Dead Island

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 674 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 358 out of 674
  2. Mixed: 200 out of 674
  3. Negative: 116 out of 674
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  1. drlowdon
    Jun 25, 2018
    6
    Thanks in large part to the misleading trailer released a few months before the games arrival Dead Island has come in for a lot of criticism. Leading gamers to believe that it was going to aim for a more mature and emotional narrative than other games in the genre it becomes apparent with five minutes of actually playing it that this is simply not the case. In typical unimaginative videoThanks in large part to the misleading trailer released a few months before the games arrival Dead Island has come in for a lot of criticism. Leading gamers to believe that it was going to aim for a more mature and emotional narrative than other games in the genre it becomes apparent with five minutes of actually playing it that this is simply not the case. In typical unimaginative video game style virtually every mission is little more than a glorified fetch quest, most of which are set up by poorly scripted cut-scenes, and even more disappointingly the overall plot involves little more than trying to escape from the titular ‘Dead Island’.

    For those willing to overlook this blatantly untruthful pre-release marketing however there is a fairly decent co-operative experience to be found. Much of the combat, particularly in the games first half, is of the hand to hand variety with guns and ammo initially hard to come by and often of little use when overwhelmed by the undead. Early reviews and forums seemed unhappy with the consistency of the collision detection during said combat but if there were problems they seem to have been patched and the impressive variety of weapons available, as well as the special moves and combos that can be unlocked, allows for some hard hitting melee encounters. Unlike a number of ‘action-horror’ titles that have recently seen the light of day you rarely, if ever, feel overpowered and wandering alone down the wrong alleyway can lead to a quick death. It would have been preferable had the punishment for dying been more severe than losing a small proportion of your money (It could have for example followed the Dark Souls route and forced the player to return to the spot to receive lost experience points) but, rightly or wrongly, Dead Island seems intent on remain as accessible as possible to a mainstream crowd.

    There are a few other issues including the odd bug that prevented us from completing a couple of side-missions and zombies occasionally seemed to spawn behind us despite there not being anywhere for them to have come from but overall, especially now that it can be found for around £15, Dead Island may be worth a look for those after a game to play with a few mates.    … Expand
  2. MiguelNeto
    Dec 27, 2016
    7
    Dead Island é um jogo divertido, tem um mundo aberto interesante, um enredo mediano e bem cliche até, e o jogo pega muitos elemento do excelente Left for Dead, os personagens que são jogaveis nao chegam a ser profundos, mais sao personagens legais, e cada um tem a sua vantagem, o grafico é bom, mais eu sofri muitos bugs, a dificuldade é boa, tem momentos dificeis, o trabalho de voz é bom,Dead Island é um jogo divertido, tem um mundo aberto interesante, um enredo mediano e bem cliche até, e o jogo pega muitos elemento do excelente Left for Dead, os personagens que são jogaveis nao chegam a ser profundos, mais sao personagens legais, e cada um tem a sua vantagem, o grafico é bom, mais eu sofri muitos bugs, a dificuldade é boa, tem momentos dificeis, o trabalho de voz é bom, a fisica é bem fraca, e a trilha sonora é legal, é um jogo legal. Nota 7.2… Expand
  3. Mediawatcher
    Jan 26, 2015
    7
    Dead island is not a bad game in fact, I had a lot of fun with it. But I will admit this I felt like the game could have done better much better. The trailer for it was amazing, but the game itself could've been better.
  4. harryjc
    Oct 13, 2014
    7
    For people wondering why this game got a low score from so many users:

    1. The game had a HUGE bug in it when first released. If you don't get the update your save game goes away and you have to start over. Not early in the game though. Really, really late. Imagine how many hours you put in and then your save is just gone. This happened to me and it was infuriating. But I've since    For people wondering why this game got a low score from so many users:

    1. The game had a HUGE bug in it when first released. If you don't get the update your save game goes away and you have to start over. Not early in the game though. Really, really late. Imagine how many hours you put in and then your save is just gone. This happened to me and it was infuriating. But I've since upgraded my rating to reflect the fixes.

    2. The game can be extremely frustrating at times. There are points where you play and it's just completely unfair (it seems). You get surrounded and you're attacked with no way to defend yourself.

    3. Your weapons break down rather fast. It's pretty unusual that a sword breaks down. Some people may not like this feature.

