ESPN Sports Connection

ESPN Sports Connection

A new Nintendo console, a set of multi-sports events to practice in the sun, it does remind you of anything? Before you even enter the joystick, bake Sports Connection in its Wii U freshly unpacked book as an aftertaste already seen.

Let us the new Wii Sports this generation, until the hypothetical (and very likely) Wii Sports U? Even casual approach, even simple graphics, very friendly atmosphere. On their way to attack the clone. It does not escape you: Ubisoft decided to release the heavy artillery and invest heavily on Wii U with no less than six titles at launch line-up. But in the world gaming, quantity rarely rhyme with quality, alas, and Sports Connection is probably very lame duck scope. Six events are available as input both solo and in multiplayer. But beware: the only player arriving with his dapper new Wii U can only access three of them, the other three applicant must Wiimote coupled with a Wii MotionPlus as a ticket. Half an hour in search boxes later, its controllers, accessories, passport and vaccines as a rule, the action can begin.

Sports Connection invites the first player to go through the box customization by creating a virtual avatar. Not the Mii that you put so much time to make your image. It will be a little more generic character and no charisma to choose from five available templates. This brief formality, the fun can begin. And there is the drama.

Speak immediately to the only test that emerges is little time in the middle of this sad bunch: karting. While the frame rate is more asthmatic than chopped steak. Of course, the races are devoid of any interest that may cause any pleasure. But at least the title is almost playable. Finally, if you forget to GamePad handling gyro which makes it almost impossible to simply drive straight. No item in Mario Kart on the horizon to spice up the wad that one takes. Only a small boost to recharge slip. The bare minimum, and yet ...

For the rest, almost everything is put in the trash. Tennis is a far cry from the one proposed by Wii Sports, football comes down to a series of QTE or vague scribbles on the tablet to manage its defense, the golf is pathetic platitude and baseball for its part should back the rate of insomnia in Europe significantly. For each of them, made ​​use of the joystick so special console (when necessary) is limited to draw lines to the right or left to return balls. There have been more hilarious.


But the palm of shame back to the football game. Gameplay miserable atmosphere nonexistent players idiots ... is difficult to align two passes with these puppets to lead soles, especially as the game goes on and fire up the same button. The sounds atrocious come only add to the ridiculous scenes, IA regularly spends next to the ball without seeing it, including the goalkeeper, and the fun is clearly missing. Worst Not content to spend half of their time to shuffle them along the ground as if they were practicing, the players are in the trunk corner flag at the slightest touch. Probably ashamed to participate in such a fiasco.

Graphically, Sports Connection is simply outrageous. As the vice grows to afford rowing during both the parties that during the loading time (which sometimes exceed the minute World Record). It evolves each time in environments as different as day and ... the same day a little later. A look in the credits is the solution of the mystery: the title was developed by six studios around the world and cleverly patched before going to the press and to be aligned on the shelves. Who are we kidding-it?

Difficult to get a place in the sun during a launch console. Unfortunately for him, Sports Connection may not overshadow anyone. Even your cousin not require four years, the title will not fulfill its purpose, as this stack test indigent is painful to see. Sold $ 50, the colt Ubisoft can not even qualify as a tech demo, as it is ugly and lousy. A melting pot tasteless, devoid of any notion of fun, except perhaps to many, if you love to laugh. It will cause to reopen the debate on the right to oblivion.

ZombiU Video Game Developing Wii U November 30, 2012

ZombiU Tested From A Commercial Version

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The friend knows to be there when Ubisoft Nintendo needs it, especially the release of a new console. An asset on the paper that has not always been delighting players like Red Steel buyers to remember its output. It was there a pile six years. This privileged status will obviously put the game in the first line and to ensure good visibility, but he shoulders strong enough to assume the status of a flagship console?

Subject

Zombie games, he graduated in cartons each year for ages and the trend will not be reversed. To stand out from the mass ZombiU however, can not really rely on his or her world history, because it is certainly one of the most generic games out in the genre for a long time - even when it is voluntary part, but we will return later.

