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. makdrumz
    Sep 10, 2011
    7
    What is wrong with everyone? I went off and bought the game despite the poor reviews and i am glad i did so. I think this is an organized attempt to bury this game. Great visuals combined with flawless gameplay and rpg elements. Left4dead is a child in comparison to this game. If you want a great zombie experience do yourself a favor and buy or at least rent this game and then buy it. IWhat is wrong with everyone? I went off and bought the game despite the poor reviews and i am glad i did so. I think this is an organized attempt to bury this game. Great visuals combined with flawless gameplay and rpg elements. Left4dead is a child in comparison to this game. If you want a great zombie experience do yourself a favor and buy or at least rent this game and then buy it. I was reading a comment saying that sometimes there are slow texture loading time which are eliminated if you install the game. Some people tend to forget gow 1, me 1 with the slow texture loading times. Ts ts ts... I mean come on, couldnt you find a better reason to bury the game? Hmmm wait...thats a no cause there is no true reason other than you prefer playing cod zombies... A must buy for me.… Expand
  2. Jcrank42210
    Oct 3, 2011
    7
    Dead Island a solid game from interesting ways to kill zombies and the graphics. The game is just like Left for Dead but with a lot better graphics. The problem with Dead Island is the repetition and lack of variety in game modes. I do like that you can choose different characters but I also don't like that you do the same thing over and over. How long can you do nothing but kill Zombies.
  3. Jord291
    Sep 16, 2011
    7
    If anyone has seen zombie flesh eaters (1979) then you would agree Dead island has similar qualities, most likely due to the fact they both include a tropical island ans zombies. I was very excited for the release of this game but at the same time slightly sceptical, it seemed hard to believe that a rpg with a pretty big free roam map with zombies was too good to be true, but fortunatelyIf anyone has seen zombie flesh eaters (1979) then you would agree Dead island has similar qualities, most likely due to the fact they both include a tropical island ans zombies. I was very excited for the release of this game but at the same time slightly sceptical, it seemed hard to believe that a rpg with a pretty big free roam map with zombies was too good to be true, but fortunately Dead island is just that. The graphics are lush, the storyline is pretty good, the combat system although edgy in some places gets the job done. I do have some criticisms though, like pretty much every game it does get repetitive, and i mean this literally, the same or similar zombies respawn in the same or similar place after they die, it makes this game predictible. What i desire in most games (especially RPG's) is some aspects of realism. The online sector of the game makes the game more enjoyable has having companions gives you a sense of realiability even though the majority of the time actually starting or joining an online party can be annoying has you dont always get connected. But overall Dead island is a pretty good game, has alot of replay value, especially if playing with friends. Also for the record, yeah your character is immune to the infection, but you can still get killed so why should you do all the errands alone, the other survivors should get off their ass and help!! I'll give this game 7/10 (At it's complete maximum)… Expand
  4. JamieTz
    Sep 16, 2011
    7
    The points responsible for the negative image around Dead Island such as the indifferent characters, bland story, bad voice acting etc. are out-shined by the overall experience, the pure fun offered by the game, the visually beautiful Banoi island and the co-op mode with friends which thanks to the large amount of content, it is able to offer 30 + hours of game-play. I, however, despiteThe points responsible for the negative image around Dead Island such as the indifferent characters, bland story, bad voice acting etc. are out-shined by the overall experience, the pure fun offered by the game, the visually beautiful Banoi island and the co-op mode with friends which thanks to the large amount of content, it is able to offer 30 + hours of game-play. I, however, despite its problems, continue to believe that Dead Island is the most realistic representation of a zombie apocalypse in a video game to date.… Expand
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. Venatis
