The reality is the only thing keeping this game from being a GOTY type game from media/journalist is the graphics. I haven't heard many previews talk about the graphics. I know just by watching some of the videos the real time lighting is beyond what I have seen this gen. But if the overall package was of visuals as say the last of us or surpassed that out the gate.... Everyone would be calling this a potential game of the year. Like it or not the majority of the journalist out are graphic whores and without something showing the best graphics they ever seen they tend to not hype the games as much. Like I said just imagine if Zelda skyward sword had graphics of the Zelda hd demo from e3 2011.... I put all my money it would have won game of the year over the likes of skyrim, uncharted 3, and batman Arkham city.
Actually a few interviews have talked about the graphics.
Simply put, they just werent a priority for the team when it came down to what was going to make it into the game. They had limited time and resources, so focusing on one thing meant dropping another. Ie, focusing on graphics would mean less content, as that time would be spent on showing the wii u's muscle instead.
So ubisofts focus was on crafting a compelling original and coherent universe out of zombi u, and things the player could interact with in this universe via the gamepad, which they have 18 discreet different functions in the game, such as using motion control to place wood planks over a door and touch screen to drive nails, forming a player made barricade.
That being said, the power of the wii u can be seen in some not so conspicuous ways. For example, coagulated blood pours out of zombies mouths and streams down their face, they have Faaaar more articulation points in the face (where 90% of polys in a model not covered by armor go) than enemies in ps360 games.
Like ps360 games, everything in the environment has a physics engine attached to it and can be knocked around by player and mob alike, unlile ps360, their is a LOT more debris, and in general stuff, and of a much higher lod than filler geometry in ps360 games. This is likely because devs dont have to bother scaling background objects in order to meet overhead, as the overhead must be considerably higher. Its a nice boon. Because the wii u has extra power, devs dont have to waste time, and filler assets dont look a gen behind. Of course, its not something many people notice, nor look for.
Also, aside from normal ps360 rigid body and softbody physics (boxes and ragdolls) Zombi u features a generous amount of cloth physics, typically used sparingly (main characters), or in small scope games like fighters.
But zombi u just seems to plaster them wantonly, as they seem to like how it looks when zombies shamble through them. Also, tatters of clothing on the zombies themselves are animated via cloth physics.
