ZombiU

[Wii]

Though it's still not up on their website here is the Edge review of ZombiU:

 

ZombiU is a smart and engaging exploration of what Nintendo's strange new machine can muster. Historically, third party releases in a console launch day have been chequered and timid affairs made by inexperienced teams fearful of losing their footing on unknown terrain. When Ubisoft Montpellier's ZombiU works in smart union with its host console, however, it frequently delights.

 

London has been ravaged by a zombie plague, and the shambling husks of its businessmen, Beefeaters and tracksuit-garbed working classes make for tough opposition. A single zombie must be dispatched with five or six cricket bat blows to the head, and even then a final coup de grace is required once the creature's on the floor. When faced with a crowd, running and slamming doors behind you is often your best option. Ammo is scarce, health depletes in worryingly large chunks and the virus can be passed on with little warning.

 

As a survivor (or rather, a sequence of survivors), you're guided by the voice of an ex-squaddie known as the Prepper - a Yorkshireman who chunters from a tinny radio withing your GamePad. Operating from a central safehouse deep in the London Underground, your quest is an odd mix of survival objectives and discovering the overarching intentions of the followers of Elizabethan occultis and academic John Dee. You must carefully tread through zombie-packed hubs, some tourist spots and a few housing estates. Throughout it all, your primary objective isn't just the plot MacGuffin you're after, but to also find savepoints and manhole shortcuts that will make your progress secure.

 

ZombiU's gloomy colour palette isn't the only area of the game that's deeply in hock to Dark Souls: death for your character is final, so your first task after respawning is always to tramp back through areas to reclaim your lost gear. Armed with a mere six pistol rounds and a willow bat, respawning is a grisly process that invariably involves murdering your former zombie self. It's a somewhat lightweight variant of what Hidetaka Miyazaki acolytes have come to adore, yes, but this trick can help the game ratchet up to a remarkable level of tension. Fear of lost ground and fear of losing your gradually levelling character's abilities keeps you alert, involved and deep-set within a survival mindset that an autosave safety net would dispel.

 

It's Wii U's GamePad that conspires to make this game impossible on other platforms, it's subtle art being to divert your attention from the primary screen. When you, for example, reorganise your inventory, you much touch-and-drag weapons, health packs and molotovs into easy-access slots on its screen, but up on the main display you're still vulnerable. As such, whether you're picking locks or inputting puzzle codes, you're forever worriedly peeking back up to the main screen to check the shadows. Very often those shadows move.

 

Ubisoft Montpellier has been given free reign to experiment with the new hardware, and it's relished every moment. ZombiU makes the relationship between TV and GamePad screens fell fresh, and - displaying a clear awareness of horror gaming conventions - it toys with you brilliantly. Red herring clues, twitching corpses and suspect doors all play into its manipulation and contribute to sophisticated shocks. The GamePad's new way to play also presents new ways for you to be played, and the resulting suprises areoften delightful.

 

As you move through the game, you develop a routine of survival: you turn off your light to let it recharge, you scan the area for loot and danger by raising the pad to the TV in a riff on Arkham City's Detective Mode, and you knock the head off anything that looks like it could cause mischief in the future. Beyond that, it's crowd control: dividing, conquering and nailing doors shut in the face of zombies, whether you're negotiating a party in a block of flats that's taken a turn for the undead or the Tower of London's corriders.

 

The trouble with ZombiU comes when you go off-piste - those moments when you're thrown from the ribbon of the game's missions, or die deep down withing an unscanned area without a saved shortcut to easily retrace your steps. This issue is underlined when, just before the final act, the game forces you into a needless and poorly explained treasure hunt through previously explored environments. The strange dead end that confused you the first time round suddenly makes sense (and the Dark Souls-style symbol messages left by other players might water down the frustration), but it shines a light on the fact that ZombiU is a lot less fun when it can't deal out fresh shocks and surprises.

 

The game's strong feeling of earthly realism, meanwhile, is also sadly lost as it continues. At first, threat and variety are ramped up by zombies growing faster and more reactive, and the occasional policeman in body armour. Beyond this, however, enemies break with what a purist might call Romero canon and the game takes an unwelcome lurch away from horror and into fantasy. A late-game forary into an arena scenario, meanwhile, is another instance of the needs of the game pulling out of synch with the needs of the narrative. The use of explosive zombies, which ignite upon a thwack of willow against gas tank, genuinely feel unfair with the odds stacked so high.

 

The terrors of the horde that has descended on London come with caveats, then. ZombiU, however, is a title that will infuse impulse buyers, early adopters and Nintendo diehards with relief and appreciation for the novel gameplay that Wii U can and will continue to provide. It's a confident start, if not an end in itself - one that makes us eagerly anticipate where Montpellier will take it's ideas next.

 

7/10

Edited November 18, 2012 by Wii

[Tamazoid]

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-zombiu/17-6810/

 

Giant Bomb Quick Look.

 

"ZombiU is pretty awesome"

[Phube]

2 minutes until blackout is lifted...