    Oct 24, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The thing with Dead Island is, it starts of very enticing, you want to carry on playing and find out, 'How did this happen?' 'Why am I immune to this disease?' But the more you go through the game, the more you can actually live without knowing. It has a very repetitive style, NPC always asking for something. It's fetch this and fetch that, and halfway through the game you are just feel like saying, 'Go do it yourself!' And the ending left me very disappointed, the cure turning Ryder White into a zombie, oh please! Although admittedly the whole gameplay is very unique and nothing iv seen in a zombie game before, mainly melee combat based to make the game more tricky, but then I wasn't even afraid of dying because you lose some money and then are respawned in exactly the same place, or in some cases at your actual location your going too! Overall its good for about the 1st act before you realise the repetitiveness of it all, combat can be very fun, but sometimes very challenging if you are playing single player rather than multiplayer as you are overwhelmed with zombie (Especially at the church area) but still don't worry, you only lose money! The NPC as well as the PC's are very bland and you don't connect with them, I really couldn't have cared less if they would have all died in the end! (To be honest it would have been a better ending!) The scenery in this game is just amazing and it is fun just to sometimes take time out of doing repetitive quests and just explore the open world!… Expand
  9. ofchughes
    Sep 6, 2011
    7
    Dead Island is a fantastic game that isn't getting the credit it deserves. However i can understand with the bugs and crashes that are occurring in game. In time with patches it will be the game its supposed to be. The violence is awesome and game play just needs some fixing it will be a true gem just not right now.
  10. Hawxblood
    Sep 7, 2011
    7
    I'll keep it short and to the point. If your reading all these hate it, love it reviews and your thinking; "I might like this game" then go and buy it. Simple, you will like it.
  11. TimmyRainman
    Sep 7, 2011
    6
    There's good and there's bad about this game, but the bad parts are completely annoying. First of all, lots of bugs to deal with and a complete lack of thought to story plot. The Island is over-run by zombies, so then what's the point of collecting money? I think in reality, money would be worthless in the sake of pure terror for survival sake. Therefore, why not just use XP points forThere's good and there's bad about this game, but the bad parts are completely annoying. First of all, lots of bugs to deal with and a complete lack of thought to story plot. The Island is over-run by zombies, so then what's the point of collecting money? I think in reality, money would be worthless in the sake of pure terror for survival sake. Therefore, why not just use XP points for trading and upgrades? Yeah, the collecting money thing I found quite stupid and lacked any coherent thought. The ratio between your health, energy and how many hits you can take before you die is way off balance. In other words, you die way too easy (only takes a few bites and your down). Of course, having the energy feature is no help when you have about 3 to 4 zombies on you at once. The energy bar goes to zero after whacking 1 1/2 zombies, then you're completely vulnerable to die quickly. The only good thing is when you come back to life, the zombies you did kill are still dead, but get used to seeing a lot of "you're dead" screens, which get extremely annoying. Plus, all dying does is make you lose some money, so why not just make me lose some money as I take hits? It makes more sense than constantly dying and having to see the death screen over and over. Well, again the thing with "money", WTF were they thinking there?

    I've never been a huge fan of first-player action, and this is certainly a game that screams for third person view, being you literally need eyes in the back of your head. Nothing like zombies always sneaking up behind you, and considering it only takes a few bites to die, it's not exactly what I consider fun. And don't count on the mini-map, as it only shows zombies to kill that are in the mission objective; all other zombies do not show up on the map. Need I mention there's no target locking, which is disappointing in my opinion. I understand other gamers don't want target lock, but some gamers do and it would have been nice to at least have the option, especially with limited view area because of your precious first-player view. The best thing in the game is getting in a vehicle and simply running over zombies. Like in any GTA platform, the more damage you do to your car, it eventually dies and you'll need to find another car. Nevertheless, think of it ass the best weapon you have in the start, because boat paddles and broom sticks just don't cut it.

