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[Trogdor1123]

Interesting for sure but i think im going to wait to see how it actually plays before buying...

 

[Phife Dawg]

Maybe not traditionally open-world, but that screenshot leads me to believe you can pretty much go wherever you want. Basically it is all fast travel?

From what I gather it is not level based. You have your hub world, and use the sewers to travel to different locations around the city.

Yeah it seems to be open world in the same sense as Dead Rising. You can go anywhere but the world is broken into areas. You get missions from the three NPCs (one of which we have heard in the Buckingham palace sequence) and I guess you can tackle them how you see fit.

I'm sorry but that trailer reeks of the usual bullshit Ubisoft PR has been pumping out for a decade now.

Highly doctored and carefully edited. Don't you guys remember the Red Steel media before release?

Aiming with the pad (turrents, snipers) also looked really awkward.

It's orchestrated but just watch the hands-on media. It looks the same (and not unbelievably good anyway).

 

[Throwaway123456789]

The weapons in your hands look like piddly pea shooters -- your hands look piddly as well -- and I get a sense of spongy feedback from the way you interact with the environment (I.E. you might as well be shooting muffins). But maybe there are previews that speak to the contrary and say there's a strong sense of cause/effect, action/reaction that gives real weight to the gunplay, actions, etc? Because conceptually it looks inspired, but the execution? Not so sure.

Shooting the zombies is actually pretty satisfying. And you can take off parts of their head with the bat (or their legs/arms). The looting is also fun.

I don't really like how it looks though, so we're in the same boat there.

 

[ironcreed]

You're right, but it's just kind of funny.


Ah ok, it makes some sense now. Guess we will see if it does it as well as Demon's Souls did. I get the comparisons now, but I mean at the same time...there's a whole lot more to what makes those games great than those mechanics.

Oh, absolutely. But at the same time, it's still pretty damn neat that they are doing this in a survival zombie shooter and I think that is what people dig about it. Nobody is saying that it is going to be as great as the Souls series, but it just looks neat for what it is and these additions certainly make it stand out from other shooters.

 

[EloquentM]

lets also not forget that most encounters on this game are relegated to one zombie at a time with each zombie having a high chance of being able to kill you (especially if your character isn't upgraded). so you must rely on patience and skill to win each encounter. That's something that's very dark/demon souls esque.

 

[Snuggles]

Yeah it seems to be open world in the same sense as Dead Rising. You can go anywhere but the world is broken into areas. You get missions from the three NPCs (one of which we have heard in the Buckingham palace sequence) and I guess you can tackle them how you see fit.

This sounds good to me, and I usually prefer this to 'full' open world since non-linear and open-ended but deliberately designed environments are preferable to vast, procedurally generated environments.

RE: the Souls talk, it's clear that the series is an inspiration to the devs, and some elements can be seen in ZombieU's design. That doesn't mean anyone is saying Zombi-U will be as good as the Souls games, so chill the fuck out.

 

[pvpness]

The persistent world reminds me a lot of the Souls series. I like that I won't have to fall through the same traps over and over again (assuming I get killed over and over again).

Also excited for New Game+ now that it's been confirmed. Really looking forward to seeing who on my friends list can survive the longest.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

Oh, absolutely. But at the same time, it's still pretty damn neat that they are doing this in a survival zombie shooter and I think that is what people dig about it. Nobody is saying that it is going to be as great as the Souls series, but it just looks neat for what it is and these additions certainly make it stand out from other shooters.

Yeah, anybody expecting Dark Soul-like quality is (probably) going to be disappointed. This game was originally a PS3/360 title, and was a completely different game at one time (Killer Freaks from Outer Space), so it has been through a lot. I expect a quality game, and hopefully we get a sequel that blows our socks off with these ideas fully developed, and an awesome online multiplayer mode to boot.

My main concern right now though is length.

 

[Downhome]

I don't think I've ever wanted an unproven game to end up as great as I'm hoping for this one to be. Please don't let me down!

