Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 99
  3. Negative: 6 out of 99
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  1. whitespider999
    Mar 3, 2012
    6
    Borderlands dlc's are for the most part - impressive - like mini expansions. This one does some right, some wrong. It's the most repetitive and mindless of the bunch. The environment is stunning - and small in size and scope. Only really taking up a few areas. Interestingly - this dlc makes the mindless killing kind of more fun than vanilla. By giving you some extra-generic objectives likeBorderlands dlc's are for the most part - impressive - like mini expansions. This one does some right, some wrong. It's the most repetitive and mindless of the bunch. The environment is stunning - and small in size and scope. Only really taking up a few areas. Interestingly - this dlc makes the mindless killing kind of more fun than vanilla. By giving you some extra-generic objectives like 'collect brains' x number. The major flaw is the lack of any improved loot over vanilla. And since that's one of the few things you 'actually think about' in borderlands - that's a pretty big issue. It's also stylistically on par - quality wise, with the main game. Which is good.… Expand
  2. ZachB
    Dec 18, 2009
    7
    It was a good DLC. The gameplay is a little different than the regular game. It felt more like if I was playing L4D, but better than L4D. The bosses are fairly easy, but that's only because I have good guns and items. There is 1 Claptrap near the end that gives a SDU (i think its what there called) bringing your max items to 45 instead or 42. Aside from that, there is nothing much to It was a good DLC. The gameplay is a little different than the regular game. It felt more like if I was playing L4D, but better than L4D. The bosses are fairly easy, but that's only because I have good guns and items. There is 1 Claptrap near the end that gives a SDU (i think its what there called) bringing your max items to 45 instead or 42. Aside from that, there is nothing much to gain item-wise. I did find an orange shotgun but it wasn't that good. The end fight seems a little weak, not really what I expected. But still, for 10$, this is a very big game. The graphics and the feeling they placed feels amasing. I was playing at 3am and I was scared sometimes to be attacked in my back. I look forward to the next DLC.… Expand
  3. Roadtrip
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    Again Borderlands offers unique dark coming style graphics with some great tongue-in-cheek humour in this add-on all about zombies. For some unknown reason I always find it satisfying to turn the undead into the permanently dead. It was a nice touch when shooting a leg out from a zombie it would fall to the ground but continue to crawl toward you. Dr. Ned was lacking in a number of waysAgain Borderlands offers unique dark coming style graphics with some great tongue-in-cheek humour in this add-on all about zombies. For some unknown reason I always find it satisfying to turn the undead into the permanently dead. It was a nice touch when shooting a leg out from a zombie it would fall to the ground but continue to crawl toward you. Dr. Ned was lacking in a number of ways though: no addition to the skill trees, no new weapons at all, and the foes although numerous were incredibly easy to kill for the most part. After a while it became a little monotonous having to re-kill plagues of zombies in a zone that you already cleared because after a mission hand-in you were required to traverse that zone again to get to another zone on the other side. That along with the fact that there are no instant travel points or vehicles made getting around a little tiresome after a while. For an inexpensive add-on Dr. Ned does offer some great moments and is definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed Borderlands.… Expand
  4. LevelsAndGear
    Aug 26, 2011
    7
    No, it's not very challenging - But you're probably not playing Borderlands for the challenge. It's got easily exploitable AI - You play Borderlands for the story, the atmosphere, the humor, and to shoot incredibly cool weapons and large quantities of enemies. Zombie Island of Dr. Ned mixes up the scene, has some great pop culture references, and provides another reason to fire upNo, it's not very challenging - But you're probably not playing Borderlands for the challenge. It's got easily exploitable AI - You play Borderlands for the story, the atmosphere, the humor, and to shoot incredibly cool weapons and large quantities of enemies. Zombie Island of Dr. Ned mixes up the scene, has some great pop culture references, and provides another reason to fire up Borderlands. (Note - Once they scaled this to be level appropriate, I feel it became much better, one of the huge keys.) So ZIoDN is a nice bite size chunk of Borderlands, with enough different to keep it interesting.… Expand
  5. JimCorbett
    Sep 1, 2012
    7
    Very enjoyable for the first few hours then really starts to get repetitive once you realize that you will be facing the exact same enemies for the entire DLC. The story and environment are very well done and the new quests are interesting as well. It's a good DLC, especially if you're a fan of zombie games.
  6. CriticNamedZack
    Aug 26, 2019
    7
    Story: Zombie Island branches itself off from the story of the main game and as result it gets more creative and does it's own thing. The is admittedly simple, quirky and nothing not done before, but I enjoyed it for what it is with it getting quite dark and sinister. The side quests as well add insight on the dire situation that is happening in Jacob's Cove.

