DayZ Origins: a new Arma 2 zombie survival mod "inspired" by DayZ

The War Z may have ended up a rushed mess of a game , but people looking for DayZ style zombie survival action (yet inexplicably unwilling to just play DayZ) could now have a new title to try.

, but people looking for DayZ style zombie survival action (yet inexplicably unwilling to just play DayZ) could now have a new title to try. Despite the name, DayZ Origins has nothing to do with Dean "Rocket" Hall's original, but instead is an Arma 2 mod "inspired" by DayZ. It also claims to give an ultimate end goal to the game of running around an open world, trying not to be eaten by the dead.

DayZ Origins runs on an adapted version of the Taviana community map. It features a remote island called Survival City, where rich survivors have built a safe haven protected by walls and elite mercenaries. According to the game's description, "if you manage to get in, you will have a chance at grabbing some of their finest weaponry and supplies."

Also included is "Patient Zero", a mutated super zombie, and the likely origin of the outbreak. "Capturing/killing this zombie might have the cure for the zombie infection."

Other features include ramshackle survivor-made vehicles - a counterpoint to DayZ's military hardware - that look like something cobbled together in Gary's Mod, as well as persistent levelling and lots of new building interiors to scavenge.

It looks like an impressive undertaking, and the need to team-up to assault Survivor City could be an elegant way of encouraging co-operation over a shoot-on-sight lone wolf attitude. Still, I'm not sure about the name. Piggybacking off of DayZ's success seems cheap, especially after the confusion caused by the similarities between War Z and DayZ. Sure enough, the YouTube comments page already contains people asking if this is DayZ Standalone, which can only exacerbate the problem.

You can download DayZ Origins here. More screenshots below.