    All in all though this is a good first person Zombie killing game if you ignore some of the flaws.    … Expand
  5. ThePotnoodleBoy
    Jun 21, 2014
    7
    The setting really makes Dead Island shine with it's beach resorts and poolside bars, but once you handle the basic mechanics of the game, it becomes very boring, VERY QUICKLY. Even with all it's fancy weapon modding, you always find yourself dismembering, decapitating and decimating zombies as your next objective, right through to the last mission. This game does have a lot of potentialThe setting really makes Dead Island shine with it's beach resorts and poolside bars, but once you handle the basic mechanics of the game, it becomes very boring, VERY QUICKLY. Even with all it's fancy weapon modding, you always find yourself dismembering, decapitating and decimating zombies as your next objective, right through to the last mission. This game does have a lot of potential however. 7/10… Expand
  6. UndamagedLotus
    Mar 29, 2014
    7
    There are many things I like and dislike about Dead Island. I like the free-roam aspect to this game, and how the zombies level up along with you, so it's always a challenge. However, this same point is also one reason I don't like this game. With the zombies leveling up along with you, it renders the extra health you get almost pointless, as they just do more damage to it. Also, you getThere are many things I like and dislike about Dead Island. I like the free-roam aspect to this game, and how the zombies level up along with you, so it's always a challenge. However, this same point is also one reason I don't like this game. With the zombies leveling up along with you, it renders the extra health you get almost pointless, as they just do more damage to it. Also, you get overrun with infected almost instantly unless you have a team of friends with you, making the singleplayer rather difficult. As far as glitches go, I can't complain too much. I've seen a good number of glitches, but they're mostly funny, inconsequential things. As far as game-breaking glitches go, I've only seen one so far, which has become somewhat inevitable in my playthroughs. All in all, it's not a bad game.… Expand
  7. Deusex
    Mar 2, 2014
    5
    Pros:
    Long. 20 hours or more.
    Fun.
    Addictive in a way.

    Cons:
    Repetitive.
    Cheesy.
    Bad voice acting.
    Bad story.
    Too easy.
    Not scary what so ever.
  8. HaloFever
    Feb 26, 2014
    6
    Full disclosure: I picked up "Dead Island" as a "free" Games with Gold download. "Dead Island "starts out fairly well. The beach resort part of the island is open for exploration and zombie fighting. This is certainly my kind of game. Then the game meanders into a partially closed off slum. Well, I can at least explore the slums, I guess. Soon enough, we enter the slum's sewer system.Full disclosure: I picked up "Dead Island" as a "free" Games with Gold download. "Dead Island "starts out fairly well. The beach resort part of the island is open for exploration and zombie fighting. This is certainly my kind of game. Then the game meanders into a partially closed off slum. Well, I can at least explore the slums, I guess. Soon enough, we enter the slum's sewer system. Seriously, I have to spend my time in a sewer system of slum! Then we go to the jungle. It's mostly a closed off fixed path but at least it's no sewer. Now we end in a prison, with a brief jaunt in the prison's sewer. What started out as an open world game ended as a corridor shooter. Not cool.

    The game's weapon system is also somewhat of a lie. You can modify any weapon you like, assuming you have scrounged or traded for all of the necessary parts. I used about 15% of the possible modifications because that was all I had available. That means the developer wasted 85% of its efforts on weapon art assets and balancing. It also means the weapons were 85% boring. Here's a tip for first time players: pick the character who uses guns. A majority of the necessary fights are against NPCs with guns and the toughest zombies are easily taken out at a distance with guns and grenades.

    Also, the synopsis for this games says "A couple flying to the vacation of their dreams is torn apart by a violent plane crash." This does not describe the game at all. All the player characters are drunken party goers with awful fashion sense and even worse personalities. I skipped most of the cut scenes to avoid them, and I really should have skipped the final cut scene as well. Most of the cutscenes and some of the dialogue assume you have a party of 4 co-op players. The game will seemlessly match you with players working on the same mission. This cuts both, though, because sometimes a random person will finish your mission and take the mission reward. In the later levels where you are grinding through sewers and prisons, there are no other players to offer help. Based on my observation, I hypothesize that most players give up on "Dead Island" shortly after the excellent beach resort segment of the game.