 

[TrutaS]

Oh boy that guy's house is really falling apart, good for him that Wii U is a priority...

Game looks good tough, Hope its better than Red Steel!

 

[D_prOdigy]

Can someone who's been hands-on at least confirm that the game is generally more 'open' than Red Steel 2?

I really admire that game, but sometimes I play it through again and it feels painfully chopped-up and restricted.

 

[ironcreed]

Yeah, anybody expecting Dark Soul-like quality is (probably) going to be disappointed. This game was originally a PS3/360 title, and was a completely different game at one time (Killer Freaks from Outer Space), so it has been through a lot. I expect a quality game, and hopefully we get a sequel that blows our socks off with these ideas fully developed, and an awesome online multiplayer mode to boot.

My main concern right now though is length.

I hear you. Hopefully it is at least a good 8 hours. But it does look like something that offers a lot of replayability as well. Looking to be a great launch title.

 

[AkuMifune]

Really looking forward to seeing who on my friends list can survive the longest.

Friend code 37456195 survived longer than friend 241561956.

I was thinking of getting this at launch just to have something, but the more I read the more I'm actually excited to get my hands on it. Could be pretty great.

 

[Teknoman]

Here is a better look:

http://www.gametrailers.com/e3/videos/ixaj11/e3-2012--designer-walkthrough-part-1--cam-

Friend code 37456195 survived longer than friend 241561956.

I was thinking of getting this at launch just to have something, but the more I read the more I'm actually excited to get my hands on it. Could be pretty great.

They actually showed usernames this time, so hopefully we're passed all that

EDIT: I guess they are trying to make you take your eyes off the main screen when zooming in/searching as much as possible, attempting scares.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Friend code 37456195 survived longer than friend 241561956.

I was thinking of getting this at launch just to have something, but the more I read the more I'm actually excited to get my hands on it. Could be pretty great.

Friend Codes don't work like this.

You have an FC attached to a specific handle that you create.

 

[Always-honest]

You don't start over in Dark Souls, you just drop your souls on the spot. Your character does not lose progress.
If anything it's the most permanent and consistent game I have ever played because it saves constantly and every decision is 100% permanent.

You have to start the level again. It does save what you have done, yes. But it's compareable i think

 

[Struct09]

I'm sick of zombie games in general, but I'll definitely be getting this. Still my favorite that I played of the Wii U launch lineup.

 

[AkuMifune]

Friend Codes don't work like this.

You have an FC attached to a specific handle that you create.

I noticed actual names in the video, just wasn't sure if they'd announced how the online will be implemented yet, aside from being like air...

 

[Always-honest]

I'm sick of zombie games in general, but I'll definitely be getting this. Still my favorite that I played of the Wii U launch lineup.

That's because the concept is more important than the fact that zombies are in the game, imo

 

[Zarovitch]

Friend code 37456195 survived longer than friend 241561956.

I was thinking of getting this at launch just to have something, but the more I read the more I'm actually excited to get my hands on it. Could be pretty great.

Even with the Wii we see players name and not friend code.

 

[AkuMifune]

Maybe my WiiU name will be 37645217. Jeez.

 

[Zarovitch]

Maybe my WiiU name will be 37645217. Jeez.

Ok i see, good idea!

 

[Dark-Cloudz]

I love that it says "hell."

Nice spot!

 

[Clear]

Nice gimmick but the game looks very ordinary in every other respect.

Nothing there strikes me as being more efficient from a gameplay perspective; lets face it, in an fast action game do you really want to be constantly switching your view between screens? You can only focus your gaze on one thing at a time, well designed games like Halo even try to reduce the difference between points of interest within the screen (ammo display on the gun is quicker to check than a readout on the periphery) - so how is having a sub-screen going to help?

 

[Projectjustice]

Nice gimmick but the game looks very ordinary in every other respect.

