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Small Disclaimer: I have not yet finished the game but feel I have experienced it enough to give an accurate description of mechanics, atmosphere etc. There are no spoilers in this review. If me reviewing the game before completing is a problem for you then please stop reading here.
It's truly difficult to talk about Dead Island and do it any justice. This is an experience, one that each player will make unique for his or herself. I can't tell you how sprinting away from a horde of infected and listening to them screaming in rage as they give chase makes you feel. Or locking yourself in a bungalow, frantically searching for a couple of energy drinks just so you can descend a little further into the nightmare that is Dead Island.
It's those moments that make it so hard to describe. It's amazing how much this game changed me in the nine straight hours I played last night. The minute I was unleashed onto the breathtakingly beautiful Island Resort with only a paddle in hand I thought I had this game figured. At first I ran into every encounter headfirst, merrily swinging my paddle around like a manic zombie slayer. After being torn to shreds several times I rethought my strategy. I became a survivor. The enemies in this game are dangerous and relentless and melee combat is brutal and unforgiving. I will now avoid large mobs if I can and when I can't I am using my head and searching for a way out while trying to keep the zombies in front of me. I am no longer trying to rack up my kill combo; I am fighting to stay alive.
I could draw many comparisons on this game comparing it to the likes of fallout, borderlands, resident evil, dead rising, left 4 dead etc. But tons of other, better reviews have already done that and yes I will concede it does take things from all of those titles but the game itself is completely original for one big reason. It's the feelings you have when playing this game. Never in my life have I ever felt so much dread in rounding a corner praying I don't walk into a group of the infected. Then the sense of complete and utter hopelessness when I do, you back yourself into a corner and get ready to fight with whatever you have on hand and the sense of grim victory when you finally win the hard earned battle. Yes this game takes parts from all those games, but this isn't a game, this is an experience and I urge you to go in with that in mind. Now lets delve into what makes this game good and not so good:
Pros:
Combat:
The combat is what truly makes this game shine. You aren't a super hero or a generic soldier; you are an average person thrown into something bigger than his or herself. The infected will show you no mercy. If you are mobbed with them then you are as good as dead. If you run in swinging your stamina will deplete quickly and you will be left defenseless and you again, will die. You must be methodical in combat, use any advantage you can find. This game will not hold your hand, if you are outnumbered then you need to find the upper hand or flee.
The combat is gritty, realistic and satisfying. I feel like a human when I am fighting. If I am mobbed then I don't have a chance in landing a blow, being off balance makes you feel powerless and defenseless and rightfully so. But if I stay just out of reach by using tight alleys, obstacles and backing away I might get out of the battle alive.
Each infected reacts differently when struck; I might break a zombies arm sending it stumbling back into the rest of them buying me a moment or two to replenish lost stamina. I did this a couple of times and thought I had found a winning formula for the rest of the games mobs. The next battle I found myself in I broke the zombies arm only to have it lash out with the ruined limb and send me stumbling back allowing the rest of the creatures to move in for the kill. And kill me they did all because I got too complacent.
Now every time I walk into a fight I don't know what the outcome will be but I have learned to be careful. It's this that makes the game so exciting and engaging. I have never experienced such a savage glee smashing a zombies head only for it to cut into slow motion to show me the creature spinning through the air after a hard fought battle.
Zombies:
I'm giving these guys a category all of their own because they are so well done. They all look unique, you will never see the same creature in a mob and it really lends to the immersion of the game. I like how in the resort you will be fighting bikini clad beasts but the further you venture into the town you will find them sporting work clothes and gang wear. It again adds to the immersion.
The zombies aren't just eye candy they are also believable. In the combat section I wrote how well they reacted to me, but they also interact with the world in cool ways. Driving by zombies you will see them eating their fallen victims. You will see them pounding on survivor's doors trying to gain entry or skulk around aimlessly waiting for their next victim. If you are driving they will give chase to your vehicle and try to knock it off the road. All of this again makes me feel so much more immersed in this world. Instead of them standing around idly waiting for you to walk by they are active in their world.
In combat they are savage and ruthless and are really a terrifying foe to do battle with. From the generic walkers to the sub boss character each infected feels challenging and scary. Something I really appreciate in this title.
