I liked the first one, but it doesn't really hook you to it, and it isn't able to keep you interested the entire way through i'm about 60% through and done playing.
Dead Island: Riptide Review
Game Emblems
The Bad
I Don't Understand All The Hate, Riptide Is A Good Solid Sequel, Perhaps Falling Short In Areas
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Dead Island: Riptide might look like an idyllic zombie-fest, but it's little more than a frustrating mess of half-baked ideas and repetitive combat.
The vast majority of the zombies you face attack in the same way, rushing towards you until you knock them back with a kick to start the dull attack process. There are some special zombies that remain unchanged from those in Dead Island, including charger, spitter, and boomer types; they have slightly different movesets here, but you end up tackling them in exactly the same way, because your options are so limited. For a game so focused on combat, it's galling that you spend most of your time wanting to avoid zombies, just so you can spare yourself the resulting tedium.
Using a vehicle to get around takes some of the edge off of that tedium, because ploughing through groups of zombies in a jeep or cutting through them in a rickety old boat is far quicker than melee. Inevitably, though, you're still forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat once you reach your destination. Guns do arrive much later, but the weedy, inaccurate shooting isn't something to look forward to. Neither are Riptide's few horde missions, where you must protect your base from an onslaught of evil zombies. You can put up fences, lay mines, and take on a few side quests (of the fetch variety, naturally) in order to strengthen your defences, but it's all moot: just repeat your trusty "kick, swipe, back off" pattern a few hundred times, and the job's done.
Your reward for the hard combat slog is experience points, which are used to level up your character and unlock new skills, such as increased weapon accuracy and faster recovery times. Not that they make a whole lot of difference to the way the game plays, mind: it's all about keeping your level up to that of the zombies around you so you can fetch those items for other characters. Fortunately, levelling up is swift thanks to generous XP allocations, frequent checkpointing, and a death system that gives you unlimited lives, with the only penalty being the loss of cash you may have earned during missions or scrounged from the environment.
Riptide's role-playing game elements mean that as much as you might want to, you can't avoid combat entirely. But then, even if you did, what you'd be left with is a shallow husk of a storyline and an irritating cast of characters that you'd much rather see turned into a bloody mess than offered rescue. Not to mention that if you played the original Dead Island, there's not much new to see here. There's so little to like in Riptide that mustering up the enthusiasm to reach the lacklustre ending is a challenge for only the most hardcore of zombie fans to take on.
And don't try enlisting a few friends for some four-player co-op: it doesn't make the game any more exciting. Sure, having a few friends around makes those hordes disappear a little faster, and there are some extra quests you can take on, but the core experience remains as glacial as ever. Riptide is dumb, and mind-numbingly slow, and somehow manages to make the art of zombie-slaying feel like utter tedium. And if slaying zombies isn't fun in a game that's all about slaying zombies, why bother?
By
Mark Walton, Senior Staff Writer - Reviews
Writer, riff maker, purveyor of fine foods. Mark currently spends his days trying to overcome his small (large) obsession with high-top trainers and mobile games. He's known to respond well to Long Island Iced Tea, falafels, and karaoke, but not necessarily in that order.
89 comments
The first game was interesting but not great tbh. I wont go near this one. There wont be any decent games for either 360 or PS3 because the consoles are near the end of their life cycles. There is only 1 decent game left to come on this generation: Grand Theft Auto 5.
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@RobotEars77 Its an absolutely terrible game.. So repetitive and boring. I'm a massive fan of the horror genre but this game is awful.. giving the first one a 7 was generous in my opinion, for a game that gets boring after the first few hours of gameplay. When you don't make any real changes and release it as a "new" game I think its disrespectful to fans of the original.
Got the first one on sale from GMG. Shocked I actually like it. I perhaps felt lied to from the cinematic trailer, since it wasn't live action. Bugs in certain games make them unplayable, but a few bugs here and there are to be expected with such complicated game. I wouldn't let bugs influence my score, but I would let it influence the purchase price. At $5 it's pretty dang good. Initititally I'd give it a 7 and the sequel would be similar. I'm starting to dislike number ratings in general. I like this better than Borderlands and we know how overrated Borderlands is. This doesn't deserve an 8.5 or 9 and neither doesn't Borderlands.
After reading this review i then went to ign and read their review as well as watching a video on the game. I have since played the game and i can say that it is similar to the first game but in my opinion it has improved on many things from the first game. Obviously i am not a reviewer nor will i say the game is perfect but i don't think it is bad enough to warrant a 4 rating either.