GENERIC PHARMACEUTICAL


The player is directly released into the streets of London in full invasion of the undead, but too much information. Its only reference is the voice of a mysterious survivor who will guide them to a shelter first, then through a series of dangerous missions that unfold gradually the strings of the plot. The situation is hopeless at first, then come some glimmers of hope as the mirage of a possible escape from this hell or design a cure. In fact, things will unfortunately not so simple. The scenario has the merit to exist but surprises are rare. Above all, the game is an unusual coldness in the atmosphere. And there are very few cutscenes in ZombiU, the main character does not speak, it also undergoes frequent monologues unconvincing. The music is rare, too discreet. Anyway, we did finally attaches little to events around or the fate of humanity. But it is actually not so bad, because here the rest of the world does not matter: survive and find enough to survive will be your sole obsession.

SURVIVE OR DIE SLOWER IN ZOMBIU

More than a FPS that would tell us a story, ZombiU is primarily a survival horror. A hard, true, and probably the purest representative of the kind that we have seen on consoles for an eternity. However, this does not mean that the game is perfect - it is even far - but it is clear that its developers have chosen to focus on survival rather than action or performance, and that leaves to go against the grain of the direction taken by the tenors of the genre.
A choice that illustrates the many gameplay elements reminiscent of other titles, Dark Souls in mind, but ZombiU also brings his personal touch.

In ZombiU, there is no such hero is a first important thing to know. It will play a survivor randomly generated by the console after each death, which can be confusing for those who tend to focus on the main character of a game, or even identify with them. We will therefore skin Tim mechanic, 43 years a little paunchy Kate, secretary of 24 years, without having had no other choice than to return to this hell. For the other surprise is that a player's gameplay will give way to a dead zombie still fierce with the precious rucksack containing all the objects recovered when hard was human. We must therefore go skin to its former "self", and that almost no weapons to recover his property. But be careful, die twice, and everything will be lost forever! Principle ruthless - guilty of some minor inconsistencies scriptwriting too disturbing in the end - it will soon integrate not to bind many deaths as fast as frustrating. To go further in this vein, note that masochists can try mode "Survival" which is to try the whole adventure with a single character: death causes immediate termination of your backup.

For ZombiU is the antithesis of current action game where you can die every five meters, with impunity, and being sure that the console will automatically Checkpoint recorded close to the death. The backup should be "old" in finding a place to sleep, and they are not many. This sometimes makes some trips stressful enough, especially when one is in bad shape and fifteen minutes from the nearest bed. Also in the same vein, if the player has a health bar, the slightest bite will be immediately fatal. We can therefore collect a few scratches, but a zombie too close not fail us shred the carotid, causing immediate game over. Also note that the ammunition is scarce, the explosions attract infected around that bat that is used regularly in melee to save bullets takes forever to defeat if only one death Undead ... Yes, ZombiU is exactly this kind of game.

London is a large cemetery where you can move freely in almost ZombiU. Understand by this that all environments are accessible at any time if they can open the right doors as a MetroidVania and connected to a large "central hub" which is none other than your hideout, one of the only areas that are relatively safe. Without card at the beginning of the adventure, travel from one point to the other is long and tedious, it is also common to lose, difficult to recognize the scenery when everything is so dark. This playground complex will be an opportunity to get lost (especially at first) but also to explore much. Architecture that will prove still be an asset in the long run since it will often return rummaging particular area later to open a door or trunk once obtained the necessary key. You'll regret against some loading time too long to come break the rhythm, already slow, when the console is loading a large area.

PATIENCE YOU WILL LEARN THE WII U GAMEPAD you will use

You will understand, to take as long as possible in such a way, we must learn to be careful not to say deliberately slow, and use it wisely each object found. The key to progress is to be meticulous and well prepared before leaving the main hideout, but before entering each new area. ZombiU stress also preventing the player to stop the action to use the objects in the bag for example. Attention it is possible to delve into its inventory or pick a door if the emergency requires, but the zombies will not wait quietly until you finish to eat you. Good to know.

