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. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    The Elder Scrolls meets Resident Evil in this sandbox RPG set during a zombie apocalypse on a tropical island. It's a well engineered game with plenty to do, but like a lot of games of this type there's little more to it than blowing away zombies and looting the environment for useful items. The narrative thread running through it isn't really strong enough and the copious number of sideThe Elder Scrolls meets Resident Evil in this sandbox RPG set during a zombie apocalypse on a tropical island. It's a well engineered game with plenty to do, but like a lot of games of this type there's little more to it than blowing away zombies and looting the environment for useful items. The narrative thread running through it isn't really strong enough and the copious number of side missions can often fall by the wayside by sheer weight of numbers. It also has the deeply irritating "respawn when you die" formula which means that when you meet a particularly tough enemy or get low on ammo you just have to keep getting killed, trudge your way back from the respawn point and get killed again over and over, until you beat them through sheer attrition which can get pretty tedious.… Expand
  2. OMGitsTHEMEMI
    May 18, 2023
    7
    A clasic zombie game with a decent history and a pretty good combat system with 4 protagonist have different abilities.
  3. Harra
    Apr 16, 2023
    9
    A great game, I played this for many hours.

    From the resort, to the Jungle, there is a lot of variety of locales to explore. With an arsenal of different weapons, it doesn't get old. Especially when you can modify these weapons.

    This game is great with friends and I would recommend.
  4. JesseDillinger
    Feb 1, 2023
    4
    I remember being a kid in Gamestop seeing the trailer for this on their TV. It looked so cool I wanted it so badly. Then the day came when I got this and it was so **** boring and lame. I hated the gameplay in this. It was so damn jank. And believe me, I have tried this game multiple times as an adult. I just can't stand it. It's so damn boring. How do you make zombies boring? All you doI remember being a kid in Gamestop seeing the trailer for this on their TV. It looked so cool I wanted it so badly. Then the day came when I got this and it was so **** boring and lame. I hated the gameplay in this. It was so damn jank. And believe me, I have tried this game multiple times as an adult. I just can't stand it. It's so damn boring. How do you make zombies boring? All you do is press R2 and swing a weapon. I think every weapon has the same basic animation. It's been a while. But yeah, I don't like this game or think it's very good.… Expand
  5. JoseManuel10_
    Jan 28, 2023
    6
    Dead Island is a open world survival horror action role-playing video game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver.

    + Online Coop
    + Addictive
    - Respawning Zombies is NOT FUN!!!
    - Cutscenes and Poor Animation
    - Bugs (Textures, Edges)
    - Bad Story and Characters
    - Boring Sides Quest
  6. HuevoAlce
    Jun 27, 2022
    7
    There's a great game here that doesn't deserve to be bogged down by the many glitches it has.
  7. DestroyerM24
    May 11, 2022
    8
    My first and so far the best Horror; RPG; Hack&Slash game I've played and I had so much fun playing it.
    If you have someone to play with, than you will enjoy this game too. You can play it solo (after the first two chapters it becomes too hard to play solo) or cooperative (recommended), with one or more friends or players.
    The main story follows an island infected by zombies, only four    My first and so far the best Horror; RPG; Hack&Slash game I've played and I had so much fun playing it.
    If you have someone to play with, than you will enjoy this game too. You can play it solo (after the first two chapters it becomes too hard to play solo) or cooperative (recommended), with one or more friends or players.
    The main story follows an island infected by zombies, only four of them so far are virus-resistant and you have to choose which one of them you'll be according to your playstyle. Every character has its own abilities, passive and active skills, pros and cons. I love the RPG elements which made the game even more rewarding, thinking on which ability to spend skill points and not just grinding for better weapons as in most RPGs so far.
    While playing through the game we didn't had any major issues, only few minor problems with cooperative, sometimes one of us would froze in the main's admin game, which was irritating sometimes, but wasn't an often scenary. Apart from that, I've expected offline split-screen mode, more zombie types and maybe an earlier usage of firearms.

