Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Cronos: The New Dawn key art featuring a mysterious building in the background and traveller in foreground
Survival Horror Games Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
Dying Light The Beast tips
Survival Horror Games 11 Dying Light The Beast tips to help you smack zombies with a shovel
Quarantine Zone
Simulation Games A zombie apocalypse sim that puts you on the front lines of a The Last of Us-style outbreak is tearing up Steam Next Fest
Cronos tips
Survival Horror Games 9 Cronos the New Dawn tips to help you stay alive in this time travelling survival horror
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 review
Action Games 8 Hellblade 2 tips to help you get through Senua's saga
Resident Evil Requiem Autumn Preview of Grace Ashcroft hanging upside down
Resident Evil I played Resident Evil Requiem and kept shouting at the protagonist, but the fact that she’s a bit useless is kind of the point
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival preview
Horror Games I was already nervous about playing gory survival horror Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, and then I saw the stack of vomit bags provided by the devs
CrisisX
Open World Games CrisisX is a zombie survival-crafting game with serious PvP chops and an eye for immersion – and it just shot to the top of my wishlist
Directive 8020 autumn preview
Survival Horror Games Supermassive Games' new sci-fi horror game Directive 8020 doesn't just let you redo your worst mistakes, it also speaks to my completionist heart
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Games 10 games like Dying Light 2 to play once you're done with Techland's latest
Alan Wake 2 tips
Survival Horror Games 13 Alan Wake 2 tips we wish we knew before playing
Cronos The New Dawn
Horror Games Bloober Team spills its guts on Cronos: The New Dawn's body horror, resource management and monster combat
Dying Light: The Beast
Action Games The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
Dying Light: The Beast key art showing protagonist Kyle Crane pulling apart the skull of a zombie
Games Dying Light: The Beast has put me in a huge zombie game mood, so here are the 10 games you need to play next after beating it
Toxic Commando screenshot with GamesRadar+ Autumn Preview 2025 frame
FPS Games Left 4 Dead has held the horde shooter crown for 17 years, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is the best challenger yet
Trending
  • Pokemon Legends Z-A
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2025
  • New Games for 2025
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. ZombiU

ZombiU preview How to survive the first hours of the game

Features
By Lorenzo Veloria published 25 October 2012

Surviving the zombie apocalypse is no easy task

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Londons hungry, and youre on the menu

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.

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Stock up on the necessities

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.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Dont get surrounded

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.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Use barricades and bottlenecks to even the odds

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.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Always have a means of escape

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.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Make sure the area is clear before doing anything

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.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Kill the brain

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.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Will you survive?

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.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
TOPICS
Ubisoft
CATEGORIES
Wii-u Platforms Nintendo
Lorenzo Veloria
Lorenzo Veloria
Social Links Navigation

Many years ago, Lorenzo Veloria was a Senior Editor here at GamesRadar+ helping to shape content strategy. Since then, Lorenzo has shifted his attention to Future Plc's broader video game portfolio, working as a Senior Brand Marketing Manager to oversee the development of advertising pitches and marketing strategies for the department. He might not have all that much time to write about games anymore, but he's still focused on making sure the latest and greatest end up in front of your eyes one way or another.

Read more
Dying Light The Beast tips
11 Dying Light The Beast tips to help you smack zombies with a shovel
 
 
Quarantine Zone
A zombie apocalypse sim that puts you on the front lines of a The Last of Us-style outbreak is tearing up Steam Next Fest
 
 
Cronos tips
9 Cronos the New Dawn tips to help you stay alive in this time travelling survival horror
 
 
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 review
8 Hellblade 2 tips to help you get through Senua's saga
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem Autumn Preview of Grace Ashcroft hanging upside down
I played Resident Evil Requiem and kept shouting at the protagonist, but the fact that she’s a bit useless is kind of the point
 
 
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival preview
I was already nervous about playing gory survival horror Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, and then I saw the stack of vomit bags provided by the devs
 
 
Latest in Action
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows was "the game everyone loves to hate" after a culture war of "fake fights," Ubisoft says, so it armed fans for a "battle" to prove it's "more of a video game than a message"
 
 
Best Steam Games
In defiance of god and Team Cherry, players mod the Knight from Hollow Knight into Silksong: "Most bosses are pretty easy it turns out"
 
 
The Simpsons game art showing various characters
Former Assassin's Creed and Far Cry lead says the Simpsons game they worked on "is underrated" and "being able to walk around a recreation of Springfield was pretty fun in of itself"
 
 
Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2.
No, we don't need Red Dead Redemption 3, we need to learn that too much of a good thing will ultimately ruin it
 
 
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Former GTA boss Dan Houser says Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears or the Kingdom are like Alfred Hitchcock films: "They're just speaking the language of video games"
 
 
Marvel's Wolverine
Marvel wanted the new Wolverine game to bring Logan back in "spectacular and visceral fashion," and Insomniac was "the perfect choice" after the Spider-Man games
 
 
Latest in Features
Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake key art
As a Dragon Quest noob, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake honestly feels like the perfect introduction
 
 
Key art for Alruna: End of History showing Alruna in front of a nuclear power station and religious iconography
Plant powers rule in Alruna: End of History, a grimdark Metroidvania about reclaiming industrial spaces, and I love the condensed approach to maps that still pack secrets
 
 
A bearded knight with a missing hand considers a replacement from objects hanging on a wall
I don't know how I feel about the changes Wizards Of The Coast just made for Magic: The Gathering's Commander format
 
 
Tim Robinson as Ron Trosper, making a toast
Tim Robinson's darkly madcap comedy thriller The Chair Company is the perfect antidote to the most overused trope on TV
 
 
My Dress-Up Darling female lead Marin Kitagawa with blond hair and pink eyes
In decades of watching anime, I have never wanted a season 3 more: My Dress-Up Darling season 2 was a huge step up, and the manga has so much more to give
 
 
Battlefield 6
This is my formal apology to Battlefield 6's most misunderstood class: I'm sorry, I wasn't really familiar with your game
 
 
  1. Princess Zelda stands in front of a pack of characters including Calamo, a Mysterious Construct, King Rauru, Queen Sonia, Mineru, and others in key art for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - slightly cropped for use as a header and thumbnail
    1
    Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment review: "Zelda is a fantastic lead in this action-packed Tears of the Kingdom prequel, but boring missions hold the magic back"
  2. 2
    Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs review: "Playing as a goblin thing to crack a gothic fairy tale mystery with magical cards has quickly become one of my favorite gaming short stories"
  3. 3
    Spooktacular review: "This is the perfect family board game for Halloween"
  4. 4
    It’s hard to imagine there are many gamers who won’t enjoy this quick but tactical board game for 2 players
  5. 5
    The Outer Worlds 2 review: "The Fallout New Vegas creators have crafted a masterful space age RPG that's willing to play game master to my silliest decisions"
  1. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in Predator: Badlands
    1
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  2. 2
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  3. 3
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  4. 4
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  5. 5
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  1. Liam Hemsworth as Geralt in The Witcher season 4
    1
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  2. 2
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  3. 3
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  4. 4
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
  5. 5
    Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...