Dead Island

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 464 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 224 out of 464
  2. Mixed: 154 out of 464
  3. Negative: 86 out of 464
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  1. Nerdbasher2000
    Jan 21, 2013
    10
    It's not meant to be serious, just fun and that's what it is, open world RPG zombie killing fun. Playing the game from the perspective of all characters is great, crafting is a treat and dispatching an angry zombie in any one of hundreds of different ways is awesome, or you can just drive around mowing them down in your truck. The graphics are well done and polished, kind of like far cry 3It's not meant to be serious, just fun and that's what it is, open world RPG zombie killing fun. Playing the game from the perspective of all characters is great, crafting is a treat and dispatching an angry zombie in any one of hundreds of different ways is awesome, or you can just drive around mowing them down in your truck. The graphics are well done and polished, kind of like far cry 3 with zombies, and don't tell me that the voice acting sucks, has anyone actually played far cry 3 and listened to the acting, "it's awful ay bro" but the game still rates very highly so don't take the bad acting seriously and you'll be fine because its meant to be that way to give you a laugh in between mashing zombie heads with a broken paddle.… Expand
  2. roaldkaspers
    Dec 25, 2015
    7
    This Game is a buggy Mess with repetitive Combat and a boring and disappointing Story. It does include Zombies, that you can kill in a lot of gruesome Ways. And we all love that, don't we?
  3. cornagandarub
    Oct 16, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this is a review for dead island. it is a video game where things happen and some things that do not happen. it was okay. i would say that it was a video game.… Expand
  4. the_blueprint
    Dec 17, 2013
    5
    The game looks bad. The gameplay is very very repetitive. The world isn't very big.
    The co-op online isn't bad though and the skill tree works well too, although it's still too limited.
  5. coldcalculated
    Oct 26, 2012
    8
    Really solid game with a lot of melee action. The plot is laughable at best but killing zombies is always fun. Creating and upgrading weapons to use on the zombie infestation is excellent. The graphics are really good, minus the slow rendering in cut scenes and loading maps. A must buy for people who love zombie games.
  6. justaguy1984
    Apr 25, 2013
    6
    Combat is fun, but repetitive, lots of side missions. Nice detailed environments, but very bland characters and barely existent story. Way too many bugs that should have been fixed. Examples include getting stuck on thin air, health items like food not replenishing health, etc. Not recommended for a full price purchase.
  7. Sebas236
    Mar 22, 2014
    7
    Story: 7.5 out of 10 Graphics: 7.5 out of 10 Gameplay: 8 out of 10 Fun: 8.5 out of 10 Controls: 9 out of 10 Ease to Learn: 8 out of 10
    Length: 8.5 out of 10
    Re-play: 8.5 out of 10
    Audio: 8 out of 10
    Bugs/Glitches: Quite a few
  8. LilD
    Feb 5, 2013
    7
    Overall the game is FUN. It's satisfying to bash zombies over the head with machetes, sickles, pans, really anything you can find or if you are more technical there are shotguns, grenades, rifles, etc. Not to mention that you can customize these weapons to add some shock, poison, nails, et al.

    The Good: The game is plenty long with enough to do to last awhile. The world itself is    Overall the game is FUN. It's satisfying to bash zombies over the head with machetes, sickles, pans, really anything you can find or if you are more technical there are shotguns, grenades, rifles, etc. Not to mention that you can customize these weapons to add some shock, poison, nails, et al.

    The Good:
    The game is plenty long with enough to do to last awhile. The world itself is pretty neat. It is somewhat intricate, so looking at every nook and cranny can really make it last. There are many different locales to keep the scenery fresh. A few stick out in my mind as exceedingly well made creating a chilling atmosphere. Killing zombies really never gets boring. The game almost feels like a Borderlands. In fact, the core formula is reminiscent to Borderlands. The combat is pretty fun. There are many great ideas in the game. The Bad:
    The story is mediocre at best. The quests are mostly dull fetch quests. The guns aren't as effective or useful as they should be. The characters are very stereotypical almost to a cringing state. The Ugly:
    PS3 Version: The graphics and texture popping is very bad. The framerate issues took awhile to get used to. There are many graphical issues that are this game's biggest downfalls. There are plenty of bugs as well when it comes to performing the quests. The worst game I've played to date with such technical issues.

