ZombiU is an excellent game and deserves its place among survival horrors best. Although lacking some polishing and currently requires a patch for a few bugs, it is an enjoyable experience. The gamepad use adds to the immersion and challenge of the game. Graphics are good and you can't really judge them as most environments are poorly lit but the lighting is still superb. The gameplay is fun although some may find the common use of the cricket bat tedious but I found it realistic. There is a genuine sense of fear when a more than two zombies assault you at once.… Expand

The market is flooded with run and gun shooters and this one sets itself apart. It's more about surviving with limited resources and I mean limited. The atmospheric sounds add a great deal to the experience especially traveling in the dark. There is so much detail in this game I don't know where to begin like the fire and water effects are nicely done as well as lighting. But sure the visuals are not the games strong point but the gameplay is where it strikes. It's about carefully executed events that keep you alive and never rushing to reach the next objective, one small mistake and it's zombie food. Do yourself a favor and try this out. Get ready to jump out of your seat because they come when you least expect it.… Expand

Zombie U takes a good concept but unfortunately doesn't do the best job of capitalizing on it. The game is very much a survival horror game with ammo and supplies scarce. The coolest part to me is that when your survivor dies you start off as a new one and you can actually run into the zombie version of the deceased survivor. You can also run into other zombies from other people's games if your Wii U is hooked up to the internet. The game pad control works fairly well in terms of managing your inventory as well as using a radar on it to detect zombies. The game just gets choppy and the missions are often bland. The graphics could also be a lot better and combat isn't as smooth as other zombie games like Left 4 Dead. In the end the game is a solid game but could have been a lot better. It's enjoyable especially if you enjoy survival horror but I would say wait for the price to come down.… Collapse

Zombiu is a great survival horror, better than the new Resident evil style. This is a terrorific game with an interesting way, great atmosfear and beautiful graphics. I love this game, this is a fantastic surprise for survival horror fans.

This game is NOT easy. Zombies do not go down quickly. The ones you meet later on are rough. To be honest the only reason why I gave it a low review is because I didn't like it on the WiiU. I didn't like how the gamepad removed me from the action onscreen. It very much removed the sense of immersion that the game works to build. But as far as zombie games go, it's fairly difficult, creepy and there's a fair amount of intensity in some parts of the game. It's not terrible though. I'm just not drinking the koolaid when it comes to a 2 screen experience.… Expand

ZombiU won't be for everyone, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. It is pure survival horror, something that I missed within these past few years. I enjoyed every ounce of gameplay of the 15 hours that I poured in. One bite and you're gone, n ifs and or buts about it. If you need to grab something out of your inventory and you have a horde of zombies on you, the game will NOT pause, which in turn is a good thing and makes things tense. The world is set up sort of like "The Darness" or somewhat like "Bioshock". The Safehouse acts like a hub and from there you can either walk to each connected place or fast travel (given that you unlocked a manhole cover in that area) to each location. There will be certainly back traveling for doors you need to go back and unlock, looking for more ammo (yes, ammo is scarce), or looking for other player's zombies for their loot. While the game doesn't have any online multiplayer components, it does allow other people to infect your world, where they previously died and if you kill them, you'll get whatever loot they had in their backpack at that time. You can leave messages for others on virtually any wall or floor, to give people hints, warn them or trick them. Leaderboards are also posted for people's best survival character's score. Your score resets when your survivor dies, which in turn you start a new survivor and you get a chance to go get your loot back from yourself. There is also a "Survival Mode", which basically and bluntly, if you die (even at the end of the game), it's game over, period. Graphics are quite good and I have no complaints with them. Certain glitches may appear with zombie's heads turning kind of oddly, but other than that, the atmosphere is so surreal, that it really gives the impression that this world as we know it, is dead. It'll take you in some pretty unnerving places that will cause you to really take your time and keep watching your back. The sound is pretty outstanding, if not a little low in certain spots. You'll hear people screaming around you in houses, garbage being tipped over, crows, rain and thunder, voices all around you, growls. I did have a few lock ups/freezes (3 in fact) during my play time. One glitch happened when I was sliding through an opening, and it locked up, couldn't do nothing. Two others were pure lockups upon loading a section or in the middle of killing a zombie. In closing, I can recommend this game to any WiiU owner from now and probably until the end of the WiiU's life cycle. It is THAT good.… Expand

