I've played State of Decay and I think it's pretty good.
only thing that disturbs me about the game is how they failed to make you "know" and "feel" for the characters. if a character died (for the story), it's like I don't really care. It's like I only care for my favorite character and the rest could have whatever's coming to them. one thing that got me loving the game though is how I can feel nervous and kinda scared when I'm using my favorite character and I encounter those zombies that looks like the jockey from l4d(forgot what they are called).
so story wise, I think it needs improvement.
BUT
the gameplay is great, I love how you should scavenge the town, choose your home/base and build what's inside your base. their fatigue system is awesome too, I love how they make it as realistic as they can.
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about h2s stand alone, I've seen the game but never actually played it.
people said it's just like the original with a new camera. the gameplay looks okay but the animations are way off for me. I'm also thinking about playing that game though, but I feel like the people who bought/buys the game are the people who have money to waste/spare for random stuff.(sadly no, I am not one of those people)
oh and one more thing, the crafting idea is awesome though ^o)