    The game has some fantastic ideas even if it wasn't executed to its remarkable potential. If you take it for what it is than for what it isn't, you'll have a great time.    … Expand
  9. sityoazzdown
    Mar 11, 2013
    8
    This is a "good" game. I will say I spend about 42 hours or so to beat this game, by far the longest I've spent on a single play through in a video game. Did almost all the side-quests, but the side-quests were what kept me going; I kept trying to find new mods to upgrade my weapon. The first 20 hours were awesome, but then the game got repetitive to me. The story was so-so, but we didn'tThis is a "good" game. I will say I spend about 42 hours or so to beat this game, by far the longest I've spent on a single play through in a video game. Did almost all the side-quests, but the side-quests were what kept me going; I kept trying to find new mods to upgrade my weapon. The first 20 hours were awesome, but then the game got repetitive to me. The story was so-so, but we didn't even have time to absorb who the villain is before we have the final battle. I love long games, but this game kind of faded on me because of the lack of character buildup. Felt like a slave running into random people and doing a job for them; then goodbye. The driving was surprisingly very satisfying running into zombies; oh too bad you cant look behind you..I got the GOY edition; but is in no rush to do the ryder white campaign. Don't get me wrong I liked this game, but it was borderline "meh" after finishing it. Honestly it felt like a fps god of war zombie type game.… Expand
  10. wesker2012
    Sep 26, 2012
    6
    Good game. Cool new game design and gameplay.
  11. Cmcolin
    Dec 31, 2012
    7
    Overall, Dead Island is a fun, first person zombie action game that is compelling enough to keep you coming back, yet frustrating enough to make you walk away in the first place. The setting, story, and quest lines are interesting, and the zombie carnage is an awful lot of fun. Yet, this game's flaws are glaring. A cumbersome save system bogs things down and your zombie enemies re-spawnOverall, Dead Island is a fun, first person zombie action game that is compelling enough to keep you coming back, yet frustrating enough to make you walk away in the first place. The setting, story, and quest lines are interesting, and the zombie carnage is an awful lot of fun. Yet, this game's flaws are glaring. A cumbersome save system bogs things down and your zombie enemies re-spawn at an infuriating rate (honestly, game producers, it really sucks to clear an area, enter a building, the exit only to find all the zombies are back!).… Expand
  12. Lime_4444
    Oct 3, 2012
    9
    This game left me playing for hours; the game is so very funny and smart with the customizes your own weapon, and when the game is finished you just replay and get better!
    The multiplayer system is made so very good that you can play with anybody and still feel happy about it!
  13. jbully95
    Oct 8, 2012
    6
    I remember watching the trailer for this game and thinking that it was the zombie game we were all hoping for. When i first got the game it turned out very different then what i thought it was going to be. I was hoping for a thrilling game which made you feel like you were actually surviving in an island overrun by zombies. Instead we got another hack and slash zombie game with noI remember watching the trailer for this game and thinking that it was the zombie game we were all hoping for. When i first got the game it turned out very different then what i thought it was going to be. I was hoping for a thrilling game which made you feel like you were actually surviving in an island overrun by zombies. Instead we got another hack and slash zombie game with no storyline and characters that are completely hollowed out and have no sense of depth. However I do recommend this game if you're a gamer who just likes to kill things and doesn't get tired of doing the same boring side quests over and over again. I'm not saying it's a bad game it's just that it could of been so much better if they had focused a bit more on the effects that it would have had on the characters trying to survive through this zombie infestation.… Expand
  14. Gaminghoff
    Oct 31, 2012
    8
    Gaminghoff, Dead Island
    Deepsilver's latest game 'Dead Island' has its flaws, but these flaws are outweighed by this epic zombie survival thriller. On a tropical island near Papua new guinea the dead roam the blood ridden shores, the empty echoing streets and in the hollow jungle. You must craft weapons as you journey throughout the zombie ridden areas that are also sprawling with loot    Gaminghoff, Dead Island
