First I would like to mention, I played this game with the p atch, a lot of reviewers probably didn't and this is probably why this game got a lower score. I encountered no bugs with the patch.
I finished dead island a couple of days ago and it occurred to me when I started playing this game I haven't stopped playing everyday till I finished it with averages of 8 hours a day.
This game is an action rpg. You level up through xp points. You get xp point by killing enemies, completing quests and side quests. You can improve your skills when leveling up. You can also buy weapons , upgrade weapons and make custom weapons. The game has an inventory system for weapons and all kind of other stuff , stuff you can pick up , use it to make custom weapons or sell it for money.
You have several types of weapons but the power and stats of them are always different so apart from the looks you have a zillion weapons, in this regard the game resembles a lot like borderlands but that's also where the similarities stop.
You start this game as one of four characters (if you play single player, you have co-op up to four players). Each specializes better in one of these areas, knives (throwing), melee and firearms. Every character can do all these things, they just specialize in one or more of these areas.
You wake up in a hotel on a tropical island resort with a hangover after a wild night and some things are weird, as you probably know, a lot of people have turned into zombies.
Your goals are surviving, helping people so you can help each other and try to get off the island.
This game is very immersive, you will have several heart attacks in this game, especially in the beginning. The game has a way of drawing you in, you will forget the world around you. If you level up and choose your skills wisely, you will become much stronger and feel more confident allthough you will never feel overpowered, in some scenarios you will still prefer to hide and run instead of attack.
The graphics of the game are wonderfull and vast, It's nothing technical groundbreaking but the open world of dead island is a piece of art. The same for the characters, the zombies, I don't think I have seen twice the same zombie and they look like real.
The gameplay is top notch, slaughtering zombies has never been so much fun, chopping of their arms and they still want to bite you. Blood everywhere, this is one of the goriest games I've ever played.
The game is also pretty big , it took me around 80 hours to get through it. The sound and music is excellent, diverse and contributes to immerse you into the game. The voice acting is also very good.
The game has also a humoristic touch in moments which is nice breather from all the horror, you will laugh out loud on some of the audio tapes you find. The humor is not cheesy or something, it reminded me a little of quentin tarantino humor.
This game has cult status.As far as zombie games go , this is the best of the best.