but it's undeniably there to be had.