IGN: ZombiU Video Preview

I know, game journalists, but this isn't a big budget game with lots of site adverts and moneyhats/swag, I can't help but be encouraged by the overwhelming positive response from pretty much every single site that has had a chance to sit down with this baby. The visuals look very polished to me, they didn't break the bank putting in too many high res textures, but the detail is rich and there is lots of geometry, and it has one of the better lighting engines i've seen on a console, the gametrailers preview revealed a few mechanics I hadn't known about before, which look awesome. The game looks to have deep gameplay, compelling scenarios, a cool story and innovative mechanics. Looks very nice for a game that the devs never intended to push the system graphically.

Perhaps a GOTY contender? Previews make it seem like it could get lots of 9+'s across the board. The controls seemed like something polarizing before, but if Rich isn't completely full of shit, as well as the other previews, the controls seem to be fixed, and everything else looks ace. Whatever the score though it looks like something i'll personally enjoy, I thought day-z, LFD etc... were missing something, so I never got burnt out on the Zombie game genre, as Dead Rising was really the only one I invested significant time in. Looks like a killer app for me personally, and it has a chance to be a sales success given hype, being a launch game, bundles, and Ubisoft/Nintendo marketing.

Hopefully 3rd parties won't ignore the sales like they did for Red Steel and fail to follow up with more content geared towards the core audience on the Wii-U. Ninja Gaiden has a chance to sell quite well with Nintendo's publishing muscle behind it too.

As for people complaining about the graphics, who cares? It looks nice, and it didn't have a massive ginormous budget. They nailed the atmosphere. Resident Evil 5 was absolutely gorgeous, didn't help it be a better horror title, ditto to RE:6, also Silent Hill: Homecoming. This looks like it does the important things correctly.
 
I'm really looking forward to this game as a WiiU launch title.

I'm thinking it might be the beginning of a trend where devs bring the "controller" into the game world. That might be a bit dampening of the illusion (not to mention really annoying if over done), but I suppose it will be pretty novel for awhile.

BY2K said:
ZombiU |OT| Ubidoes what Capdon't.
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You guys are always so small-minded. Why are you inviting big flamewars for two different type of games?
 
Riposte said:
I'm really looking forward to this game as a WiiU launch title.

I'm thinking it might be the beginning of a trend where devs bringing the "controller" into the world. That might be a bit dampening of the illusion (not to mention really annoying if over done), but I suppose it will be pretty novel for awhile.



You guys are always so small-minded. Why are you inviting big flamewars for two different type of games?
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Many hate what Resident Evil has become. They are referring to this being a survival-horror game, in contrast to Resident Evil, an iconic survival horror franchise that is now a weird hybrid-action chimera. I didn't hate Resident Evil 6, but I sure as hell wish that the series hadn't taken the turn it did in focus. The proposed thread title doesn't really put down RE6 as a bad game, just as not a survival horror like ZombiU.
 
Daschysta said:
Many hate what Resident Evil has become. They are referring to this being a survival-horror game, in contrast to Resident Evil, an iconic survival horror franchise that is now a weird hybrid-action chimera. I didn't hate Resident Evil 6, but I sure as hell wish that the series hadn't taken the turn it did in focus. The proposed thread title doesn't really put down RE6 as a bad game, just as not a survival horror like ZombiU.
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That's funny you think that, because it is not how anyone is going to interpret it.

In any case, I wouldn't want to be Sven the day Capcom announces they are making Resident Evil a first-person shooter.
 
Deband said:
This probably deserves its own thread, but I don't seem to be allowed to make one.

GamesRadar Multiplayer video
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Uhhh... jesus christ? I had no idea the game had this sort of multiplayer?

For those of you who aren't thinking of clicking that link - the mode shown is asymmetrical capture the flag. One player on the Control Pad Pro is the human, the Zombie player is on the gamepad. Human is playing first person. Zombie is playing action-tower defence.

I'm honestly pretty stunned. I mean... presuming it works as shown.
 
Riposte said:
That's funny you think that, because it is not how anyone is going to interpret it.

In any case, I wouldn't want to be Sven the day Capcom announces they are making Resident Evil a first-person shooter.
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Why would they have to make it first person. 3rd person horror gives a completely different angle to horror as it allows for the protagonist to be better defined and thus deliver more physical impact to injuries (think the limp on Danger Health levels in RE2) and deliver a more character driven narrative.