3 Like Love this site for the gaming news, but the reviews are just way off sometimes. Fine, the game is a lot like the first one and has a few bugs. But a 4? It's not broken. It's not just a complete money grab (it's even priced lower than most new games). It's not promising something it's not. This is just a really poor assessment. I find myself relying less and less on this site for a true take on new games.
3 Like So how is this different from the first game?... Oh wait it isn't, so why give it a 4? Why not have the same person who reviewed the 1st game review the 2nd? Why is it that Fallout Vegas which had virtually the same problems get a significantly higher score( not saying it should receive same)? Why do I keep writing questions? Please can someone answer this?
3 Like Why is this gormless piece of human filth still employed? I've never seen such a slanted game review come out of one cretins twisted mind Why don't you wake up parasite look at the metacrtitic and user scores. This game is ok it's not blinding its a 6.5 -7.5.
I 'd never review Devil May Cry because I hate the genre. You hate this game and its predecessor. You have you have no self respect and I pity you Walton. You are a pathetic example of a human being, unwilling to justify yourself as a reviewer. You have no shame, you are an utter waste of time and space and I will not trust any more reviews that Gamespot publishes until you are sacked. Shabby, slanted journalism of this type is not acceptable and neither are you.
@themaster22disregarding the filth you portrayed yourself as in this comment, I'll reply to the 'Shabby, slanted journalism' bit. It's an honest opinion. In fact, It's a professional opinion. The guy get paid to tell you if the game is broken or not. If the problems stated don't phase you, then go on enjoying the game, but do it in your hole.
@themaster22 You are one of the dumbest humans I have encountered. The fact that you feel such rage over a game that you did not even create or have any part in means one thing, you must be retarded. Please cancel your internet connection and go take the short bus to school.
1 Like @themaster22 I've almost finished Riptide, it's workmanlike but very good. I'm surprised Deep Silver don't sue you for this baseless review you cretin. Who the hell let you review games parasite Walton. Horrible nasty review against a game that didn't deserve it.. No doubt your drinking G & T or purple WKD at some overpriced bar you wanker. Shove the drinks up your arse.
3 Like The game should've been reviewed by the same person who reviewed the original Dead Island... And this goes to every other game (franchise,saga). Agreed?
4 Like It's amazing how some games are really slated for being repetitive and some are praised for it (call of duty, every driving game ever made, street fighter) Granted it is repetitive but it's also satisfying and looks fairly good. Tons of different weapons and mods so lots of different possibilities to murder a zombie. Massive map and lots to explore and collect. I bought this game for £28 new and its a bargain for that. I'd give it a 7, a little rough around the edge but very satisfying.
1 Like I generally go for games that get a review score of 3.5+ on Gamespot, because from experience, a gamespot score of 4 usually converts to a normal person's 7. But, a gamespot 8-9 is usually a shit game? In my recent experience atleast.
@MatiasMGS @VanOrdSucks Resident Evil 6 AND Resident Evil ORC both got a 4.5, when RE6 is a remarkably better game than ORC. Both Kane and Lynch games only got 6s, not saying they were brilliant games but more than 6s. Bulletstorm got an 8, that game was shit. Far Cry 3 got a 9, that was at most a 6. and yes, CoD, always get high scores yet it's the same ol' repetitive bullshit. Just the same as Riptide was the same old shit as Dead Island, yet it gets a dirt score like a 4, when it's atleast a 7.
4 Like So uh I've been hearing that this game is just like the first. The first game got a 7. So why didn't this one get a 7. This is a horrible review and IGN is a more respectable site. Adios Gamespot.
@Jayhawkfan15 If a game is just like the first why should it get the same score? Shouldn't games improve on the second game and not be just like the first?
2 Like @Jayhawkfan15 Dude it's like the first game & then some. These dudes seriously need to get some new reviewers in man. Riptide is atleast a 7.
This game is as worst or even worse than RE 6 .Deserved a 5-5.5 at best.I can't recommend it even for zombie ,horror lovers since there are so much better games of the genre out there.If you pre-order this game ,you r a idiot.....But still lucky than those who bought aliens colonial marines
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I reviewed 3D Ant Attack, Knight Lore, Heavy on the Magick, Another World, Cannon Fodder and Flashback. What right have you to savage this game?
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2 Like Truth be told the review score should be 5 not 4.... The game is shit and boring, people stop spamming... There are still people who don't like these kind of games so fuck off...
