Gaming Cafe Diem Baby: The Nintendo Wii U Discussion

That's definitely a game meant for multiplayer. There are a few games that will probably be like that- Gamepad for single player modes and both for multiplayer.

ZombiU creators weren't certain the hardest mode could be beaten, but some people have done just that. Ubisoft rewarded them with their names on a wall in the game. One of those guys has some tips for doing so.

 

What's your Nintendo ID?

 

Oh, that's right, the bar just needs to be powered for the wiimote to pick up the IR lights! Hmm, maybe I'll pack up the extra bar...

Haven't done the transfer yet, just because I want to really weigh my options in terms of losing GCN controllers for my games. Thankfully (kinda...) my Smash Bros data was already lost from a prior Wii crash so it's not a problem starting that over on just the Wii.. still. I'll need something to play GCN on, and the Wii has a thinner footprint than the GCN (though the GCN has the GBA adapter).

I have a feeling that, if they upgrade the Wii playback features (like VC on the Gamepad) I'll go ahead with it. But til then, I'm content to keep them side-by-side for now.

 

It's a hub for streaming, cable and DVR services- you have to have you own cable/Tivo/Hulu/Netflix subscriptions, but you'll be able to control them through the Wii U/Gamepad, which will integrate the social media features like the tweet-style commentary you can leave at specific places (to avoid spoilers) during playback (or live) for friends to view or the live sports score charts.

I'm loving the Gamepad and the system in general- it feels like what I wanted the Wii to become/be used for beyond the games. However, I don't think any game has really taken full advantage of the system yet. Once we get more AAA (or even AA) titles that take full advantage of the system's features as a standard design, I think it'll be incredible.

Been spending time on ZombiU the past couple days. The game is either unrelenting in it's punches or I'm terrible at it (or, quite likely, a combination of the two ).

I'm on Survivor #11 as of the acquisition of the Buckingham waypoint. Dying just as I reached the manhole shortcut escaping from the Market, leaving me with no supplies to confront the horde invading the safehouse was not my finest hour in gaming.

Neither was dying in the lower safehouse after getting that Buckingham waypoint, then discovering the turret gun, trying that out to kill a zombie down below... only to be killed from the side by the zombie of my former self, once again denying me supply recovery.

Still, really starting to get into it, and hopefully I'll get the hang of it eventually.

 

Right now it's about equal, depending on the game. Right now you have a lot of ports that aren't fully optimized for Wii U, so, for example, something like Mass Effect 3 has been said to have some slightly inferior moments/frame rates. On the other hand, IIRC, Batman AA had better graphics in some screenshot comparisons (or, at the very least, was superior in areas different than it's counterparts).

Once we start getting titles that have had longer development times and developers have had more time to make the machine purr, it should be generally superior in graphical quality. IIRC, the machine has a pretty large amount of memory for the GPU, which could be used to unburden the CPU, etc.

Rayman should look absolutely gorgeous, and NSMBU is certainly colorful as well. ZombiU is not top-of-the-line current gen, graphically, but it does it's job- and the overall visual design and atmosphere immerses you effectively.

 

Were we supposed to use the turret gun during the horde attack? 'm thinking I just missed out on that due to my unfortunate timing of death and the resulting staying-near-HQ-within-safehouse stance I took.

 

Yeah the multiplayer is what I tried out first that first weekend. Though I got the impression the pro controller would be better for the Survivor- haven't tested that yet, as I only bought the controller more recently. I did see that the instruction manual recommends the pro controller for it, however.

Still, it's a lot of fun- the mix of RTS/FPS is quite excellent and something I was looking forward to from back when this game was still Killer Freaks From Outer Space. My only real complaint is that it's 2 player only...it would be sooo much more fun with 4 Survivors (or, if quad split screens wouldn't work so well, at least 2 Survivors). The Killing Box would be almost Left 4 Dead-ish with 4 Survivors (and would invite larger, more complex environments too) and Capture the Flag would challenge the Gamepad player's use of resources further (as well as permit a more complex tech tree for zombie upgrades).

