View source for Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse



{{Infobox video game
| title = Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
| image = stubbsbox.jpg
| developer = [[Wideload Games|Wideload]]<br />[[THQ Nordic]] (remastered)
| publisher = [[Aspyr Media]]
| designer = [[Alex Seropian]]
| composer = [[Michael Salvatori]]
| engine = Blam Engine
| platforms = [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], [[Mac OS X]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox One]], [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]]
| released = '''Xbox'''<br />{{vgrelease|NA|October 18, 2005|EU|February 10, 2006}}'''Windows'''<br />{{vgrelease|NA|November 21, 2005|EU|February 10, 2006}}'''Mac OS X'''<br />{{vgrelease|NA|November 22, 2005}} '''Nintendo Switch''', '''PS4''', '''PS5''', '''Xbox One''', '''Xbox Series X/S'''<br />{{vgrelease|WW|March 16, 2021}}
| genre = [[Action-adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
}}
'''''Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse''''' is a [[Horror game#Reverse horror|reverse horror]] [[action-adventure]] video game developed by [[Wideload Games]] and published by [[Aspyr Media]]. It was released on October 18, 2005 for the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] and in November for [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Mac OS X]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aspyr ships Stubbs the Zombie for Mac |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/177878/aspyr-42.html |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=Macworld |language=en |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402183151/https://www.macworld.com/article/177878/aspyr-42.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was released on February 10, 2006 in Europe<ref name="europe">{{cite web|title=Wideload Press quote |work=Wideload.com |url=http://www.wideload.com/ |access-date=September 5, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809230904/http://www.wideload.com/ |archive-date=August 9, 2007 }}</ref> with distribution handled by [[THQ]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/press-release/thq-and-aspyr-unearth-distribution-deal-for-stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse | title=THQ and Aspyr Unearth Distribution Deal for Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel without a Pulse" }}</ref> The game became available on Microsoft's [[Xbox Live Marketplace]] as an [[List of Xbox Originals|Xbox Originals]] in May 2008 but was removed in late 2012 due to technical issues.<ref name="Major Nelson">{{cite web|date=May 19, 2008 |title=Xbox Originals 'Stubbs' and 'Gauntlet' are now available |url=http://majornelson.com/Default.aspx |website=majornelson.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520083014/http://majornelson.com/Default.aspx |archive-date=May 20, 2008 }}</ref>

Set in a [[retro-futuristic]] version of 1959, the game follows Stubbs who rises from his grave as a zombie with an insatiable hunger for the brains of the inhabitants of the fictional Pennsylvania city of [[Pennsylvania Punch Bowl|Punchbowl]], while pinning for lost love Maggie Monday. 

The game was a moderate success garnering favorable reviews and sales for the Xbox version. A sequel was planned, but since Wideload's closing in 2014, it has been since declared canceled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/stubbs-the-zombie-will-rise-from-the-grave-again-for-a-sequel-66694.phtml|title=Stubbs the Zombie will rise from the grave again for a sequel|date=January 25, 2008|website=destructoid.com|access-date=June 22, 2018|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715172842/https://www.destructoid.com/stubbs-the-zombie-will-rise-from-the-grave-again-for-a-sequel-66694.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref> A remastered version of the game was published by [[THQ Nordic]] and released for PC (via [[Steam (service)|Steam]]), [[PlayStation 4]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[Xbox One]] and [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]] in March 2021, featuring modernized controls and [[Xbox network|achievements]]/[[PlayStation Network|trophies]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2021 |title=Stubbs the Zombie is Coming Back From the Dead |url=https://gamerant.com/stubbs-the-zombie-pc-xbox-switch-ps5-ps4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019160121/https://gamerant.com/stubbs-the-zombie-pc-xbox-switch-ps5-ps4/ |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |website=Game Rant |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Announced for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch |date=February 17, 2021 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-announced-for-ps4-xbox-one-pc-and-switch |access-date=July 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019200038/https://www.ign.com/articles/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-announced-for-ps4-xbox-one-pc-and-switch |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |url-status=live |publisher=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/7800/Stubbs_the_Zombie_in_Rebel_Without_a_Pulse/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921230716/https://store.steampowered.com/app/7800/Stubbs_the_Zombie_in_Rebel_Without_a_Pulse/ |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=July 9, 2021 |website=store.steampowered.com}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
In ''Stubbs the Zombie'', the player plays as a [[zombie]], and the primary goal is to kill humans and devour their [[brain]]s. Eating brains gives back a certain amount of lost [[Health (gaming)|health]] to the player as well as converting those humans into zombies, causing them to fight alongside the player. The player has the option of beating an enemy to death with melee strikes or to transform them into zombies. Stubbs' zombie state prevents him from wielding any conventional weapons, and instead wields a variety of improvised weaponry and combat techniques, most of which are done using a specific body part as explosives or makeshift devices. Stubbs can drive a wide variety of vehicles, such as cars, tractors and tanks. All of the aforementioned improvised weapons, excluding Stubbs' hand, will convert enemies they kill into zombies. Stubbs can herd zombies which are in range by whistling. Since there is a limit to how many zombies will follow him at a time, Stubbs can guide the rest by sending whole groups of zombies in a direction with a single shove. Stubbs' zombie followers can kill humans and eat their brains, just like Stubbs can, and any human killed by one of his minions will also turn into a zombie. An enemy that fires upon a zombie in a group will attract the attention of all the rest of the zombies. Crowds of zombies can serve as a shield when approaching enemies armed with ranged weapons and are needed for sowing the necessary chaos and confusion into a difficult melee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Onyett |first=Charles |date=2005-12-02 |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/02/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>

