ZombiU preview How to survive the first hours of the game

Londons hungry, and youre on the menu

Besides the tempting lineup of first party games coming to the Nintendo Wii U at launch, Ubisofts ZombiU looks like it might be the most promising third-party title to hit Nintendos new console. We had a chance to play through the first few (horrifying) hours of the games campaign, and the brain-bashing, flesh-gnawing experience left us hungry for more.

Surviving ZombiUs undead apocalypse isnt as easy as you might think. Having precise aim and being able to swing a cricket bat accurately helps, but if you arent smart, youll end up on the lunch menu. Thats why weve put together this survival guide so youll know what to expect when the dead rise.

Stock up on the necessities

It should go without saying that in a survival situation, you should let your hoarding instincts run wild. In ZombiU, youll need every bullet, scrap of plywood, and bran muffin you can find. Youll need to scan every room, check cabinets, and search (hopefully) dead bodies. All of your helpful items can be carried in your handy bug-out-bag (backpack), or stored in a chest back at home base. More importantly, dont go wasting your precious supply of ammo and grenades on a lone zombie. If you do, youre bound to hear the click of an empty chamber just when youre about to have some teeth dig into your flesh.

Dont get surrounded

Most of the single zombies can be dispatched easily. You can switch off your flashlight, sneak up from behind, and bash them in the head until their brains explode. But smashing a brain can take several wallops to the cranium. So, becoming surrounded by even a small group of zombies can end up being a death sentence, but luckily, brain-dead zombies arent very smart.

Use barricades and bottlenecks to even the odds

Barricading closed doors and bottlenecking undead hordes are strategies that will keep you alive. It takes zombies much longer to break down a door youve reinforced with your plywood scraps. Once they crowd up against the door and manage to break it down, a perfectly placed grenade can turn a whole group into rotten, meaty chunks.

Always have a means of escape

Even the most careful survivor can end up in a tight spot. Supplies run out, health drops low, and your scavenging efforts dont provide what you need. It doesnt mean the end if youve prepared a way of escape. Spread throughout London are shortcuts that lead you back to your home base through the sewers. Its all just a matter of exploring the environment and discovering their locations.

Make sure the area is clear before doing anything

You are never safe when there are zombies about. Even when you are digging through your inventory, picking locks, or scanning rooms with your special sensor device, you can get attacked--leaving it up to the next survivor to find your undead corpse and cave its skull in. Check your surroundings and every dark corner. Once you are absolutely sure its safe, grab what you need as fast as you can, and get moving.

Kill the brain

Everyone knows zombies dont die unless you turn their brain into bloody pudding, but crushing a skull takes effort. If you want to survive you should crush every dead head you see. This goes for those corpses you find lying on the ground, too. Nothings worse than rolling over a body to take the candy bar out of some dead guys pocket, and he suddenly wakes up and bites a chunk out of your face. For the walkers, aim for the head, and keep shooting till those suckers go down. One bullet from a handgun doesnt always stop a shambling corpse from making you its midnight snack. Administer deadly force until theres nothing left but a headless body and a puddle of goo.

Will you survive?

Are you looking forward to ZombiU? Do you think you would be able to survive a zombie apocalypse? Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming game or the upcoming apocalypse in the comments below.

For more on ZombiU be sure to check out our multiplayer preview video and keep an eye out for when the game hits stores alongside the Wii U on November 18.