[bryanee]

Eurogamer.net - 9/10

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-18-zombiu-review

 

Destructoid - 8/10

 

http://www.destructoid.com/review-zombiu-238776.phtml

 

CVG - 8.4/10

 

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/379071/reviews/zombiu-review-survival-horror-makes-a-bloody-comeback-review/

Edited November 18, 2012 by bryanee

[Retro_Link]

IGN Review 6.3

 

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/11/18/zombiu-review

 

[Phube]

Games Radar - 3/5

 

http://www.gamesradar.com/zombiu-review/

[bryanee]

edit -beat

 

Bunch of mixed reviews. Seems to be a game you really need to try yourself.

Edited November 18, 2012 by bryanee

[tapedeck]

Game Informer 5/10

Gamespot 4.5

Gamesmaster 97%

Eurogamer 9/10

IGN 6.3

 

Interesting...

[Phube]

Game Informer 5/10

Gamespot 4.5

Gamesmaster 97%

Eurogamer 9/10

IGN 6.3

 

Interesting...

 

Has a games ever had such a spread from 'proper' journalists!?

 

9.7 - 4.5! crazy!?

[tapedeck]

Reminds me of Red Steel and NGamer lol

[Retro_Link]

Just watched IGN's Video Review and you can see their point!

 

Seems alot could have been resolved if Ubisoft had just increased the ammount you could interact with and loot from the world. And maybe this didn't even have to be ammo, they could have let you use every day objects such as Fire Extinguishers, TV sets, Chairs etc... to fight enemies, as you can imagine you might have to resort to!

 

I also don't like the sound of the exploding zombies from the Edge review. I really don't like that so many games seem to implements 'zombie types' these days. Fantasy is right. And this game wasn't really supposed to be about that.

[Kav]

IGN Review 6.3

 

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/11/18/zombiu-review

 

 

IGN have pulled a "Red Steel" with this it seems. Hyping it up, even going to say "forget about Mario, Nintendoland and Call of Duty, ZombiU is shaping up to be the WiiU's must-have title"... only to pan it at review. That preview (below) was pretty misleading really it seems, a stark contrast to the review, so much so it's as if they were playing different games!

 

 

Saying that, I really do like the idea of this still. I played it at Play Expo and have kept my eye on it and I'm still keeping the ZombiU bundle as my preorder.

[khilafah]

I honestly not sure if I am gonna get this Day 1. before it was a must have but now I not so sure.

 

If COD is a good on Wii U other HD consoles I may get that instead.

 

Graphics in Zombie U are not that hot thats for sure.

[Captain Falcon]

Seems alot could have been resolved if Ubisoft had just increased the ammount you could interact with and loot from the world. And maybe this didn't even have to be ammo, they could have let you use every day objects such as Fire Extinguishers, TV sets, Chairs etc... to fight enemies, as you can imagine you might have to resort to!

 

I think you've just made the only survival horror game I'd genuinely want to play - a game whereby you can and must use anything and everything to survive. Just imagine running down a hallway and you can hit A to just tip things over and into the path of the enemy. Get the physics on the go and that would really add such a layer of interactivity and immersiveness that you rarely see in games despite claims of their existance by developers.

 

I personally haven't seen what ws quite so great about this game from day one. I always knew it was a survival game before it was a shooter and consequently knew you couldn't rely on shooting as the only way to survive. That said, I thought they'd give you more to work with than just a cricket bat.

 

I think regardless of it's quality though, if I had to name one game that was going to tank in price post launch, I'd have put money on this one. Survival Horror is such a niche market anyway these days, as most have moved onto Action Horror, that even in the excitement of a console launch where sales tend to be higher on marginal titles, it just doesn't have enough appeal to survive long term. It's not just because it's supposed to be a bit iffy that RE6 can be had for £20 one month after release.

[Kav]

The graphics aren't great but they certainly are atmospheric, having played it I can confidently say that.

[Aneres11]

I honestly not sure if I am gonna get this Day 1. before it was a must have but now I not so sure.

 

If COD is a good on Wii U other HD consoles I may get that instead.

 

Graphics in Zombie U are not that hot thats for sure.

 

I'm kinda beginning to think the same.

And that's not just off the back of this IGN review.

 

The fact that this is so varied in scores tells me that is a little but like marmite.

 

And given my bundle is just the premium and doesn't include Zombi U in its bundle, I'm almost considering cancelling my preorder for this.

Purely from a pricing perspective.

The game is 50 quid! I don't think I wanna spend that on something I am unsure on.

 

And similarly to you, I may now look into COD for the Wii U instead.

[bryanee]

88/100

 

http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/18/zombiu-review/view-all/

[Kav]

So I've read a few of the reviews and I think I'll be the kind that likes this game. My usual "go to" site is Eurogamer and they love it. Although I'd also like to see what Gametrailers have to say!

 

I like marmite!