Different enemies have different abilities, health pools and weapons for dispatching Stubbs, civilians typically have no weapons or may have the occasional melee weapons, have low health, are quite cowardly and can be grabbed by the front regardless of their health, whereas other enemies need to be hit and dazed before Stubbs is able to eat their brains from the front, though he can eat their brains from behind if they are unaware of Stubbs or distracted by other zombies.

==Setting==
Punchbowl is a [[Retro-futurism|retro-futuristic]] city that resembles the future as portrayed by the media in 1950s. It includes [[hovercar]]s, laser weaponry, a [[monorail]], and robots. Punchbowl was envisioned and funded by Andrew Monday and created by his teams of scientists, led by former [[Nazism|Nazi]] scientist Dr. Hermann Wye.

==Plot==
In 1959, Andrew Monday, multi-billionaire playboy industrialist, who was said to have been found in a picnic basket by his mother, Maggie has built the futuristic utopian city, [[Pennsylvania Punch Bowl|Punchbowl]], in [[Pennsylvania]]. During its [[opening ceremony]], deceased [[Vendor (supply chain)|traveling salesman]], Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield, rises from his grave as a Zombie and begins to consume the brains of Punchbowl's inhabitants, quickly creating his own army of the undead, and causing increasing amounts of havoc as the Zombies clash with the various militant factions of the area. Stubbs is searching for answers as to who killed him and why, though he seems to have an inordinate infatuation for Andrew Monday's mother, Maggie. Stubbs heads to The Punchbowl Police Station where he is captured and the police chief plans to dance on Stubbs' grave. Stubbs manages to escape by ripping his hand off and using it to control a scientist to release his restraints. Stubbs makes his way to the chief's office where they have a dance-off before the chief dances to the armory, unaware he has Stubbs' pancreas stuck to him; it explodes, killing him.

As Stubbs continues his path of destruction, he comes across Otis, the prospective, paranoid, trigger-happy leader of a local redneck militia called "The Quaker State Irregulars" who believes the Zombie outbreak is part of a [[Communist]] infiltration mission. Stubbs follows Otis back to his farm where he gives a rousing speech (consisting of only the word "Brains" in various cadences) to his fellow Zombies in a parody of the war film [[Patton (film)|''Patton'']]. Upon cornering Otis, Stubbs seems to be at a disadvantage, as Otis has prepared a large stockpile of [[TNT]] which he intends to detonate. Before he can light it, Otis seems to recognize Stubbs from when he was alive and begins to panic. This gives Stubbs the chance to grab the match and light the TNT himself, escaping to a safe distance before the house is blown up, with Otis inside. He then rides a flustered sheep back to Punchbowl. 