Game play:
The rest of the game play feels like an action RPG. You kill zombies for exp which makes you a better zombie killer. There are some surprising skills one skill I particularly enjoy is when my character is drunk he becomes twice as powerful. There are four character templates to pick out and each have their own unique skill and look, but there are so many skills to choose from you will have a character completely unique to your play style. The zombies also level with you as you level meaning the only thing keeping them at bay is your weapons and skill choices. I liked the leveling because it keeps the game feeling challenging the whole way through but doesn't stunt your sense of progression either.
You collect weapons rated a colour based system White for trash to purple for legendary. This is one of the best parts, there's nothing better than finding a rare machete, the hunt is addictive and it's exciting never knowing what you will find.
Driving is actually really nice and a convenient way to get from point a to point b. It's not perfect though as you can't look out your back window making reversing while surrounded by the undead pretty tough.
There are some pretty cool ways to interact with the world, if you attempt to breach a barricaded door you will need to use brute force to open it. It's dealt with in a cool little mini game where your character tries to use his or her shoulder to break the door down and you are more successful the closer you are to the middle. It might not sound like much but try frantically entering a building like this while the infected are hot on your tail. You will also break down computers take apart vehicles and raid any container you can find in search of items to craft with. Speaking of crafting...
Crafting:
The weapons you find are great and all a machete will take off limbs and heads with ease but how about an electric machete? Or a flaming baseball bat? This is where it feels the most like Dead Rising you will find crafting supplies around the island and so long as you have the blueprints can modify your weapon to your liking. It's easy and worthwhile.
I wasn't too excited about crafting but it feels pretty realistic and makes the weapons look great. The effects are brilliant too, every time I score a critical hit on a zombie with my electrified machete he becomes a conductor and spreads it to all of his zombie pals wreaking havok on an entire mob!
Quests & Story:
I find the story very interesting so far, you are immune from the infection and so become the errand boy for several survivors camps. On the surface it's nothing but fetch quests, but it's not as simple as kill X amount of zombies for reward. Instead one quest may see you driving to a nearby gas station and frantically trying to fill up tanks of gas and fend of zombies in the process. The reason? to burn the infected the camp has killed so as to not attract more with the smell. Another quest has you reinforcing a car to make a daring run deeper into town to find more survivors and supplies, or building a help sign out of discarded luggage that can be seen from the air. The quests really make you feel like a survivor in a zombie outbreak they are realistic and enjoyable and I have yet to become bored by them.
There are a ton of side quests to be done and two out of the three above quests mentioned are actually side quests. They are fun and original and really help boost your XP.
Graphics:
The games graphics are rich and varied and adds to the atmosphere of the game. From the lush tropical beaches spotted with long abandoned beach towels and sand castles to the deadly silent streets with overturned trash cans and wrecked cars everything is rendered beautifully and lends to the atmosphere.
Sound:
The music is surprisingly melancholy and lends to the sense of hopelessness you feel when traversing the island. The sounds the zombies make are terrifying they will let out a scream when they spot you that chill the spine. Each creature sounds unique and terrifying.
Cons
Combat:
How is combat both in the pros and cons list you ask? Well as amazing at it is it is not without its flaws. There has been more than a few times where my attacks fail to register or the attack button becomes unresponsive. Throwing weapons while a great way to keep the zombies far from you is not without it's problems. In the heat of battle I would have to stop swinging my weapon, hold down my throw button for a couple of seconds until the reticule showed up and then throw. It broke the flow of combat and felt clunky and out of place. I would use it when starting a battle, just be sure you don't throw your favourite weapon!
Weapon Degrade:
The degradation of weapons is really cool and all and it lends to that same sense of fear that's prevalent through my whole game. There is nothing worse than getting attacked when your baseball bat's ready to fall apart. The only problem I had with it is that it's too fast, that legendary weapon I had? It's awesome but after a few run ins with the undead it's nothing but a hunk of junk. That wouldn't be such a problem but because it's a legendary weapon, it costs a lot of cash to repair as opposed to a regular weapon which makes using those awesome, kickass weapons feel prohibitive because I just don't have the funds to keep up with the cost of maintaining them.
Mini-games:
That cool mini game I mentioned up above are good and all but there are so many missed opportunities to break up the monotony. Lock picking for instance is only a skill if you don't have the necessary skill to pick a lock you can't. If you level up it opens like any other container. That's it. There are a multitude of tasks that require you to just hold down a button, something that makes the game a bit dull.
Voice Acting:
Some of the accents are just really bad. Some are fine but none are spectacular.