    All in all, a wonderful game, recommended for those who have someone to play with, for others, if playing solo, this game can be hard, but not impossible.
    (Bonus: maybe my review wouldn't be that positive if I didn't have someone to play with :) )    … Expand
  8. chernandez31
    Feb 24, 2022
    7
    This game honestly is a 5 or 6 at best but I had soooooooo much fun and spent so much time with it. I loved the hacked weapons I received from a random online and that probably massively improved my experience but idc it's a 7.
  9. KauaLeonSM
    Dec 14, 2021
    5
    É basicamente uma demo do Dying light bem piorzinho,a dificuldade na primeira ilha é boa,já na cidade é ruim já que tem muitos zumbis em que certas situações chega a ser ridiculo,a floresta é bom,a prisão é ruim por ser muito facil já que estamos no ending game e temos armas muito fortes,é um jogo feito para coop já que sem amigo a xian e o logan ficam quase injogaveis.
  10. ricwe00
    Oct 17, 2021
    8
    Muito bom!......................................................................
  11. INU4SH4
    Jun 22, 2020
    5
    There is not much to say. Tons of technical problems, glitches, and bad AI.
    I still played it for a long time because this is one of those 'so bad, it's good' cooperative games. There is a little bit of fun to have in this but there are far superior options in this saturated genre.

    I recommend Dying Light instead of this. It's a much more polished and fun experience.
  12. SWFan523
    Jun 21, 2020
    3
    Disappointing. Wasted potential in every sense of the phrase. Nothing story with bland gameplay. Not. worth it.
  13. Flashyboy89
    Dec 7, 2019
    8
    Had a lot of fun with Dead Island The same devs who made Dying Light.. Enjoyed it much much more than Dying Light because the combat just felt more precise and lethal in Dead Island compared to Dying Light.
  14. ayaxgamer
    Nov 25, 2019
    5
    This game is fun... when you can play it. I never really had a problem playing as a solo player, but that all falls apart when you try to play online with a friend. I've heard some say it's the network & others say it's the frame rates of the game. Whatever the reason, you'll probably spend half of the time you play online with friends cursing as you either have to reset your PS3 (after itThis game is fun... when you can play it. I never really had a problem playing as a solo player, but that all falls apart when you try to play online with a friend. I've heard some say it's the network & others say it's the frame rates of the game. Whatever the reason, you'll probably spend half of the time you play online with friends cursing as you either have to reset your PS3 (after it freezes) or reconnecting. And before you start thinking it's either my network or something else...… Expand
  15. Bigblaze225
    Jul 31, 2019
    9
    Let Start by saying i love this game, but I'm confused just a little bit. In the PS3 version if you were to completely amputate every limb from a zombie there would be a giant red puddle around the zombie. In the PS4 version there is only a small amount of blood and it upsets me a little, because if I'm playing a game like this I want to see the blood and etc.
  16. Patajullo
    Apr 3, 2019
    9
    El juego en primera persona de rol, supervivencia, zombis y exploración casi perfecto para jugar solo o en compañía. Quizás peca como muchos otros de un inicio lento y tedioso para los neófitos en sus primeras horas para aprender las mecánicas que nos proponen pero se ve compensado de sobra por la gran cantidad de zonas, historias, enemigo, personajes y armas disponibles. El rendimiento enEl juego en primera persona de rol, supervivencia, zombis y exploración casi perfecto para jugar solo o en compañía. Quizás peca como muchos otros de un inicio lento y tedioso para los neófitos en sus primeras horas para aprender las mecánicas que nos proponen pero se ve compensado de sobra por la gran cantidad de zonas, historias, enemigo, personajes y armas disponibles. El rendimiento en Ps3 es justito del todo pero cumple. Imprescindible para mí, un muy buen juego denostado quizás por no ser otro shooter genérico de zombis. No recomendable si no tienes paciencia ni tiempo para jugar.… Expand
  17. Schism78
    Jul 24, 2018
    6
    I have to say that I really like the level design of this game, the atmosphere and its Rpg system. But I feel that it was a waste of potential. It can get boring quickly.
    It is enjoyable, but only to play it once.
  18. 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
  19. madehenrads
    Jan 19, 2017
    9
    Dead Island is a hybrid between zombie survival horror, open world and RPG and all of them executed very well. If you like one of the genre mention above, Dead Island is the game for you.
  20. Jaleo
    Jan 12, 2017
    5
    Hours and more hours and hours of monotony and repetitive gameplay. You better play it online or you will get tired of this game pretty soon. Hell, even online is boring and repetitive... Poor gameplay, the only "fun" thing is weapon customization, but for that you got Dead Rising 2...
  21. XxJoseManuelxX
    Oct 22, 2016
    6
    Dead Island is a open world survival horror action role-playing video game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver.