And RE simply isn't horror anymore. It's an action adventure with grotesque enemy designs. That's a fact that people just have to accept and move on. RE is blockbuster franchised entertainment. It is by definition incompatible with genuine horror and Capcom will never go back to make it into a horror series. I expect the next game will have Claire being a cybernetic enhanced Ninja slicing up GT-Virus enhanced Muscle Car/Hunter Hybrids with a Katana.
And that's fine. The new direction for RE sells, and sells a lot better than the old games ever could hope to achieve.

But as a Horror Fan I just am going to seek my fix elsewhere. Hell even Minecraft is scarier than RE these days.
 
I am tempted to ask the other half for a Wii U and this game for christmas... as she doesn't know what to get me. I think I will.

Zombies are one of my favourite things.
 
The audio being praised so much is no surprise:
http://gamingbolt.com/zombiu-compos...f-war-trilogy-soundtracks#m8fsKuG6DV6hBUrK.99

Ubisoft’s ZombiU is set to bring zombie survival horror to the Wii U, with the traumatic events that only having to shake a zombie off a few inches from your face can provide. Thanks to Cris Velasco though, it just got even better, for he’ll be composing the music for the game, promising an original and frightening score.

Don’t know the guy? Oh, he just worked on a couple of games you might’ve heard of. Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 1 and 2, all three God of War games (for which he was nominated for and won a BAFTA award in “Best Original Score), Darksiders, Prototype, that kind of stuff. Nothing too big.

What’s interesting is just how Velasco is gonna go about composing the sound-track. He’ll be employing detuned toys and instruments, carnival organs, distorted guitars, contrasted by piano and string quintet compositions. Imagine a demonic carnival meets Schubert meets a horrific nightmare of no escape that only the zombie apocalypse could provide, and you’ll get a fair idea.
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THE-Pink-Dagger said:
I think that graphically, the game looks super clean, dont see how some are saying it looks dated.
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Middling texture work. Lighting/shadows seem hit and miss depending on which location you're looking at. Not a lot of geometric complexity.

I think the game looks fine. Great cohesive and distinct art that really captures the feel they're going for. Looks like London and that's great. But I also think it looks clearly like a game being pushed hard for launch and on new hardware, and thus has typical launch game roughness to the presentation.
 
EatChildren said:
Middling texture work. Lighting/shadows seem hit and miss depending on which location you're looking at. Not a lot of geometric complexity.

I think the game looks fine. Great cohesive and distinct art that really captures the feel they're going for. Looks like London and that's great. But I also think it looks clearly like a game being pushed hard for launch and on new hardware, and thus has typical launch game roughness to the presentation.
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At the same time it also focuses on it's strenghts which is a testament to the teams talent and focus.
 
fabricated backlash said:
At the same time it also focuses on it's strenghts which is a testament to the teams talent and focus.
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Well yeah exactly. They're doing well at accomplishing what they need to do in the given time frame, and they're obviously making very efficient use of resources to ensure with limitations their game can still look good. And naturally focus their energy on how it plays.

But I can see where the graphical concerns come from. Well, not some much concerns, but people being underwhelmed. I think it looks good, but largely due to the great art and cohesive design. Same way I feel about, say, Mario Galaxy. There's nothing particularly impressive about it on a technological level and the Wii U should be able to do much better.

Zombi U 2 maybe! Sans Bono.
 
EatChildren said:
Well yeah exactly. They're doing well at accomplishing what they need to do in the given time frame, and they're obviously making very efficient use of resources to ensure with limitations their game can still look good. And naturally focus their energy on how it plays.

But I can see where the graphical concerns come from. Well, not some much concerns, but people being underwhelmed. I think it looks good, but largely due to the great art and cohesive design. Same way I feel about, say, Mario Galaxy. There's nothing particularly impressive about it on a technological level and the Wii U should be able to do much better.

Zombi U 2 maybe! Sans Bono.
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I agree with your statements: it looks fine, and shows some good effort under various points of view, also if it's not "outstanding".
I think that concerns are due to the Wii U tech specs, more than Zombi U own limits.
I accepted that Wii U is not a generational leap over PS360, and considering this (also if Wii U can do better than this) I think that this is a good looking launch game.
This, added to the great (imho) gameplay and gamepad news, make me feel very hyped for the game (plus: I love zombies and survival horror games, so...)
 
EatChildren said:
Middling texture work. Lighting/shadows seem hit and miss depending on which location you're looking at. Not a lot of geometric complexity.