Stubbs goes to the dam where he relieves his bladder by urinating in the town's water supply, contaminating it. He then causes the dam to explode by having the other Zombies use themselves as electrical conduits. The flash flood of contaminated water worsens the zombie outbreak and brings Stubbs back into the city limits, where the U.S. Army has arrived to dispatch the zombies. Stubbs eventually reaches Herman Wye’s laboratory, where Wye himself reveals he unwittingly created Stubbs via an experimental growth serum that he used for accelerating the growth of grass in Punchbowl. He also declares his intent to use Stubbs as a specimen for his research. After a difficult battle, Stubbs manages to defeat Wye.

Upon arriving at City Hall to confront Andrew, Maggie recognizes the zombie and stops Andrew from shooting him, proclaiming her love for Stubbs. She explains that in 1933, during [[Great Depression|The Great Depression]], she was a young country girl living at her family's farm. Stubbs, a down-on-his-luck salesman trying to eke out a living, had an unbroken streak of bad luck dating back to his birth (he couldn't sell ice cream in the Sahara and could not sell life insurance during the darkest days of the depression. One hot summer night, Stubbs arrived at Maggie's house in an attempt to do business. Finding him charming, Maggie took Stubbs back to her room where the two had sex. Maggie's father, Otis, came home and caught the two together. Unbeknownst to Maggie, Otis had killed Stubbs and buried him in an unmarked grave in the remote Pennsylvania countryside (in the same spot where Punchbowl would later be built). Maggie reveals that she became pregnant with Andrew from the experience, making Stubbs his biological father. The two share a romantic embrace, which is abruptly cut short by Stubbs eating her brain. Enraged by this and the truth of his conception, Andrew attacks Stubbs from behind a forcefield. Stubbs destroys the force field and looms toward Andrew, but Maggie, now a zombie, convinces him to spare their son. As Stubbs and Maggie sail off in a small rowboat and kiss, Andrews rushes outside and looks up to the sky just as Punchbowl is destroyed by a nuclear strike in an effort to contain the outbreak. During the credits, photos of things that happened during the events of the game are shown on the left.

==Development==
''Stubbs the Zombie'' was [[Wideload Games]]' first game after its founding. The company's founder, [[Alex Seropian]] had previously co-founded and worked with Bungie and used the production as an experiment to determine how he would run an independent studio.<ref name="Dissection">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-06-dissecting-a-zombie/1100-6146662/ |title=GDC 06: Dissecting a zombie |author=Brendan Sinclair |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=March 25, 2006 |access-date=November 23, 2014 |archive-date=December 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217215035/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-06-dissecting-a-zombie/1100-6146662/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The game's development began with a team of twelve, but Seropian decided to use contractors which raised the number to sixty. This decision brought difficulties when the hiring process wasn't properly overseen, leaving the team with a shortage of producers and lack of cohesion.<ref name="Dissection" /> A game development model was developed, with 12 full-time employees overseeing pre and post production phases, while independent contractors worked with the remaining content.<ref name="Dissection" /> Using the ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo]]'' engine provided some problem in the early stages. The engine was completely developed by [[Bungie]] and it lacked notes from them or peer reviews that would emphasize possible programming problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/news/|title=Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel without a Pulse"|publisher=Aspyr Media|access-date=August 19, 2014|archive-date=December 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209161721/http://www.gamespot.com/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/news/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Dissection" /> Due to this, an excessive amount of time was spent determining which contractors would require training to use the engine, as well as how long they would receive instruction.<ref name="Dissection" />

From the onset, the game's concept intended to innovate the horror genre by letting the player play as a zombie. Seropian claims that the team intended to take "something that people are familiar with" and turn it "upside down."<ref name="they're zombies; they don't know any better">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/stubbs-the-zombie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523154627/http://www.1up.com/features/stubbs-the-zombie |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |title=Feature: Stubbs the Zombie |author=Matt Leone |website=1UP.com |date=April 1, 2005 |access-date=November 23, 2014}}</ref> The game was intended to contrast with what was regarded as the general idea of zombie games, changing the "straightforward good guys versus zombies" format found in games like ''[[Resident Evil]]''.<ref name="they're zombies; they don't know any better" /> Humor became a key aspect during the developmental stage, with Seropian claiming that the team wanted to go "beyond just amusing dialogue in a cut-scene".<ref name="they're zombies; they don't know any better" /> Character dialogue and game mechanics were designed so that "funny results" are directly based on the player's action, preventing them from becoming repetitive or stale.<ref name="they're zombies; they don't know any better" />

