During our launch event coverage for the Wii U we were given a chance to play the multiplayer mode of the hotly anticipated Zombie U. Unlike traditional multiplayer modes where players either compete against each other directly or team up or co-op or play with players online, Zombie U employs a much more tactical approach. One player was given the Nintendo gaming control which resembles very much the controls for Xbox 360.
This players job was to not only survive, but to go to various hot points on a map and to stand with in a certain area long enough to capture a flag. In a nice touch, the flag was surrounded by meat which would definitely draw the zombies to it. Working from a rooftop setting, the player was able to obtain crates that had ammunition for the shotgun, as well as a remote sentry gun which could be placed provide additional firepower and support.
The other player uses the main Wii U control which views the gaming map from a top-down perspective on the control screen. Using either a stylus or their finger, this player must select from one of four zombie types and place them in various areas of the map. Some such the Buckingham palace guards can be very aggressive and will actively go after the flags. One jogging suited type was very fast and aggressive and would go after the player. The two other types make fantastic sentinels and could block the path the player as well as provide him with additional adversity.
Naturally there is a limit to how many zombies a player could place on the map at any one time, but the objective was to make things very difficult for the other player which is known in game as the “survivor”.
Placing zombies and adapting to a live opponent is not as easy as it sounds as for me attempting to funnel the player to one direction and create a bottleneck with zombies was harder than it seemed. I did have initial success at first but unfortunately could not replenish my troops as quickly as the other player could mow them down.
Switching places, I then took the role of the survivor, and found that thanks to a shotgun, and regularly making runs between flag points and ammo drops, I was able to take out the zombie hordes and win the round. I know friends will be clamoring for a Left 4 Dead multi-play and anything is possible in the future thanks to downloadable content and expansions. That being said it was a very enjoyable experience that complemented the sole portion of the game very well.
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