Dead Island Review

Zombie killing should be its own genre in today’s market of games. With the release of Dead Island, fans of zombie killing have something new to experience with a game that has zombies that can actually hurt you and aren’t easily dispatched. Unfortunately, disturbing glitches plagued the release and trailers had many gamers expecting something else from the final product.

Batter-Up!

Dead Island’s title pretty much sums up the story, with survivors who are stranded on an island trying to survive a zombie out-break. There are some interesting twists and turns in the plot but don’t expect a blockbuster story. Out of the few survivors who are on this crazy island, there are four available to choose as the main character of the game. Each of these four characters has their own specialization in a particular weapon.

Welcome to Dead Island.

Out in the open world, players are met with a pretty backdrop which makes the game feel a little ironic as you bash away a zombie’s brain in broad daylight. The sunshine brings a unique aspect to a zombie game, mostly because it’s so uncommon that your guard will be let down to surprise attacks. However, the dark environments are where the game seems at home. Given a flashlight, which does have a battery life, players will be in some very fearful locations that are well designed.

This isn't Black Ops.

While looking around each dark corner, the game is played from a first-person perspective. With weapon in hand, the focus of the game’s combat is mostly melee. Each weapon you pick up and carry has durability and is usually customizable in some manner with weapon mods. Though there are guns in the game, there are very few in the early chapters which make choosing one of the main characters a little harder to enjoy due to their specialization with them.

Survive or Rage...the choice is yours.

While swinging your weapon of choice around to kill whatever mutated zombie stands in front of you, a stamina bar will be on display depleting. Without stamina, you cannot sprint or attack, adding a little more depth to combat. Also to enhance the combat, Dead Island has a few RPG elements such as leveling, a skill tree system, and questing. The skill trees allow each character can increase their abilities to wreck havoc on zombies or improve their chances of survival. Other than the main story, side-quests are spread throughout the lands to raise your level and reward you with cash, weapons, or mods. Unfortunately, enemy’s level scale with you which is something that personally irritates me in a game that has a leveling system.

He's not too friendly.

Despite all of the good qualities of the game, sadly Dead Island has had a rough release with glitches and bugs. Out of the various bugs, the most annoying had to be the loss of save data while playing online, which is disappointing due to the inviting aspect of the online multiplayer of Dead Island. Combat is also a little off, even with all of the options of upgrades. There is a lack of “feeling” when attacking a zombie that I wish was implemented, such as damaging limbs. The player is forced to just aim for headshots, leaving battles to seem repetitive and un-evolving.

Dead Island is a game that will probably have a mark in the gaming community as the “Zombie” to own. With plenty of hacking and slashing to dish out, survival is just as important and that is probably the best aspect of the game. Unfortunately, some will not be able to see past the glitches and presentation of the game to enjoy the zombie apocalypse. Be sure to voice your opinion of Dead Island in the comment section below and check back with GamersGameplay for other reviews, tips, and news.

Final Score 7/10