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[N-Conf] ZombiU for WiiU

AzaK

Member
The game is being released in 2012 on a system with (slightly better than) 2006 tech, with 3rd party developers (like Ubi) who have become quite comfortable with HD tech for over half a decade of console development.

It should look considerably better, or at least up the standard of current PS360 games. It does not.
I agree, it looks pretty sad compared to what I was expecting.

It is. And after learning more about what the GPU could do, I don't expect your launch request to happen.
Remember the past talk about the customizations? I think it's too soon to see a game properly take advantage of them.

Yeah but wasn't there also a consensus that even without the "secret" ingredient that it would produce noticeably better visuals?

Also, how is a year not enough to take advantage of this tech? Ubisoft has had kits since day one likely. And to top it off Pikmin didn't look like anything special either and I would have thought that Nintendo would have made sure that that was pushing things to the limits.
 
I dunno, Source (which I like) has a very distinct clearly outdated look to it that few games can hide for me even on PC where I can run most very well and supersample them and stuff (maybe Portal 2 is the only one that hid its flaws well and it's a game with very particular environment styles where the engine drawbacks aren't as prominent). I didn't get any similar vibe from this, it seems to be a more modern engine closer to something like UE than Source. But we've seen so little of it, maybe it's not, I dunno.

Anyway. NO CHECKPOINTS?! Omg, WiiU doesn't have saving current gen saving functions, Nintendo is going backwards to the days of NES where if you die you have to start from the beginning, and they pretend it's a feature!

;)

I suspect it's running on the LyN engine, which is a nice piece of kit. The same engine that powered Red Steel 2 and Beyond Good And Evil 2...although I'm beginning to think we'll never see the latter. How many years have we been waiting for that for gawd's sake..? Lol.

There's a very informative hands on from IGN here.
 

NBtoaster

Member
I think it's pretty good visually. Most lights look like they cast shadows, and even the smoke from fire casts shadows. Lighting and detail seems good. *shrug*
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
I hate most things zombie related, but this game's unique mechanics intrigue me. The impressions are really encouraging.

I agree: both the gamepad integration and the gameplay mechanics seems really interesting. it's something I was looking for before the presentation. Too bad that the conf disrupted my confidence in the console...
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
....All threads about *any* WiiU game will be doomed to have people complaining about graphics this graphics that, aren't they? Regardless of how interesting the game may appear.

And most of them are the same folks too, doing it again... and again... and again... and again...
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Ok after watching that lengthier GT video... IGN seriously called this Wii+ graphics? The closest I can think of is Capcom's last rail shooter, Darkside Chronicles, and it was still not nearly as good (outside Capcom's better art skills that is) while performance was a lot worse. Lighting especially is very nice here. I doubt anyone would complain about the graphics if it was a PS360 game. And no, this is not an invitation to bitch at me as if I said this looks next gen or as good as The Last of Us whoever was doing that to others earlier, but clearly no third party (and often first party, the 3DS didn't exactly have powerhouses at launch) is going to push an AAA+++ game for launch, especially one that's definitely not going to be an evergreen title that continues to sell for the system's lifespan, how would it make sense for anyone to invest so much money for a system without any kind of install base outside ports?

Anyway, don't fuck this up Ubisoft, it could become a great franchise if it's not mishandled, much like Red Steel could have been. Even if this one has some issues the central ideas are very interesting and could be expanded upon in sequels.
 

wildfire

Banned
Okay. Pikmin 3, ZombiU, Tank! Tank! Tank!, and that new Kamiya game are enough for me. I'm not so angry anymore. Nintendo chose the wrong games to display.

Seriously what I said once I saw P-100.

its weird that 2 ubisoft games are the reason I want a wii U

Also this as well but it isn't so much as want and more like makes me interested. They are actually making a better case for the touch screen with Rayman and Zombi than Nintendo did with Pikmin and Themepark.
 

Log4Girlz

Member
Fun game with really mediocre graphics. Graphically not even close to a top tier 360 or PS3 games. Lots of Aliasing, character models were not very impressive, and textures and effects were solidly in the middle of current gen.

Still pretty damn fun though. Love the persistent death and other touches. I wish they kept it 100% grounded in realism, but alas, they went a bit Resident Evil with it. Too bad, since the straight faced realism angle would have made it stand out IMO.

Also, they need to streamline the second screen UI a bit. I don't want to slide the finger up the screen every time I want to exit out of the back pack inventory!

How does it compare to a top-tier IOS game graphically?
 

demolitio

Member
The gameplay really intrigues me and I love the idea of having one life. So what if the graphics aren't as good as The Last of Us? We've played plenty of games that looked worse yet were still fun. I know people expect a lot now, but this is still a launch game for a new system that is a lot different than other systems to develop for according to some developers. It takes time to get really impressive games on a machine.