    Deepsilver's latest game 'Dead Island' has its flaws, but these flaws are outweighed by this epic zombie survival thriller. On a tropical island near Papua new guinea the dead roam the blood ridden shores, the empty echoing streets and in the hollow jungle. You must craft weapons as you journey throughout the zombie ridden areas that are also sprawling with loot and most importantly.... Zombies. As you make your way through the games many quests you will find all sorts of usefull things to aid in your journey, mods, weapons, med kits... I don't see how anyone could dislike this game, sure, it has it's flaws but look at the big picture... This is a zombie thriller like no other and a normal person could spend up to 30 hours, just hacking zombies limbs off and hunting for those special ' legendary weapons'. The game, as i said before has its flaws, as well as zombies, glitches are also abundant, it lacks the polish that could of made this great game, and awesome game! Overall I give it a 8 and praise it for the rich dark environments and lustfull loot, but dislike the lack of polish.    … Expand
  15. coldtour
    Nov 20, 2012
    1
    Glitchy as **** And it's a shame because there's so much potential-- the voice acting is great, rendering is great, mechanics seem great, but for me at least, when playing it on my ps3 that doesn't have problems usually with games, it kept on lagging on me. And I wasn't even playing online. What **** game lags like that? Was the rendering too intense for the system? It didn't seem that wayGlitchy as **** And it's a shame because there's so much potential-- the voice acting is great, rendering is great, mechanics seem great, but for me at least, when playing it on my ps3 that doesn't have problems usually with games, it kept on lagging on me. And I wasn't even playing online. What **** game lags like that? Was the rendering too intense for the system? It didn't seem that way to me because I played Uncharted 2 and 3 on the same console and there wasn't a glitch the whole time, and both of those games have more intensive graphics and lighting than dead island. But if there was a rendering issue then why the **** wouldn't the developers address this? Who **** cares how beautiful a game is when it seems like the frame rate can't catch up to itself? Huh? If the system can't handle it, dull it down a little until things run smoothly and guess what no one cares if it doesn't look like real life. Know why? Because it already doesn't. Aside from that, there wasn't much about this game that really added to the zombie genre that other games haven't done already.… Expand
  16. JPG127
    Jan 25, 2013
    6
    This wasn't a bad game. But it was repetitive in the wrong way. The leveling mechanic did nothing to help and the story was meh. Good graphics and sound effects though. Liked moding melee weapons for extra damage and effects. The varying environments were good. Size was good. But mostly felt like one giant fetch quest. Melee weapons felt fragile though and ammo was scarce. In the badThis wasn't a bad game. But it was repetitive in the wrong way. The leveling mechanic did nothing to help and the story was meh. Good graphics and sound effects though. Liked moding melee weapons for extra damage and effects. The varying environments were good. Size was good. But mostly felt like one giant fetch quest. Melee weapons felt fragile though and ammo was scarce. In the bad (Resident Evil 1) way.… Expand
  17. OwtDaft
    May 16, 2018
    7
    + Large areas to explore.
    + Weapon customisation is a lot of fun.
    + Driving is very good, the vehicles handle near perfectly. + Combat is simple but works well. - The story isn't very good - Animation and voice acting isn't great. - Game needed much more polish. - Game can suddenly drop frame rate for a second. - You don't feel like your getting more powerful after you level up,    + Large areas to explore.
    + Weapon customisation is a lot of fun.
    + Driving is very good, the vehicles handle near perfectly.
    + Combat is simple but works well.
    - The story isn't very good
    - Animation and voice acting isn't great.
    - Game needed much more polish.
    - Game can suddenly drop frame rate for a second.
    - You don't feel like your getting more powerful after you level up, which is important for an RPG.    … Expand
  18. chrisjones914
    May 15, 2013
    8
    This is a good game! The combat is bloody and its probobly the best zombie survival experience game out there! The only things that hold Dead Island back are inconsistent graphics and a story that completely falls apart after the first 30 minutes. However, this is still a good, bloody game that anyone looking to kill some zombies should definitely check out!
