Killer Freaks From Outer Space

The second game Ubisoft revealed at Nintendo’s roundtable was Killer Freaks From Outer Space, a new FPS competitive multiplayer game designed to use Wii U’s hardware in some freaky ways.

Little is known about the game, other than that it takes place in a near-future London that's overrun by small reptilian aliens. Think of these creatures as Ubisoft’s Rabbids, only even more demented and deadly. As the demo started, the Ubisoft rep moved out into the alley, shooting the green creatures. The unnamed main character spouted off one-liners at every opportunity.

The most interesting aspect was that the entire demo was played by only looking at the controller – a television screen wasn’t even necessary. The rep aimed the game by moving the entire controller around. If an alien ran up to his feet, he aimed the controller towards the floor. If he wanted to aim behind him, he simply turned around. Thanks to the controller’s accelerometer, the character’s viewpoint moves quicker depending on how fast the player spins in the real world. The aiming seemed a little glitchy at this point. It will be crucial for the studio to tighten it up as the development progresses.

The second unique way Killer Freaks uses the Wii U hardware is what the team calls Real-Time Enemy Director. During this 1v1 multiplayer game (the final product will feature a higher player count), the first Ubisoft rep used a classic dual analog Wii controller while viewing his character on the television screen. The second rep used the touchscreen on a Wii U controller to watch a top-down view of the map. Touching the screen spawned enemies onto the map in those locations. If the second player kills all of the enemies, he or she wins. If not, player one is the victor.

Real-Time Enemy Director is an interesting take on how multiplayer can work on the Wii U and has the added bonus of owners not having to lay down extra cash on another Wii U controller. Then again, it's also possible that the Wii U cannot use multiple touch screen controllers -- Nintendo continues to be cagey about giving a definitive answer on this point. Whatever the case, we'll bring you more info on Killer Freaks in the near future.