I care more about the game's concept. I hope it turns out well.
 

beje

Banned
I care more about the game's concept. I hope it turns out well.

Looks like it will turn out good. And it already has nice touches like that part in the demo where you're lock picking a door, and in the TV the seemingly dead zombie starts moving while you're busy looking at the gamepad. Used well, that feature can give some awesome scares. It also looks like the game actually does face tracking with the front camera to know if you're actually looking at the Gamepad but I'm not completely sure.
 

wildfire

Banned
Wait...one bite will kill you? I did indeed say damn.

Well they said you have one "personal shield" to absorb a bite. But after that goes all bets are off.

I hope this game has an impressive achievement system. It would be even better if players could put up as collateral various in game items and set up achievements daring each other to pull that off.
 

kinggroin

Banned
More games like this and P-100 actually being demoed during the conference would have made for a much better introduction to the Wii-U. I'm hoping that like the wii, this platform is home to more of the experimental lower budget titles that made its predecessor stand out. More transforming robot cars that can make sandwiches, less nintendoland; those 1st party titles are going to sell regardless.
 
I do like the whole concept that you have to look away from the action to access your gear and what not.
And only one bite and you're dead? So it is sort of a rouge like zombie survivor mish mash.
 

SmokeMaxX

Member
At first I was hyped about this title, but I have a feeling it'll get boring fast. The whole concept of one bite and you start over is interesting until you start to wonder how the game will take into account different conditions. Does the game get harder if you stay alive longer? Or will it be easy since you've "leveled up" your different skills? If it gets harder, does it reset back to easy when you die to give you a chance to get back into the groove of things? From what I understand, you can die an unlimited amount of times. Are there an unlimited amount of scenarios (one for each individual survivor) to keep this modified respawning fresh? Or is there just a random name generator and you're always put back in the exact same position albeit with a slightly different, randomized, new identity?

I dig innovation and creativity. I just wonder about the game's replayability. Are there even any goals in the game? I know there are specific missions, but aren't those specific to a mission mode?
 

Ithil

Member
Being compared to a Wii game in its visuals, which was in reality an overclocked version of early 2000 tech isn't a good thing. No, go ahead though. Post another dumb reaction gif.

EDIT: I'm a huge Nintendo fan. I think that ZombiU sounds interesting. But the game is fucking ugly.

The only ones who said it looked like a Wii game are IGN.
 

Mekere

Member
From what I understood: You don't "start over" when you die, you play a new character that may meet your previous incarnation zombified. You can play it rogue-like if you want, but you can also finish the game using as many characters as you need.
 

elongation

Neo Member
Your zombified characters still hold (some if not all) the items you collected, iirc, so I guess there's a bit of a risk element to it - go after your stuff or avoid that area :p
 
Looks like it will turn out good. And it already has nice touches like that part in the demo where you're lock picking a door, and in the TV the seemingly dead zombie starts moving while you're busy looking at the gamepad. Used well, that feature can give some awesome scares. It also looks like the game actually does face tracking with the front camera to know if you're actually looking at the Gamepad but I'm not completely sure.
What makes you think that?

Very rough visuals. The game seems to support some great DS like uses for the sub screen. Also it seems it'll be quite short but oriented to multiple replays. I got that impression of length because of the perma dead and no checkpoint comments.
 

HolyCheck

I want a tag give me a tag
Your zombified characters still hold (some if not all) the items you collected, iirc, so I guess there's a bit of a risk element to it - go after your stuff or avoid that area :p

i'm imagining, you see a REALLY good item you REALLY want

you keep trying to get it. you keep dying.. the more you die.. the more zombies there are...
 

ThankeeSai

Member
After feeling somewhat disappointed after yesterdays conference and genuinely re-thinking if I would purchase Wii U on day one, this game has restored my faith.

Whilst the graphics might not be mind blowing, they're more than good enough for me and with the extra time they've got to polish things up, I'm sure it'll look even better for launch.

Wii U is back on track as a day 1 purchase for me.
 

SuomiDude

Member
Damn, this looks pretty damn good. Great atmosphere from what I can tell from the videos, and graphics look nice. Might consider buying this when available.
 

Ithil

Member
Textures and models aren't exactly impressive, but lighting/effects are giving a pretty good atmosphere, and the game looks decent from a gameplay stance. Slow paced with more emphasis on creepy atmosphere than hordes of zombies being gunned down.
 

beje

Banned
What makes you think that?

The game already does face tracking to "zombify" your face in real time for some extra minigame or something like that. Besides, I got the impression that in one of the live showfloor demos it looked like that everytime the player lifted the view from the tablet, the character in the TV does as well and looks around instead of looking at the bag/door/etc. Might be pure coincidence but if it actually works like it, you could get some awesome scares when the game decides to throw something at you because you were too busy managing your inventory without checking back for menaces.
 