This game is pretty good. im glad i picked it up. its a modern day resident evil 2 minus the crappy walking... this is in my top five of games, i truly believe it gets bad reviews because its hard, and not an easy zergfest. they dont hold your hand through it like most games anymore. id say its for hardcore gamers

It would be difficult to offer any review for ZombiU without words like "intense", "atmospheric", or "terrifying." While this game rewards those who play with caution after your first handful of deaths, you'll get a sense for what works and what doesn't, and this will likely allow for a better flow, and a more enjoyable experience. The features that make this a "WiiU" game may take some getting used to, and most will find-- after they have become accustomed to managing your inventory while remaining vulnerable to attacks, for example-- that these features simply work and add to the gameplay experience. Scanning a room with your gamepad becomes second nature with time, and offers something that you've never been able to experience in a game before. In many ways, ZombiU may very well be more about what a player DOESN'T know as it is anything else. At first this can be a titch frustrating, as trying to figure out just how to use your weapons efficiently and effectively can lead to accidental deaths. The games refusal to hold your hand can land you into some tough spots and some early mistakes you make may be more due to your general cluelessness as a supposed Zombie Apocalypse survivor (read, "noob"), than it is to fair and challenging gameplay. But these moments will pass soon enough, if you give the game a chance. Over time you will become familiar with game and the element of the unknown will shift from frustrations to intrigue. "What's around that corner?" "Is that animal showing up on my radar a bird or a Zombie?" "What does a survivor have to do to get a working map around here!?" may all be questions that are asked repeatedly, while moody, understated music and solid graphics carry you along through an overall very enjoyable experience. In short, this game is a unique experience which is not without its faults or frustrations, though overall provides an intensely enjoyable thrill that can keep a player up at night either playing it, or for those who are more timid/easily scared, making it harder to sleep. If this is a sign of things to come for the WiiU, it's going to be a great ride.… Expand

I nearly cancelled my pre-order of the special zombi u console after reading the ign and gamespot reviews because they where so bad. But it was to late for me to cancel so I ended up having to get it. So I got and played and I don't understand what ign and gamespot where playing. Zombi u is invative and really brings back the tension in to the survival horror genre. If you where disappointed by the action focused resident evil 6 this year, zombi u is what you have been waiting!… Expand

As one of Wii U launch titles thing game delivers an experience unlike anything else on the market. 10 out of 10 this is the Wii U Killer app. You must play this game if you own a Wii U

survival horror is back
Immersive and fresh reinstallment of the survival horror genre after it got killed by action shooters like resident evil 4 or dead space 2. This game can without a doubt be placed next to resident evil 2, silent hill 2 or dead space 1. Standing out gameplay instead of shooter action, story by atmosphere and gameplay like demon souls instead of hollywood on the rail cutscenes, innovative controls (prepper pad!!!!), slow paced hard and creepy horror with atmosphere.Love it or hate it.… Expand

Is ZombiU one of the most polished games I've ever played? No. Does it have amazing combat or stunning graphics? No. But it is one of the most innovative, challenging and frightening games I have ever played! Yes!

It utilizes the WiiU game pad in a way that not only adds to the game, but makes it an integral part of the game. Every time I look in my backpack my adrenaline starts pumping and I know I am completely vulnerable to whatever zombie might be lurking in a dark corner or waiting around the next bend. Whenever I push the tracker button and see those little red dots pop up on the map, my heart skips a beat and I know I am just moments away from a grueling zombie attack. ZombiU is by far one of the most difficult games I have ever played. You will die a lot, but it is the intense challenge the game poses that makes me want to keep playing more and see if I can climb up the leader board. I still don't know how some of you racked up 15,000+ points. If only I could successfully kill my last survivor and recover all of my supplies before getting mauled by the zombie horde that killed me the time before. The scarcity of ammunition, and explosive weapons also makes you think twice about killing a loaner zombie when you can whip out your trusty cricket bat. ZombiU is also probably the scariest video game I have ever played, with the original Resident Evil coming in a close second. I highly recommend playing it at night with the lights out. It is constantly suspenseful and always keeps you on your toes. Although ZombiU's graphics aren't super polished or sharp, I really do feel their grittiness contributes to the rawness of the game and never takes away from it's chilling atmosphere. The lighting in ZombiU is great! The use of the flash light is a very effective medium and adds to the chilling atmosphere of the game. There is nothing like walking down a dark narrow hallway with nothing but your flashlight to guide your way, and do not let it run out of batteries. You don't want to be caught in the dark with your guard down. In closing, if you are looking for a fresh take on the Zombie survival horror (not FPS) genre then you need to pick up ZombiU! Your Wii U collection will not be complete without it.… Expand

