Riptide caught me completely by surprise.
For me DI Riptide did just that. I kind of enjoyed the first game and just accepted this wasn't a AAA title so I took the many flaws that came with it.
After seeing some footage of Riptide I really just expected this to be like any other expansion pack quality sequel.
I was very pleased to find I was wrong ! Make no mistake, this is still not that AAA blockbuster but it comes significantly closer than it's predecessor.
Pretty much everything has been improved and overhauled. It's still a semi-open world than unlocks with progress, but it features a much better layout and overall design than the first game. Also, the fast travel point layout is far less convenient this time. Which is actually a good thing because now you're actually forced to undertake some difficult travels. even after unlocking them.
Another big annoyance in the first game was the fact that firearms only seemed to be effective against the living. Point blank shotgun blasts did little more than tickle the undead. Not so in Riptide. Guns do what you expect them to while at the same time not feeling overpowered at all. In fact, in many scenario's you'll prefer having that shock modded axe by your side rather than an automatic rifle and you'll never feel comfortable just carrying firearms.
Graphically, things are also on the up. The overall image is much crisper and more vibrant thanks to a significant tone down in the Anti Aliasing department. That's what gave the original game it's soft look. In return we get a minor increase in jaggies but those are never that noticeable ant I'll gladly take the sharper look.
There are some technical improvements as well. There's a shiny new lighting system and the number of onscreen zombies has been increased.
The game has become somewhat harder as a result. Harder is not that accurate actually. You'll die more often yes, but the game compensates that by respawning you with a full healthbar into a situation where your previously dealt damage remains. It does that at a percentage of your accumulated cash.
This is a questionable mechanic because it means death literally comes at a price. As long as you make sure not to carry to much cash, you can respawn indefinitely for almost no charge, negating any form of challenge.
That said, even if you DO walk around with large sums, that still doesn't really matter since the world is literally filled to the brim with lay around cash. Every other container you open has money and so do most of the zombies you kill. Having enough money is not something you have to worry about.
Another factor that cheapens things a bit is the fact that items respawn. Meaning if you keep track of the most valuable goods you'll always have them for free to sell or consume. Taking the above into account means that Dead Island Riptide is one of the most forgiving games you'll ever play.
That's not as bad as it sounds though because it means you can focus all your effort into the thing that this game does best and that's destroying the zombie hordes in the most gruesome, spectacular and overall satisfying way you can. Chop them up, bash in their skulls, blow them up, set them on fire with molotovs or flareguns. Blow their heads off, nail them to walls with harpoons, trick them into trip mine traps...etc etc etc... the sky is the limit on what you can do to these poor buggers.
I found Dead Island Riptide to be an incredibly fun game and I literally had a blast playing it. As a matter of fact I'm on my second play through right now.
If you're even remotely into the zombie and / or coöp genre, this game is 100% for you.
pros:
- much more interesting and better designed open world than the 1st game.
- clearer more vibrant graphics.
- increased number of on-screen zombies.
- amazing weapons
- guns are actually effective this time
cons:
- unbalanced difficulty
- which, in an attempt to straighten things out, is paired with an incredibly forgiving respawn system.