Nothing there strikes me as being more efficient from a gameplay perspective; lets face it, in an fast action game do you really want to be constantly switching your view between screens? You can only focus your gaze on one thing at a time, well designed games like Halo even try to reduce the difference between points of interest within the screen (ammo display on the gun is quicker to check than a readout on the periphery) - so how is having a sub-screen going to help?

Sounds like you havent done any research on the game.

 

[Clear]

Sounds like you havent done any research on the game.

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

Nice gimmick but the game looks very ordinary in every other respect.

Nothing there strikes me as being more efficient from a gameplay perspective; lets face it, in an fast action game do you really want to be constantly switching your view between screens? You can only focus your gaze on one thing at a time, well designed games like Halo even try to reduce the difference between points of interest within the screen (ammo display on the gun is quicker to check than a readout on the periphery) - so how is having a sub-screen going to help?

It's not a fast action game, but a survival horror. It is suppose to make you feel vulnerable, and immerse you within the world.

 

[Boss Man]

Oh, absolutely. But at the same time, it's still pretty damn neat that they are doing this in a survival zombie shooter and I think that is what people dig about it. Nobody is saying that it is going to be as great as the Souls series, but it just looks neat for what it is and these additions certainly make it stand out from other shooters.

I can get on board with that for sure. Gonna look forward to hearing the impressions once this drops.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

It looks fast action to you?

 

[CaptNfantasy]

Sounds like you havent done any research on the game.

Theres alot of that going around.

 

[D_prOdigy]

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

Just watching a trailer then making a sweeping statement like "the game looks very ordinary in every other respect" isn't very good critical thinking practise. My philosophy professor would be turning in his grave if he was dead.

 

[CaptNfantasy]

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

More companies should start advertising campaigns that hide from the audience what the novelty of the product is rather than highlighting it. This way the customer wont know what is unique about the product, which, is just madness.

 

[Projectjustice]

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

Exactly my point.

 

[Clear]

It's not a fast action game, but a survival horror. It is suppose to make you feel vulnerable, and immerse you within the world.

When a zombie, or worse a cerberus or a hunter is after you in RE you need to think fast! Survival horror is no less fast action than most arcade-type games, its just that those bursts of activity are punctuated by tension building lulls.

Having to look away is no less tense than popping up an inventory overlay that obscures most of the screen. Hell RE/SH etc actually froze the game when the inventory was popped-up to save players from the frustration of having to deal with being murdered when they were unable to defend themselves.

Point being, if the game allows this sort of situation to occur its drifting into Demon's/Dark Souls territory where the player needs to choose an opportune time to adjust their loadout within the game. Part of game design is deciding where to draw the line in terms of protecting the user from their own mistakes.

Now while the unique features of the Wii-U dilutes this issue, (i.e. I assume the pad controls operate normally at all times) using a touch screen is still a potentially undesirable distraction.

 

[Wrestlemania]

When a zombie, or worse a cerberus or a hunter is after you in RE you need to think fast! Survival horror is no less fast action than most arcade-type games, its just that those bursts of activity are punctuated by tension building lulls.

Having to look away is no less tense than popping up an inventory overlay that obscures most of the screen. Hell RE/SH etc actually froze the game when the inventory was popped-up to save players from the frustration of having to deal with being murdered when they were unable to defend themselves.

Point being, if the game allows this sort of situation to occur its drifting into Demon's/Dark Souls territory where the player needs to choose an opportune time to adjust their loadout within the game. Part of game design is deciding where to draw the line in terms of protecting the user from their own mistakes.

Now while the unique features of the Wii-U dilutes this issue, (i.e. I assume the pad controls operate normally at all times) using a touch screen is still a potentially undesirable distraction.

I think you may have missed the point somewhat.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

When a zombie, or worse a cerberus or a hunter is after you in RE you need to think fast! Survival horror is no less fast action than most arcade-type games, its just that those bursts of activity are punctuated by tension building lulls.