I don't know what people are complaining about. This game is awesome! The graphics are okey, maybe not the best but still better than most console games. The sound is amazing. It sets the mood sky high, especially when you're outside in the stormy weather. It's a pretty hard game, maybe that's why some don't like it. If you die your character dies for good and you have to start from the beginning. You can however track down your former character, kill it and take all the items that you lost. If you got a Wii U and like horror action, this is a game for U… Expand

This is a pretty good game. I enjoyed the fair amount of challenge it gives, although there are some things that could have been done better. Yes, the combat is dull to some people, but this isn't a gun and run game. Its NOT L4D. You are NOT immune and one bite will mean the end for your character. If you want a gun and run game, then you're better off with L4D. If you don't like being cautious and having a limited about of weaponry and such, you're better off dodging this game.… Expand

I'm a zombie fanatic so when I first heard about ZombiU I had to have it. It's literally the whole reason I bought a Wii U, and while it's not perfect it's a game that I recommend to all zombie fans. This is a survival horror game will both challenge and frighten you. Unlike most zombie games the infected actually won't go down without a fight, making encounters against more than one of them a tense ordeal, and if your off your game against even one of them it will spell doom for your character. One of the most unique features of ZombiU is the permadeath system, which means if your character dies their dead for good, at which point you come back as a new survivor who then has to go back and hunt down your now zombified old character and get your supplies back. It works really well and helps set ZombiU apart from just being another undead shooter. This game is also a fantastic way for Nintendo to show off what the Wii U is capable of doing with it's two screen functionality. For most of the game you'll look at the TV screen, but when your doing things like looting, lock-picking, and checking your backpack, ect. you'll be looking at the gamepad, the cool thing about this is that when your looking at the game-pad the outside world does not pause so your never safe and at any time a walker can come up and kill you while your distracted, so you really need to be aware of you surroundings at all time. All of these help make ZombiU a gem on the Wii U, and hopefully this will be the start of a Wii U exclusive zombie series. Now for the bad, if this game does get a sequel there are some things that need to be fixed. Gunplay needs to be better, melee combat, while satisfying, could benefit from more weapons (preferably something better than a weak cricket bat, a machete would be nice), there are some technical issues that need to be fixed, a better story that preferably let's you choose which characters you side with, and I don't want to have to wait for a door to open while the game is loading (sometimes this took close to a minute). But even with it's flaws ZombiU is a excellent and challenging zombie, survival-horror game for your Wii U. I highly recommend.… Expand

Disappointing Anyone who has had any substantial experience playing video games will immediately notice the many horrible game designs used in this subpar game. Allow me to elaborate, in detail, why this game is horrible and you should save your money for a more enjoyable game: 1. Controls (5/10) Aiming with a thumbstick is a horrible and outdated way of aiming in 3D games on a next generation console. It’s ineffective, slow and frustrating. The technology the WiiU has makes it possible to make aiming a much more pleasant and enjoyable experience than fumbling around with a thumbstick. One only needs to look at the Zelda Archery minigame in Nintendoland to see that aiming projectile weapons in games on the WiiU can be both easy, fun and accurate rather than backwards, clunky and inaccurate.
The rest of the controls such as map, inventory management, “pinging” for nearby zombies, scanning a room are all executed on the WiiU gamepad. Many of these features are used very often making looking down at the gamepad a common occurrence that detracts from the immersion in the game and makes it more difficult than necessary to accomplish simple and always repetitive tasks.
It seems that Ubisoft went to great pain to make sure their game used EVERY SINGLE NEW FEATURE of the new WiiU regardless of if it actually even added any value to the title. Just because your game can utilize a feature of the WiiU console/gamepad doesn’t necessarily mean it has to. The scanning feature is cool the first two or three times you use it, but pulling out your scanner and waving your arms around every single time you enter a new room gets repetitive, boring and slows the gameplay and action to a crawl. Over 50% of the time you play this game you will be spent either scanning each and every new room you enter or collecting the items you find during said scans. This makes the core of ZombieU feel mostly like a easter egg hunt game rather than a zombie survival game.
For a title that makes it’s main selling point the game controls, ZombieU leaves a lot to be desired on the controls front.