[Retro_Link]

I think you've just made the only survival horror game I'd genuinely want to play - a game whereby you can and must use anything and everything to survive. Just imagine running down a hallway and you can hit A to just tip things over and into the path of the enemy. Get the physics on the go and that would really add such a layer of interactivity and immersiveness that you rarely see in games despite claims of their existance by developers.

 

I personally haven't seen what ws quite so great about this game from day one. I always knew it was a survival game before it was a shooter and consequently knew you couldn't rely on shooting as the only way to survive. That said, I thought they'd give you more to work with than just a cricket bat.

Exactly, it seems the main thing missing from this game is variety. I mean come on if you're trying to survive a zombie apocalypse as the game has set out, you're going to be using everything in your path to put between yourself and a zombie when faced with one.

 

The cricket bat is such a cliche! I mean sure put it in there as an option... along with a baseball bat... but mix it up! I'd much rather be hurling a computer monitor, pinning a zombie against the wall with a chair before then finding my gun, or frantically scanning the enviroment for something to use only to have to resort to smacking one around the head with a yukka plant which buys me some time to throw a microwave at it! :p

Edited November 18, 2012 by Retro_Link

[Kav]

They used a cricket bat because it's "quintessentially British". I kind of like that, although I do agree that they could've added use of other things that would break but the cricket bat would always remain unbroken.

[Retro_Link]

They used a cricket bat because it's "quintessentially British". I kind of like that, although I do agree that they could've added use of other things that would break but the cricket bat would always remain unbroken.

Exactly, the cricket back is your dependable... but allow you to use objects in the enviroment to mix things up, give you different ways to play and tackle certain moments, which would add replayability.

 

There could have been a 'no cricket bat run' or 'no weapon run' achivements for example, where you had to use just objects you found in the environment.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Retro_Link

[Captain Falcon]

Exactly, it seems the main thing missing from this game is variety. I mean come on if you're trying to survive a zombie apocalypse as the game has set out, you're going to be using everything in your path to put between yourself and a zombie when faced with one.

 

The cricket bat is such a cliche! I mean sure put it in there as an option... along with a baseball bat... but mix it up! I'd much rather be hurling a computer moniter, pinning a zombie against the wall with a chair before then finding my gun. Frantically scanning the enviroment for something to use only to have to resort to smacking one around the head with a yukka plant which buys me some time to throw a microwave at it! :p

 

Absolutely. Why can't I run into a room and then pin a chair under a door to stop it opening or slide over a bookcase (like in RE4) to cover the door whlist I then look around for things I might want to take with me and sort out my bag.

 

Why don't they give the player the ability to fashion impromptu weapons - aerosol can and cigarette lighter style a la Mr Bond. Maybe splash some gasoline around to make a trap or back up plan or something.

 

These are the kind of things that normally get resolved in sequels whereby the main mechanic is essentially pinned down and then they are free with how to interpret that and maybe it's wrong to expect so much from the first attempt but a bit more freedom wouldn't have killed them or broke the system. Had this been released on the 360/PS3 without the gamepad functions, I'd have put money on it being a more fleshed out experience. I think it's been a case of the Gamepad taking centre stage at expense of the rest of the game even when away from it.

 

Development time, and budget, is finite sure, but that just makes it feel a bigger shame when there is plenty of potential that hasn't been realised and the game evidentally suffers as a result.

[Retro_Link]

Absolutely. Why can't I run into a room and then pin a chair under a door to stop it opening or slide over a bookcase (like in RE4) to cover the door whlist I then look around for things I might want to take with me and sort out my bag.

 

Why don't they give the player the ability to fashion impromptu weapons - aerosol can and cigarette lighter style a la Mr Bond. Maybe splash some gasoline around to make a trap or back up plan or something.

Brilliant! and I can't believe there wasn't a weapon fashioning system actually!

They could have atleast added context sensitive moments, so you could slam a zombie into a television, desk, or car door/window etc...

 

But yeah these are things they can build on for a sequel, but like you say they could have been a bit more imaginative with this first game too. Because afterall, there might not even be a sequel to improve things in if the first game doesn't convince people to buy it!

Edited November 18, 2012 by Retro_Link

[Kav]

As I read more of the reviews, even the negative and low scoring ones, I'm still really liking the sound of this. Half of the criticisms that the low scoring reviews make are plus points for me, I love that it's survival and that trying to avoid confrontation is best!

 

Hell, I played through the first couple Splinter Cells not killing people as much as possible because I wanted to be as sneaky and careful as I could be. I played Mirror's Edge and didn't use a gun at all as I loved the challenge of just making it through the areas trying to avoid and outrun the confrontations!

This is looking like my type of game!

 

The scores knocked me a little but reading the reviews themselves has reaffirmed my hype for the game!

[Diageo]

I think people are being a bit naive about how easy to implement mechanics such as tipping things over while running down a corridor. What game has done it effectively in the past?

 

Also, using items from the environment as weapons is only really being barely looked into. I can't think of a game that uses it as fluidly as people are describing. It would be a real challenge I imagine.