Dead Island is an extremely satisfying rampage of zombie killing, but unfortunately it has some technical flaws.
GAMEPLAY: Highly addictive, enough said. Never before has beheading a zombie with a spiked baseball bat been so satisfying. Killing zombies is Dead Island's core piece of gameplay. You can pick up just about any weapon you see lying on the ground, whether it be a hammer, a paddle, or, later in the game, perhaps a revolver or a rifle. This game is realistic though, so don't expect to endlessly hack-and-slash your way through dozens of zombies. You have a stamina bar which drains every time you jump or attack a zombie. Your health drains quickly and it does not regenerate after time unless you choose a specific skill which allows this, or you eat snacks, fruit, or energy drinks found throughout the island. These health-givers cannot be stored, which makes the game even more challenging. However, you can purchase and store medkits of various strengths. Limbs can be chopped off of zombies freely, and realistic blood oozes out. If enough damage is inflicted, you can also start to see the zombie's flesh and bones become visible. Weapons degrade over time, and often break, so you must find a workbench to repair them or create entirely new ones out of components you find on the island.
There are numerous quests in Dead Island, most of them being side quests. Completing these side quests as well as killing zombies will award you experience. You can level up your character when you have accumulated sufficient experience, and you can choose a new skill tree or skill to pursue each time you do. These skills range from something simple like dealing more damage with blunt weapons, to more unique ones such as gaining a resistance to fire. As you level up, you certainly feel more powerful, but zombies level with you, so prepare for increased challenge.
Apart from combat, there is also a large island to explore, collectibles to find, and thousands of containers to loot.
Oh, and there is online co-op. SUPER FUN.
GRAPHICS: Dead Island runs on Chrome Engine 5, and the island is GORGEOUS. Water is perfectly blue and makes you jealous that you aren't on Banoi! Hundreds of micro-plants strewn across the ground move with the wind, as do trees, and make for a very realistic landscape. Character models and animations are also very good, and textures are high-res. Everything looks great, and the best part, there is no lag! However, there is one flaw in the visuals department. Texture pop-ins. Everytime the game loads up or you enter a new area, it takes a while for the textures to load properly. This doesn't totally ruin the beauty of the game, but it mars it quite significantly.
AUDIO/SOUNDTRACK: Great soundtrack, lots of strings and piano. Very sad music will play when you encounter one man in particular who lost his entire family. Ambience sounds great, but I noticed sometimes the sound cuts off. On top of that, the voiceacting in this game is mediocre at best. Most of the time it sounds REALLY cheesy to the point that it's actually funny to hear.
VERDICT: Although Dead Island definitely has its technical flaws, it is nonetheless a pretty cool RPG with an awesome combat system that you simply cannot pass down.
PROS:
- Beautiful, lush island to explore
- Lots of quests to keep you busy
- Killing zombies is an absolute blast
- Creating new weapons is rewarding
CONS:
- Texture pop-ins are frequent
- UI does nothing special
- Sound cuts off occassionally
- Dialogue can seem corny at times