2. Graphics (5/10)
The game actually looks pretty nice when you can actually see it.
ZombieU has this persistent dirty screen effect that puts random circles on the screen that look akin to viewing the entire game through a dirty piece of glass. This I feel detracts from the game or was put in to obscure the overall average polygon counts in ZombieU.
ZombieU also has a habit of making light sources look like someone installed nuclear powered light bulbs in every socket. Being blinded by overly bright lights is just another graphics gimmick that makes actually seeing the environment difficult.
The game is also notoriously dark making the viewing area in such areas just as wide and as far as your non nuclear powered flashlight can shine. Flashlights in games are cool but only if they are used sparingly here and there such as in games like Metro 2033. ZombieU has a heavy reliance on flashlights making it even more difficult to view your environment.

3. Combat (3/10)
I hope you like that pretty cricket bat you get at the start of the game because 90% of all combat in this game will be you bashing zombies over and over and over with the damn thing. Between scanning rooms and bashing zombies over and over with your cricket bat, 80% of the time you spend in this game will be doing one of these two repetitive actions.
Aiming is difficult and the firearms in the game are weak. A headshot to a zombie (if you can even manage to hit a moving zombie in the head with a crappy thumbstick aiming device) doesn’t kill a zombie, it takes upwards of three headshots to kill a zombie. With ammo being scarce as it is already coupled with crappy and ineffective alternatives you are pretty much stuck with that crappy bat.
Speaking of that crappy bat, your character really really sucks at using it effectively. The animation (not animations) to swing it are slow, boring and repetitive making combat a thing of timing seeing as it can take a whole 4-6 seconds from the time you push the swing attack until the time you can swing again. Timing combos, varying bat animations and effects and not to mention just different melee weapons (knives, swords, hammers) could have made the melee combat more enjoyable.

4. Gameplay (4/10)
I hope you like a linear roller coaster gaming experience. This game is not open in the least, it does not give you choices to make you simply hop in the ZombieU roller coaster and tackle each and every problem it throws your way in the proper order it wants you to. There isn’t even any dialog choice to make, the only voice characters in the game simply talk at you rather than talk with you.

Overall, this game doesn’t feel so much like a fun well designed game but rather a gimmick to show off all the new features of the WiiU that will drive you utterly insane with frustration at it’s backwards game design.… Expand

I found this game to be pretty poor and I don't know how it passed nintendo's QA. 1st off, the game is full of bugs. My first play through, I fell through the floor near a save point. The game auto-saves due to it's quasi-perma-death mechanic. So it said I died, falling through the floor, auto-saved with no way to get my stuff back, but then it kept spawning me at the hole in the floor. So each time I tried to start from that save again it just threw me through the floor. So that was several hours lost after I had to delete my game and restart. I also ran into plenty of other game-breaking bugs in my several hours with the game.

The graphics are just awful. I'd say they're comparable to launch xbox 360 games like condemned: criminal origins. They're just really bad and it's often hard to see what you're doing.

The sound is awful too. Guns sound pathetically weak, zombies don't sound scary.

Some reviewers here are saying this is a "true survival horror" game. I found the game neither scary, nor having any real aspect on survival other than the quasi-perma-death and 1-bite-death mechanics. Other than that many areas of the game can be beaten simply by tossing a flare and sprinting away. If you make it to a sewer hole it acts as a checkpoint. No real survival here...

The gameplay is extremely basic. Melee weapons are boring consisting of one swing move. Guns are boring and feel unrealistic. The scanning mechanic to find items and stuff is cool...for about the 1st 5 minutes. Then after the 50th time you have to stop and scan a room using the wii u's game pad, it gets old and tedious.

Honestly I'd say skip this game entirely. A select few may find something to like here, but the majority of people are going to find this a shockingly low quality, boring game that uses none of the wii u's functionality well at all.… Expand

ZombiU is a great game. While it misses on a few elements such as how many times it takes to kill a zombie with the melee weapon and maybe not having the most coherent story, what the game does well makes these flaws an afterthought. I don't think I've ever played a game that had me on my toes as much as this one. When a zombie pops up behind you or around a corner it's legitimately frightening. It's hard to understand the ign and gamestop reviews, I would of thought this game would be hailed as innovative and taking risks, unlike many of the FPS type games out today. The atmosphere of this game is really something special.… Expand

My adventure was finished around 6 hours by a game killer bug at brick-lane market door-code. That tower of London helicopter just keeps hovering there although I have already completed that area.