    Let's recap the lessons to be learned. For the developers, do not turn your fun open world game into a boring corridor shooter; co-op is a nice addition to single player but not a feature of single player; and if you let characters specialize in blunt weapons, do not populate the world with pistol shooting militiamen. And for the players, never leave the beach resort.    … Expand
  9. NeroJoe
    Nov 27, 2013
    7
    Okay, lets get some things out of the way. Dead Island's graphics are an awkward mix of beautiful and ugly. Sometimes it looks like crap, other times you're pleasantly surprised. Secondly if you're playing solo, this game gets DIFFICULT. Seriously, you will get your butt kicked.

    Otherwise its an extremely moody and atmospheric horror, with lots of cool weapons to make!
  10. Tothedregs
    Jun 17, 2013
    7
    Let me start off by saying this game is fantastic! The story is fun to follow, many side missions are available for extra game play, xbox live co-op is a blast, and the graphics are excellent. My first play through took me 13 hours, and I enjoyed every second.
  11. WyattTheAwesome
    May 30, 2013
    6
    Dead Island falls a little above average, but not by much. The trailer showed us an epic-packed survival horror adventure, but turned into a zombie rpg. Now, there isn't anything wrong with that, it's just the trailer was misleading. Looking at the game as a whole, it's not nearly as exciting as I hoped. The story might've been interesting if the characters had any characters at all. MyDead Island falls a little above average, but not by much. The trailer showed us an epic-packed survival horror adventure, but turned into a zombie rpg. Now, there isn't anything wrong with that, it's just the trailer was misleading. Looking at the game as a whole, it's not nearly as exciting as I hoped. The story might've been interesting if the characters had any characters at all. My problem is if you don't have characters we can connect to or like, it won't matter how good your story is because we don't care about them. Beyond poor character development, it is just an average rpg with zombies thrown in the mix. Sure, it has co-op, which I am a fan of, but if a game is only fun in co-op, then that just comes off (to me at least) as an excuse not to make the single player nearly as exciting. Overall, you might want to check it out, but I'd recommend you get yourself a discount on this game.… Expand
  12. houyi111
    May 10, 2013
    7
    As a zombie game, this one is just so much fun and amazing. The background sound is just so creepy and man I love it. I won't say the game is hard, but you will die a lot, which is a good thing IMO. Oh, the island looks like a real paradise. The combat is solid and full of bloody violence. Although I like this game quite a lot, I just canNOT give this game a higher score. As a RPG game,As a zombie game, this one is just so much fun and amazing. The background sound is just so creepy and man I love it. I won't say the game is hard, but you will die a lot, which is a good thing IMO. Oh, the island looks like a real paradise. The combat is solid and full of bloody violence. Although I like this game quite a lot, I just canNOT give this game a higher score. As a RPG game, it is a total failure. Most of the quests are ridiculous and pointless, all the characters have no depth, the story is crap and the ending is lame.… Expand
  13. Enforcer122
    Apr 16, 2013
    7
    I enjoyed this game, first and foremost. It's an original spin on the zombie outbrake. The combat system in this is very different, and can put a lot of people off. The most fun in this game is playing it with people, that's when I think the best comes out of this game. Average in parts but overall I enjoyed it!
  14. MrMassakka
    Apr 3, 2013
    7
    Dead Island is one of the best zombie games I have ever played. It has some issues, but none of them are really game-breaking.
    The graphics are pretty good at some parts and ridiculous at others.The tropical feeling on a beautiful island was caught quite good though.
    I have expected more from the story after the famous emotional announcement trailer. You are immune to the virus (no one    Dead Island is one of the best zombie games I have ever played. It has some issues, but none of them are really game-breaking.
    The graphics are pretty good at some parts and ridiculous at others.The tropical feeling on a beautiful island was caught quite good though.
    I have expected more from the story after the famous emotional announcement trailer. You are immune to the virus (no one knows why) and try to escape with mysterious person that somehow has the only helicopter on the holiday island. It's not really original or special in any way.
    The Gameplay itself is where the fun is at: 4 friends on a free-roaming island with zombies. The standalone idea is awesome and worked out well with RPG elements and a sunny tropical island to explore with your friends. I really got to love this game for it's individuality and atmosphere.