Having to look away is no less tense than popping up an inventory overlay that obscures most of the screen. Hell RE/SH etc actually froze the game when the inventory was popped-up to save players from the frustration of having to deal with being murdered when they were unable to defend themselves.

Point being, if the game allows this sort of situation to occur its drifting into Demon's/Dark Souls territory where the player needs to choose an opportune time to adjust their loadout within the game. Part of game design is deciding where to draw the line in terms of protecting the user from their own mistakes.

Now while the unique features of the Wii-U dilutes this issue, (i.e. I assume the pad controls operate normally at all times) using a touch screen is still a potentially undesirable distraction.

That's the point. It's desirable becuase it is realistic, and creates tension. Lastly, saying a pop-up menu and the inventory being in your hand is similar, is like saying it is the same amount of danger to (while driving) full around with your GPS on your front window and look down at your cellphone to text someone.

 

[not_so_special]

for what i played is nothing like darksouls,nothing at all.,ts more a dead island than anything else

 

[Zoramon089]

The lack of knowledge on Nintendo's previous online systems is embarrassing

 

[Dark-Cloudz]

The idea is to make it more realistic and fuel your panicky paranoia.


Please explain to me how in real life you can try and crack a code on a keybad and look at what's behind you simultaneously!? The whole idea is to NOT make it easy for the player and immerse you in the tension.

You have to keep looking up at the screen and back down again, just like in real life: If you were opening a door you would probably keep looking behind you in a state of panic.


I suggest you do a bit more research.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Normal Gaf resumes in this thread:

1) This game looks tacky and awful (because it's on a nintendo system, I hope it sucks)
2) This game looks interesting, but I'll wait and see on reviews/final impressions ( I hope it's good)
3) This is GOTY I will buy it regardless (Because it's on a nintendo system, I know it'll be awesome)



We all know that normal sane thinking people are from camp 2).

I've preordered a WiiU and WILL buy NSMBU and Rayman and hope to get ZombieU and any good multiplat titles.

 

[D-e-f-]

Its not open world?...So the only things making it like a soul game is dying and having to get back to your body without dying to retrieve it. Is that correct? If its not open world is it level based or something? Do you respawn at a checkpoint? The whole thing that make DS so tension filled is the distance your traveling and how connected everything is.

Well, there are certain points that you can access through the sewers. So, for instance, my character died after I grabbed the medicine needed from the nursery and was trying to escape. My next character is spawned at the hub area, and then I can either travel to the nursery on foot, or either access the sewers to automatically spawn to a pothole at the beginning of the nursery, which I have to travel through again and find my former (now zombified) character and kill him/her to get access to bag that holds all the items I have collected so far.

Any skills or attributes you gain with your character is tied to said character, and will not carry over to your next character after dying.

Maybe not traditionally open-world, but that screenshot leads me to believe you can pretty much go wherever you want. Basically it is all fast travel?

From what I gather it is not level based. You have your hub world, and use the sewers to travel to different locations around the city.

Yea there's the central hub, that survivor home base from where you start as a fresh dude or dudette if you bite it and you have to re-traverse the area form there.

Yep.

I don't know exactly how this works, but it looks like your previous character will also pop up in your friend's ZombiU campaign game, and can be killed (before you get to him/her). I'm given the impression that your friend can then take all your stuff, and you are shit out of luck, because all of your previous collected ammo, guns, and story-related items (?) have been stolen, and whatever they took you have to go and find again.

I could be mistaken on this though (went on a semi-blackout since my playtime), so maybe D-e-f can explain this better.

Yea that's basically how it works. If you have a friend playing at the same time (not sure if that also works with random people if you open the game up, they haven't said) and they die, you can hunt them down and kill their zombified self and loot their stuff. They can do the same with you when you die. I doubt this relates to plot-progression items, though.