Looking at gameplay videos/reviews I could tell that ZombiU is not a good game, but still got it since I was desperate for christmas present ideas. I was right about the game being rather poorly made. Now those crazy people that compare ZombiU with the "master piece" that Dark Souls is, should be quite embarrased. A car broken in half and an F1 car are both difficult to handle, BUT only one is hard because its good.

Dark Souls had great varied combat with some actual tactics and enemies that were fair if you knew what you were up againts. ZombiU on the otherhand relies on zombies spawning from nowhere (monster closets are considered out of nowhere), poor unresposive controls and a ridiculously narrow field of view. A game with good mechanics like Dark Souls can be challenging even if you are going 1 vs 1 againts an enemy. ZombiU on the other hand relies on "surprising" you with enemy encounters which shoudlnt happen and at least in the beginning, making those encounters "hard" by explaining the controls too late. The scanner funcionality is also pretty atrocious. Why on earth would I want to almost turn around in my seat to scan my enviroment? Looting corpses and dragging stuff on the touchscreen isnt thad bad, except when you just want to close the menu on an empty corpse and wind up having to move your hand instead of just pressing a button. More of an annoyance really.

If you want a good zombie game/expirience, get Dead Island instead.
If you want good combat mechanics in a hard game, get Dark Souls instead.

The game is also very buggy. I've had my menu item to open my backpack disapper completely for half an hour, now I'm expiriencing a game breaking but that is preventing me from completing the game. After 6 hours of gameplay, my game is giving me 2 objectives (the one I completed last time) and a new one. However I cannot complete my next objective since the my scanner refuses to scan a code for a keypad I have to get open. Before purchasing the game, I recommend visiting the official forum to see if "game breaking bug" is still a the most common name for thread...… Expand

This is a very fun and atmospheric game. The gamepad integration is really cool. This is a 15 hour game with pretty good visuals and good sound. You will experience a lot of frame drops but its not terrible.

This game is good and uses the game pad well however there are a few problems for example, the lack of online co-op multi-player, the graphics seem to be lacking, the game is also to linear for my liking. Overall the game is good however i still think it could do with a few more features and updates.

One of the best and worst games I have ever played in one package. Firstly i found the game to be amazing when i first played it. The atmosphere is intense. This is not an action shooter, if you want a shooter play call of duty. This is a slow paced atmospheric game that breaks new ground. Graphically it works to set the scene. I have seen better, but i have also seen far worse. People that dislike the graphics most likely dislike the game due to the setting. I didnt find it repetetive and i loved walking around waiting for the zombies to appear from nowhere. I think in total it made me jump 3 or 4 times, which is more than any other game has for years. With the score I would have given this a 9 easily, like i said for me this is a new type of game that i loved. The gamepad sound effects, coupled with surround sound really set the scene.

There is one major problem....BUGS.....I spent 14 hours playing this slowly with every intention of revisting it to play survival mode. I never replay games.....this game made me want to replay it before i had even completed it....But near the end i died working on the panacea level. When i restarted i completed the objective, but nothing happened. It still says i need to complete the objective. I googled the walkthrough and videos to be sure. I did everything right. The game wont unlock a door to allow me to leave and nothing happens. This means after 14 hours i cant continue or do anything. So for the first time i emailed a game maker, because i Ioved playing this game. Their response google walkthroughs.....even more annoying.... its a bug. I have completed the objective but the things that are supposed to happen dont. So not only are there bugs stopping me completing it but ubisoft wont acknowledge them. I could start again, but what then 14 hours to find a new bug. With all bugs fixed 9/10 easily. As is... you make up your own mind. I gave it 5. Play if but if you die ( you will die) be aware a bug might surface stopping you from completing a key action. Other users have said the same. ( I didnt belive it until it happened to me). So frustrating, a great game that should have been tested. Technically the item is faulty and everyone could legally get their money back, so ubisoft fix it.… Expand

