Dead Island Review [Mike's View]

When I first saw the trailers for this, the theme song and the slo-mo cinematic style totally got me hooked. As more information on the game was released the enticement of skill trees, 4 player co-op, and a participatory-deal story plot really got me invested. I bought the game when it was released and have yet to finish it. . .for a good reason.

The game starts of with a drunkard POV cinematic where the person is stumbling around drunk, grabbing ass, being that annoying drunk at the party till shit hits the fan. There are four characters to choose from each with their own stat line and unique weapon style. Right from the bat you are alone and have to reach some other survivors. From there you do quests to receive money and experience. You can choose to do some quests, even main-plot ones, but why ignore them when you obviously need to do them to beef up your character. Meeting with different factions, doing ridiculous quests that span the entire map is tedious, but rewarding, as items and buffs are awarded to you. Ability to drive is a great perk, but way too simplistic. Ammo, health, and weapons are abundant and re-spawn, this is needed because the zombies and specialty ones are a BITCH. Able to kick is a good feature, especially to evade unnecessary combat. Campaign is linear, but the numerous encounters and side quests divert you from the linear mentality. Playing alone is fun, until you reach the later acts. . .like a city FILLED TO THE BRIM with zombies and specials. . .(that's why I haven't finished it yet because it's really frustrating going into a zombie infected city alone to retrieve a briefcase of valuables).
-> Bottom line game is great, fun, but expect a challenge. Single play is your choice, but the game was intended for 4 players (which must be online=drawback. . .). Weapon crafting is also very linear (compared to Dead Rising 2). Characters are bland, but the harsh realities of a zombie invasion disturbing your vacation brings the realism and works quite well and covers up the NPC personalities. Final say: Good game, play with others, replay value. . .eh, visuals are superb, combat mechanics are decent and reminiscent of L4D, don't come into the game expecting a gun. . .ammo and firearms are RARE, 8.5/10. Happy Slaying!