Dead Island Review

I just beat Dead Island today and I figure I'll give my opinions on it. 


My friends and I pre-ordered Dead Island for the PC though Steam and while the game is fun it has some major flaws.   My main gripe with the game is they obviously didn't test this game for computer consumption.  Within an hour of playing the game 3/4 of my friends became motion sick.  I looked online and this problem was not uncommon.  Supposedly Dead Island was made for consoles and ported to PC's.  This meant they didn't account for PC gamers to be sitting 3-5 times closer to their monitors than console gamers.  There are mods for the game to help people fix screen tearing, lagging, FOV, and motion sickness but cmon they hyped this game up so much and the day it's released we get the developer version. 




Gameplay: 5/10
This game was actually really fun... until they introduced the Infected type zombies.  These guys are fast as hell and often outrun your character.  They also clip though doors and will often  respawn near you resulting in a quick death.

I was often forced into fighting zombies in a tighter spot.  I would think that it was a beach resort that there would be more open beaches and such but a lot of the game has you fighting zombies in tight areas making it really hard to maneuver.  Rarely you have to walk single file so if someone chose Sam B have him in front with Logan or Purna covering the rear using throwing weapons or guns.  

Be prepared to do the same quests over, and over, and over, and over, and over again until your head explodes from the repetitiveness.  

Each zombie was not very unique and a lot of them were taken or seemed to be based off of other media. 

One of the main features being pushed was the ability to create new and awesome weapons.   This turned out to be adding elemental damage to your weapon...  i thought we could make something awesome like the dual headed chainsaw from Dead Rising 2 but I was sorely disappointed in finding out making weapons was  basically taking your melee/gun then adding fire/electricity/explosive/toxic damage to it.

Guns were never a big thing in Dead Island.  I would expect that like other zombie media that one, maybe two head shots would be able to take a zombie down for good.  Not Dead Island.  You'll often need at least five head shots to take a zombie down, less if you have skills in firearms.   If you want an overpowered end game character choose Purna because her gun and fury skills make the game really easy.

Zombies don't try to bite you unless you cut off both of their arms or you fall down because of they latch onto you.  When the zombies latch onto you a quicktime event starts and (default controls) you need to his the left mouse button then the right mouse button to escape them.  This button sequence does not change thoughout the game so it becomes more a pain in the bum pushing the same two buttons to get out of the zombie' grip. 

My biggest gripe with the game is the stamina bar.  You run out of this far too quickly and I found out that without stamina the zombies can push you down.  Getting back up takes your character a good five seconds to get up making in a pain in the butt watching the same "get up" animation over and over again. 

Graphics: 7/10
Really nice.  I feel like I am on a tropical island.  *Minor spoiler* I wish the whole game took place near the beach though.

Sometimes the graphics tear but I hear it's because they didn't port this game well. The game engine isn't used to people using a mouse and keyboard to look and move around at the same time.

I wish they had raised up the Field of Vision because it feels like I am a five year old running around the Island.  Railings coming up to my eyes felt really awkward as I was maneuvering around. 

Sound: 7/10
For the first play though the zombies and  music sound great.  When fighting monsters the music changes to something frantic.  However sometimes that music doesn't die down so I thought I was going to get attacked by a zombie but it turned out to be nothing.  Hearing the same zombies over and over again however as really boring and the voice acting in this game was kind of dull. 

Story: 2/10
Do not read the below if you do not want the game spoiled for you in any way.  These might not be massive but they will spoil the story line if you continue.  In other words do not buy this game expecting a great story.  This is definitely the weakest point of Dead Island. 

***MASSIVE SPOILERS***
 You start by choosing a character  with a pretty extensive background story.  This doesn't matter in the least.  All the cut scenes are the same and all the characters are present for each cut scene.  This was probably done to save money on the cut scenes and also because there is no limit on the characters chosen in multiplayer.  You can have four Sam Bs on the screen at the same time if so desired.

What's really dumb is how you wake up in a similar if not the same room from the intro movie.  I say it's dumb because the character you choose wakes up in the same spot the random drunk guy in the beginning falls asleep in.  Shortly after you find out you are immune to the virus and have to go out saving people while trying to follow the voice over the radio promising to help you get off the island. 

A lot of the story happens offscreen so you do not know what happened.  When you meet up with companion NPC's something often happened while you were doing a stupid quest.  "While you were out gathering items for the 12032039th time all the people you just met and were helping dies horribly! So forget about what you were just doing and start this new quest which requires you to run down tight corridors or in a sewer!

You never learn why there are zombies on the island and the ending sets you up for a another entry in the series. 

The main thing that bugged me about the story is the NPC Lin.  When the crap hit the fan she got it the worst.  Her father is bit, she gets raped later, she has to go back to kill her father, she needs to be protected,  and she is finally killed off during the final boss.  She was so pointless other than to carry items around.  I feel sorry for her though. 

There is no closure to the game's ending.  There's fake news report says they might send in help to the others but what about all the other NPCs you promised to help in the first place?  Did good ole' Sinimoi die or what?  You spend almost the whole game helping him out and at the last second all the characters decide to bounce without letting him know they were leaving to try to get help.  Also you meet a guy near the end of the game who has a boat and can get past the minefield surrounding this island.  I would think that even in a monsoon taking a helicopter can be just as dangerous as a boat  and not to mention it didn't look like the helicopter was a huge one that could stay in the air for a long time.  Maybe the boat didn't have enough fuel? 

NPC's say the same thing to all the characters so it doesn't matter if you choose  a girl or not.  Everyone is labeled male in this game. 

Re-playability: 6/10
While you can choose four different characters, in the end they start to feel the same.   *Mini-spoiler here.*  After you beat the game you can use the same character to start the game over so if you think you're missed a quest there is always the option to play it again the second time though. 



For $40-$60 I say you should pass and buy another game for now.  If you must pick up this game try to rent it first if possible that way if you do get motion sick like me there is no harm come time to return it.