Sounds:
I had a couple of issues with sounds where it will cut out altogether for a few seconds, not a big deal until the zombie you didn't hear screaming is now chewing on your face.
Shooting:
When I found my first gun eight hours in I thought the game would be easy. It's not, Zombies soak up bullets like you wouldn't believe and ammo is scarce. The reasons it's in the cons is because when fighting humans they dive in and out of cover and I can't. I have only my crouch button and in a game made for melee combat that's fine but when in a gunfight it's irritating. You get used to it, it just feels like an overlooked aspect of the game. Aiming feels off too, I haven't poured any skill points into firearms though so that could be the problem. Thankfully you don't rely on guns too heavily. They are useful for thugs though ;)
Death:
I don't know if this is a pro or a con but when you die you respawn a few feet away from where you fell and lose a bit of money and exp. Your health is filled up and you're ready to go again. The thing is, despite the lack of punishment for death I still fought to stay alive and dreaded walking into a fight with only a few bars left, so it doesn't break the immersion.
Online:
I'm not placing this in the pro's or con's because I have yet to get a chance to play it, it seems the servers were overloaded on release day. Looks good though :P
Conclusion:
For a game coming so late to the zombie party and using techniques that many games have used to a better degree this is a standout title. It feels fresh and original in an over saturated genre and the experience of true survival horror you will feel while playing this game is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced before.
This game is huge and varied and a delight to play. It will be filled with a ton of awesome water-cooler moments, the experience you have will differ greatly from mine but you will have an experience I guarantee you that.
This deserves 4 out of 5 but I'm going to be generous and give it a 5/5. For a low budget title such as this the list a gripes are nothing compared to the hours of fun you will have playing this stellar title.
If you want to slay some zombies with me when online is up add me: tastyhobo
Thank you for reading!
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I'll admit that I had my doubts on this one, even after reading all I could find on it and watching trailer after trailer of graphical zombie goodness. It turns out that, so far, this is the most fun I've had playing a game this year. I currently about 10 hours in playing it and have just found some guns. Yes, it does take a bit of time to acquire guns and ammo is somewhat scarce, but this adds a whole new element that melee doesn't. It took me about 2 or 3 hours to get used to the controls and menus and such. Select pulls up your map. Up on the D-pad pulls up your inventory. There is a bit of experimenting to be done with Dead Island before it becomes second nature as the instruction manual is very lackluster and there are no in-game tutorials. But don't let that detract you from this superb zombie game!
The graphics looks amazing on my 47" LED TV. The music is quite diverse and fits the mood of the game perfectly. You can play as one of 4 players, but choose wisely because each one has a different skill path they can embark upon. Let me also say this: This is a MAMMOTH of a game as far as length is concerned. By the time you go through the main campaign and all of the side quests I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it ended up being a 30 hour affair! Fine by me! The more the merrier.
To me, what really stands out with this game is how fun and addicting it is. Once you get going and figure out the basics, putting down the controller is the equivalent of a crack addict going cold turkey. I couldn't stand waiting for my copy from Amazon to come via UPS today, so I went to GameStop at midnight last night, got it, then went brain dead(pun intended) for 6 hours straight, slept for about 3 hours and played another 4 more. I'll lose return shipping sending it back, but it'll be worth it knowing I've already gotten to play a large chunk of the game. Needless to say, I had to take a break from my 2nd assault on Banoi Island because my eyes were/are still burning. But what amazing fun the game is and I'm sure will continue to be! There are certain times where you have to use your brain to get out of hairy situations and it will get your pulse racing. The fall onslaught of games is upon us and Dead Island starts off the assault with a BANG!
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this ends up being a sleeper hit, since the developer(Deep Silver?) is not well known and they did have a huge budget with which to promote the game. What they achieved with the limited resources they had is nothing short of amazing. Go buy this now!
Buy Dead Island Now
I've only had 2 hours put into this so far but I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite games this year.
First of all, if you're buying this game because you liked the tacked on afterthought zombie mode in any of those overrated Call of Duty games, you're going to be majorly disappointed. The whole point of this game is survival on a zombie infested island, not to fight off hordes of zombies from a house. If you enjoyed Borderlands or like games where you have to do quests, loot and kill zombies, this will surely be one of your best purchases this year.