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| PC = true
| XBOX = true
| na = true
| Edge_XBOX = 6/10<ref name="Edge">{{cite magazine |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox) |author=Edge staff |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |issue=157 |date=December 25, 2005 |page=102}}</ref>
| EGM_XBOX = 8.67/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox) |author=EGM staff |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=199 |date=January 2006 |page=124}}</ref>
| EuroG_XBOX = 4/10<ref name="EuroG">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_stubbszombie_x |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse (Xbox) |author=James Price |website=[[Eurogamer]] |date=December 23, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423074913/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_stubbszombie_x |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GI_XBOX = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Stubbs the Zombie in 'Rebel Without A Pulse' (Xbox) |author=Jeremy Zoss |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |issue=152 |date=December 2005 |page=180}}</ref>
| GamePro_XBOX = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="GamePro">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/reviews/49233.shtml |title=Review: Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox) |author=Rice Burner |magazine=[[GamePro]] |date=October 18, 2005 |access-date=August 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051023005243/http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/reviews/49233.shtml|archive-date=October 23, 2005}}</ref>
| GameRev_XBOX = B−<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/stubbs-the-zombi |title=Stubbs The Zombie Review (Xbox) |author=Zombie Duke |publisher=[[Game Revolution]] |date=October 21, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422083448/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/stubbs-the-zombi |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpot_PC = 7.7/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pause-review/1900-6140684/ |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pause <nowiki>[sic]</nowiki> Review (PC) |author=[[Jeff Gerstmann]] |website=GameSpot |date=December 1, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309182841/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pause-review/1900-6140684/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpot_XBOX = 7.8/10<ref name="GameSpot">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-review/1900-6136237/ |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Review (Xbox) |author=[[Jeff Gerstmann]] |website=GameSpot |date=October 20, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309182758/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-review/1900-6136237/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpy_XBOX = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/661390p1.html |title=GameSpy: Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox) |author=Bryan Stratton |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |date=October 25, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060105213957/http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/661390p1.html |archive-date=January 5, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref>
| GameZone_XBOX = 7.6/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/stubbs_the_zombie_xb_review |title=Stubbs the Zombie - XB - Review |author=Aceinet |publisher=GameZone |date=November 7, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125214327/http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r25212.htm |archive-date=January 25, 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref>
| IGN_PC = 7.5/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/02/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (PC) |author=Charles Onyett |website=[[IGN]] |date=December 2, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=July 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716060347/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/02/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse |url-status=live }}</ref>
| IGN_XBOX = 8.1/10<ref name="IGN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/24/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-2 |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox) |author=Charles Onyett |website=IGN |date=October 24, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=January 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113002515/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/24/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| OXM_XBOX = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse |magazine=[[Official Xbox Magazine]] |date=December 25, 2005 |page=78}}</ref>
| PCGUS_PC = 77%<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |date=February 2006 |page=86}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Detroit Free Press]]''
| rev1_XBOX = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="Detroit">{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/436607761 |title=RECENT RELEASES ('Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse') |author1=Ryan Huschka |author2=Craig Campbell |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]] |date=November 6, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510113850/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/doc/436607761.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+6%2C+2005&author=Huschka%2C+Ryan%3B+Campbell%2C+Craig&pub=Detroit+Free+Press&edition=&startpage=&desc=RECENT+RELEASES |id={{ProQuest|436607761}} |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''
| rev2_PC = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Sydney">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/stubbs-the-zombie/2006/01/18/1137734139406.html |title=Stubbs the Zombie <nowiki>[in Rebel Without a Pulse]</nowiki> |author=Jason Hill |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=January 21, 2006 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200652/http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/stubbs-the-zombie/2006/01/18/1137734139406.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev2_XBOX = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Sydney" />
| GR_PC = 71%<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/925152-stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/index.html |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse for PC |publisher=[[GameRankings]] |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130426044519/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/925152-stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GR_XBOX = 76%<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/925151-stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/index.html |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse for Xbox |publisher=GameRankings |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=July 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731201447/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/925151-stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| MC_PC = 72/100<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428085021/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse |url-status=live }}</ref>
| MC_XBOX = 75/100<ref name="MCXB">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox |title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse for Xbox Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=November 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329084423/http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

