An unpolished game that combines the style Borderlands made famous with the bland combat of Dead Rising.

User Rating: 6 | Dead Island PS3
By newkillerstar27 | Review Date:
Dead Island was a game that I really wanted to give a try, even though I'll admit that I'm bored to death with the whole zombie thing. I came very close to buying it, but I'm glad I decided not to. While Dead Island certainly appeals to a specific audience, it really just feels like one of those B-movies shown on the Syfy Channel that never are quite as good as you expect them to be.

GAMEPLAY - In this game you play as one of four characters. Each has a strength when it comes to weapons. One does thrown weapons, one does bladed weapons, one does blunt weapons, and one does firearms. What this game basically is, is it combines the open-world/RPG/FPS experience that Borderlands showcased with the repetitive and dull combat seen in games like Dead Rising. While I do like the idea of using random weapons and seeing them degrade over time, there really isn't much variety to the combat. The game does have quests that sort of push you along through the game (similar to Borderlands), but with the combat the way it is, it's hard to really get into this game. Unless you enjoy games like Dead Rising where you kill zombies for hours on end. - 7/10

STORY - There isn't really much of a story here. The game just kind of pushes you along with quests. All you really know is that you're a survivor of this outbreak, and for whatever reason you're immune to it. Can you smell the cheesiness? I know I can. - 3/10

GRAPHICS - The graphics to this game aren't great either. One thing I noticed was how much this game seems to have repetitive areas also. It seems like there are endless areas with swimming pools, bars, and hotel rooms. This shows a definite lack of polish, and makes this game seem very low budget as a result. - 6.5/10

SOUND - There isn't much in the way of music here. Sound effects are fine, but the voice acting is what really drags this game down. Once again, this game just doesn't excel here. Cliche characters with bad acting just makes for a lame experience. Granted it's not too bad, but it's still nothing beneficial to the game. - 6.5/10

LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - This game seems like it could take some time to beat, which is a plus. You can also pop in and out of your friends' games on multiplayer. Not to mention there are four different characters to play as. So there definitely seems like there is a lot to do here. - 8/10

BOTTOM LINE - Dead Rising is just another game that is looking to cash in on the success of the zombie theme. I can see how it would be a lot of fun for certain people, but I just need more depth and polish in the games I play. What it comes down to is this: If you enjoyed Dead Rising, then this game should be right up your alley. If you didn't, you should probably pass this one up. Dead Rising at least had aspects to it that set it apart. This game just feels like a rough mish-mash of popular gameplay styles. Unfortunately, the bad far outshines the good for me here. - 6/10

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