Cortjezter and I lucked out during our Nintendo booth tour. We wanted to check out ZombiU, but we actually got a chance to try out the multiplayer version of the demo. That demo included use of the Wii U GamePad as well as the Wii U Pro controller. We each played both sides of the demo, and I'm still left trying to figure out which aspect of the game I liked more!



The multiplayer game was basically a version of capture the flag, but with a few modifications. There were four flag points on the map that needed to be captured. Instead of grabbing flags, you had to stand at a flag spot for a certain amount of time. Eventually this would allow you to claim the flag point for yourself, much like King of the Hill modes in other games. Sounds pretty standard until you realize how multiplayer works.



If you're playing as the survivor side of things, it's going to be you up against a never-ending army of zombies. You'll have to defend your flag points that you've captured from invading zombies, but you also need to keep them off your back as you capture flag points. Again, this all sounds like pretty standard FPS multiplayer. That's because the survivor aspect of multiplayer is. The infected side of things is much different.



Playing as the infected gives you a bird's eye view via the Wii U GamePad screen. You're looking down on the entire level, including where the flag points are. This map is also running in real time, meaning you can see where the survivor is and where they're running to. It's your job to stop them from grabbing flag points, and you do that by dropping down zombies into the level.



The GamePad player can only place zombies in areas of the map that aren't colored red. Red zones show you where you can't start a zombie off. Any other part of the map is fair game. All you do is tap a spot and that spawns a zombie in the level. You can then take a look up at the TV and watch your zombie hunt down the survivor and hopefully take them out!



Even more interesting is the fact that you have 4 different zombie types to choose from. One zombie type is super fast by easy to take down. The other types involve different power and speed levels, and using the right zombies in the right places can lead to you taking out the survivor in the middle of their plan. The perfect combination can allow you to block off the survivor from all directions and swarm all at once.



Furthermore, the zombies can actually capture flag points as well! That means you can take out the survivor to win or try to capture all four flag points as zombies. It's completely up to your own interest in strategies. I found myself really getting into the plotting of what zombie went where and then watched the TV to see how my plans played out.



I honestly was very impressed with ZombieU. The game was still rough around the edges, but that's to be expected with it being currently under development. My interest in ZombiU was on the fence until I played today. The game's multiplayer mode absolutely sold me on the title, as I found it to be truly unique and engaging, all while it put a twist on the familiar FPS multiplayer modes we all know.