 

I'm in the midst of Buckingham currently, somewhere in the early twenties as far as Survivor count goes. Just got the Viricide and expanded backpack.

Definitely threw more than a few bodies at making it to the gates, though. Thankfully I was able to enjoy the turret gun rush outside for a bit this time- though I ultimately failed after some controller confusion during a reload.

It was also a mistake relying on a M. Cocktail as I waited for infected to burst the computer room door open there, having never used one in the game prior, heh.

I've also lost a lot of firearms (including my first weapon upgrade) and ammo of unrecovered Survivors to those riot gear zombies, heh. Getting pinned between one of them and a spitter in the palace didn't end well...

 

"Cricket bat dance of death" that sums it up, doesn't it?

I'm not sure about the pistol upgrades, honestly- I didn't think to check but I don't think so, since it was tied specifically to that weapon. I'll double check.

Been playing NSMBU & NSMBW the last few days- trying to top out the latter's star coins as I wait for a friend to come over to progress in the former's campaign, while dabbling in the challenge modes of U as a hold me over... I think it took me almost 2 hours to beat Wold 9-1 and get all 3 star coins in that level. And figuring out that World 3's Ghost House's 3rd star coin was only accessible through a hidden exit drove me mad.

Still, progress has been steady- except for coins that require a special suit my inventory is out of (need the spinner suit or whatever you call it to top out World 2's star coins- well, that or do a two player bubble approach but i refuse to cheat like that- otherwise what is the point of getting every star coin?).

Back over in U, I've managed to get golds in every challenge I've taken on so far (granted, only a few time trials and coin challenges) except for one of the coin ones where you're surrounded by pipes and have to collect all the bricks-as-coins during a P-switch. Can't figure out how I'm supposed to get the upper corners yet. Probably just a jump move I'm not accustomed to using,

Of course, all this siwtching back and forth has made me seriously consider doing the Wii import- as it would also avoid having to resync controllers back and forth. Still, I don't think I could play Smash Bros on anything but a GCN controller.

 

After playing ZombiU for a bit a more, the upgrades do stick, thankfully. That goes for your scanner and backpack upgrades as well.

Right now I'm on the petrol mission, though once again i botched a major gameplay event prior to this mission by dying during the attempted evac sequence (a big action sequence that a lot of momentum was building to) just as it was resolving. Ah well. I have an AK-47 now, so thats all that really matters, hehe.

I've also downlaoded the UPlay app to start unlocking some of the extras in the game- I want that extra multiplayer mode you get for completing the game.

 

The final Operation Rainfall title, Pandora's Tower, will finally be coming to North America this spring.

The developers of ZombiU also did an interview, mentioning multiplayer modes and regrettable mechanics:


A more robust multiplayer mode was envisioned for ZombiU, but was scrapped in order to release on time alongside the Wii U.

Guillaume Brunier, producer of the game, says the team would have liked to have a tension filled co-op mode, but remarked that it was abandoned pretty early in development as the team "could not deliver it on time." Still, he hinted at what that mode might have been like, remarking that "in our most exciting dreams, we would like to create an online experience where players never quite know where they stand between co-op and player vs. player. Doubt is a great nest for tension and fear."

While talking about things that had to be left out, Brunier also shared his thoughts on some elements of the game that should have been left out. He stated, "there are also things that we should have left on the drawing board like the tapping gameplay to nail barricades or open manholes."


In other news, it seems that Club Nintendo accounts cannot be linked to Wii Shop purchases bought through a Wii U. So, if you plan on earning survey coins for games you've downloaded through the Wii VC or Wii Shop, you need to continue to purchase them on a Wii console, not the Wii mode of a Wii U.

eShop purchases on a Wii U are still fine with CN accounts, however.