VideoGame Dr. Vegas's Otaku Review
once in a while a game comes out that is flawed but has the potential to be an instant classic. Dead Island is one of these games. Watching the "little girl" trailer made me sad before I apparently lost my ability to feel sad thanks to Elfen Leid however now I am getting off topic. From the starting moments of dead island it is instantly apparent that the game is more than your standard zombie game such as Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead, this game is actually able to conjure up something in me that no other zombie game save one was able to make me feel, that other game was Last Stand Union City. That feeling, was in fact: dread, and possibly even fear.
That being said this isn't a game without it's share of flaws and since I have sung nothing but praise until now, I won't hold back. Upon starting the game I noticed several things. Maybe it was just me but I think the controls are a bit slippery and thanks to that level of slip I died more than once. The vehicle controls are also a bit slippery and it is awkward enough controlling a vehicle from the first person (which I actually think is a pleasant change from most games) let alone controlling a vehicle from the right side instead of the left (being an American I am used to driving on the left) and upon playing the game for lengthy periods of time I noticed some textures failed to load at first but that is excusable since they load eventually and this isn't a game about graphics (although the game is very beautiful) the other thing that isn't as excusable is invisible walls at the weirdest location.
For example, once in the game i found an opening in a fence that you could supposedly go through to access a chest but the opening being in fact solid (you could access the chest through the fence anyway but I didn't have high enough lockpick, go figure. (whoah, Deja Vu) The last thing I will touch upon is actually very amusing zombie spawning, like say in the middle of an electrical field or a fire pit. Not a glitch (maybe) but funny as hell sometimes.
Verdict: Flawed, but a must have for any zombie game collection.
9/10
this had been Dr. Vegas, tune in next time when i will review Deus Ex: Human revolution
(yes i know my grammar are terrible)
VideoGame In no way does the trailer reflect my view of the game itself.
Dead Island. The name conjures up a harrowing, Tear Jerker of a trailer that was an Internet phenomenon. It's easy to be taken in by it and let it affect how the game itself plays. I'm not going to do that. Instead I'll focus on the game itself.
Despite the criticism leveled at the game there's much it does do right. For one the scenery is very pretty, with highly detailed and polished settings. The music and sounds of the infected is horrifying and really add to the feeling of dread. Speaking of which the game is not afraid to get it's hands dirty. It's a wonder the first game escaped an R rating, it starts with a beach that looks like a battlefield where you slice apart zombies with horrific mutilations and it gets worse from there. There are really dark, disturbing things in the game, short sharp shocks akin to the trailer. The analogue controls for combat is a nice addition and once learned work well. And whether you are working to play through the game or just playing around killing zombies the game is fun to play online with the drop in/ drop out system.
And that's the whole point. I had fun playing this. Despite the Grim Dark nature and promotion suggesting it would be too unsettling to be enjoyable I do enjoy playing alone or having others pop into my game and do quests or dick around. In fact my biggest gripe is not the game itself but the trailer, the gender wars issue, being released virtually ten years after 9/11. While it has an effect on my enjoyment of the game putting my prejudices aside it would be unfair to include this in rating the game.
Instead I can point out the characters are okay, but don't have the appeal of many in other similar games. The character and weapon models look off, very well done but not competing with the scenery and there are a few graphical bugs but even Mass Effect had those. Some of the characters and voice acting is not right. The controls are a little slippery and on default much too quick. Weapons break far too easily. And while the game is fun it works better playing an hour online than a session finding all the Tear Jerker moments in the game.
To sum up this is the Grand Theft Auto of zombie games. Putting the dark and graphic nature of the game aside it's clear this is a labor of love, and for that I award it 7/10. Just please, Techland, use more restraint in future promotion.