So when I get a new videogame I get Pit bull syndrome: I can't let go of it until I'm done. Recently I picked up Dead Island, and while I can't say it's a particularly great game, I played this game for hours on end until I beat it... twice.
The concept of the game is pretty solid: pick up a weapon and beat Zombies senseless with it. In addition to being an adventure there are tons of elements of an RPG, which in my opinion makes for an addicting blend of action, strategy, and addiction.
I beat the game once as Logan, and then again, faster and more efficiently, as Xian Mei. Loga, a jack of all trades that excels in throwing weapons, had a really great fury attack, but was pretty shitty in every other way. Xian Mei is terrific with sharpweapons, and towards the end of the game when you've stockpiled enough cash and supplies and you pick up the best weapons, she's pretty dominant.
The pros
Zombie killing- Killing zombies is always fun, and the game's fighting system is pretty good too. Plus, if you play on a high def TV, you can really appreciate how much fun it is to chop off an arm or a head.
The zombies- The zombies are freaking scary! From the basic undead walkers to the Rams to the Butchers, the zombies are very well designed. Furthermore, there is a diverse group of zombies with different skills, all of which can be extremely dangerous. However, every zombie has an exploitable weakness that you can figure out, and if timed right, take advantage of.
Weapons- The customizable weapons are very enjoyable. I, personally, like to have a variety of every customization (shock, fire, poison, impact) so I can take advantage of a variety of circumstances. There's also a wide selection of basic weapon choices from household items do makeshift weapons like pickaxes and crowbars, to designed weapons like katanas and morningstars.
The scenery and graphics- You play in a variety of very beautifully designed areas. The resort is beautiful and romantic, the city is dark and depressing, and the jungle has the dangerous sort of beauty about it. The graphics are all quite impressive as well, as they should be for a game of this magnitude.
The cons
Story- It's an... okay zombie story. The place the virus comes from is actually kind of fascinating, but from there it fizzles out and is full of cliches. Additionally, the cut scenes are loosely put together, and sometimes don't make sense. Furthermore, there are characters in the game that just don't belong. Jin seems to have been added just so the 4 main characters have a compassionate companion, but Xian already covers that role to an extent. Jin is a completely unnecessary character. So is the native character that is supposed to be the brave but tortured soul.
The Missions- The missions grow to be repetitive. "Go get this and bring it back to me," quests make up about half of the game, and the other half are, "go get this and bring this to him." I'm exaggerating of course, as there are a few quests that send you to kill someone, which is always a good time. Still, the quests become redundant after a while.
Travel- You spend a lot of time walking around in this game, especially in the jungle. I don't see any way the game could have prevented this, except maybe by making things closer together, but that would take away from some of the game. It's still a pain in the ass when you have to spend 10 minutes just to get from one location to another.
Bosses- While bosses have the ability to be very tough, there is ALWAYS a quick way to beat them. Sometimes you can just activate your Fury and use it to destroy them. Other times you can just equip your best weapon and, if you distributed your stats correctly, you can make quick work of the boss. For instance, when playing with Logan I must have died about a dozen times against the final boss, but as Xian Mei, I beat the boss in under a minute with my Deathstalker Zed's Demise. He started puking and rapidly losing health, and I just kept slashing away at him with the sword and he went down pretty quickly.
Despite the fact that it can be rather tedious, the game is still a pretty good time. I probably won't be playing it again for a few weeks, but I want to know your opinions on it. If you have an XBox 360 perhaps we can co-op sometime, I haven't actually played with anyone yet.
The concept of the game is pretty solid: pick up a weapon and beat Zombies senseless with it. In addition to being an adventure there are tons of elements of an RPG, which in my opinion makes for an addicting blend of action, strategy, and addiction.
I beat the game once as Logan, and then again, faster and more efficiently, as Xian Mei. Loga, a jack of all trades that excels in throwing weapons, had a really great fury attack, but was pretty shitty in every other way. Xian Mei is terrific with sharpweapons, and towards the end of the game when you've stockpiled enough cash and supplies and you pick up the best weapons, she's pretty dominant.
The pros
Zombie killing- Killing zombies is always fun, and the game's fighting system is pretty good too. Plus, if you play on a high def TV, you can really appreciate how much fun it is to chop off an arm or a head.
The zombies- The zombies are freaking scary! From the basic undead walkers to the Rams to the Butchers, the zombies are very well designed. Furthermore, there is a diverse group of zombies with different skills, all of which can be extremely dangerous. However, every zombie has an exploitable weakness that you can figure out, and if timed right, take advantage of.
Weapons- The customizable weapons are very enjoyable. I, personally, like to have a variety of every customization (shock, fire, poison, impact) so I can take advantage of a variety of circumstances. There's also a wide selection of basic weapon choices from household items do makeshift weapons like pickaxes and crowbars, to designed weapons like katanas and morningstars.
The scenery and graphics- You play in a variety of very beautifully designed areas. The resort is beautiful and romantic, the city is dark and depressing, and the jungle has the dangerous sort of beauty about it. The graphics are all quite impressive as well, as they should be for a game of this magnitude.
The cons
Story- It's an... okay zombie story. The place the virus comes from is actually kind of fascinating, but from there it fizzles out and is full of cliches. Additionally, the cut scenes are loosely put together, and sometimes don't make sense. Furthermore, there are characters in the game that just don't belong. Jin seems to have been added just so the 4 main characters have a compassionate companion, but Xian already covers that role to an extent. Jin is a completely unnecessary character. So is the native character that is supposed to be the brave but tortured soul.
The Missions- The missions grow to be repetitive. "Go get this and bring it back to me," quests make up about half of the game, and the other half are, "go get this and bring this to him." I'm exaggerating of course, as there are a few quests that send you to kill someone, which is always a good time. Still, the quests become redundant after a while.
Travel- You spend a lot of time walking around in this game, especially in the jungle. I don't see any way the game could have prevented this, except maybe by making things closer together, but that would take away from some of the game. It's still a pain in the ass when you have to spend 10 minutes just to get from one location to another.
Bosses- While bosses have the ability to be very tough, there is ALWAYS a quick way to beat them. Sometimes you can just activate your Fury and use it to destroy them. Other times you can just equip your best weapon and, if you distributed your stats correctly, you can make quick work of the boss. For instance, when playing with Logan I must have died about a dozen times against the final boss, but as Xian Mei, I beat the boss in under a minute with my Deathstalker Zed's Demise. He started puking and rapidly losing health, and I just kept slashing away at him with the sword and he went down pretty quickly.
Despite the fact that it can be rather tedious, the game is still a pretty good time. I probably won't be playing it again for a few weeks, but I want to know your opinions on it. If you have an XBox 360 perhaps we can co-op sometime, I haven't actually played with anyone yet.
