It doesn’t take long to discover why user reviews for Voyage of the Dead are overwhelmingly negative – it’s a light-gun shooter on a system currently without a light-gun.
The cartoon-style zombie shooter – which arrived on the Xbox One store last week – is one of the titles for the upcoming MARS light-gun, which isn’t due for release in the US until 18th October. Until the accessory arrives, it’s entirely unplayable.
Adding further insult to injury, a UK release for the MARS is still to be confirmed. There’s even a chance the accessory will never leave the US, and this is despite Voyage of the Dead being available to purchase from the UK Xbox One store.
The £16.79 ($19.99) download currently has a one-star rating on both the UK and US Xbox One stores.
“Only way to play is through 3rd party gear that wont be out till at least. October so the game is absolutely unplayable until then. So thanks for scamming me out of $20. hopefully. I can get a refund,” reads one review.
In the developer’s defence, the product description does mention that the MARS is required to play. It isn’t immediately obvious, however – MARS branding on the digital pack shot wouldn’t have gone amiss.
The question is, why has it launched almost two months ahead of the MARS itself? It could be an honest mistake – perhaps somebody pushed the ‘magic button’ too soon. However, it’s more likely that developer ‪Performance Designed Products simply wanted to get it out the door; the sooner on it’s on the Xbox One store, the sooner they can recoup their cash.
Either way, by the time the MARS arrives it’s going to amass a wealth of negative reviews that’ll no doubt harm future sales. Yanking it until the MARS’ launch day would certainly prevent a lot of distress and confusion.