Striek

Member
That gameplay video didn't exactly show much in the way of gameplay, but I liked the ambience/setting that was shown.

Very worried about that "look down at Wii U controller" to do minigame door opening BS. That is exactly the type of gimmicky usage that I don't want from any Wii U game. It wasn't even remotely justifiable like the keypad one in the concept video.
 
Very worried about that "look down at Wii U controller" to do minigame door opening BS. That is exactly the type of gimmicky usage that I don't want from any Wii U game. It wasn't even remotely justifiable like the keypad one in the concept video.

But it sounds like it works because you have to balance interacting with things or your inventory with trying to make sure you stay alive.
 
Textures and models aren't exactly impressive, but lighting/effects are giving a pretty good atmosphere, and the game looks decent from a gameplay stance. Slow paced with more emphasis on creepy atmosphere than hordes of zombies being gunned down.

Yep, is the lighting and some of the effects the thing that stands more out graphically about the game.
I suppose the scenarios will look much better when we start seeing London historic locations and buildings.
 
That gameplay video didn't exactly show much in the way of gameplay, but I liked the ambience/setting that was shown.

Very worried about that "look down at Wii U controller" to do minigame door opening BS. That is exactly the type of gimmicky usage that I don't want from any Wii U game. It wasn't even remotely justifiable like the keypad one in the concept video.

Except it's not a gimmicky use...the whole point is that the action still goes on and you don't just have all the time in the world to do whatever you're doing, which is the case in most games. I'm guessing you would call RE5's real time inventory gimmicky as well, right? It's actually incredibly clever and adds to the tension.
 
Yeah but wasn't there also a consensus that even without the "secret" ingredient that it would produce noticeably better visuals?

If devs put forth the effort. Don't forget that part.

Also, how is a year not enough to take advantage of this tech? Ubisoft has had kits since day one likely. And to top it off Pikmin didn't look like anything special either and I would have thought that Nintendo would have made sure that that was pushing things to the limits.

Well those features wouldn't have been available till probably the last kit, and remember those were delayed due to Nintendo's extended tweaking.
 
I know that nothing has really been mentioned on any sort of multiplayer mechanic, but does anyone else feel like there should be a Demon/Dark souls like Co-op component to this game? Almost seems like a waste that we should be relegated to random survivors ourselves when they could just as easily add a co-op experience in which other players join your game, or you join their game as a survivor.
 

Vinci

Danish
If anything will get me to buy a Wii U at launch, it would be this game. Which is shocking as hell to me. But it sounds awesome.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I know that nothing has really been mentioned on any sort of multiplayer mechanic
There's adversarial local mp with one player using a Pro controller FPS style and the other the GamePad to go all ZombiRTS on him.

I wouldn't expect Ubi to go all out and add online and a ton of other modes. Sure it would be great, but let's just hope they get the core right enough to sell decently so that they can expand on it in a sequel...
 
Looks like it will turn out good. And it already has nice touches like that part in the demo where you're lock picking a door, and in the TV the seemingly dead zombie starts moving while you're busy looking at the gamepad. Used well, that feature can give some awesome scares. It also looks like the game actually does face tracking with the front camera to know if you're actually looking at the Gamepad but I'm not completely sure.

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There's adversarial local mp with one player using a Pro controller FPS style and the other the GamePad to go all ZombiRTS on him.

I wouldn't expect Ubi to go all out and add online and a ton of other modes. Sure it would be great, but let's just hope they get the core right enough to sell decently so that they can expand on it in a sequel...
no online will be damn ironic; no dark souls miiverse functionality will be even more ironic, considering, considering how greatly it can suit the game
 
There's adversarial local mp with one player using a Pro controller FPS style and the other the GamePad to go all ZombiRTS on him.

I wouldn't expect Ubi to go all out and add online and a ton of other modes. Sure it would be great, but let's just hope they get the core right enough to sell decently so that they can expand on it in a sequel...

and it only sells like 100k units Like Red Steel 2? :p

I agree, they do need to get it right on the first game, but they shouldn't be relying on a sequel to expand on it.
 
I hope the final version will be more "realistic" when it comes to the shooting part, especially since it's what the game's all about.

Right now -if I'm not mistaken- it seems that wounds/blood appear semi-randomly on bodies, dis-regarding where you actually aim/shoot.

Kills the immersion IMO.
 

Bear

Member
Textures and models aren't exactly impressive, but lighting/effects are giving a pretty good atmosphere, and the game looks decent from a gameplay stance. Slow paced with more emphasis on creepy atmosphere than hordes of zombies being gunned down.

The underlying engine seems solid (lighting, shadowing, effects, etc). The assets could seriously use more work before release, but considering the game's development history they are probably far from final.

The gameplay sounds great though, if Ubi actually pulls this off it could easily end up being the console's main third party launch title. Hope it doesn't end up being a repeat of Red Steel.
 
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