Changes: Standard Zombie

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"What the hell are these things, and why are they wearing science team uniforms!?"

―Black Mesa Security Guard^[src]

The Standard Zombie is the most common Zombie form seen in the Half-Life series. It is the manifestation of a standard Headcrab attaching to a victim's cranium and taking over their nervous system.

Overview

Zombie Scientist — The original Zombie scientist from *Half-Life*.

Once a Headcrab successfully attaches to a host, the Headcrab will assume control of all their motor functions, able to walk and attack with the host's arms and legs. Through some unknown biological process, the host's hands turn into long, skeletal claws and a massive hole appears in their chest lined with the hosts' ribs, becoming a makeshift "mouth," with their ribs serving as teeth (Zombies have been observed to feed by ripping chunks of flesh off of corpses and stuffing them into this maw) Removal of the Headcrab reveals that the host's head is bent abnormally upwards, their hair is matted with blood, and their face is pale, with their eyes shut and mouth open in a frozen scream.

Occasionally, Headcrab Zombies may survive losing both legs and their lower torso, and continue to crawl along using their arms, in this state the Zombie is more dangerous if allowed to get close as they swipe at a faster rate with their claws. In most cases, a Headcrab remains attached to its host until the Zombie is destroyed, although in Half-Life 2, they will occasionally detach from the host if it is rendered immobile by its injuries.

Tactics

Standard Zombies do not pose much of a threat when they appear at a distance since they cannot attack at longer ranges. Standard Zombies can be easily taken out from a distance with any firearms. However, they can pose as a major threat when they are at point blank range to the player or have surrounded with other type of Zombies. Due to this, it is best to fall back when they are close to the player as their attack can cause the player to flinch which will be harder to aim the weapon. On the other hand, it is possible to engage a Zombie with a Crowbar without taking damage from the Zombie by hitting it and then backing up to dodge the swing and then repeating the process until the Zombie dies. This is possible because the attack rate of a standard zombie is very slow.To kill a Standard Zombie with a Crowbar will take 2-3 hits.

If a Standard Zombie is in the group with other type of Zombies, it is best to attack the other type first before focusing on this Zombie, unless they are too close to the player. It is also possible to throw a Grenade at the Zombies as one grenade can kill most of them. Note that sometimes in Half-Life 2, Zombies can survive the grenade blast and only the lower torso is blown off. If not, they will catch fire.

When dealing with one, it is best to use lighter weaponry such as a Pistol or SMG.To kill a Standard Zombie with a Pistol will take up to 5-4 hits in the head and 20-21 hits in the body.The SMG will take up to 7-6 hits in the head and 25-26 hits in the body to kill a Standard Zombie. A Shotgun can also be used against them due to high damage up close. When engaging, it is best to aim for the Headcrab.The Shotgun will instantly kill a Zombie in a one head-shot if all pellets hit the Zombie's head.

Zombies can be sometimes seen attacking other enemies, like Combine soldiers and Antlions. If they do, it is best to wait until they finish attacking, and the latter fight will be much easier.

In Half-Life 2, Zombies are given the ability to punch objects from a distance. If they do, the player can move left or right to dodge them; alternatively, they can use the Gravity Gun to grab it and punt it back to the Zombie without using ammunition.

Trivia

When a Zombie lunges at an opponent in all games of the series, their arm appears to stretch out slightly when they swing. This could just be a graphical embellishment, however.
In Half-Life and its expansions, standard Zombies have a (mostly) human walk. They also have their "claws" up in what could be considered as a "battle-ready position." In Half-Life 2 and its episodes, the standard Zombie walk has become a slow, awkward shamble. Their claws are also seen being held up closely against their bodies.
Oddly, Half-Life 2 Zombies wear refugee clothing, even in City 17 where they should be blue like civilian clothing, and at resistance outposts where they should be wearing the resistance standard attire. However, the earlier Zombie model had blue clothing.
Playing parts of a Half-Life 2 Zombie's sound files backwards will produce extremely disturbing yells of pain. The reversed cries have been interpreted as "Oh, God help! Help me!" and "Get it off me!" If set on fire, the victims may say things that might be interpreted as "Why, why, why!?," "Help, God... help! Help me!," "Gaaah!," "Gaaaah, I'm on fire! Gaaaaah!," "My life's fading!," "My eyes sting! Gaaah!," "Put it out!" and even heard as "Yabba, put it out please! GRAAAAGH!"
The screams of the Half-Life 2 Zombies are heard muffled in-game. Speeding up the sound file to the screams shows that the muffled effect is caused by the slowing down of the file. The muffled voice effect is also enhanced by the ambiance of the game.
In Half-Life 2, the Zombies have the same "attacking" growl as the Zombies of Half-Life.
In Half-Life, Zombies are seen "feeding" from dead scientists and soldiers by taking flesh from corpses and stuffing it into their chest "mouth." However, this is not seen in Half-Life 2. This behavior might have been scrapped or simply overlooked and not programmed. Another theory is that they put the "food" directly into their stomach.
In the non-HD variant of Half-Life and its expansions, a Zombie's Headcrab appears to be "fastened" tighter to the victim's face, revealing the eerie outline of a human skull.
Two Standard Zombie growls can be heard in the film Drag Me to Hell. The Half-Life series uses many stock sounds heard in many other video games and films.
As well as being in the movie Drag Me to Hell , the Zombie sounds are used in Valve's Left 4 Dead series.
In Half-Life: Opposing Force, spawning the dead soldier Zombie will reveal its pose as that of spawned dead HECU grunt.
Standard Zombies move slower than the player and take some time to swing back. This means that, with enough room, the player can run up to a standard Zombie, hit it with the crowbar, quickly backtrack a few steps, and repeat this indefinitely, to save ammo.
In the 1998 version of the Half-Life Prima Guide, Headcrab Zombies are referred to as "Mawmen," most likely because of the mouth made in their chest out of their ribcage.
In the WC mappack, a map named "boxing" can be found. It consists of a small dark room with a boxing ring in the middle, lit by a single lamp. There, two Zombies start fighting each other once a bell rings. When the first one is killed, the bell rings again and the remaining Zombie remains still.
The security guard and HECU Zombie models seen in Opposing Force have no HD model.
In the book The Zombie Recognition Guide, the Headcrab Zombies appear under the name of Crabheads and are mentioned to have come to earth in a meteor.
In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, in the chapter Freeman Pontifex, after going through the toxic trench and when the player can get up to the ledge overlooking it, when looking back down, two Zombies spawn out of nowhere and fight each other.
There is a cut Half-Life audio file (named c1a2_sci_6zomb) in which a scientist frantically orders Gordon to pick a gun, most likely the Glock 17, and probably shoot a Zombie. To be exact, the scientist says: "Don't just stand there, pick up that gun and shoot it!"

