ZombiU - cort's impressions
I have to say this: give zombies a rest. They're the new Nazis (you know, the fad from like five years or so ago that is still sort of fading), and have really lingered about beyond their freshness date. Ubisoft somehow went from a game with mutants/alients and had a totally interesting vibe, to the most cliche game this side of Duke Nukem. And the name change? Guess they just had to stick a Z somewhere in there. Z's sell, you know. Just be ready in case "Azzazzin's Creed 3" makes its appearance.
Anyway, I am not a first-person gamer. Even most third-person shooting games leave me yawning with disinterest. That said, I got to play both sides of a ZombiU flag-capturing multiplayer match with RMC today, and had an annoying, miserable time with one, and a slightly more palatable time with the other...relatively speaking.
Yes, the human side (first person) was dark, visually uninspired, and pretty much exemplified everything I hate about the genre, replete with clunky, overcomplicated controls that couldn't be adequately (clearly and simply) explained for a demo, and things attacking from behind with zero warning or way to detect it. But can I fault a game basically for its genre? Only if my ability to have fun with it is part of the equation I guess. I don't like first person, and didn't like this.
The "Zombie God" mode (as I call it) at least gives you a chance to do something completely different, though still not quite intriguing enough to keep me overly entertained. Using the Wii Gamepad, you see a partial overhead view of the map, and are able to choose from a small arsenal of zombies--each with their own attributes and benefits--and then drop them strategically into the scene and try to be as much of a nuisance to your competitor as possible. It was interesting trying to set up traps, but the zombies and interface for placing them into the scene were just too slow to be of any real threat to a decent player like RMC; lots of downtime for me as I waited for things to happen. I guess this mode is for people who get thrills out of being as a-holey as possible to other players in games--which is probably the only reason I did like this marginally better than the human side.
So my scorecard for this game: Zombies over the alien theme? No thanks. Some actual color use and a city that felt a bit alive versus a dingy, wore down dump of a place that has zero character? Again, I'll pass. Zombie God mode? Good idea, but aside from tapping the Gamepad screen every once in awhile, there's just not much to do. I'd rather spend my time being a jerk to friends in other games. Your mileage may vary.
Anyway, I am not a first-person gamer. Even most third-person shooting games leave me yawning with disinterest. That said, I got to play both sides of a ZombiU flag-capturing multiplayer match with RMC today, and had an annoying, miserable time with one, and a slightly more palatable time with the other...relatively speaking.
Yes, the human side (first person) was dark, visually uninspired, and pretty much exemplified everything I hate about the genre, replete with clunky, overcomplicated controls that couldn't be adequately (clearly and simply) explained for a demo, and things attacking from behind with zero warning or way to detect it. But can I fault a game basically for its genre? Only if my ability to have fun with it is part of the equation I guess. I don't like first person, and didn't like this.
The "Zombie God" mode (as I call it) at least gives you a chance to do something completely different, though still not quite intriguing enough to keep me overly entertained. Using the Wii Gamepad, you see a partial overhead view of the map, and are able to choose from a small arsenal of zombies--each with their own attributes and benefits--and then drop them strategically into the scene and try to be as much of a nuisance to your competitor as possible. It was interesting trying to set up traps, but the zombies and interface for placing them into the scene were just too slow to be of any real threat to a decent player like RMC; lots of downtime for me as I waited for things to happen. I guess this mode is for people who get thrills out of being as a-holey as possible to other players in games--which is probably the only reason I did like this marginally better than the human side.
So my scorecard for this game: Zombies over the alien theme? No thanks. Some actual color use and a city that felt a bit alive versus a dingy, wore down dump of a place that has zero character? Again, I'll pass. Zombie God mode? Good idea, but aside from tapping the Gamepad screen every once in awhile, there's just not much to do. I'd rather spend my time being a jerk to friends in other games. Your mileage may vary.
