Dead Island and Running Amok: A Video Game Review (X-Box)

Developers: Techland.

Publishers: Deep Silver.

Lots of reviews on the video game Dead Island begin with a comparison of the game's trailer and how the game is not as emotive as the clip e.g. Eurogamer. Well, here is a tip reviewers, marketing and programming are two different branches in any video game company. The goal of marketers is to sell a game, while programmers try to produce something enjoyable through coding. Of course the trailer is different from the game. That pet peeve aside, Dead Island released September 6th on X-Box, PS3, and PC. In this reviewer's hometown the game sold out twice, very quickly. Dead Island was developed by Techland (Call of Juarez) and released by Deep Silver (Risen) and the results, thus far, are pretty impressive. The excellent graphics, diverse gameplay and co-op experience make for a very fun time in a simulated zombie apocalypse.

The game begins with your choice of four players: Purna, Logan, Sam B and Xian Mei. Each character has different specialities; for instance, Xian Mei is excellent with bladed weapons. As well, each characters' back story is different, with Mei a Chinese spy and hotel worker. On the other side of the field lie the zombies and they are plentiful. There are your standard walkers a la George A. Romero or your infected a la Danny Boyle (28 Days Later). Also, there are suiciders who blow up when you approach, while whispering "help me!" Finally, there are thugs, who are large zombies, rams and a few other creatures roaming the island of Banoi. There was even mention of Jason from Friday the 13th appearing at one of the isolated locales in one review. All of the characters and a massive playing field give players a lot of room to put their imagination to the test.

One of the best elements of the game for this user was the ease and appeal of the co-op mode or multiplayer mode. Each player can invite three other players into their world to create the ultimate zombie hunting team. The VOIP for this player was effortless and playing with a new or old friend can create a lot of laughs, as some players' driving skills can be a little off-setting. This reviewer would recommend players find someone who is at the same skill level and experience, so that the game's mystery can be explored simultaneously. Otherwise, you might get paired up with someone who has completed the game previously and who is overly anxious to solve all of the missions for you, not with you.

Here is a brief look at some of the game's negatives. This player's experience involved two noticeable bugs. One was minor, involving a completed quest. After saying yes to a car rescue, the rescuee was already out of the vehicle. That was strange and this instance was experienced in co-op. The other bug was major. While completing the "Misery Wagon" quest, the waypoint would only point to the first safe house, the lighthouse. There was no help and no hints as to how to begin this quest because of some sort of programming error. This player had to reset and load again to eventually find a mechanic's shop.

However, the majority of the game is seamless as you go about hacking limbs off of zombies. It is pretty extraordinary to see an armless thug approaching, as he squirts blood and other gore. As well, the quests range from retrieval based e.g. "can you get my teddy bear?" or "can you get my necklace?" to investigating downed helicopters and airplanes. Some of the quests seem bizarre. Who would risk their life for a teddy bear in a zombie apocalypse, especially for an emotionally challenged individual? Yet, the long list of quests keep you busy, while you load up your complex skill tree. There are truly hours of play here, as one co-op player mentioned he was level 199 and still working on his skill tree. That is unbelievable!

There are hours of gameplay within Dead Island and the game has replayability based on the character classes. There are also several hundred square miles of Banoi to search out for more zombies and missions. Everything also looks excellent visually and the co-op play is a laugh a minute. If you are a gamer and specifically a horror or survivalist horror gamer, then you will likely enjoy this title. Give Dead Island a try, if you can find it rotting at your local electronics store.

Story/characters/believability: 7 (some of the quests are unbelievable e.g. "get me champagne," who needs champagne in a z.a.?).
Action/interaction/playability: 8 (there is a ton of action here and lots to do, there are no problems between input and action on the screen).
Graphics/environments: 8.5 (everything looks spectacular, especially the close-up battles).

Overall: 7.8 out of 10 (buy it).

Another review of Dead Island at IGN:

Dead Island Reviewed at IGN

Dead Island reviewed at Euro Gamer:

Dead Island Reviewed at Euro Gamer

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