Gallery

Half-Life and its expansions

Half-Life 2 and its episodes

Pre-release

Zombies about to fight in the map "boxing."

Retail

List of appearances

Half-Life: Day One (First appearance)
Half-Life
Half-Life: Uplink (Non-canonical appearance)
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Decay
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
The Zombie Recognition Guide

References

The Half-Life Wiki has more images related to Standard Zombie.

↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar

Xen
Creatures	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Armored Headcrab • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Headcrab • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua• Gonarch • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Lightning Dog • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Poison Headcrab • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Quiver Creature (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Standard Headcrab • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt • Zombie
Weapons	Black Hole Gun (cut) • Ceiling Turret • Grenade • Hivehand • Sentry Cannon • Snark • Snark Mine
Technology	Healing Shower • Thumper
Other	Crystal • Fungus • Healing Pool • Light Stalk • Trampoline • Tree

Creatures
Antlions	Antlion • Antlion Grub • Antlion Guard • Antlion Guardian • Antlion King (cut) • Antlion Rollergrub (cut) • Antlion Soldier • Antlion Worker
Headcrabs	Headcrab • Fast Headcrab • Gonarch • Poison Headcrab • Standard Headcrab • Headcrab Shell • Armored Headcrab • Reviver • Bloody Headcrab • Big Momma Pod (cut)
Race X	Gene Worm • Pit Drone • Pit Worm • Shock Roach • Shock Trooper • Spore Launcher • Sprite • Voltigore
Synths	Synth • Advisor Pod • Attack Synth (cut) • Combine Guard (cut) • Combine Mobile Mine (cut) • Combine Super Soldier (cut) • Combine Synth Elite Soldier (cut) • Crab Synth • Cremator (cut) • Combine Dropship • Combine Gunship • Hunter • Mortar Synth • Sacktick (cut) • Shield Scanner • Strider • Unidentified cut Synth (cut) • Wasteland Scanner (cut)
Xen	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt
Zombies	Zombie • Fast Zombie • Gonome • Poison Zombie • Standard Zombie • Zombine • Zombie Assassin (cut) • Jeff • Lightning Dog Zombie • Bloody Headcrab Zombie • Armored Zombie
Other	Alien Fauna (cut) • Combine Advisor • Earth creatures • Hydra (cut) • Jeff • Jelly Blobber (cut) • Mantis Man • Particle Storm (cut) • Skitch (cut) • Stampeder (cut) • Test Subject 042 • Tripod Hopper (cut)

[Raising_the_Bar-1] Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar

[1]

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 | designer=[[Ted Backman]]<ref name="Raising the Bar">''[[Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar]]''</ref>
 }}
-{{Quote|What the hell are these things, and why are they wearing science team uniforms, bitch?!|[[Black Mesa Security Guard]]|Half-Life}}
+{{Quote|What the hell are these things, and why are they wearing science team uniforms!?|[[Black Mesa Security Guard]]|Half-Life}}
 The '''Standard Zombie''' is the most common [[Zombie]] form seen in the [[Half-Life universe|''Half-Life'' series]]. It is the manifestation of a standard [[Headcrab]] attaching to a victim's cranium and taking over their nervous system.
 ==Overview==
-[[File:Zombie Scientist.jpg|Man, that's creepy.|left|thumb|200px]]
+[[File:Zombie Scientist.jpg|The original Zombie scientist from ''[[Half-Life]]''.|left|thumb|200px]]
 Once a Headcrab successfully attaches to a host, the Headcrab will assume control of all their motor functions, able to walk and attack with the host's arms and legs. Through some unknown biological process, the host's hands turn into long, skeletal claws and a massive hole appears in their chest lined with the hosts' ribs, becoming a makeshift "mouth," with their ribs serving as teeth (Zombies have been observed to feed by ripping chunks of flesh off of corpses and stuffing them into this maw) Removal of the Headcrab reveals that the host's head is bent abnormally upwards, their hair is matted with blood, and their face is pale, with their eyes shut and mouth open in a frozen scream.