ZombiU is a fantastic survival horror game. This is the first thing that should be taken note of when looking at the game. If you're going into the game expecting the casual shoot-fest you'd get in a game like Left 4 Dead or any other modern FPS, you're going to be severely shocked. The game is a complete revival of the survival horror genre of games, which has been sitting in disrepair ever since Resident Evil dropped it for a more action-oriented game focus. The game makes superb use of the Wii U's innovative gamepad, from the single player all the way to the multiplayer, which I feel is possibly one of the coolest concepts for a multiplayer game in a long, long time. If you love REAL horror games and you want to play a challenging zombie survival game, you will get just that with Zombi U.… Expand

Ignore what some of the idiotic "professional" reviews have said about this game, it's fantastic. It's not flawless, no game is, but it's a wonderful, true survival horror game. It's slow, methodical and extremely well done. Survival horror at its finest.

I have 7 games for the Wii U: New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, Scribblenauts Unlimited, GameParty Champions (Don't ask, it was a gift), Assassins Creed III, and the one I keep coming back to (besides Assassins Creed II) ZombiU. There are many mixed feelings about this great title. Personally, I find this one of the best launch games there are for the Wii U. Several hate it because of its "horrible and ugly" graphics, and game changing bugs. Most of the 1990's games are the best and on the Top 100, but did they have fantastic graphics? No. Graphics are a big part of a game, but not the biggest factor to choosing a game to play. I actually think the graphics were fantastic for a game so early on in the Wii U's lifetime. The setting was so creepy, horrifying, and ugly that it made the game. An apocalypse is supposed to be ugly. I doubt when there are zombies you will go outside and say, "It's so pretty outside, what beautiful weather." Another thing people are complaining about is the use of the cricket bat. Well it isn't that bad. The use of gamepad, difficulty, and "heart-attack" moments complete this game. So pick up this game with your Wii U and you will be pleased for a while. I suggest that you are not 5 playing this game, or you will literally **** your pants. Survival-Horror.… Expand

One of the best games of the year. Its a zombie game that's actually scary to play. It makes even one or two zombies frightening, let alone a hoard. The sound/music is amazing and perfectly timed. The use of the Wii U pad feels natural. Its also very challenging which gives you an authentic zombie experience. People say the melee system gets repetitive but they probably didn't even find all the hidden weapons or loot for ammo because there are great weapons like the cross-bow where you can pick up your used arrows. Plenty of great weapons and ways to kill while still giving you a scary feeling. You also have the option to play this game with 1 life, meaning 1 life and your whole game is over. Up for a challenge?

The worst part of the game is the story. I didn't feel it was too bad myself, but when you have many children who don't want to dig deeper at the story, its understandable. It doesn't tell you everything up front, and even then, what kind of story other than survival do you expect? There's also letters around the game that you could read and try figuring stuff out but I never read them. There's a story but I wont go deeper. Buy this game if you're into zombies and survival. Don't buy it if you rather play Borderlands.… Expand

I really loved the ZombiU experience.
The gameplay was awesome, I really felt like i have to survive, and have been scared many times.
The game was hard and addictive, each death is gonna make you scream.
The graphisms were quite good and acceptable.

ZombiU is a survival horror, not a FPS, If you prefer shoot zombies instead of hit them with a cricket bat, choose Call Of Duty Black Ops II.

A very good and hard Survival Horror game with multiple endings, pretty intense and probably will scare the sh*t out of you, great controls and great use of the GamePad, definitely a must-have for the Wii U.

I don't know how this got anything below a 7. I understand that its not perfect but overall it is a very good horror/first person shooter. ZombiU is very fun and has kept me on th edge of my seat the entire time I have played it and it keeps me interested even when Im not playing it. I cant wait to get off work so I can go home and play!

This game, for me, is one of the few actual survival-horror titles to come out in the last few years. Not only did it instill a true sense of dread and tension but it made me cautious of my every move and think about every situation. One of my favourite games of 2012 and a game I still enjoy playing now. A real slice of terror instead of the copy and paste spam fests of other 'tripple A' games.