    There is a lack of story, but the nice tech, the fresh concept and very enjoyable gameplay make it a fantastic action/roleplaying game that deserves to be played. A Must-Have for every zombie fan in my opinion.    … Expand
  15. Cinemachine
    Feb 16, 2013
    7
    Fun game, but the gameplay can get a little repetitive. Playing w/friends is when the game is at it's best and the plethora of melee weapons/upgrades are pretty neat. Don't waste too much time w/guns though, they are really only needed when fighting other people. DLC is also pretty fun, but like the game, it can get a little old after a while.
  16. Rox22
    Feb 12, 2013
    6
    Good graphics, good combat, beautiful environment to explore. Yet. it really lacks in terms of narrative. As a survival horror it actually works quite well. But it really is a series of hubs, loaded with pointless fetch quests. A real shame that it did not live up to the emotional depth of the trailer. Overall: It is well worth a go simply for the visuals alone. But don't expect too muchGood graphics, good combat, beautiful environment to explore. Yet. it really lacks in terms of narrative. As a survival horror it actually works quite well. But it really is a series of hubs, loaded with pointless fetch quests. A real shame that it did not live up to the emotional depth of the trailer. Overall: It is well worth a go simply for the visuals alone. But don't expect too much in terms of depth and meaning in this game. Just another mindless action horror that just does not live up to its potential.… Expand
  17. cleanplayer
    Jan 29, 2013
    7
    I see Dead Island as an accomplishment for a studio like Deep Silver. I'm amazed of how large each location is in Dead Island, and the combat is varied and fun. It really feels like a survival horror game meets Borderlands. The gore is a huge plus as well, and the enemies keep surprising me based on newer ones being introduced. I've put in 20 hours so far, and I'm still not done!

    My    I see Dead Island as an accomplishment for a studio like Deep Silver. I'm amazed of how large each location is in Dead Island, and the combat is varied and fun. It really feels like a survival horror game meets Borderlands. The gore is a huge plus as well, and the enemies keep surprising me based on newer ones being introduced. I've put in 20 hours so far, and I'm still not done!

    My only complaints with the game is the voice acting is horrendous. It's laughable to hear what people have to say, and nothing is taken seriously because of it. The main characters are very generic, and the story is like the life of a dog..."Hey! Go fetch this while I stand here and do nothing!" It gets annoying at times, but overall Dead Island is a good game.    … Expand
  18. th0rg1l
    Nov 23, 2012
    7
    This game is quite good, and will you give hours of pleasure if you like a tactical shooter where running and gunning is not the only option (more often, you need to run away and come back later). The breaking weapons aspect is really cool, a bit like in real life (not that i know from experience, I don't own too many weapons. Great graphics & sound, nice story, definitely game youThis game is quite good, and will you give hours of pleasure if you like a tactical shooter where running and gunning is not the only option (more often, you need to run away and come back later). The breaking weapons aspect is really cool, a bit like in real life (not that i know from experience, I don't own too many weapons. Great graphics & sound, nice story, definitely game you should check out… Expand
  19. XboxGamerGuy
    Nov 14, 2012
    7
    Great idea, Great Location, Great zombies but just brought together poorly. The resulting game is a mix of epic gaming moments and poor acting LOL. The characters are the main problem with bad voice acting and stupid bad stories. This a great game if you can look passed the flaws.
  20. Maccy
    Sep 26, 2012
    7
    The best way to describe Dead Island would be as the most "realistic" experience of a Role Playing Game from a first player perspective (kind of like Borderlands, but still a world apart) while being set in a post-apocalyptic, zombie outbreak environment. There are four characters to select from, which kind of feels like classes, and a lot of unique objects that you can find and upgrade.The best way to describe Dead Island would be as the most "realistic" experience of a Role Playing Game from a first player perspective (kind of like Borderlands, but still a world apart) while being set in a post-apocalyptic, zombie outbreak environment. There are four characters to select from, which kind of feels like classes, and a lot of unique objects that you can find and upgrade.

    You can find yourself just wandering around the cities and hordes of undead, may it be to complete quests, or just in hopes to find that epic weapon you've always wanted, or maybe you just want to find a material to build it yourself. Or, you are killing bandits to find those dreaded firearm ammunition. Nevertheless, Dead Island is the closest thing you can find to a true zombie survival experience. Despite the fact that there is a main questline, the gameplay isn't especially linear, so you can really get into side quests, or just explore to your own wishes.

    Dead Island isn't a game that is revolutionary in its genre, but rather, is a good mix of multiple good ideas blended into a game that, while it isn't polished and perfectionist to the core, will satisfy a lot of zombie apocalypse game enthusiasts. None of the aspects of the gameplay are mind-blasting, but it's just put in a way that everything just works together, and when you play it, even if you see some flaws, you still get over it and have a good time playing.