The graphics in this game aren't going to win any awards, but that's not to say they're horrible in any way. The landscape has a lot of pop in textures at times. The physics are kind of hit and miss as well since you can kick through solid things to hit zombies/they can run at you through things but the items never budge (usually an umbrella and sometimes a fence). I was also disappointed to find that throwing a knife at a throwable propane tank didn't blow it up. But never fear, for if you have a gun and find a propane tank, throw it and shoot it to burninate any zombies around it.
As with Left 4 Dead and Borderlands, this game is best played co-op. As you do quests, many of the zombies you encounter may be a bit too much for just 1 person. It's doable, but know that if you die, you lose 10% of your cash. Sadly, split-screen isn't supported so you do need 3 psn/xbla friends who all have the game online to play with them.
The story in this game takes a backseat for those just wanting to get to slaying the undead. You can skip every cutscene and not feel like you're missing anything, or really care. The dialogue in this game is pretty stereotypical anyways so unless you like hearing f this, f that, jc this, jfc that, skipping every cutscene and dialogue will become second nature pretty quickly.
There are tons of weapons scattered through the game but this game has a very heavy focus on melee weapons so you're going to find a large supply of paddles, bats, pipes, knives, brass knuckles, wrenches, etc. Guns are pretty scarce in this game but with the ability to run around kicking the snot out of zombies, it feels ok. Health packs are scarce as well however energy drinks replenish your health and seem to always be near by in areas you'd need them the most. You can't inventory them however so unless you really need them, just leave them for later in case you need them. You're going to do a ton of backtracking/exploring in this game and you're able to drive vehicles after a few quests. You eventually are able to modify weapons after obtaining blueprints/mod abilities to create things like a baseball bat with nails sticking out of it or an electric paddle. Don't put too much money into your weapons though as you're likely to constantly be finding something better. You can carry 4 weapons at first but unlock more slots as you progress and you can swap out your inventory at any time. You have to pull up your weapon wheel to select your current weapon rather than hitting triangle or Y. Also, like the first fear game, your flashlight battery depletes so conserve your flashlight for the pitch black areas only. You can find batteries laying around but they aren't too common.
Each character has their own specialty. One is good with ranged weapons, the other melee, another with guns and another with short ranged weapons. There isn't much to differentiate them outside of the skill tree. Like Borderlands, your character has 3 trees of ability upgrades. As you level up, you get ability points to use on these that do things like increase your accuracy, increase critical hit damage/chances, decrease the amount of money needed to repair weapons, etc.
All in all, this game offers a whole lot of content and a rather large island to explore. With a group of friends, you'll have no trouble sinking hours upon hours into this game as you loot and lay waste to the undead. Any zombie slaying fanatic will love this game.
Note that this review is based on the PS3 version of the game.
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Update: Techland fixed the save game problems several weeks later. The game is still glitchy as a mad hatter, but I've actually started considering the glitches, at least occasionally, charming. The audio will glitch so that a dead zombie is still screaming at you, or it will glitch so you never hear the zombie at all. Has the awesome effect of either keeping you on your toes by creeping you out without a cause or simply scaring you silly because you get attacked without ever realizing a zombie is near. Glitching producing the kind of random effect that ought to be built into any horror game. Other glitches are ridiculously hilarious. Few are game-breaking and I don't believe I've come across any since the fix that couldn't be fixed by loading a save.
As for the co-op, Dead Island beats Left 4 Dead 2 and Dead Rising 2 for sheer fun, especially once you get to the city. While the game starts you out on a beautiful tropical beach, eventually you get shifted to a heavily infested city. Me and two friends accidentally wandered into the Quarantine zone before we knew what it was. I was the only one playing the Asian chick which meant I could run away fast enough to find safety. One of my friends was not so lucky. I had the joy of watching him die over and over and over while he tried to run down a single block. I laughed until I was blue in the face. The constant respawn of the infected in the Quarantine zone might be a headache when you initially reach the city, but once you get a feel for the lay-out, it's the funnest part of the entire game. I could do without the sewer levels, however. There isn't a lot of fun to be had when the option of running away or around a special zombie is taken away. The rainforest-type levels weren't too bad. I didn't think you could make a sunlit rainforest creepy in any way, but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, the game isn't terrifying on any level, but it gets the feel of a zombie apocalypse down pretty well.