being a survival horror game veteran, craving games of days gone past where I'm not playing boring Quick Time Event filled with generic set pieces and countless over the top action sequences (yes Capcom, I'm referring to you) I was extremely happy to find Zombie U ticked all the right boxes for me. Currently 26 hours in and enjoying it immensely atmosphere, challenging immersive gameplay, edge of the seat and pulse setting scares have had me playing way into the night. Ok so a few technical issues were found towards the latter part of the game (some basic collision detection proved amusing for 30 seconds whilst some zombie legs jiggled violently through a door) none of which though detracted from this amazing horror experience. I've seen them all and played them all and this is by far the closest thing you can get to zombie apocalypse experience truly terrifying and 100% satisfying. An essential Wii U purchase for fans of the genre. Don't be put off from low reviewers complaining about the cricket bat and lack of weapons. This is a mans game! Not Call of Duty where you march in with nukes strapped to your thighs and dance around like a camp butterfly recreating daft scenarios from Die Hard 4.0 this is survival at its finest… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why ZombiU has recieved bad reviews- the world may never know. It isn't a game for everyone. And do not mistake it as your typical mindless-shooting, buns ablazing Call of Duty:Zombies-like first person horror shooter. ZombiU sets out to do 2 things- to scare the crap out of you, and to utilize the Wii U GamePad well. It succeeds at both. Since this is a Wii U game, I'll go over the Wii U Gamepad features first. Your primary tool in-game is a backpack (the BOB). It contains your inventory-you drag items you want to use to the top-when looking in the BOB's items menu, as well as a scanner (used to scan secret messages, tell you what items a zombie has, or are in a box or something), and as a map. The Wii U GamePad's touchscreen is used to turn on/off your flashlight (which can recharge automatically), as well as tapping it when breaking barriers or opening heavy objects (similar to button mashing scenes in videogames), and picking locks. In the assymetric local multiplayer mode, it is used, in a topdown view, to select where to place zombies on a map to attack the survivor(who has a Wii U Pro controller or Wiimote and Nunchuck, in a FPS view). When you are using most of these features (with the exceptions of multiplayer, turning your flashlight on/off, and the map), your TV is put in a third person view of everything in the room you are in, and at any moment, you could be attacked (which adds to the realism of this game-since in a real zombie attack, zombies are not going to stop persuing you just because you are looking in a box for food or ammo).

The story- there isn't much of one. A new plague, part of 400 year old, long deceased scientist John Dee's black prophecy, that is of the 'Blight' spreading across London, has come true. The Blight is the zombie infection that has spread throughout London. You are one of the survivors of the Blight, who has been saved by the Prepper, a war veteran who is your helper throughout the game. The Prepper believes that there is 'no saving the world- no evacuation. No cure', and that one must just... survive. Throughout the game, you will also meet a scientist trying to make a cure to the blight, as well as the Ravens of Dee, a secret organization trying to help survivors and stop the Blight. Throughout the game, you may read (or rather hear what your character is reading) or hear recordings of letters of people who were trapped and about to be attacked (for example, a recording in the nursery), which are creepy, and sort of evil,in the sense that they show you the damage the Blight has caused the people of London, and make you angry at the zombies, but even more afraid of them.

Now for the rest of the uniqueness of the game, and other info: The gritty, dirty streets of London gives it a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and the music adds to the thrill. The gaming industry has been growing stale of truly scary survival horrors, and ZombiU is not only scary, but unique in the sense that when your character becomes Zombified, you play as a new survivor with 6 shots,a cricket bat and a flashlight, and have to find your last character, now zombified, kill it(as well as the zombie who zombified THAT one,and probably a couple more), and get your equipment back. Another thing that makes it unique is the fact that u have limited ammo, and have to scavenge supplies. This makes you rely primarily on your cricket bat. I have to agree with reviewers that this can get rather boring, with only one animation. If there were more animations, this would probably not get as stale.


Apart from the regular story mode, there is Survival mode (the same story, but with only one life), and an assymetric PvP multiplayer mode, that, while i had personally been skeptical about at first, is actually rather fun. The person with the GamePad is the 'King of Zombies', who places Zombies around a map (this requires strategy- especially with the limitations of where you can put them, and the number of them you can have at a time), VS a survivor with a class of guns and equipment, as well as more guns and ammo scattered throughout the map, to pick up at any time. There are three multiplayer modes- Kill Box (the survivor killing as many Zombies as possible), Assault (essentially Domination with four flags- the first player to control all four flags wins), and Survival. These multiplayer modes are incredibly fun, and they show off another of the Wii U's features, assymetric gameplay. Overall, I find ZombiU to be a very good game. It is scary and uses the Wii U GamePad rather well. While it is not the most beautiful videogame, it's lighting effects are great, and the dirty,gritty setting and creepy,suspenseful music add to the thrills that make this an incredible comeback to the horror genre. The game really places you in a Zombie appocolypse, and has amazing ideas, that are implemented very well. So I'd say this game deserves an 8.5 at the very least.… Expand

Sadly I am one of the wii u owners who rode the hype and bought this game day one. The game is pretty average but it has its terrifying moments. You would either love or hate this game but still this game is far better than what RE or SH series has become today.

