Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Breach & Clear: Deadline. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

Most zombie games have a similar mentality - kill ‘em all and ask questions later. Not Breach & Clear: Deadline though; it's an ambitious if not curious new tactical zombie shooter that puts the emphasis on planning your attack before rushing in to do so. I's a game that does a decent enough job of straddling the line of action and strategy, even if it does stumble over that line more than a few times. Despite all of it's flaws I enjoyed my time defending what was left of Harbor City from the horde, and I'm guessing anyone else tired of the same old zombie game will feel the same way.

The fact that Breach & Clear: Deadline even exists should be strange to anyone who played the original game a few years ago. It was a straight forward X-COM style strategic shooter and that DNA can be seen easily here but going straight to the undead seems to come directly out of left field. Here you'll play as a group of expertly trained soldiers who have sworn to protect what's left of Harbor City after an outbreak of zombies that really aren't zombies - they're humans that have been infested with a hyper evolving worm like parasite. For what you need to know though - they're pretty much zombies. They moan, the shamble and yep, they're going to try to eat your flesh. There isn't much of a plot here beyond that but the game doesn't really try to force a hackneyed plot down your throat either so it's kind of wash.

Deadline is presented in a top down isometric style which kept reminding me of playing a board game, which may not sound like much but I appreciated the views when things got strategic. The game's real trick though is how you can switch directly from real time combat to strategic playing at will. Each mode has it's own benefits, I found myself just blasting through your average everyday run-of-the-mill zombies and switching over to the more strategic focus when dealing with larger groups of enemies or new mutations I hadn't seen yet. I found out pretty quickly that having the ability to switch between these two modes and having the knowledge of when it's best to do so goes a long way here, even though the game allows you to make that choice on your own. It's completely possible to play through a vast majority of the game in one way or another depending on your play style.

The open world will be a big change from anyone who played the original Breach & Clear. Following Deadline's tutorial you're pretty much free to go wherever you want and conquer missions in anyway you want (well, as long as it includes killing non-zombies). The result is a game that manages to feel ten times larger than it's predecessor but also manages to not lose it's intimate and in your face feel. Deadline is very gritty and it attempts to fuse actual military terminology and culture with it's somewhat hokey world of non-zombies. It's a nice touch, especially with the chatter of teammates during hectic situations but it can also feel forced when you're hearing the same lines over and over.

Where I was most disappointed with Breach & Clear though is with the game's multiplayer, which should have been an easy slam-dunk. It works mostly as you think but you're limited to playing most matches with only two players instead of four. Why you're not always able to fill your squad ranks is lost on me, and the game feels less complete because of it. The game's biggest feature, the ability to switch between real time combat and strategic planning also feels less important in multiplayer. Most matches that I played resulted in one person doing most of the planning while the others sat and chimed in from time to time. Do your friends a favor, focus on real time combat. You'll have more friends - at least in this case.

If you've grown tired of playing the same old zombie killing game over and over again you're likely to find something to love in Breach & Clear: Deadline. The ability to switch between strategic planning and blasting away is a welcome one, and it's sure to invite even those who may not have given a second look to the game otherwise. Breach & Clear: Deadline may not be perfect, but it is worth a pick-up for at least a weekend.