The Xbox version received "generally favorable reviews", while the PC version received "average" reviews, according to video game [[review aggregator]] [[Metacritic]].<ref name="MCXB"/><ref name="MCPC"/> ''[[Eurogamer]]'' claimed that the Xbox version had "lots of reasonable ideas that don't quite work" and "a general lack of cohesion".<ref name="EuroG"/>

The game was perceived as "painfully short" and "linear", but "never boring".<ref name="GameSpot" /><ref name="IGN" /> The game's environments were described as "nicely varied", noting that "places like Punchbowl, the city of the future, are extremely well designed and appropriately cool looking."<ref name="GameSpot" /> The game's soundtrack received predominantly positive reviews. The character's voice acting was described as the element that "set the game apart", to the point of claiming that "Never before have the sounds of zombie moaning been done so well in a game." ''IGN'' emphasized the "futile cries from civilians and armed foes" and "squishy, scalp-munching sound effects" as elements contributing to a higher quality than the game's visuals.<ref name="IGN" />

''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' gave the Xbox version a score of all four stars, saying, "The chaos that ensues is as lighthearted as a blood-soaked zombiefest can be."<ref name="Detroit"/> ''[[CiN Weekly]]'' gave the same version a score of 78% and said, "Sure, it's not the most action-packed or finely tuned game, but there are enough clever attacks and humorous elements in Pulse to keep you playing through to see what other goodies - or appendages - they'll toss your way."<ref name="MCXB"/> However, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' gave the game three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a brief ride and the action can become repetitive, but the sharp humour keeps you smiling."<ref name="Sydney"/>

Stubbs the character was ranked second on ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGM]]'s'' Top Ten Badass Undead.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Scott Sharkey |title=EGM's Top Ten Badass Undead: Thriller Night |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=233 |date=October 2008 |page=106}}</ref>

The editors of ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]'' presented ''Stubbs the Zombie'' with their 2005 "Best Soundtrack" award.<ref name=cgm15th>{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | title=The Best (and Worst) of 2005; The 15th Annual ''Computer Games'' Awards |date=March 2006 | issue=184 | pages=42–47 }}</ref>