People desperately want this game to be the next "GAF darling" by connecting it to Dark Souls every two sentences when it only really borrows a few mechanics that are loosely related to the Souls series.
Still, they are great mechanics and could potentially work really well in this setting so I applaud Ubisoft for it, but it's very disingenuous to call this game "dark-souls-esque" in any way, shape or form.

I'm pretty sure I have posted this before.

Don't undersell it now just because it doesn't exactly replicate the experience in all points. It uses similar online interactions with the messaging, the die-and-get-your-shit-back mechanic and supposedly similar difficulty levels since you can die very quickly and combat is no mindless blast-fest but a more methodical approach depending on your characters skill level and equipment. There are enough similarities to justify making the connection, there's no reason to distance the game from that because it's a Ubisoft title and not from a cool niche developer like From. We don't know how it approaches linearity or potential bosses so based on the information we have, it's not disingenuous to compare it to Dark Souls at all.

has anyone confirmed that you can "WIN" Zombie U??

Yes, you're helping people (namend story characters) throughout the story and they guide you via radio. I don't recall the specifics but either you're supposed to escape the city or do something like find the McGuffin or whatever. But there is an end goal and you're supposed to get there with however many survivors it takes (and then there's the NG+ mode which only gives you one single survivor).

I'm sorry but that trailer reeks of the usual bullshit Ubisoft PR has been pumping out for a decade now.

Highly doctored and carefully edited. Don't you guys remember the Red Steel media before release?

Aiming with the pad (turrents, snipers) also looked really awkward.

Gyro-aiming like that is actually really fucking awesome. Ocarina of Time 3D did that for the bow and slingshot and it was way more precise and quicker than aiming with the circle pad!

RE: the Souls talk, it's clear that the series is an inspiration to the devs, and some elements can be seen in ZombieU's design. That doesn't mean anyone is saying Zombi-U will be as good as the Souls games, so chill the fuck out.

This basically. Nobody is claiming "this will be just as awesome and everyone who loved the Souls games has to love this now!!!."

My main concern right now though is length.

There was some interview that said they added many hours to the campaign. Not sure about the original wording though. It's no 60hour RPG but also no 4hour CoD. Somewhere in the 12-20 hour range I believe. I'll google it in a sec.

edit: here it is (http://www.go nintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=184060) : roughly 15-20 hour campaign

Friend code 37456195 survived longer than friend 241561956.

I was thinking of getting this at launch just to have something, but the more I read the more I'm actually excited to get my hands on it. Could be pretty great.

Come on now, you can specifically see that this BS is no longer the case on the screenshots I posted earlier.

Nope, I just watched the trailer and used basic critical thinking in game design to note why its more about novelty than functionality.

You should really not do that. You're getting the completely wrong idea and make assumptions without knowing anything actually.

--
God this thread moves fast. Can't I watch an episode of Doctor Who without afterwards having to read through ten thousand messages all of a sudden?

 

[Clear]

That's the point. It's desirable becuase it is realistic, and creates tension. Lastly, saying a pop-up menu and the inventory being in your hand is similar, is like saying it is the same amount of danger to (while driving) full around with your GPS on your front window and look down at your cellphone to text someone.

That's a non-issue because I just supplied you with alternatives that don't require a second screen and still generate the requisite tension.

Regarding your cellphone analogy, in my country that's kinda frowned upon by the authorities because it is dangerous to be driving around without your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Despite the roads being far less hazard and hostile enemy filled than the environment you find in your average game!

"Realism" is meaningless in this context too, the point of games like this is escapism, and part of the escape is providing the means for the player to do things that would get them dead right-quick in real life. Part of that is not placing impediments and barriers to effective performance within the interface.

But whatever, proof is in the playing so we'll see how it turns out.

 

[Projectjustice]

for what i played is nothing like darksouls,nothing at all.,ts more a dead island than anything else

No one has said it plays like Dark Souls.

 

[Dark-Cloudz]

Part of that is not placing impediments and barriers to effective performance within the interface.