    Dead Island may not be the greatest game ever, but it surely is a very interesting take on the zombie-apocalypse RPG setup and will please a lot of gamers, and has a good longevity that makes it worth the shot to play.    … Expand
  21. killiana1a
    Aug 30, 2012
    6
    Play co-op if you don't want this to become a grind. The first 5 hours of this game is amazing. Past that you ,may like I did, will find yourself running past zombies more than killing them. As for the protagonists, each is unique and based on racist and bigamist stereotypes of Black people, Southerners, Asians, and Women. The Southerner is an ex football player who is an alcoholic, thePlay co-op if you don't want this to become a grind. The first 5 hours of this game is amazing. Past that you ,may like I did, will find yourself running past zombies more than killing them. As for the protagonists, each is unique and based on racist and bigamist stereotypes of Black people, Southerners, Asians, and Women. The Southerner is an ex football player who is an alcoholic, the Black male is a rapper from South Central, the Asian is from China and is very subservient to her "fadda," and the Black Woman is a stereotypical b**ch. Other than that, they each play very differently. As for the gameplay, like I said earlier, there is nothing new past the first 5 hours. This game had potential, yet like too many games it languished in development too long and had too much fat tacked onto it.… Expand
  22. Dynamithix
    Apr 5, 2012
    6
    Dead Island is a fun game to play in co-op or even alone. The combat system is quite good but the weapons break a bit too easily. The area(s) are really large and there's plenty to explore and the graphics are quite nice too. Essentially, it's a good game, one thing that I don't like though is the voice-acting of it, it's pretty bad. Some of the quests are just 'fetch this and come back'Dead Island is a fun game to play in co-op or even alone. The combat system is quite good but the weapons break a bit too easily. The area(s) are really large and there's plenty to explore and the graphics are quite nice too. Essentially, it's a good game, one thing that I don't like though is the voice-acting of it, it's pretty bad. Some of the quests are just 'fetch this and come back' quests and that's a bit annoying too. I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising and/or Fallout.… Expand
  23. CrimsonWraith
    Apr 4, 2012
    6
    I had high hopes for this originally, it seemed the perfect hybrid of Left 4 Dead and Borderlands' online co-op in a free-roaming world with Dead Rising's focus on melee. Unfortunately, I found that Dead Island was the less satisfying than any of those other three franchises. The story is very cut and dry, nothing terribly intriguing. The character leveling system is fun, reminded me veryI had high hopes for this originally, it seemed the perfect hybrid of Left 4 Dead and Borderlands' online co-op in a free-roaming world with Dead Rising's focus on melee. Unfortunately, I found that Dead Island was the less satisfying than any of those other three franchises. The story is very cut and dry, nothing terribly intriguing. The character leveling system is fun, reminded me very much of Borderlands, but nothing about the gameplay makes me want to level everyone up. The good news is there is a ton to do, the bad news is that the gameplay is quite repetitive and I found that it got old very quickly. If you're in my shoes, you'll get bored of the game long before you come close to finishing everything there is to see and do.… Expand
  24. Jarbas6
    Jan 27, 2012
    6
    When I first played Dead Island, I was amazed. The island looked beautiful, and killing zombies was as fun as it still is. But, as the story ran, I began to feel disappointed. Why? Because the whole game is that. The great island, with sewers, a city, and beaches, and the fun behind killing zombies. That's it. All of the 15 hours of gameplay are killing zombies, taking money and energyWhen I first played Dead Island, I was amazed. The island looked beautiful, and killing zombies was as fun as it still is. But, as the story ran, I began to feel disappointed. Why? Because the whole game is that. The great island, with sewers, a city, and beaches, and the fun behind killing zombies. That's it. All of the 15 hours of gameplay are killing zombies, taking money and energy drinks, and then killing more zombies. I mean, that's cool, but what about the rest? Graphics are okay, but the game is glitched everywhere. The different types of zombies are creative, but is so annoying that a zombie can knock you down and you will take 5 seconds to get up without doing anything. Co-op is fun, but lagged. Everything in this game has a "but", and Dead Island gets a 6 because I found myself rushing to finish the story because I was getting sick of doing the same thing for 15 hours: killing zombies.… Expand
  25. zlionsfan
    Jan 23, 2012
    5
    Good intentions, but poor execution: it's hard to go wrong with Zombies in Paradise, but Square Enix does its best to do so. The game is definitely enjoyable, but a mediocre control scheme, a buggy-to-the-point-of-near-uselessness map system, a quest guidance system that has no concept of sealed doors, and a quest system that alternates between leading you by the hand and giving you noGood intentions, but poor execution: it's hard to go wrong with Zombies in Paradise, but Square Enix does its best to do so. The game is definitely enjoyable, but a mediocre control scheme, a buggy-to-the-point-of-near-uselessness map system, a quest guidance system that has no concept of sealed doors, and a quest system that alternates between leading you by the hand and giving you no information at all combine to make a great experience barely tolerable. Throw in the fact that there is no way to save your progress yourself and that autosaves not only kick you back to a safe haven, but occasionally reset progress on quests, and you get a game that probably could have used another month or three in development.