I think the game looks fine. Great cohesive and distinct art that really captures the feel they're going for. Looks like London and that's great. But I also think it looks clearly like a game being pushed hard for launch and on new hardware, and thus has typical launch game roughness to the presentation.
Click to expand...

fabricated backlash said:
At the same time it also focuses on it's strenghts which is a testament to the teams talent and focus.
Click to expand...

EatChildren said:
Well yeah exactly. They're doing well at accomplishing what they need to do in the given time frame, and they're obviously making very efficient use of resources to ensure with limitations their game can still look good. And naturally focus their energy on how it plays.

But I can see where the graphical concerns come from. Well, not some much concerns, but people being underwhelmed. I think it looks good, but largely due to the great art and cohesive design. Same way I feel about, say, Mario Galaxy. There's nothing particularly impressive about it on a technological level and the Wii U should be able to do much better.

Zombi U 2 maybe! Sans Bono.
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The team was obviously a bit small though and low budget (ish). I do think the developers have done an amazing job of managing the project through - they've really stuck to the strengths and got them down to a fine point.

The visuals aren't great as I've said before, however the depth of objects is rather surprising. Buildings don't look flat but very much 'buildings' even if you get up close to find the texture isn't great. Some of this seems to just be some good attention to detail but they've done a great job of bring everything to life.

Models/textures aside I think it looks great, lighting seems fine - obviously alot of tricks going on now we've seen the more footage, the effects are there to draw away from so less 'good' visuals. I can deal with that as long as the atmosphere is played strongly.
 
I'm not usually one to jump on many launch titles. I usually stick to the safe options like Mario but I think this time I'm gonna bite...I really hope it lives up to the hype.
 
Of all the games I played at the expos this year, this one isn't the one that deserves cynical scepticism -- Mario is. Honestly, NSMBU looks as fun as NSMB Wii, which was brilliant - but to me, I wasn't feeling the gamepad usage and it played too similarly to drive any excitement from me while playing it. Maybe the world and level design will be as beautiful as the visuals and the Miiverse stuff will be great, but at the moment I have ZombiU, Rayman and other games way above it as priorities. I'm not slating NSMBU, I'm sure it will be great, but there are other games for U coming out that feel way fresher.

The positive hype is encouraging for this one, and the news about that music composer - yummy!!!
 
I had a question about the game, might as well ask here...
One thing Red Steel did absolutely right was to make you feel how the game world was made of objects you could mess around with (unlike the sequel that felt unfortunately rather empty).
Heck I don't think I played much games that had this amount of boxes and stuffs you could destroy or just even interact (not saying this is Battlefield btw).
Do this game allow this as well?
I mean I know that the rooms are full of stuffs laying around everywhere (since it's zombie apocalypse after all) but can you interact with all that stuffs or is it like these Resident Evils and it's just for show?
 
New pics

All pics one click display^ But smaller shrunken pics.

For full size this link, but you have to right click the thumbs and open each pic in a new window

ZU_SCREENSHOTS_SWAMP.jpg

Please don't start with the looks worse than Condemned chat.
 
Another multiplayer mode without online play? First Mario then Zombi U?

Guess i'll be playing all alone this fall on this console. :(
 
Bisnic said:
Another multiplayer mode without online play? First Mario then Zombi U?

Guess i'll be playing all alone this fall on this console. :(
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You'll be able to compare how you rank against other GAF members in the survival mode.
 
Award for the most descriptive preview goes to Digitaltrends.com. It's super long, here are the most interesting bits:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/hands-on-preview-with-the-wii-us-great-undead-hope-zombiu/

The Wii U is a system that cannot sell itself on specs, so it needs to convince fans that it can offer a unique and original experience that its competitors cannot match. Nintendo managed that feat with the Wii, so betting against them for the Wii U may be unwise. Especially when you have games like ZombiU.
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ZombiU was built specifically for the Wii U from the ground up, and it shows. It may be possible to adapt it to another system, but it would require a redesign so severe that it might make more sense to simply create a new game with a similar setting and feel. Ubisoft’s zombie offering manages to incorporate the GamePad as well as any game on the launch docket for Nintendo, and it also signifies a trend of more adult-oriented games coming to Nintendo’s new console, something that the Wii was noticeably missing.