I can appreciate we have a difference in opinion, but this is exactly what they did in RE1+2 and it is typical Survival horror.


Life isn't streamlined and 100% effective.

 

[demidar]

When a zombie, or worse a cerberus or a hunter is after you in RE you need to think fast! Survival horror is no less fast action than most arcade-type games, its just that those bursts of activity are punctuated by tension building lulls.

Having to look away is no less tense than popping up an inventory overlay that obscures most of the screen. Hell RE/SH etc actually froze the game when the inventory was popped-up to save players from the frustration of having to deal with being murdered when they were unable to defend themselves.

Point being, if the game allows this sort of situation to occur its drifting into Demon's/Dark Souls territory where the player needs to choose an opportune time to adjust their loadout within the game. Part of game design is deciding where to draw the line in terms of protecting the user from their own mistakes.

Now while the unique features of the Wii-U dilutes this issue, (i.e. I assume the pad controls operate normally at all times) using a touch screen is still a potentially undesirable distraction.

This game looks fast to you? What?

 

[blu]

Any skills or attributes you gain with your character is tied to said character, and will not carry over to your next character after dying.

Character accounts or bust!

 

[Skiesofwonder]

That's a non-issue because I just supplied you with alternatives that don't require a second screen and still generate the requisite tension.

And ZombiU provides even more tension because of the added Gamerpad. You can never buzz out, or stop gameplay to gather your thoughts, that's what is appealing. Pressing start to go to menu and change my weapon to a shotgun while a Zombie is in my face is a cop-out.

Regarding your cellphone analogy, in my country that's kinda frowned upon by the authorities because it is dangerous to be driving around without your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Despite the roads being far less hazard and hostile enemy filled than the environment you find in your average game!

How exactly does this disapprove my analogy?

"Realism" is meaningless in this context too, the point of games like this is escapism, and part of the escape is providing the means for the player to do things that would get them dead right-quick in real life. Part of that is not placing impediments and barriers to effective performance within the interface.

Realism doesn't matter in Mario, but it does in a survival horror game, and especially one like this. It makes you have to strategize, and to feel scared.

But whatever, proof is in the playing so we'll see how it turns out.

I've already played it. Even with the sound mumbled by the other loud booths, it was one of the most intense experiences I have had in gaming in awhile. Running out of a bullets in the middle of an undead infested nursery, using a cricket bat to defend yourself against a teleporting sprinting zombie, and desperately using your scanner to find bullets in the brief moments she runs away can do that to you.

 

[Parallacs]

Oh boy that guy's house is really falling apart, good for him that Wii U is a priority...

Game looks good tough, Hope its better than Red Steel!

But I liked Red Steel....

Spoiler

It had memorable moments and graphics were good. If they took out the terrible swordplay, it would be a good game.

 

[pvpness]

I've already played it. Even with the sound mumbled by the other loud booths, it was one of the most intense experiences I have had in gaming in awhile. Running out of a bullets in the middle of an undead infested nursery, using a cricket bat to defend yourself against a teleporting sprinting zombie, and desperately using your scanner to find bullets in the brief moments she runs away can do that to you.

Man... I don't want to wait until Nov. At least X-Com will keep me warm through Oct.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

Man... I don't want to wait until Nov. At least X-Com will keep me warm through Oct.

Heh, Dishonored/Virtue's Last Reward/X-Com for me in October, then I'm pretty much moving exclusively to WiiU for the rest of of the holidays (outside of Paper Mario).

@ D-e-f: 16-20 hours sounds great. I just hope the recent added content isn't filler.

 

[Wrestlemania]

That's a non-issue because I just supplied you with alternatives that don't require a second screen and still generate the requisite tension.

Of course it's not impossible to generate the same feeling of vulnerability or tension without the GamePad. Other gamers have done similar things where the game doesn't pause for things like inventory management, door opening etc.
The GamePad is a pretty unique, interesting way of doing it through.