    It does deserve credit for some interesting features: for example, the combination of stamina usage and weapon wear means that you can't just button-mash, and there's a wide enough variety of weapons that you'll rarely find a weapon that must be used above all others. Then again, weapon wear means that you've got to keep workshops in mind when you're out hunting, and of course the map does not distinguish between workshops to which you have access and those you haven't yet unlocked (so then how do you know there's a workshop there?). There is a balance between male and female PCs, and they each appear to have comparable strengths and no glaring weaknesses. On the other hand, the resort-island setting is a convenient excuse for a jiggle show, even if it's a static one (NPCs are generally sitting or standing, not moving around), and female NPCs seem to give you quests that fit a helpless-woman stereotype, while the male NPCs aren't portrayed in quite that light. (It's not like any of them volunteer to help you fight zombies, though.) It's not a bad game, and the challenges and achievements combine with the different playable characters to give you a reason to go back and try it again, but it's hard to avoid the feeling that it could have been so much more.    … Expand
  26. Seraphiel
    Nov 29, 2011
    7
    Dead Island is a fun and unique game which is let down by a poor storyline, repetitive fetch quests and a poorly conceived respawning system. Obviously the thing that catches everyone's eye is the combat in the game which is done remarkably well. Very few games can bring the same satisfaction when you swing an oar into a zombies face or break the arm of a flailing brute with your trustyDead Island is a fun and unique game which is let down by a poor storyline, repetitive fetch quests and a poorly conceived respawning system. Obviously the thing that catches everyone's eye is the combat in the game which is done remarkably well. Very few games can bring the same satisfaction when you swing an oar into a zombies face or break the arm of a flailing brute with your trusty baseball bat and nothing is quite so satisfying as timing a machete swing correctly and perfectly decapitating an infected charging towards you. Many hours can be spent testing out new weapons on Zombies and seeing the satisfyingly gory effects without getting bored. However weapons break down with annoying frequency making for some tense (and often annoying) dashes back to a safehouse to repair them. The magnum opus of the game is it's landscape which is simply breath taking at the times you can stop fleeing from zombies long enough to appreciate it and the open world aspect of the game is rather well done. Something which is less than breath taking is the storyline which offers tantalising questions such as "how did this happen?", "why am I immune?", "who is the mysterious voice on the radio and are they on our side?" but then either completely fails to answer them or does but in a totally ludicrous way. The ending is similar with a plot twist which is so utterly ridiculous that it seems that the writers just threw it in there because they had a checklist and "plot twist" wasn't ticked yet. Similarly some of the side missions are just as poorly thought out [Very Minor Spoiler] as in one a thirsty woman implores you to fetch and bring back water because she is dieing of thirst while she has five or more full cans of drink dotted around her house. [Spoilers End} Similarly the characters are just really annoying and the player feels very little empathy with the at best bland and at worst very annoying personalities of the characters. Another problem is that almost every mission is a fetch and bring back mission, this is made bearable by the fact that driving in the game is rather fun but there is only a certain amount of times I can run over the same 12 respawning zombies on the same stretch of road before going from point A to point B and then back to point A again gets tedious. Another large problem is that there is almost no penalty for dieing, there is a minor penalty for dieing which is that you lose a very small amount of money and then you respawn (often close to your objective). This may not seem like much but it takes away the survival horror aspect of a game which is based on survival horror. While this review probably makes the game sound terrible the first person zombie killing open world based gameplay is actually fun enough to help you get over these horrific flaws in the game. After writing this I have no idea why I like it enough to give it a 7/10 but the game does have a certain charm and the gameplay is a redeeming feature and certainly the "Who Do You Voodoo" song in the intro is worth at least two points all by itself.… Expand
  27. YipManSays
    Nov 22, 2011
    6