    + Online Coop
    + Addictive
    - Cutscenes and Poor Animation
    - Bugs (Textures, Edges)
    - Bad Story and Characters
  22. kratoscarl
    Apr 14, 2016
    8
    Dead Island is one of the best zombie video games after Resident Evil's change from survival horror to a simple shooter. It isn't scary at all, but it is entertaining and very funny to play with friends. This zombie sandbox has RPG aspects that fits very well, makings us to reach a high level to use better weapons. Most of the time you will be facing zombies, there are also some shootingsDead Island is one of the best zombie video games after Resident Evil's change from survival horror to a simple shooter. It isn't scary at all, but it is entertaining and very funny to play with friends. This zombie sandbox has RPG aspects that fits very well, makings us to reach a high level to use better weapons. Most of the time you will be facing zombies, there are also some shootings with gangs (the "shooter" aspect isn't very good), and you can dismember all your enemies! Gore everywhere. The story isn't very good and the characters have facial paralysis, but there are a lot of sidequests that you can do for xp or certain weapons.

    Dead Island isn't that good if you play alone, because the game may turn boring, but it is very funny while playing with other people (especially friends). Sometimes it's buggy or glitchy and matchmaking is occasionally awful. Is great for those who are very interested in zombie video games, it is full of movies and books references, has unlimited exploration and you can craft ridiculous but powerful weapons. I would give this game a 8,5.    … Expand
  23. FromGoon2Goon
    Feb 3, 2016
    6
    Now I didn't do research when I try to play this. I just sold my 360 for a PS3 and one exclusive game I started to miss was Left 4 Dead. Dead Island I thought will be a copycat and good game, so my first play through was a turn off. Years later I pick up a Game of the Year I was still turned off. Lately after skipping Dying Light I went back to it with help from my girlfriend, and finallyNow I didn't do research when I try to play this. I just sold my 360 for a PS3 and one exclusive game I started to miss was Left 4 Dead. Dead Island I thought will be a copycat and good game, so my first play through was a turn off. Years later I pick up a Game of the Year I was still turned off. Lately after skipping Dying Light I went back to it with help from my girlfriend, and finally played from start to finish of Dead Island. The characters are boring, but at the same time went to play to the next cut scene to see how cheesy it can be like any other zombie games. Gameplay is average with nothing but melee such as Condemned. Guns come along later but feel just as off like Condemned. The sound effects and music is the juicy meat of the game, but at the end of the day it's another zombie game. So only those who are tired tired to the zombies villain will actually like this game. I didn't mind finishing the game, but I strongly recommend playing with a friend other than alone. Making your own story with someone else is way better to gain a good time from Dead Island.… Expand
  24. 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?
  25. tsakiym
    May 18, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  26. Machinencio
    Nov 15, 2014
    4
    Good game plot. That´s all, this game is too repetitive, you do the same all time, kill, jump, run, kill, repeat.
    Its a waste of money. Better play RE6..
  27. BebopMan
    Oct 16, 2014
    6
    If there's one thing a zombie game should do is get the zombie slaying to be fun, and Dead Island gets that part right. Say what you will about first-person melee combat, but I found this game's take to be pretty satisfying. Blows have to be dealt with timely precision and depending on what kind of weapon you're using, you can maim or cripple zombies. Swinging your weapon consumes staminaIf there's one thing a zombie game should do is get the zombie slaying to be fun, and Dead Island gets that part right. Say what you will about first-person melee combat, but I found this game's take to be pretty satisfying. Blows have to be dealt with timely precision and depending on what kind of weapon you're using, you can maim or cripple zombies. Swinging your weapon consumes stamina (as does running), so combat requires a certain level of discipline ala Demon's Souls: it's all about timing attacks and dodges, all the while keeping an eye out for crowd control. A situation can go FUBAR any minute.

