I've never played the first Dead Island, and I generally don't lean towards FPS melee games. However, after seeing some mixed reviews and catching it on sale, I decided to give Dead Island 2 a shot. I can honestly say it wasn't a bad experience.
The game kicks off a bit slow, but not in a boring way. At the beginning, the weapons feel pretty weak, which made the combat less thrilling than I hoped. Still, I'm glad I pushed through the first couple of hours because it started to get much better. As I progressed in the main campaign, I unlocked more moves and got my hands on better weapons. Upgrading them really made a difference, and I found spears to be particularly effective.
One aspect I really enjoyed was the variety of enemies. The fact that their zombie forms reflect their previous jobs added an interesting twist. For example, seeing firemen zombies that can't burn or police zombies trying to shoot at you was pretty cool. The splatter effects when you hit them are fantastic, really giving a sense that your actions mean something. Later on, you do come across guns, which shakes things up a bit. While some guns didn't feel super powerful, they were still decent enough to mix in with the melee combat.
The game has a semi-open world layout, letting you explore and take on side missions, which is great for leveling up and gathering materials for upgrades. You've got to be cautious, though, since some zombies are pretty high level, making it smart to avoid certain areas until you're stronger. The story is there, balancing serious moments with some tongue-in-cheek humor, kind of like how it's done in Far Cry games. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the game.
Surprisingly, the boss battles were a highlight for me. It's always refreshing to see some originality in zombie games. The sound effects are spot on too, adding to the whole creepy atmosphere. Graphically, the game looks quite good, runs smoothly, and has impressive visuals.
On the downside, as I mentioned earlier, I didn't find myself overly engaged. I often could only play for about 90 minutes before I felt ready to take a break. So, this is a game best enjoyed in moderation. Overall, for someone like me who's not a huge fan of the genre, Dead Island 2 turned out to be a fun way to pass the time. It's not going to be at the top of my list, but I can see how fans of the first game would appreciate it.