While ZombiU is not the scariest game of the genre because of gaps in the coating, it is at least somewhat sadistic with multiple tips like this, and the use he makes of copy gamepad the Wii U. In fact, the gameplay is completely designed for the player often has eyes on his shelf. To watch the map, to perform certain interactions necessary touch or to dip into his backpack. But as the action continues permanently on the screen, with sounds not very reassuring as a bonus, we assimilate quickly this funny gymnastics of lowering and raising the head every fifteen seconds, like a paranoid teenagers in teen movie (and rightly) lost in a dark forest that would look constantly behind him. The thing is quite amusing, but in hindsight because at the time the lot will not malignant.

Gamepad, once again, just very quickly become your best ally in a hostile environment. Compass, paper, microphone, camera, touch shortcuts formidable ergonomics: it can do everything and shows an undeniable ffectiveness of this game; After a few minutes, it seems to be used for months. A scanner as Samus in Metroid Prime, it allows for example to switch to infrared vision and identify in the dark key elements of a room. Objects, enemies, doors, keys: almost everything can be found in no time, and the frequent use of the scanner will quickly become an asset to the cautious player who can then intelligently forward instead of running into the pile. It comes anyway often die. Thus, large groups of zombies can be feints using flares, borrowing a hidden passage, or rusant to attract one by one in a quieter corner.

Difficult or discouraging at times, ZombiU has at least the merit of providing a line of progress and once all the possibilities of gamepad tamed, the streets filled with corpses seem a lot less intimidating. By managing its equipment, storing reserves in the trunk of the main base so as not to become completely naked after a game over, taking the time to explore each new area to find the sewer "warpzone "which instantly takes you back to the hideout, we learn slowly to survive for periods of longer and longer. Moreover, the game recognizes each time you put the time to die, a way to motivate not lacking cynicism.

The question of life is a point where the game Ubisoft did not blush. Expect the next ten hours at least to see the end of the tunnel, with a large variable depending on the time you take to fully explore environments that are full of things to find. Naturally, the structure of the game that this time will also include a lot of trips not always exciting to go get his material on his old body, or simply trying to find his way to a new goal. Despite certain qualities in its concept, ZombiU suffers rhythm problems and a lack of epic passages. Enemies would also deserved to be more varied, making some fights redundant.


To extend the experience, you can count (a little) on the multiplayer mode of the game allows two players to compete in local conditions a bit special. Whoever has the gamepad hands is almost omnipotent and shows zombies on the map to kill the one who has a Classic Controller (or a couple wiimote / nunchuk). There are two game modes: one where we just chaining kills, and a second with control areas. The cards are few, it will be at most a pleasant bonus but will by no means a reason to buy. Also in the field of multi, note that the title uses the online features of the Wii U to share information with other owners of the title on the canvas. Cuckoo Dark Souls.


NEXT GENE?

The last question that is obviously lips is that of realization. New console requires much waiting to see what will give first Wii U on technical, especially when it comes to exclusives. Expect to be disappointed, for the ZombiU banal observation is disconcerting. The game is not particularly beautiful nor ugly. It is just any one. With the technical review of a production of Xbox 360/PS3 five years ago, the title of Ubi simply the minimum and it goes without saying that those who hoped to take full eyes here will be disappointed. For perspective, we can not say that either ZombiU needy visually. It just plays without worrying too much about graphics, and with a proper fluidity, we focus on the rest of forgetting this. The extensive use of the gamepad in ZombiU does not allow to switch control of the gamepad on the TV screen as in other titles Wii U. You should know, but given the exclusive status of the game, obviously prefers this situation in reverse: it is proof that the developers have thought the A to Z game for us to use this mablette proves effective here its usefulness.

Conclusion About The ZombiU

Finally more stressful scary, ZombiU is a true survival horror, an endangered species. The game Ubisoft shows rough and brutal at first contact, but it also offers a line of progression pleasant and very successful use of the gamepad Wii U counteracts some frustrations. Failing to shine the console at its launch by offering a technical demo of choice or to reuse a charismatic hero in yet another trilogy, will serve ZombiU laboratory sensations for a new console that still has everything to prove. Lab sometimes empty and cold, this is not necessarily the place for the first time, but it is clear that the desire to get out alive at all costs eventually takes over. At a time when death does not mean anything in a video game, ZombiU manages to makes us feel this real fear of Game Over, which is calculated every step, every gesture. He deserves at least your curiosity just for that.