This game Is a great Survival Horror game. It is very slow with great atmosphere. It is really good how one zombie can be a threat and get you. The gamepad features are really cool with 2 ways to control it, using the gyroscopic sensor or if you don't feel like moving it around you can use the right analog stick. The gamepad is used as a scanner and as your inventory which is really cool. There isnt a huge amount of content and the graphics are not that great. But the lighting system and the cool ways the gamepad is used make up for that. Is this a game for everyone no It is a game if you are a fan of TRUE SURVIVAL HORROR. A great way to tell if you will like this game is if you like the first 3 resident evil games. This game is slow paced survival horror and that is what I like about this game.… Expand

It's a fairly solid title, but it could have been so much better. The things it captures well is the feeling of true survival horror with limited ammo and tense gameplay, It also uses the Wii U GamePad very well as a "Survival Kit" featuring Map, Scanner and some other functionality.

Where it really falls short is some design issues, Your main weapon is a Cricket bat, but using it is slow and repetitive with normal zombies taking forever to die, the graphics are also fairly weak for a game designed exclusively for a new console where it should be showing off what the Wii U can do.

It's a solid title, one that survival horror fans will definitely love and I would still recommend it to people looking for a fun zombie game. There is great potential here for a sequel with improvements.… Expand

ZombiU is one of the greater zombie games developed. It has a more haunting and creepy atmosphere than most zombie games. I feel that Nintendo achieved this with the lack of zombies you encounter. Sure, there isn't one around every corner, but that sense of surprise when you do come across one of the undead only adds to the intensity of the game.

So far, the best Wii U game to date. It has completely changed the survivor/zombie game dynamic since Left 4 Dead. L4D was all about pure survival against the herd. ZombiU is the Splinter Cell of zombie games. You need to sneak around, listen to the radio voice and avoid surprises. ZombiU utilizes the game pad extraordinarily, even incorporated it into the game itself with having the character holding one. My one and only complaint is that there are portions that seem repetitive, but Ubi managed to fix it in some areas by having different looking zombies.

Are you wondering about playing it? Oh definitely. Buy it? Oh I highly recommend it.… Expand

I was looking forward into fun with zombiU, and when I got it, I had a little fun.
First of all, the game is a survival horror about the zombie Apocalypse in London,
the game is challenging because you have a limited amount of ammo, and
if you're character dies: they're dead and you have to play as another survivor,
but you can encounter your dead survivor and get his or her backpack back.
All though, melee is one way to quickly (or not) go through the game, though melee gets
repetitive after a while. The Multiplier is something less people mention about the game
though the 2 player VS mode is a little much like left 4 dead's VS mode, only with a Wii U gamepad
and Wii remote, if you don't have a pro controller, the survivor with a wii remote play's like an arcade game, only without the light gun and I found that for best results of using a Wii remote on multiplayer,
use a Wii Zapper, and if you don't know what that is already SEARCH IT UP. Anyway's multiplayer has only 2 modes one, which is just KILL that Zombie Then Kill the next as of it gets repetitive and frustrating after a while, the second one, in which one survivor must capture all of the points before the zombies do, think of it as team fortress 2's Capture the Point mode, only not as repetitive but STILL frustrating, even though it has good ideas. So, over all
SINGLE PLAYER: great
MULTIPLAYER: frustrating and repeatitive!
7 out of 10… Expand

A fun and enjoyable game experience not like most console zombie games. Fun gameplay and interesting use of the Wii U gamepad make it a must have for any Wii U owner.

A bit clunky and ugly at times. This IS a survival horror and it can get pretty creepy at times. Whenever the character swings a melle weapon, i get really pissed off because its so damn annoying. The atmosphere can be ruined by a lot of jump scares which sullys the experience. Still, I mostly enjoyed it and it is not a perfect game. I hope they make another one in the future, so we may get those improvements. I think most people give this game a ten because of it's unique ideas and doesn't consider the gameplay and everything else. Pick it up when that price drops!… Expand