  19. roblan1968
    Apr 11, 2013
    3
    I just gave this game (on PS3) a rating of 7 just a couple of weeks ago but now I take it back and just give it now a score of 3. I have been playing this on solo (never on coop becoz i don't have a net connection) for countless days and nights and now the game says my SAVED GAME DATA appears to have been corrupted when I tried to continue my game. All of my efforts on trying to get theI just gave this game (on PS3) a rating of 7 just a couple of weeks ago but now I take it back and just give it now a score of 3. I have been playing this on solo (never on coop becoz i don't have a net connection) for countless days and nights and now the game says my SAVED GAME DATA appears to have been corrupted when I tried to continue my game. All of my efforts on trying to get the rare weapons and MODs are now all gone. My character LOGAN was already on Level 42 when it happened. I'll never play this game again and will just trade the game disc to others.… Expand
  20. Knirt
    Dec 5, 2013
    9
    I have played the GOTY version 1.3.0 and experienced no major bugs. The map doesn't always show the best way but you can find our own way around anyway, yes there's respawn but it didnt bother me much and i never got any warnings that i'd leave the game area. I had a lot of fun smashing those zombies, graphics are good and there's lots of content, missions and weapons to keep you busy.I have played the GOTY version 1.3.0 and experienced no major bugs. The map doesn't always show the best way but you can find our own way around anyway, yes there's respawn but it didnt bother me much and i never got any warnings that i'd leave the game area. I had a lot of fun smashing those zombies, graphics are good and there's lots of content, missions and weapons to keep you busy. Sure, it's not at the same level as Fallout 3 but still a nice game and definitely worth the 5 bucks i spent on it!… Expand
  21. aaronobrien
    Jul 3, 2013
    5
    Dead Island is a pile of wasted potential. The games lack of a decent narrative is forgivable, even after the brilliant trailer that was looking to promise a brilliant story in the game, but it's still a minor annoyance. My first few hours with the game were fine, but then I realised that the game was only going to consist of scavenging quests and other things of the like, and it gotDead Island is a pile of wasted potential. The games lack of a decent narrative is forgivable, even after the brilliant trailer that was looking to promise a brilliant story in the game, but it's still a minor annoyance. My first few hours with the game were fine, but then I realised that the game was only going to consist of scavenging quests and other things of the like, and it got really damn tedious, and the lack of variety in the gameplay is disappointing, but it can be satisfying at times. The game looks a bit lackluster, textures up close can be really bad, but water effects and zombies look great, which I would expect from a game of this type. Environments can look nice from a distance though. Another thing that's disappointing about the game is its lack of dread and terror throughout, it's just not scary at all. Boss Battles are also very frustrating and completely lackluster. By the final hours of Dead Island it felt like a chore to get through. Dead Island misses the mark completely and is certainly not a game I would recommend.… Expand
  22. Swellionite
    Aug 18, 2013
    9
    Thrusts you into the game quickly, but executes it with in a clean and concise manner. The game nicely utilizes the setting nicely, and does not implement loud and gaudy music into its score. Very fast, very immersive, very cool.
    Well played....
  23. gavey02
    Aug 30, 2013
    9
    I had hope for this game because we need a combination of RPG,Zombies,Open World, And Dead rising 1st person, and thats exactly what we got, well except for All the bugs and boring zombie- graphic related problems. I got this game on the X-mas of 2011.And today August 30th I have 108Hrs On this game. This game is something that you dont see to often these days with fun gameplay, spectcularI had hope for this game because we need a combination of RPG,Zombies,Open World, And Dead rising 1st person, and thats exactly what we got, well except for All the bugs and boring zombie- graphic related problems. I got this game on the X-mas of 2011.And today August 30th I have 108Hrs On this game. This game is something that you dont see to often these days with fun gameplay, spectcular co-op and 1 great DLC called Bloodbath Arena.(sorry ryder white). Most of the missions are fun except for the overwhelming amount of fetch quests and the forgetable story. you can use almost anything as a weapon from A pan to a cleaver and it goes really well with the RPG elements in the game. The blueprints are cool too like fire axes that are really on fire and poisin bombs, it makes you feel nice and warm and fuzzy inside slicing heads with a electric sword too. One thing about this game is that its reminds you of Dead rising 2 in peticular with open world and a leveling system and upgrades and weapon combos but thats not a bad thing. The upgrades in dead island is what ties the whole game together with some really cool upgrades. Overall this is dead rising 2 but 1st person and its bigger and more bugs.ect… Expand
  24. SIPPIO
    Nov 24, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. --Read my review if you are undecided. i'l;l write it the way I'd want to read it..