    Unfortunately the game itself goes FUBAR on just about every other conceivable level, and not in a fun way. I don't recall playing a game this glitchy in years. You may load your game and find certain weapons missing from your inventory. Sometimes you'll upgrade your weapon, then mod it with a special blueprint, and upon exiting the workbench the item will have completely vanished (along with your money). And beware of ranged attacks: if you die before picking the weapon you threw, it's gone forever. This is frustrating since the game puts so much emphasis on DIY crafting and weapons' specializing. It's also particularly frustrating if you're playing as Logan, he of the throwable weapon class.

    A weapon suddenly going MIA due to a glitch, or simply poor design, dents the game in ways that are never really amended - as does the poor AI. Sometimes enemies won't react near you. Sometimes they'll pick your scent from miles away. A gunshot may or may not alert zombies of your presence. It's all rather inconsistent. And the friendly AI is no better, what with a couple of egregious escort missions stringed along the way. Good luck getting an NPC into a car with you. And good luck steering that awful thing too. None of this is game-breaking but it hampers the experience considerably.

    I mentioned a gunshot. Act II of IV throws guns into the game, but don't get too excited about it. I've shot something like 5 bullets into a zombie's head and still it wouldn't die (undie?). Guns are ridiculously weak against the undead, and are best used against other human beings, or the abominable Infected (a "28 Days Later" type of zombie). Speaking of which, zombie types are done pretty well - from the mundane Walkers and Infected, to the Left 4 Dead kind of super-zombies like Suiciders, Rams and Butchers.

    About the characters - you get 4 classes, mostly held apart by their unique special attack ("Fury") and a few abilities down their skill trees. It's a pretty standard-issue RPG mechanic, lifted straight off Borderlands. Sadly there's no couch co-op like Borderlands, though online multiplayer is a lot of fun (if, ugh, a little glitchy, going by that one quest giver who simply refused to reward my efforts until I reloaded the game). Quests tend to be of the fetch kind, though the missions that bookend every act are generally pretty intense.

    So that's Dead Island for you. I like falling back on it every now and then, it's fun to chop up zombies and explore the island (or at least Act I's sparkling luxury resort). But man is this game infuriatingly buggy.    … Expand
  28. 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
  29. bigboss1964
    Oct 11, 2014
    7
    Dead Island

    Game-play:The game play is fine but it have room for some improvements in range combat.The melee combat is just amazing and the leveling system is very good like all the RPG elements in the game. Story:The story is just boring with no interesting characters and an ending that suck , but have also so fun moments so you will not drop the game.it will take you around 24 to    Dead Island

    Game-play:The game play is fine but it have room for some improvements in range combat.The melee combat is just amazing and the leveling system is very good like all the RPG elements in the game.

    Story:The story is just boring with no interesting characters and an ending that suck , but have also so fun moments so you will not drop the game.it will take you around 24 to 26 hours

    Graphics:The graphics are ok and the open world details are well made.

    Notes:If you are a zombie fun this is a must buy for you but everyone should give a try of this game because it is a good game.    … Expand
  30. 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
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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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