Dead Island - A zombie take overThis game was referred to me by a fellow gamer friend of mine. He told me how amazing it was so I decided I had to go out and buy it right away. It was very worth it for the price it is. At the time of the release of this game and still even now there is a HUGE zombie hype right now. And there are a lot of zombie games out there, so of course I thought this one would be pretty generic. What caught me about this game is yes, the story has been done and yes zombies have been done. But never combined like the creators have in this game. It is a two part game so to complete the story you must also buy the game "Dead Island: Riptide". This game is set on the island of Banoi. When you start you get your choice between four different characters. Each of which have their own different weapon specialty's and special attacks called "Fury" or "Rage". As well they have their own unique back story's that end up bringing them together for the fight of their life. No matter what character you choose the story will be the same. The only thing that will slightly change is the dialog but that not even by much.
Purna (Support) (my weapon of choice) - A former Australian police officer who lost her career due to a faulty trial tries to start a new life as a personal body guard to the VIPs that travel to dangerous places all over the world. I'm sure this isn't what her clients had in mind though. Her weapon specialty of course is firearms. With her "fury" attack being a revolver with unlimited ammo. Of course for the full affect this must be activated and upgraded as you level up during your game play.
Xian Mei (Assassin) - A desk clerk at the Royal Palms Resort on the island. Her father was an cop killed in the line of duty. And she became a spy for the Chinese government. Its not clear if that is why she is here on the island. Her weapon specialty is blade weapons. This is very fun as there are some really cool blade weapons in this game. Her "Fury" attack is a small blade which she uses to slice and dice up zombie hoards. Again this must be activated and upgraded though the talent tree.
Sam B.(Tank) - A one-hit wonder rapper. Which in the opening scene is performing his single at the Royal Palms Resort, for a party that is going on during the outbreak. His life is not exactly perfect and most of his friends are now "fake" friends. His weapon specialty is blunt weapons. His "Fury" attack is his fists of fury. He is overloaded with strength to take down those big mobs. You guessed it, you have to activate and upgrade this on your characters talent tree.
Logan Carter (Jack of all trades) - A spoiled former football player who's ego got the best of him causing him to crash his car killing his passenger and rendering him unable to continue his football career due to his injuries sustained in the accident. He is here on the island for an all expenses paid trip. Great timing. His weapon specialty is throwing knives. When "Fury" is active he uses his throwing knives and is able to throw them unlimitedly until his "Fury" is complete. Again of course you must activate and upgrade this through the talent tree.
As you level these characters up you use a talent tree system to upgrade their specialties and you can gain new skills and attacks. Mind how you level your character up as when you level up so do the hoards of zombies.
Another great thing about this game is its multi player capabilities. You can play the story mode with up to three other players either online or split screen. As well as in the battle arena. One problem this game has is it has been known to have some glitches. But they are only a minor set back in this game and don't generally cause many problems if any at all. Again this is another game that you can spend hours in especially if you are an achievement or trophy hunter like I am. The problem with these achievements and trophies are that a lot of them are multi player orientated. This being said after awhile it will pose very difficult to get %100 completion on your trophies or achievements unless you have a good online friend base. If all else fails go online to forums or here on Vizzed and just start a post asking someone to grind with you. People are usually more then willing you just have to ask!
Graphics - 8
Although basic the graphics in this game aren't to bad. Sometimes they are a little glitchy but generally they are smooth and pretty detailed for a game with no predecessor to promote it. I found that sometimes it would take a bit to load the full screen when you get somewhere but that was very few and far between. This game is set on an nice (well was nice) tropical island. So there are a lot of pretty sites to look at, which will make you enjoy the feel of the game even more.
Sound - 8
The music in this game really plays well with the story. It definitely plays your emotions to how you should feel at that exactly moment. From being scared or sad to amping you up for a big battle. Sometimes you will find yourself thinking you are safe from an attack and then all of a sudden you hear a zombie and you know to prepare yourself and fast. The sounds affects were done very well in this game and the dialog between the characters is both amusing and helpful. I cant leave out the way they each interact with others is pretty amusing as well.
Addictiveness - 8
On my first play though I didn't put the game down. It kept me very interested in what was going to happen next. It even caused me to go out and buy the second part right away when I finished it. Playing through it a second time to collect trophies and such wasn't as addicting but still kept me interested enough to keep play. I still throw this game in sometimes for some zombie killing. Its a perfect game because it pulls you in and grabs your attention but doesn't take over your life.
Story - 9
This is a very well written story and very well could have been used for a movie. The bring together characters very well and leave next to no holes or questions in the story. The first time you play the game you play the prologue of the story. When you play the game a second time or start a new character you get the option to replay this or skip it. This prologue shows you what was going on when the outbreak occurred. You get a feel for your environment and basic controls before having to fight any zombies. It follows with a strong story line and a great adventure. I cant say much more about it without it being a spoiler. Though I will say you can only complete the story by playing the second part of this game "Dead Island: Riptide". Well worth it.
Depth - 8
The story's twist and turns are very in depth and if you are not paying attention you will likely miss something important. You must repair weapons before they break. Some weapons even if they cant be used due to durability you can repair them at a workbench when you find one. Some weapons like boat oars and crowbars will just break and you will automatically drop them. Also with repairing your weapons you can upgrade them four points and add mods to them. You can find mods around the map and some are received from completing quests and returning to the quest giver to collect it. There is also a side quest that you have to collect certain coloured skulls and put them in a certain spot for an uber mod for your weapon. I haven't done these myself so there is not much more I can say on them. It is a lengthily process.
Overall - 8.7
This game is fun and there are lots of things to do and places to explore. You can play with friends or stranger from all over the world and experience the story together. There are different modes you can play in where you just kill hoards of zombies with your moderated weapons. Tons of hours of fun to be had playing this game. I hope you enjoy exploring the island and learning what when wrong. The ending is really amazing (again must play the second part to get the full ending). this game is definitely worth a play though even if its just for the story, but if you are the kind of gamer I am and you love that doing that extra stuff you will really enjoy both the story and the adventure.
Graphics
8 Sound
8 Addictive
8 Depth
8 Story
9 Difficulty
8
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