    And bugs galore! There's a bug when getting in and out of cars, my PS3 says to press L2 to kick but sometimes hitting the square button makes the character kick. Nothing like swinging your weapon when you're right up on a zombie, and so are the cross-hairs, yet you literally miss the zombie after a couple swings. Yeah, control wise, not very impressive and more annoying than anything else. Nevertheless, the graphics look great and the zombies are quite disgusting, which is a good thing. Other than that, it's the same old "work your way up the latter" missions. But hey, nothing like wasting $60 on a game that should only be worth $10.    … Expand
  12. jgjake2
    Sep 6, 2011
    5
    I had been anticipating this game for some time and I am quite disappointed with what I got for my money. I absolutely LOVED Borderlands, and this game makes a clear attempt to copy many its gameplay mechanics. I also spotted many things adopted from games like Dead Rising 2, Fallout, and Left for Dead 2. However, the developers of this game spent little time truly unifying these variousI had been anticipating this game for some time and I am quite disappointed with what I got for my money. I absolutely LOVED Borderlands, and this game makes a clear attempt to copy many its gameplay mechanics. I also spotted many things adopted from games like Dead Rising 2, Fallout, and Left for Dead 2. However, the developers of this game spent little time truly unifying these various game mechanics and failed in many ways to deliver a solid game.

    Firstly, I have to comment on the atrocious weapon and inventory system. The inventory list is unorganized and is unable to be sorted in any way that truly matters. There is a sort function that displays blocks of items, such as melee weapons, guns, etcâ    … 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. Redfordsto
    Sep 7, 2011
    5
    A great concept ruined by tons of glitches. The game is fun. But there are too many glitches to make it worth the $60. A patch is coming, but you're probably wise to wait. The problems will be fixed and the price will drop.
  15. beeofdoom
    Sep 7, 2011
    5
    disregard my previous review, I've only played the PC version. I can't comment on the 360. There should be a way to retract a review!
  16. jstrickler872
    Sep 7, 2011
    7
    I have been playing this game non-stop since i bought it. It is really fun. i had seen the trailers, and was sold. Sadly this game isn't as awesome as i pictured in my head. There are many issues with this game. (Needed more development) the voice acting/cut scenes are just atrocious. What makes this game stand out is not the story line, or graphics, but the actual feel of being stuck in aI have been playing this game non-stop since i bought it. It is really fun. i had seen the trailers, and was sold. Sadly this game isn't as awesome as i pictured in my head. There are many issues with this game. (Needed more development) the voice acting/cut scenes are just atrocious. What makes this game stand out is not the story line, or graphics, but the actual feel of being stuck in a world with zombies. The zombies in this game are super scary. If they see you they sprint at you and make the most terrifying noises. If you want a shooter though...this isn't the game for you. Use mostly melee weapons. So i do recommend this game, but just want to warn everyone that....it is very sloppy, and defiantly needed more development.… Expand
  17. zork2112
    Sep 7, 2011
    7
    First, the game is a lot of fun and the atmosphere is excellent. However, I've played for about an hour and I've already hit a bug. The first side quest I hit involved giving alcohol to an NPC (this is so early in the game and so minor it's hardly a spoiler). Anyway, I tried 4 times and watched the items disappear from my inventory, but no recognition from the game that any progressFirst, the game is a lot of fun and the atmosphere is excellent. However, I've played for about an hour and I've already hit a bug. The first side quest I hit involved giving alcohol to an NPC (this is so early in the game and so minor it's hardly a spoiler). Anyway, I tried 4 times and watched the items disappear from my inventory, but no recognition from the game that any progress was being made. If this is happening so soon, I'm not going to bother going on and I'm just going to wait for a patch that will hopefully come. There are some sub-par graphics glitches, but on the whole I'm really looking forward to continuing to play. There are a lot of real positives with the game. It's a shame that they didn't wait just a little longer and release it in better shape. I can understand issues on a PC, but with consoles you're dealing with a known hardware setup. These issues should not get through QA.… Expand
  18. poker909
    Sep 9, 2011
    6
