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All Articles: ZombiU
Xbox Store Today: Zombi, Smite, Tales From the Borderlands: Episode 4, Velocity 2X, more
Microsoft’s Summer Spotlight continues to chug along with five new games, though many of them will look familiar to at least a few of you in the audience.
First up is Zombi, Ubisoft’s Xbox One adaptation of the Wii U launch title ZombiU. With the shift to Microsoft’s console, inventory management through the Wii U GamePad has obviously been removed, but the publisher has attempted to keep the first-person survival game as authentic to the original as possible. Also available this week is Smite, a free-to-play MOBA which has been available in beta for the Xbox One for some time. As the first MOBA on the Xbox One, players will compete in five-on-five battles between a “diverse cast of deities.”
Rounding this week’s new releases are a pair of side-scrollers. Velocity 2X is a sci-fi-styled action game that includes aliens and teleporters and laser pistols… not necessarily in that order. Meanwhile, Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is a speedrunning side-scroller for one-to-four players.
Finally this week, Telltale will release the fourth episode of Tales From the Borderlands, which takes our heroes to the moon.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Zombi, Volume, The Bridge, Resident Evil Revelations 2 Vita, more added to PS Store
Zombies are overtaking the PlayStation Store! It’s unlikely this is a stealth tie-in with the premiere of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, but three new Zed-themed games are now available through the online storefront:
- Zombi was one of the Wii U’s most-acclaimed launch titles in 2012 (where it was known as ZombiU) and its now available on the PS4 thanks to Ubisoft. Inventory management with the Wii U GamePad is obviously a thing of the past, but Ubisoft still won’t let players pause the action when they’re rummaging around in their ruck sacks.
- Curses N Chaos is also available for the PS4 (and the Vita as a Cross-Buy title), but its quite a different type of zombie game. As a side-scrolling arena fighter, players are forced to battle it out with all manner of ghouls (including the walking undead) as an evil Wizard King cackles over his evilness.
- Finally, Resident Evil Revelations 2 makes the jump to the Vita by giving up its episodic release schedule. The game’s structure still includes distinct chapters, but players will have to pay for the whole thing up front if they want to partake in the further adventures of Claire Redfield.
Also available this week is Volume (PS4), Mike Bithell’s stealthy follow-up to Thomas Was Alone; The Bridge (PS4/PS3/Vita Cross-Buy), a side-scrolling puzzle platformer inspired by M.C. Escher; and Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal, a first-person turn-based RPG for the Vita. And if you’re into episodic gaming, Telltale’s Tales From the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo brings the series closer to its conclusion on the PS3 and PS4.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. And a complete list of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged Resident Evil Revelations 2, Tales From the Borderlands, The Bridge, ZombiU
ZombiU drops the “U” and will be available to download on PC, PS4, Xbox One on August 18
Ubisoft has announced that ZombiU, one of the best games available during the Wii U’s launch window, will be available to download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One beginning August 18. While it’s the same ZombiU that Wii U players fell in love with, the game’s new destinations have necessitated a name change to Zombi.
After being one of the Wii U flagship titles in 2012, Zombi returns to challenge gamers on multiple new platforms to find out how long they can survive in the dilapidated, infected London. For the second time in history, a great plague has shrouded the city in a fog of death and thousands have died, or worse, been infected by a sickness more gruesome than death. Once again, this fear-fueled first-person shooter invites all players to dive into the horror, chaos and tension found in the best of the genre.
Zombi’s permadeath mechanic will once again force players to think strategically to survive (or to risk it all to regain their loot if they don’t). The “bug-out bag,” which was only accessible through the Wii U GamePad, will also be back in some form. Probably through a pause screen that doesn’t pause the action or a second screen app.
London Bridge is falling down…
ZombiU was unprofitable and there are no plans for a sequel
While Wii U exclusive ZombiU has garnered a well-deserved reputation for being a frightening video game with characters that have a frustratingly short mortality rate, publisher Ubisoft has essentially shot down any chance of a sequel. The company’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, has revealed that the game did not come close to seeing a profit on their investment on Nintendo’s new machine and, as a result, there are no plans to move forward with a sequel or that ZombiU 2 prototype Creative Director Jean-Philippe Caro tweeted about two months ago.