2 Like If the zombies were wearing hipster glasses this guy would have creamed himself and given this game the "best game evar" title, when I come to gamespot for reviews I only read other players comments and reviews, from actual people that have played the whole game through, or at least halfway through, these guys (gamespot reviewers) usually play a game for 10-30 minutes and base their reviews on those 10-30 minutes.
2 Like @SatampraZeiros"If the zombies were wearing hipster glasses this guy would have creamed himself"
LOL
1 Like So the guy who always rates the soccer and rhythm dance games doesn't like the one zombie slasher he has ever rated.
Shocker.
If it's more of the same, I'm down with it. I played a whole lot of hours in the original, and enjoyed it in spite of its flaws. I'm sure I'll play a whole lot of hours on this one, too. In spite of this reviewer's flaws.
The GameSpot.com reviewer/s have a problem with the fact, that the protagonists aren't all Caucasians. Theres no White male lead with 3 blue-eye blonde females slaying zombies to save the Island/world. --Lets see, the cast of Dead IsLand: Riptide includes 5 characters representing 5 different ethnic groups: Sam B is African American, Logan is African American, Purna is Australian, John Morgan is "Caucasian-Australian" & my favorite character: Xian; she's Chinese, and is from Hong Kong. However, I guess being Caucasian-Australian isn't good enough. --The boss at GameSpot.com just told this silly Mark Walton to write a convincing review about this game being really bad, so gamers won't buy it, and Deep Silver will go down, and he'll receieve his bonus early. -- In my opinion, this game is worth a 9.5. Dead Island: Riptide delivers on all levels. The thing I didn't like about it, is that Xian didn't have a sexylicious physique.
@Zombie_Lover69 How can you be African AND American? They're two different nations to begin with. They're not ethnicity, they're nationalities. You can't be both. That's like Being Mexican Chinese.
Now on to the game...
I haven't played this one, but seeing how it has something to do with the first one, I want to vomit. Dead Island was a complete fail. The CGI trailer made it look like it had something to do with a story, plot. At least some character development. Not "Who do you Voo Doo Bitch?" The worst shit ever. I was actually hoping for this one to be better then the first. A very nice idea, bad outcome.
Someone else needs to take over developing. Someone who can make an island more life like. The Farcry team did an amazing job on 2 and especially 3. If they took over dev from DeepShit, this franchise could do a whole lot better.
@Yondaro Well first of all I can see your not a very intelligent moron to begin with, so I won't waste much time here explaining or describing nationalities with you. Go get an education and go to college.
You didn't even PLAY the 1st GAME ("DEAD ISLAND"), but your here mouthing off like an arrogant F minus 9th grade student. Your hate towards the awesome lyrics of Sam B shows your being a racist kracker. you have no say on this review because your fill of SHIT!!
Both games are classics. its certainly one of the underdog games of this gaming Gen, and everyone needs to play it before pre-judging storylines, gameplay, levels, graphics and writing phony reviews on gamespot.com.
I actually wanted to apologize. Shouldn't have put everything in all caps at the end and I shouldn't have insulted you. Just saw the comment and raged. Lmao
But I did play the first one, and I didn't enjoy it all. Found it too repetitive. All the quest were the same. Bored me to death. And didn't like the melee combat and especially not the graphics. Looked outdated. There was no story at all. It was, "Get the radio tower on!" seemed like it was the entire game. And there's no character development. I was disappointed. Especially after the CGI trailer looked like it had all that.
@Zombie_Lover69@YondaroHahahaha! You're too funny. I like how you insult people and assume my ethnicity from the get go. And saying "Awesome lyrics of Sam B" is ridiculous. Those lyrics were actually worse then Lil Wayne's and Soulja Boy's. Didn't think it was possible, but it was...
And for your info, smart guy (COMPLETE SARCASM. you're not even close), I'm not a so called, "kracker.". I'm a Moor American. My ethnicity IS indeed the same as Sam's on DI. So again, you assuming = stupidity. Maybe you should go home and ask your mother why you were born without a brain
And I have played the first DI fool. In my comment earlier, I said "I haven't played this one, but seeing how it has something to do with the first one, I want to vomit." But seeing how you can't read very well, I will make it simple for you. I HAVE PLAYED THE FIRST ONE. THAT'S WHY I SAID IF THE SECOND ONE IS LIKE IT, I WON'T ENJOY IT.
Was that easy enough to read? I hope so.
@Yondaro since when Africa is a nation? not to mention America - yanks stolen both continents name and named their nation after. Goddamit guys from Peru are also Americans...