And make no mistake, ZombiU is a game for adults. It isn’t that it is an especially gory game, although there are plenty of grotesque images, but the game is exceptionally good at building anxiety through its mechanics.
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The longer you survive the more powerful they become, but the game really isn’t a question of if you die, rather when and how. So when that moment inevitably comes, the better you have played, the more your loss will resonate. If by some chance you complete most of the game with a single character, you may actually feel a sense of existential loss for your character as you continue in a much weaker shell. It certainly adds to the sense of dread as you find yourself overwhelmed and needing to run for your life – or in this case, run for your character’s life.
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One interesting addition to the game is the online connectivity. While you cannot jump into another person’s campaign, when you die your zombie will occasionally appear in the game of your friend, sporting your gamer tag and loaded with bonus experience and items. If you are not connected online, the game will randomly generate characters like this, but it is far more interesting to suddenly turn a corner and confront your friend’s shambling husk that you then kill for fun and profit from.
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ZombiU requires the GamePad controller in a very fundamental way. Beyond offering a map, the GamePad has a sonar like ability to let you know when enemies are near, and it is required to scan your surroundings and find items, identify threats, and complete certain objectives. You also need to use it to use your backpack, as well as pick up new inventory. That means sooner or later you will be caught looking at it while a zombie sneaks up behind you. It all helps add to the tension, and it makes you question whether or not it is worth exposing yourself to run out for an item in an area with zombies.
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Another mode uses the standard controller and has you and your friend take turns fighting off an endless wave of enemies. The players swap the controller between rounds, and whoever has the most kills before they die wins. The local only play makes the multiplayer an interesting side attraction, but the campaign is what will make this game memorable.
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And memorable it is. The preview Ubisoft was showing was the first section of the game and included a look at Buckingham Palace, a central location within the game. This also highlighted the power of the Wii U. When you first approach the iconic palace, the weather changes and a storm begins to rage. The effects look smooth and fluid, and the angry faces of rotted zombies look amazing. It isn’t head and shoulders above the Xbox 360 or the PS3, but the graphics are impressive, both in the look of the world and characters and the effects that go along with it. It will take more than a few sections of a single game to get a real sense of the Wii U’s potential, plus launch titles rarely come close to pushing new hardware, but what ZombiU showed was encouraging.
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ZombiU impressed me in many ways. My concern for the game was that it was a game based entirely on the mechanics and then a survival horror skin was dropped over it, but I was wrong. ZombiU is a complete package that uses the Wii U’s unique attributes in ways that honestly improve the gaming experience. Without a familiar brand name ZombiU probably won’t come close to matching the sales of other Wii U launch titles like New Super Mario Bros. U or even Ubisoft’s own Just Dance 4, but it may be the best reason to own a Wii U so far.
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I got hands-on at EG expo and it's definitely my most anticipated game.
Dunno what version it was, or if they've improved it since.

Yeah, there was some blockiness here and there on larger geometry, but it still looks great.
The lighting on stuff was pretty damn amazing and beating a zombie's head in with a cricket bat looks absolutely brutal.

Zombies are finally threatening again in this game! =D

As for online capabilities, I'm getting ACIII on WiiU to test it. (Was going to get it on PC, but that's out about the same time as the WiiU version anyway)
 
walking fiend said:
No online is sooo lazy
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It looks like you always feel connected to your online friends, as they populate your game.
There are also leaderboards ranking.

It's no CoD, but the competitive layer is there as well as the feeling to be connected with your friends.
 
Seems great, but I can totoally see this running on current consoles + pc just with a traditional map and inventory, and be just as tense.
 
Erasus said:
Seems great, but I can totoally see this running on current consoles + pc just with a traditional map and inventory, and be just as tense.
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It really wouldn't be. I guess for some it's something you need to experience to understand, but looking down to access your inventory adds an extra layer of tension and danger. I like to compare the difference here to the difference between watching the road and using the GPS on your front window to trying to drive while using your cellphone in your lap.
 
Skiesofwonder said:
It really wouldn't be. I guess for some it's something you need to experience to understand, but looking down to access your inventory adds an extra layer of tension and danger. I like to compare the difference here to the difference between watching the road and using the GPS on your front window to trying to drive while using your cellphone in your lap.
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Well, for me it probably would be tense. I get scared by FEAR and Dead Space and some say they arent scared by it. I can understand how the gamepad adds tension, but it would still be a tense game without it because of the lack of resources and death mechanic.
 
marc^o^ said:
It looks like you always feel connected to your online friends, as they populate your game.
There are also leaderboards ranking.

It's no CoD, but the competitive layer is there as well as the feeling to be connected with your friends.
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There is?! Oh, great! I thought you were being sarcastic saying that we may compare scores on GAF [as in we manually have to type in our scores because there isn't even a scoreboard]
 
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