===Cannibalism controversy===
''Stubbs the Zombie'', along with ''[[F.E.A.R. (video game)|F.E.A.R.]]'', encountered controversy in November 2005 regarding [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] in games.<ref name="NBC">{{cite journal |date=November 29, 2005 |title=Video game critics take aim at cannibalism |journal=MSNBC |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10257524 |access-date=November 18, 2019 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305091343/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10257524/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[National Institute on Media and the Family|NIMF]]'s [[David Walsh (psychologist)|David Walsh]] and U.S. Senator [[Joe Lieberman]] also criticized the game as "cannibalistic" and harmful to underage children.  Senator Lieberman stated "It's just the worst kind of message to kids, and furthermore it can harm the entirety of America's youth". Wideload Games responded by saying that Stubbs is a zombie, not a human cannibal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wideload.com/cannibals.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051207022924/http://www.wideload.com/cannibals.html |title=Setting the Record Straight |publisher=Wideload Games |archive-date=December 7, 2005 |access-date=August 7, 2008}}</ref> [[GamePolitics]] also chided the report, calling it "ridiculous" and citing 36 mainstream news outlets had picked the story immediately after the NIMF report.<ref name="gamerascannibal">{{cite web|url=http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/146842.html |title=Gamer as Cannibal |first=Dennis |last=McCauley |author-link=Dennis McCauley (journalist) |date=November 30, 2005 |work=[[GamePolitics.com|GamePolitics]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726123600/http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/146842.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 }}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name         = ''Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack''
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = various artists
| released     = October 18, 2005
| genre        = [[Rock and roll]], [[Pop music|Pop]]
| length       = 38:19
| label        = [[Shout! Factory]]
}}
The soundtrack to ''Stubbs'' features covers of '50s and '60s-era songs performed by popular and up-and-coming alternative rock artists.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Van Autrijve |first1=Rainier |title=Stubbs the Zombie Soundtrack Revealed |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/567353p1.html |access-date=5 September 2022 |agency=Gamespy |publisher=IGN |date=18 November 2004 |language=English |archive-date=September 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905080039/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse/567353p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{track listing
| headline        = ''Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack''
| extra_column = Artist
| title1          = [[Lollipop (1958 song)|Lollipop]]
| length1         = 2:15
| extra1           = [[Ben Kweller]]
| writer1=[[Beverly Ross|Beverly "Ruby" Ross]] / [[Julius Dixson|Julius Edward Dixon]]
| title2          = [[My Boyfriend's Back (song)|My Boyfriend's Back]]
| length2         = 2:38
| extra2           = [[The Raveonettes]]
| writer2=[[Bob Feldman]] / [[Jerry Goldstein (producer)|Jerry Goldstein]] / [[Richard Gottehrer]]
| title3          = [[Earth Angel]]
| length3         = 3:16
| extra3           = [[Death Cab for Cutie]]
| writer3=[[Kool & the Gang#Personnel|Curtis "Fitz" Williams]] / [[Gaynel Hodge]] / [[Jesse Belvin]]
| title4          = [[Shakin' All Over]]
| length4         = 2:52
| extra4           = [[Rose Hill Drive]]
| writer4=[[Johnny Kidd (singer)|Johnny Kidd]]
| title5          = [[Strangers in the Night]]
| length5         = 2:51
| extra5           = [[Cake (band)|Cake]]
| writer5=[[Bert Kaempfert]] / [[Charles Singleton (songwriter)|Charlie Singleton]] / [[Eddie Snyder]]
| title6          = [[There Goes My Baby (The Drifters song)|There Goes My Baby]]
| length6         = 2:16
| extra6           = [[The Walkmen]]
| writer6=[[Ben E. King|Benjamin Nelson]] / [[George Treadwell]] / [[The Drifters#The New Drifters|Lover Patterson]]
| title7          = [[Everyday (Buddy Holly song)|Everyday]]
| length7         = 3:40
| extra7           = [[Rogue Wave (band)|Rogue Wave]]
| writer7=[[Buddy Holly]] / [[Norman Petty]]
| title8          = [[All I Have to Do Is Dream]]
| length8         = 2:39
| extra8           = [[The Dandy Warhols]]
| writer8=[[Felice and Boudleaux Bryant|Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant]]
| title9          = [[Mr. Sandman]]
| length9         = 3:02
| extra9           = [[Oranger]]
| writer9=[[Pat Ballard]]
| title10          = [[If I Only Had a Brain]]
| length10         = 2:16
| extra10           = [[The Flaming Lips]]
| writer10=[[Yip Harburg]] / [[Harold Arlen]]
| title11          = [[Tears on My Pillow]]
| length11         = 4:01
| extra11           = [[Clem Snide]]
| writer11=[[Al Lewis (lyricist)|Al Lewis]] / Sylvester Bradford
| title12          = [[Lonesome Town]]
| length12         = 3:07
| extra12           = [[Milton Mapes]]
| writer12=[[Baker Knight|Thomas Baker-Knight]]
| title13          = The Living Dead
| length13         = 3:26
| extra13           = [[Phantom Planet]]
| writer13=[[Alex Greenwald]]
}}
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{MobyGames|id=/stubbs-the-zombie-in-rebel-without-a-pulse}}
* [http://www.livejournal.com/users/gamepolitics/146842.html Cannibalism story] at [[GamePolitics.com]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse}}
[[Category:2005 video games]]
[[Category:Aspyr games]]
[[Category:Cooperative video games]]
[[Category:Embracer Group franchises]]
[[Category:MacOS games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 4 games]]
[[Category:Suburban gothic]]
[[Category:Video games about zombies]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games featuring villain protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Michael Salvatori]]
[[Category:Video games set in 1933]]
[[Category:Video games set in 1959]]
[[Category:Video games set in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Video games set in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Video games with commentaries]]
[[Category:Wideload Games games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Xbox games]]
[[Category:Xbox One games]]
[[Category:Xbox Originals games]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse|access_date=2026-03-06}}