He also revealed that the sales figures for ZombiU affected another Wii U exclusive, Rayman Legends. The game was significantly delayed from its original Spring 2013 release date so that it could be expanded to be a multiplatform title. “We must find a way to ensure the creativity of those games could have a big enough audience,” said Guillemot. “We hope it will take off. At the moment, we’ve said ‘let’s do through Christmas and see where we are from there.'”
However, the quote does not spell the end of Ubisoft’s support for the Wii U. Maxime Beland, Creative Director of the upcoming Wii U Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist has described the Wii U’s GamePad as a great fit for the game, saying, “Ubisoft Toronto is looking at new technology and seeing in which ways their features make sense to use for our brands.”
[Sources: Games Industry International, Gaming Bolt]
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Rayman Legends, ZombiU
Nintendo announces ZombiU + Wii U console bundle
Ubisoft’s ZombiU is one of the unquestioned successes of the Wii U’s early life. The game has given the zombie genre a new twist and it has made more than a few gamers interested in the game of cricket. Hoping to hook new Wii U purchasers in the same way, Nintendo has announced its first special system bundle: the ZombiU Deluxe Set.
The ZombiU bundle comes with all the contents of the original Deluxe Set including a black Wii U system with 32GB of storage space, a Wii U GamePad, a copy of Nintendo Land (albeit as a download instead of as a disc), and an HDMI cable. It also includes a copy of ZombiU (naturally), a ZombiU-themed art book, and a Wii U Pro Controller. All this can be yours for $389.99 (a savings of $70 if all items were purchased separately)!
The ZombiU Deluxe Set will be available on February 17.
Why I Bought A Wii U Game Without Owning A Wii U
Yes, you read the title of this editorial correctly; I bought a game for a console I do not own. The game in question is Ubisoft’s ZombiU. It is not a gift or present for a loved one; I fully intend to use it myself. But why would I spend money on a game if I don’t own the console to play it on? That’s just madness, right?
Well, no.
The first reason I bought it was because I need new underwear (by all accounts I may need more once I have played ZombiU). British retailer The Hut was offering a deal; buy three pairs of boxer shorts at £15 ($23.75), and get ZombiU for £20 ($31.50). So I could pay £35 ($55.25) for boxer shorts and the game, or £40 ($63) just for the game. I like a bargain when I see one, so I snapped it up.
But again, I can’t play it. Yet. (more…)
Nintendo Download: ZombiU demo, NBA 2K13 demo, more
Nintendo continues to play catchup to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace when it comes to offering downloadable demos. But today’s Wii U eShop update adds two new try-before-you-buy titles to the service: Ubisoft’s ZombiU and 2K’s NBA 2K13.
This is great for Wii U owners as you really have to try ZombiU’s unique mix of GamePad inventory management and first person shooting for yourself.
You can see what else is available as part of this week’s Nintendo Download (on the 3DS, DS, and Wii) after the break. (more…)
New Releases: Wii U, Hitman Absolution, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, More
The Wii U is finally here! If you managed to pre-order one, you’re likely playing it right now. And you also probably know that 29 games will be available on day one including New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, ZombiU, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Mass Effect 3. Wow.
In non-Wii U release news, Square Enix will release Hitman: Absolution, the first game in the series in over six years, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Also available this week is Sony’s PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (PS3, Vita), Activision’s Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), and Sega’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3, Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U).
Disney Interactive and game development legend Warren Spector have teamed up again to bring a second Epic Mickey title to stores. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360) is available today, along with its 3DS spinoff, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion.
Finally, Atlus plans to release Persona 4: Golden for the Vita this week.
Looking for more new releases? You can find them after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Epic Mickey 2, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, Hitman: Absolution, Mass Effect 3, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, ZombiU