    --1st off This game is a HOME-RUN.
    --THE GAMES GREATEST strength is LOOT! Farming for weapons in the chest is soooo addicting. And you will get sucked into this and hit up the deadIsland WIKI for tips and hints on where this & that is..
    --The game is like a giant treasure map and finding the UBER stuff is sooo rewarding..
    --This game goes into my ""SPECIAL" CATEGORY for large games I run around and sandbox/open world play in FOR MONTHS. that category is SKYRIM/Oblivion,Fallout,,Farcry and Batman,... the reason this game is/was soo awesome is they made killing zombies soo much fun..And the controls are soo perfect.. In deadRising 1 &2 those zombies were whipped out with less impact,,DeadIslands zombies are more like a 1 vs 1. Yeah you'll get good enough to 1 hit kill em, or decap their heads but its more FPS/3ps THEN hack n slash..
    --Theres also the addicting crafting bench. very simple and highly addictive. And the weapons all do something fun. Like homerun is a wooden baseball bat and it cracks the zombies and sends them flying 50 feet and even takes out another zombie if they are in the way. It feels good just like getting a perfect connection with a fastball..
    --I convinced my little brother to play this and 1 year later he was the websites moderator.. jUST A GREAT GAME..The sequel killed the fanbase because weapon farming was nerfed,86'd,killed,removed..grr! goes ta show you how much fun weapon chest farming is..Everytime you leave the huge map and go inside a door or area and theres a "load screen" the chest all reset and you can run around and open them again.. and you get good at this once you memorize where they are..

    --final words--For anyone who had a fun routine in any open world game where you went in youre giant path or circle,,snip this guy,,stealth that guy, get this,that, retuen home and sell it etc etc.,.Dead Island fits that mold..plaus theres something beautiful about the sound of seagulls and the surf and tropical birds and parrots. with a good 1080P and surround sound the ambiance does it for me...I bought this game LAST YEAR at Black Friday. I year ago this coming Friday., at wal mart for $7. and it sat on my PS3 shelf for 6 months unopened. Major replay value on this game too...So when it was $5 the PSN Store Halloween week, I got it cause its easier to play a installed game without the d@mn disk.. its under $10 and the psn store still...    … Expand
  25. Fedelca
    Sep 28, 2013
    7
    Dead Island es un juego first person en donde eres interceptado en una isla repleta de zombies y debes sobrevivir consiguiendo armas y rescatando supervivientes. Eso es todo lo que hay que decir de "Dead Island", por otro lado la violencia extremadamente sangrienta del juego es medianamente satisfactoria y mientras avanza la historia más te vas amigando del juego, la jugabilidad es media,Dead Island es un juego first person en donde eres interceptado en una isla repleta de zombies y debes sobrevivir consiguiendo armas y rescatando supervivientes. Eso es todo lo que hay que decir de "Dead Island", por otro lado la violencia extremadamente sangrienta del juego es medianamente satisfactoria y mientras avanza la historia más te vas amigando del juego, la jugabilidad es media, pero un punto sumamente criticable es la pelea final que es completamente imposible y el final no es la gran cosa.… Expand
  26. YoutubeTGW
    Jun 6, 2014
    7
    This game was fun the story was good and was capable of grabbing your attention. There were major problems, the loading had terrible lagging when you finished loading to get into a new area the game would always freeze.
