Dead Island 2

I loved the first 2 Dead Island games (Part 1 and Riptide) I had a lot fun with them and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't doing the same with Dead Island 2.

But there are some really glaring issues with it.

First off, the graphics, for a game that's taken over a decade to make and it being released on the next gen consoles, the graphics in this game are pretty weak. There's some things that look good such as water effects but then there's other things that look straight out of a PS3 game, fire and weather effects, character models all look dated and they do take a while to get used to as it makes this feel like more of an indy game than a full price AAA game.

This also suffers from the lazy trope of having the same zombie models and items just being re used over and over and over again to the point where You're being hit with deja vue every few minutes. There's not enough variety and in one battle I was having, I was attacked by a stream of zombies coming through some gates that I had to fend off and I had to kill the exact same one 5 times, same face, same clothes, it felt thankless and it gets boring.

Secondly, and this is a big one for me, the spawning rate of the enemies in this game is ridiculous. You don't get to properly explore anything because you can spend half an hour clearing out an area, only for you to literally walk a few yards away and they re spawn, sometimes right in front of you. I've cleared areas in this and while trying to pick up some dropped items, a bunch of pixels has formed in front of me that has then turned into an attacking zombie and I'm left doing the exact same thing I've just done over again, it get's old and tired really fast and you never get to explore the areas you're in.

You can clear out an area and while trying to have a look around, a zombie will appear right behind you and start attacking you despite there being nothing around you for miles just a few seconds ago, almost like it's just fallen out of the sky. It kills the feeling of dread and wonder and the excitement of exploration.

At the start of the game you have to select one of 6 characters, all with unique skill sets and looks but the problem with this, is that it alienates certain people who are playing the game.

The best 2 characters for skill sets, meaning the 2 strongest overall players, are a wisecracking hipster black guy and a 'strong female kick ass Latina' character, which is great if you happen to identify with those traits, but myself, as a white male, the only 2 characters that cover that are absolutely useless, by far the weakest and worst of the characters there. It's like they've done it on purpose to push 'The message' that Hollywood and game studios are ramming down everyone's throats at present.

By all means, represent different types of people in games but don't do that by insulting and demeaning others. Seriously, all the tough, battle hardened and resourceful characters in the game are people of colour or women, all the while men in this are pathetic and weak, just why do that?

I don't understand why they couldn't have different characters and different types of skill sets and let EVERYONE who plays the game choose a skill set AND a character to go with it instead of pre determining these. Basically, if you want to play as a white male, you're punished for doing so with weaker skills and attributes, it's crazy.

The game play itself is pretty solid, weapons are plentiful and you can mod them to your liking and fighting and shooting feels fairly satisfying although for some unknown reason the game devs thought it would be a good idea to bring back one of, if not the worst gameplay mechanic ever created, one that almost everyone hates, quick time events. The amount of times I have been in battle and had the game thrust me into the same attack animation that I have to bash the square button until it fills a circle and then press R2 to get out of is crazy. NO ONE LIKES THIS, it's why most games stopped using it years ago.

The sound and music are not much to write home about, some of the music is so grating that I had to go into the options and turn it off as it was doing my head in.

Some of the characters in the game are just awful and some of the tasks and missions they give you are dire. One of them, an annoying social media influencer (yawn) wants you to fend off waves of zombies on a roof top and kill them in certain ways so she can film it for her social media account IN A POST APOLACYPTIC ZOMBIE INFESTED WORLD WHERE ALMOST EVERYONE IS DEAD. She's whiny, full of 'Oh my god, this is sooooo awesome yall' and 'Word up' type comments and it's been done to death a million times before. There's several stages to this and while she's waffling on and barely explaining what she wants you to do with the next wave, you're still being attacked and having to fight for your life and therefore miss what it is she's telling you to do. Then you're left with a mission objective that literally says 'Mop up for some epic movie B roll' HOW are you meant to understand what this wants you to do, I literally had to pause the game an look it up on Google.

Most of the voice work is fairly generic, not terrible but nothing really stands out.

Also, while parts of this game are open world, it's very small open world and most of what you do is linear and the whole thing feels like a scaled down version of the first game.

Overall, while the gameplay is solid for the most part and combat is enjoyable, there is some fun to be had here, I won't lie, but it has so many glaring issues for this to be a truly standout game and it just feels so bang average and for a game that's taken so long to develop, it's a massive missed opportunity.

I just miss the days when you chose your male or female character the npc's would refer to you as he or she, the they them thing is annoying and feels rude to me but apart from that it's a good game so far.

The scenery is gorgeous and looks deliberate, like not photorealistic, the combat relies on your characters stats and your timing more then fancy moves say like God Of War.

Health is abundant so there's no excuse for running out and my fave character so far is Dani, she's funny and says similar things as I'd say in the same situation haha.

Story is straightforward, survive! Simple.

Music, hmm atmospheric and poppin' so far. No complaints.

One aspect I like best is that it's not open world, their choice to stay liner is very welcome in this current environment of wayyyy too big worlds that in the real world no one has that much time to explore. For me personally worlds getting bigger puts me off games, too much to do and long quests means I don't have the time to do even one quest, then I lose interest because it goes on for soooooo long.

My thanks to Deep Silver.

If you're a fan of the zombie genre, this will be a good game at full price, and a great game on sale.

The game focuses on the outbreak, and the zombies, with combat being the main draw here. Combat is relatively straightforward, but some weapon mods and environmental cues make it more engaging. The gore mechanic is well done, and is the standout of this game. No game I've ever played has realistic of a hack-and-slash mechanic as Dead Island 2.

As expected, the story is weak, but has a few memorable moments. You could probably argue that the vapidness of most of the characters is intentional, but that's a cop out. Mostly, the story serves as a mechanism to introduce new areas and mechanics. That's not a bad thing, but the main story is only like 10 hours long if you really streamline it.

This game will be short and fun for most people. To get every achievement took me around 30ish hours. I'm sure there's quicker routes though. This game will likely entertain you for 15-20 hours if you do a few sides, run around, and complete the story. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you will too.

I love single player story games, but the issue usually is that they just dont have the best gameplay... BUT THIS GAME HAS THE BEST MELEE COMBAT AND PHYSICS EVER! I know i might sound like im insane but the gore in this game is second to none, all weapons feel satisfying and the characters are really fun. My favorite character is jacob, hes so witty and seems so unbothered by whats around him. I also love SAM B, hes just a purebred badass. And the open world! Omg i love how much it feels like im in L. A and the different small worlds feel unique enough to be their own place

I would have given the game a 10 but the only reason im not is that you cant skip cutscenes because so much stuff happens in them.

Dead Island 2 was a pleasant surprise. Most games that go through development hell never come out or get lots of negative feedback when released. Dead island 2 went the second way. I strongly disagree with the people who hate on this game. While its cringy brainless and a bit generic and short I love it. I love the tropical, exotic and steampunk feel. It's a dark comedy massacre, I'm talking chainsaws, sledgehammer flamethrower, goofy but visceral horror. The in depth F. L. E. S. H blood and gore system is satisfyingly unique and disgusting. I love the copious amounts of playful, horrific chaos. It provided me with hours of fun (Not to mention the co-op) Its just open and fun. I'm also a big fun of the zombie genre. Simple, different and good.