A game that induces a vastly different reaction dependent upon how and with whom one plays it.
We'll start with the negatives (as usual of course).
I did notice some graphical stuttering and inconsistent textures while playing after awhile. The inconsistent textures are nothing unheard of apparently, but the stuttering makes me wonder. And it can't be my rig, seeing as I'm running a i7 3.4ghz with 16GB of RAM and a 1gb Nvidia Gtx 560.
It's not bad enough to cause any real concern but it basically just means the game isn't as terribly polished as it could have been.
Secondly, the re-spawning started to wear thin on me after some time. Nothing like clearing a street/area of the city or resort and then trudging through it five minutes later(on another quest of course) and being ganked by more zombies.
I understand the reasoning behind the re-spawning, I merely think it could have been handled better...perhaps a timer instead of a per area load basis.
Also the voice acting is universally terrible...not a single voice in the game manages to rise above cheesy soap opera level. Which I guess for some people can make or break a game, luckily for me I can for the most part ignore it.
On top of that the primary story is...I don't want to say weak, but it's not very well elaborated on. It's basically just a framework to hold together the reason "why" you happen to be bashing in 7,981 zombie skulls with a rusty crowbar instead of working together with the gameplay to form a cohesive interesting story. It's more or less there as a basic foundation for zombie murder.
With the negatives out of the way we'll move onto the positives, namely...it's a zombie game...without the overuse of guns. Am I the only one that happens to like this idea? Why is it always assumed that everyone's going to be packing 9mils whenever zombie terror happens to swing by?
It must be a leftover from the RE days or something. Either way, for a Survival Horror-ish game it does its job well...I'm pretty sure if you didn't own or couldn't find a gun you'd be using whatever you damn well could find too.
The game being open world is definitely a plus in it's favor considering if this game was on rails, with the issues it has I'd likely fall asleep before I was half finished. The ability to go wherever I want whenever I want is integral here.
The games use of RPG elements such as leveling and skills/skilltrees works in its favor as well, sprucing up the zombie mayhem from just "Beat them to death with whatever" to being able to actually spec towards how you want to beat them to death, or assist your group if you're playing it co-op.
Instead of just saying "Hey I'm gonna be our front man" or "Hey I'll stab them in the ear while you distract them!" You can actually build towards that end, a small bonus but one that's appreciated.
But the main issue with the game is, and I believe its main failing...is a problem of game style. It is trying to be a survival horror game in a co-op fashion. Which just doesn't work.
Anyone that tries to point out L4D or Killing Floor as "Survival Horror" Please get off the meds.
As for the problems people have with the characters, I'm glad for once that they are not all pandering altruistic idiots. I mean...in survival situations sometimes selfish **** end up just plain doing better than your run of the mill gullible idiot.
Regardless, how you play Dead Island really will effect how you enjoy it. If you play it solo, while you might miss out on some co-op fun you will get more of the atmosphere of a survival horror game.
The groans of zombies in the distance against the backdrop of a beautiful vacation resort will seem more ominous, tension builds more easily. You get a more visceral experience out of it. This feeling of survival atmosphere is hard to keep when you're with your friends making crude jokes and kicking fallen zombies in the groin before moving on. The inclusion of more people in your group greatly diminishes any real feelings of tension or fear even without the aforementioned kidding around.
On the other hand, playing together with others and rationing equipment and fighting through hordes of zombies together can also be highly fun for the right audience. What you like and how you play the game will greatly influence how much you happen to enjoy it.
However, in the end...lets face it, the game is and was being marketed as a open world atmospheric survival horror....co-op game. And frankly, the two just don't mix. Its major failing is trying to work in a way that is anathema to the genre.
However it is still an entertaining game either way, though I have a feeling that might be somewhat due to the fact that it is in fact the only game of its type. It has no competition in it's exact style and that probably helps it a good bit.
Either way if you like zombies and open world games, or co-op. You could do worse than picking up a copy of Dead Island as long as you are not paying more than $30.