@da2g @Yondaro Peru is American territory. Not Africa. And I meant continent. Sorry. But, you can't be both, regardless. Like I said earlier, that's like Mexican Chinese. You can't be two different things at once. And also, they're not called Peru Americans or American Peru's. So saying like African American is about the same. Sounds Retarded
6 Like While playing co op with my buddy last night, he commented by saying:
"Who the F*** gave this a 4.0?"
This game is not a 10 by any means, but to give it a 4 is a disgrace to the company and everyone who plays the game and enjoys it. I would say a 7 is about fair for a game with minor glitches and some of the same combat. It is still the great Dead Island game people who enjoy the game want, and I don't really care all that much that they didn't change a lot. Crushing zombies with speed boost in my boat is more entertaining than an entire Call of Duty campaign. Don't be afraid to buy this game.
@Cmon3y Being better than a Call Of Duty campaign is not a hard feat. It's actually pitiful that it was mentioned in the first place. Maybe if you said Halo or Resistance. ( I don't like Resistance campaign that much, but I would play it over this game any day).
@Cmon3y Mark Walton is mentally subnormal, yet he gets paid for slanted reviews, why doesn't the pratt hold his hands up and admit his guilt. He has so far shown no respect for the users of this site. He will not withdraw his cretinous review, he disrespects everyone who liked Dead Island and its sequel. He does not defend it, or even utter a word.
Are the users of Gamespot who pay your wages so unworthy of an apology or at least an explanation? Are we that insignificant? Now you choose to hide in some little office unable to communicate to anybody except your own PC?
3 Like I just made an account to post this comment : Gamespot does a terrible job at reviewing. I just couldnt stand this review which was so furiously...wrong! I mean, Frustrating Mess/Combat? What are you, like, 7? I leveled up to 46 within 5 hours and i am not even a Pro gamer, you should learn to play first before reviewing. The Weapon skills leveling with preferred weapons was a great addition to people playing with specific styles. The New Character John is awesome, There are a lot of graphical improvements, the environment is more dangerous than DI and Missions are mostly very challenging. I dont know which game you reviewed but this is nothing short of a 8 in my opinion. I took out 2 points due to little bugs in collision detection, lack of more cinematics Day-Night Time shifting and some minor combat flaws which could be fixed with an Update.
1 Like If the videos are of you playing Mark, then i must say u have the tactical play style of a overly caffeinated SpiderMonkey. Compare to all other "FPS/Zombie games" where melee is a simple static gun butting animation, DI combat is simply delicious. Yet you come off as some yutz who simply button mashes of the sake of it. I love to abuse zombies. I love to abuse zombies with rag-doll physics. I'll take abusing zombies with rag-doll physics with melee over shooting them any day. So while i can agree that basically the rest of whats wrong with DI is deplorable, its the combat alone is why i never sold the first and is why im gona get this one.
1 Like Disclaimer: Not a fan of CoD at all. So don't scream "FANBOY" at me I'm just using CoD as a comparison because everyone else in the comments seems to be doing so. I personally think CoD is the reason why developers think they can get away with crappy uninspired games (WoW is the other reason).
But CoD games get good scores consistently because they give their fans exactly what they want (proof: look at the sales). Which is more of the same crap, but more/better crap. This means that CoD games don't need to be innovative, because the previous one didn't get a good score for being innovative (shoot stuff with gun in war times is not innovation) what they get good scores for is being balanced online multiplayer that anyone with a controller can play for hundreds of hours. So any reviewer is going to recommend that people get the latest CoD, since it is generally perceived as being better than the previous one.
Dead Island on the other hand got good reviews originally because it had a great story, and did some innovative things that worked relatively well. It had plenty of bugs, but these didn't ruin the score because innovation and a good story should always trump a few bugs and glitches.
DI:riptide does not get the same consideration though, because it failed to give fans what they wanted, which was DI but with all/most of the bugs gone, some more innovation, and some more great story. Instead they got DI, with what seems like more bugs, less innovation, and relatively no story (still more than CoD, but again, we can't comparing it to CoD because CoD fans obviously don't care about stories or innovations). So it should for sure get a much lower score than DI 1. Also there is no reason to recommend this game to anyone, since it would make much more sense to recommend DI 1 since it is essentially better or the same in every way.
@viciouskiller Because COd at least make compelling multiplayer. This game lacks in both worlds
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Dead Island: Riptide (Special Edition)
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- Publisher(s): Deep Silver
- Developer(s): Techland
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
Dead Island: Riptide Navigation