    Gameplay: Zombie Island    Story: Zombie Island branches itself off from the story of the main game and as result it gets more creative and does it's own thing. The is admittedly simple, quirky and nothing not done before, but I enjoyed it for what it is with it getting quite dark and sinister. The side quests as well add insight on the dire situation that is happening in Jacob's Cove.

    Gameplay: Zombie Island plays just the same as the standard Borderlands experience, but just in a new location. The island of Jacob's Cove has a Halloween to it, and it's very refreshing after through countless desert zones before as now it's more spooky and grim with with the island under dark times. Of course with "zombie" in the name of the DLC, there is a number of new enemy types added to Zombie Island and some old enemies with a Halloween touch is a welcome sight. This DLC will not take you long, it will most likely take you just under 4 hours at most to do everything it has to offer with no end-game after the main quest, Added with the fact that can't fast travel to areas you has already discovered like in Pandora's vast desert. They might of done this to stop making the DLC even shorter but having to run around Jacob's Cove without anyway to fast travel is annoying. On top of that it doesn't add any new loot to the game and that's really disappointing considering that's one of the best things about Borderlands.

    Sound and Music: The voice acting for the most part is still good, with new and old voice actors present and some funny dialogue to back it up. Sound effects are up to standard as well. Not much new music composed for this DLC sadly, but I think the little new music added is very ambient and creates a really creepy and bleak feeling while exploring the dangerous lands of Jacob's Cove.

    Performance and Graphics: Zombie Island has kept the cell-shaded art style of Borderlands and it looks great, and added the Halloween theme with haunting scenery and effective lighting and the look stands out very well. The DLC ran well with no real issues from my time playing it.

    Verdict: I think Zombie Island of Dr. Ned did a fine job giving players a nice new adventure for fans to play and being different from the main game. Yes it is short, doesn't add new any new gear or anything else major with the game. But you do get an interesting Halloween-like area to explore, a fun little story and more Borderland gameplay goodness. It's good for what it is and it's a Borderlands DLC I like.

    Story: 7/10
    Gameplay 7/10
    Sound and Music: 7/10
    Performance and Graphics: 9/10
    Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned: 7.5/10    … Expand
  7. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    7
    The first ever Borderlands add-on delivered decidely different gameplay to the base game, though burying a player in hordes of zombies is nothing new to the genre. New quests, weapons and enemies are mired by the complete lack of fast-travel points anywhere on the Zombie Island, forcing you to hike the long way between quests.
  8. pawq
    Sep 8, 2022
    6
    It feels like The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned has slightly improved writing and world design compared to the main game, but most of the weak points remain - repetitive enemies, lifeless world, grindy quests, and lack of difficulty.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Game Revolution
    91
    At $10 or whatever that translates to in Microsoft fun money, you're looking at at least another eight hours of gameplay (maybe more if you don't work on the brain-hunting missions while doing all the other ones). At that price, Zombie Island just may be the perfect place for your next vacation, and for your next level up too.
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  2. GameShark
    100
    In releasing this DLC, Gearbox and 2K have done what seems to be so difficult for other studios: drop a well designed, value laden expansion pack in a timely manner.
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  3. IGN
    80
    Considering the strength of the gameplay formula and the fact that it's still fairly soon after the main game's release, what's presented here -- more things to kill and more reasons to laugh while doing so -- is welcome.
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