  27. Devilmusik11
    Nov 24, 2013
    8
    So I recognize this game doesn't seem to have a really good reputation. A lot of folks have panned this game as disappointing or just bad in general. Despite all this, I bought the game because, hey, it was only $9.99 at my gamestop. Going in with the aforementioned mindset, I was actually really surprised at how good this game is. The combat against the zombies is pretty fun and engagingSo I recognize this game doesn't seem to have a really good reputation. A lot of folks have panned this game as disappointing or just bad in general. Despite all this, I bought the game because, hey, it was only $9.99 at my gamestop. Going in with the aforementioned mindset, I was actually really surprised at how good this game is. The combat against the zombies is pretty fun and engaging with the zombies leveling up with you. That keeps things fresh and challenging (though you can still kick some serious ass!) The limited stamina was a bit frustrating but at the same time, it added tension to gameplay. You couldn't just sprint around or take on a hundred zombies at a time. Aside from that, rpg-esque elements were relatively solid and multiplayer online with friends is fantastic. My major grips with the game were the fact you don't really get a clear idea of when you are saving, some bugs throughout the game, a pretty bad map and a pretty meh story. Last thing to note: Don't buy this game if you're going in for scares. It's not that kind of game. :P… Expand
  28. dopezombie1
    Mar 1, 2014
    7
    Overall this is a pretty good game, it is fun and there is a lot to do, but I did have some problems with it. First off even if you choose to play as one of the two female characters the other characters in the game refer to you as if you are a male. There are a lot of quests to do and while it makes for a good amount of game-play I feel like sometimes you almost seem bogged down withOverall this is a pretty good game, it is fun and there is a lot to do, but I did have some problems with it. First off even if you choose to play as one of the two female characters the other characters in the game refer to you as if you are a male. There are a lot of quests to do and while it makes for a good amount of game-play I feel like sometimes you almost seem bogged down with how much you have to do a one time. And last but no least the most annoying thing I found in the game was that if you find an item, or if someone drops an item for you after a quest and you are not high enough level to use that item you won't even be able to pick it up, which to me was ridiculous. All in all it is always fun to kill zombies and there is still more good than bad.… Expand
  29. vlxedits
    Sep 21, 2014
    8
    pros:
    + fairly open world, so very addictive
    + character and leveling system + weapon upgrading, special skills, and all that other stuff + co-op is pretty great especially in this type of open world zombie game + storyline is better than in an avg zombie game, and its actually pretty long + environment is awesome + sound + tons of diversity cons: - after a while the game gets    pros:
    + fairly open world, so very addictive
    + character and leveling system
    + weapon upgrading, special skills, and all that other stuff
    + co-op is pretty great especially in this type of open world zombie game
    + storyline is better than in an avg zombie game, and its actually pretty long
    + environment is awesome
    + sound
    + tons of diversity

    cons:
    - after a while the game gets pretty repetitive, kill zombies, get better weapons, and do some more quests
    ;/
    -On ps3 the fps averages between 24-30 and it gets a bit choppy once in a while
    - graphics are ok, but seem to struggle on the ps3 even from a 2011 game! look at the last of us on ps3
    - motion blur can't be disabled and is pretty annoying.
    - cutscenes, character animations, and all that are pretty unreal.
    - the whole "money" system after an island was taken over by zombies is just so unrealistic..

    Overall i actually loved this game for a huge amount of time, when i got to about 80% in the jungle, the game got pretty repetitive but i still had a lot of fun. Get the goty edition!    … Expand
  30. Meth-dude
    Jun 20, 2014
    7
    Very great atmosphere offline and online,awesome missions and good characters that's Dead island.The bad points are the zombies they are all doing the same things and the worst one are the big one.
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
28
#28 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 41
  3. Negative: 2 out of 41
  1. Console Monster
    May 21, 2012
    88
    Dead Island may lack that top level of polish, and even have its own awkward moments, but it's a game worth playing, and easily worth your money. The gameplay is deep, the visuals can be breathtaking (at times), and every bit of it is fun. This game earns itself a spot in the ranks of the best zombie games and RPGs around. There's still plenty of fun to be had with zombie games.
    Read full review
  2. Play UK
    Nov 27, 2011
    79
    While the trailer might have been a case of style over substance, the final game is the polar opposite. [Issue#210, p.84]
  3. Extreme Gamer
    Nov 17, 2011
    86
    Techland doesn't disappoint here by hitting most of the points necessary to make a good RPG and adding in some new ideas.
    Read full review
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