..ZombiU..

HANDS-ON PREVIEW | ? Comments |

The hardest part about sitting down to play ZombiU was the fact that I had been jaded with so many zombie games before it. I simply expected the huge hype and excitement to quickly die when I got behind the controller. I was just waiting for ZombieU to let me down like so many zombie games before it. Luckily, that never happened. ZombiU, despite its silly, iOS title-sounding name, is an full-bodied, intense, gory title, ready to not only put a spin on the world of zombie games, but push the Wii U's input capabilities at the same time.

The premise is old hat: there is a zombie outbreak, and this time merry old England is the target of the outbreak. Of course, the game turns to a basic survivor vs. zombie story with the major goal to survive. However, that is where ZombiU stops being like every other zombie game out there. In every other zombie game before ZombiU, zombie bites seemed completely irrelevant, and that was always odd to me. What made those classic Romero films (and contemporary zombie flicks) so intense was that with one single bite, you were screwed. ZombieU refreshingly uses this classic and important element and finally applies it into the game. Sound rough? It is, but that is why you will be controlling a group of survivors, not just one. One of your survivors goes down, they become a zombie. Nice touch.

The coolest thing in ZombieU, however, was the backpack system. Your GamePad will function as a backpack full of maps, med kits, items, weapons, and everything else you need. As you glance down into your sack looking for that right item, the game will continue on, zombies will continue to lurch towards you, and you'll feel the tension rise as you dig for your items. Your GamePad will also serve as a scanner, as you hold it up to the screen to scan for things or even aim your weapons. The Wii U GamePad is very integrated into ZombiU, and you'll be using it for more than just filtering through items or swinging it around to knock about zombies. ZombieU might just be the most impressive Wii U tech demo ever, but it's also a good game.

Multiplayer comes in the form of humans vs. zombies. One player will take control of the horde, and the other the survivors. The player in control of the horde will have a top-down view, placing zombies in key locations in an attempt to kill the survivor. The other player, utilizing the regular GamePad, will have a first-person view with the goal of attempting to survive those attacks. 

At the end of the day, ZombiU promises to be not just a nice gory addition for zombie fans or more mature players who want to check out the Wii U, but an actual in-depth game ready to deliver something unique and new to the genre. Expect it to launch at the same time as Wii U, which is around the holidays. We'll give you updates as we get them, but what do you think so far?

Rando Evans   Followtinydinosaurs Three things describe Rando: Good beer, good food, and video games. On occasion, Rando flies a zeppelin through time seeking power crystals.

[View ZombiU images / screenshots +]
[Watch ZombiU videos / trailers +]
[View more ZombiU articles (news, previews, reviews) +]
[View ZombiU cheats / guides +]