    Meh.... I was hoping for the perfect coupling of Dead Rising and Left 4 Dead and what I got was a technical nightmare. Let's start off with what it does right. Fun Co Op play and zombie hacking goodness with a Borderlands like leveling system. But I found that when I played by myself the game absolutely punished me with mobs of zombies I couldn't handle and game glitches with the compassMeh.... I was hoping for the perfect coupling of Dead Rising and Left 4 Dead and what I got was a technical nightmare. Let's start off with what it does right. Fun Co Op play and zombie hacking goodness with a Borderlands like leveling system. But I found that when I played by myself the game absolutely punished me with mobs of zombies I couldn't handle and game glitches with the compass and graphics. I had tons of fun playing with friends except for the part where if one of us died we spawned half way around the world away from everyone else! So at the end of the day it's meh. Good with friends bad by yourself. I think they've been patching the issues but Deep Silver shouldn't have let it been so unpolished.… Expand
  28. brykam51
    Nov 21, 2011
    7
    This is one of those games that could have set the standard on games to come, but eventually falls short in several aspects. While I thouroughly enjoyed the game for the 20+ hours I played it, I felt a bit cheated. The leveling up aspect of your character and weapon classes were a great addition to this, I felt that the weapons fell short. While I loved the fact that when you used yourThis is one of those games that could have set the standard on games to come, but eventually falls short in several aspects. While I thouroughly enjoyed the game for the 20+ hours I played it, I felt a bit cheated. The leveling up aspect of your character and weapon classes were a great addition to this, I felt that the weapons fell short. While I loved the fact that when you used your weapong, they begin to degrade and you have to continually fix them. This added alot of strategy to the game. However, I found it frustrating that melee weapons were so much more powerful than any gun you will come to use in the game. I mean come on, you have to follow zombie rules 101, shoot them in the head and they die, but not this game. It seems to place more emphasis on using melee items, than guns. If you go in to this game as I did, thinking that it may perhaps be a new iteration of Resident Evil, you will be disappointed. But if you play through this game with an open mind, you wont regret it. Even with some of its flaws, its not a game to be missed by fans of zombies, or survival horror.… Expand
  29. Decemuladores
    Nov 20, 2011
    7
    A new zombie killer for the most enthusiastic gamer that seek new ways of skinning zombies with a bad plot intriguingly, many bugs but with a new level of fun in its friendly and good gameplay and sound effects. Just and only for fans of zombie killing.
  30. DrEggman
    Nov 17, 2011
    5
    Dead island has some of the most impressive and realistic graphics I have seen in a game, far superior to the bland brownness of the Call of duty series. That is the best part of the game, the visuals. The game play could have been fun if you did not have to do the same quests for 20 hours. Seriously, I felt like all I did for the entire game was collect tanks of fuel for people and killDead island has some of the most impressive and realistic graphics I have seen in a game, far superior to the bland brownness of the Call of duty series. That is the best part of the game, the visuals. The game play could have been fun if you did not have to do the same quests for 20 hours. Seriously, I felt like all I did for the entire game was collect tanks of fuel for people and kill zombies! The trailers made it out to have an engaging storyline. It did not! It had terrible character development and a few boring cutscenes. Seriously this game could have taken a leaf out of Fallout's book and been a zombie RPG, it might have been interesting then. The only part I enjoyed was at the very end where there is a prison full of convicts calling you 'brutha'. The only thing that kept me going throughout this hell adventure was Gamer score and the fact I told the guy I borrowed it from I would finish it. I think I'm being quite lenient with giving this game a 5.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
9
#9 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 75
  3. Negative: 1 out of 75
  1. GamingTrend
    Mar 1, 2012
    93
    Dead Island is a hell of a ride from start to (near) finish and is a zombie game that stands out from the rest of the pack.
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  2. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    Dec 2, 2011
    55
    A wasted opportunity - frustrating to play and too ugly to love. [Dec 2011, p.98]
  3. Game Chronicles
    Nov 23, 2011
    85
    I admit that I was not expecting much from Dead Island, given the oversaturated subject matter and the delayed development time. And while the game definitely has its share of weaknesses, it is pleasantly surprising in its own right.
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