A lot of people negatively compare Dead Island's weapon customization to Dead Rising 2. I honestly think Dead Island is more superior in that respect. There is certainly less variability and silliness, but the modded weapons are often far more durable than DR2's were. This is primarily because DR2 was about improvising on the move and DI is more about finding what kind of strategy works best for you. I tended to go for Deathstalker weapons, but a friend of mine loved the fire-based ones. And really, comparing DI to DR2 puts DR2 in a bad light. The world is much bigger and the zombies much more dangerous than DR2's.
Most of the side and story missions occur in the first two maps (the resort and the city). Later parts of the game are skimpier compared to earlier parts, to be honest. Perhaps when they release the sequel, they'll have ironed out some of the less amusing glitches and given it a more robust shine. Dead Island doesn't really have anything in the way of plot, but the setting and the various zombies make it far more enjoyable than L4D2 or DR2 ever was, in my opinion. Glitches and all.
Original review: Had I written this review 20 minutes ago, it would've been fairly glowing. Yes, the game is extremely glitchy, but it's rare for the glitches to cause a major problem. The only one that did was an escort mission that was interrupted; it would fail (death of NPC) when we tried to re-trigger it, only to find the guy hanging out around the corner later. Usually it's just a matter of fast-traveling or restarting from a checkpoint to correct any mission blocks. Other glitches are usually mildly irritating. Quite often, they're hilarious.
However, there is a save glitch that may currently be specific only to the PS3 version. I started a game that had saved during Chapter 2 when I was a level 8. The problem is, when I'd last played that save game, I ended in Chapter 5, on a totally different map and a level 14. When I talked to a buddy I'd been playing with the day before, he'd made it to the hotel area only to have his game reset him to Chapter 1 (he lost far more progress than I did). This is an extremely common glitch. Google it, you'll see. The patch they released for the PS3 version hasn't fixed the problem, because all of the progress I made was post-patch.
This game was released in a form that I wouldn't even describe as beta. Techland couldn't or wouldn't push back the release date so what we have is a game whose testing was extremely incomplete. You are buying an unfinished product, and it's not like Minecraft (which was functional even in beta).
Techland: if a gamer cannot save their progression through the story, then they have two options. One is to simply not turn the game off until you've finished, but that is both wasteful of the hardware and completely ruins any replay value. Two, they simply repeat the same small section of your game, endlessly. And I don't care how awesome a game is, that gets old real fast. You know what could've prevented this glitch from being a game-killer? Manual save option. Invented long, long before Dead Island went into development.
Want Dead Island Discount?
Ok first off ill start out by saying this is my first review of anything in a long time so don't be to critical.
Gameplay
Ill admit it is a bit repetitive but the ample amount of missions and the hordes of zombies and the different ways to kill them make up for the running back and forth to the same places. Another thing that kind of annoyed me at first was the weapons. I hated that you don't get a gun for quite some time. But after playing the game i realized that is what makes this game great. That you have to learn how to fight with a measly stick before you can take em down with a rifle. I love the skills you get to upgrade along the way. Also you have a special ability that once your meter gets high enough you become like a ninja throwing chinese stars and you can take down a whole horde of zombies. I love the mini bosses in this game you think you will just run up on them and chop chop they go down but no you chop off one arm and think oh they will be easier but they wack you with the other arm so you chop off the other arm and what happens now, they head butt you. This in itself i found to be really unique. Some of the quest are a bit cheasy but overall they are all pretty exciting. Driving a vehicle is great in this i love thats its first person behind the wheel and not some third person overhead cam. It reminds me of how you drove a car in Farcry 2. Overall i would compare this game to Left 4 Dead meets Fallout 3 meet Farcry 2. Its just too amazing to say anything more.
CO-OP
The co-op is amazing i love that you can take 3 friends along and work on each others missions together. I always said they needed a game like fallout but where you could go online and work on each others quest together. Well here it is.
Weapons
The weapons are great. You have a huge array of weapons from machetes to small throwing knives to a rifle. The weapons go on and on. Thing i dont like is how quickly they wear out but they do have a bench you can go to to repair them that look exactly like the benches to create ammo in fallout.
Well thats pretty much it i hope it has been helpful and sorry i didnt go more in depth but my hand was starting to fall asleep.
I am not one to really get into a game. Fallout 3, New Vegas, Dead Space 1 And 2, Bioshock 1 and 2 and the Parasite Eve Games are the only real games that i would replay again and again. Well i will now say Dead Island is also on that list.