    A mediocre FPS with fetch-quests will be Dead Island's legacy. I love zombies in games, from Left 4 Dead to Dead Rising, even CoD's Nazi Zombie maps I love, however this title is in a league below those great games. It feels like a great concept that was never fully realized. Everything about this game is what you'd expect from a game in 2011 without offering anything new or innovative.A mediocre FPS with fetch-quests will be Dead Island's legacy. I love zombies in games, from Left 4 Dead to Dead Rising, even CoD's Nazi Zombie maps I love, however this title is in a league below those great games. It feels like a great concept that was never fully realized. Everything about this game is what you'd expect from a game in 2011 without offering anything new or innovative. Being able to collect xp and build your abilities is hardly a new concept, and fetch-quests only compel me to turn off my system. 4 player co-op is fun, but hardly as fresh or exciting as older zombie games with the same feature.… Expand
  19. ColdHardTruth
    Sep 9, 2011
    6
    This is my revision of my review of Dead Island. I previously gave this game a 8/10. Which is not far off but later in the game i have come across more and more major glitches and this frustrates me (example: I had loaded my last checkpoint in the game and when I did this it had me start in a whole new area that I've never seen up till now). Im afraid even a patch released may only coverThis is my revision of my review of Dead Island. I previously gave this game a 8/10. Which is not far off but later in the game i have come across more and more major glitches and this frustrates me (example: I had loaded my last checkpoint in the game and when I did this it had me start in a whole new area that I've never seen up till now). Im afraid even a patch released may only cover up some of the mess. The game is still fun if you have time to kill but yes it does get frustrating at times as many other people have pointed out. Killing zombies is always fun but more time spent on fine tuning this game and we could have been looking at a game of the year award.… Expand
  20. Sceptic
    Sep 9, 2011
    6
    Dead Island has a great concept,yet it is poorly implemented.A few months polish could have turned this game into a great one.Online play is ok though a lack of local co-op is unforgivable.Many are comparing D.I to Borderlands or Fallout 3.It may have a few similar game mechanics as the afore mentioned games,but that's the nature of the industry today.Dead Island is an ok game thatDead Island has a great concept,yet it is poorly implemented.A few months polish could have turned this game into a great one.Online play is ok though a lack of local co-op is unforgivable.Many are comparing D.I to Borderlands or Fallout 3.It may have a few similar game mechanics as the afore mentioned games,but that's the nature of the industry today.Dead Island is an ok game that shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as those titles.… Expand
  21. Bman2095
    Oct 12, 2011
    5
    Dead Island was one of those games everyone thought was going to be PERFECT like Duke Nukem. It was being made for years and trailers promoted it like crazy. I really thought it was going to be better than what it was though, The graphics were pretty bad and the story was horrible. However, the open world was great and the island was large enough to explore and not get bored. I did enjoyDead Island was one of those games everyone thought was going to be PERFECT like Duke Nukem. It was being made for years and trailers promoted it like crazy. I really thought it was going to be better than what it was though, The graphics were pretty bad and the story was horrible. However, the open world was great and the island was large enough to explore and not get bored. I did enjoy Dead island the first 2 times around but it loses it's replay value very easily. Over all I have to give it a 5/10.… Expand
  22. aisaac6
    Sep 15, 2011
    7
    First off this is a very fun game at times however the inexcusable bugs will take you out f the experience from time to time that can ruin the game for some. The graphics are mixed between the gorgeous island and the beauty of dismembering zombies to how bad a normal person you are talking to can look worse than the undead. The amount of side quest in vast but a good amount of the questFirst off this is a very fun game at times however the inexcusable bugs will take you out f the experience from time to time that can ruin the game for some. The graphics are mixed between the gorgeous island and the beauty of dismembering zombies to how bad a normal person you are talking to can look worse than the undead. The amount of side quest in vast but a good amount of the quest are just your character taking orders from other survivors to fetch them something they want and they get boring very fast. If you can look past these problems their is a good game to be found worth at least a play through.… Expand
  23. cafebabe
    Sep 16, 2011
    5
    "Neaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh", *rums, *wumbs, Dead. What starts as a promising zombie sandbox game turns out to be a very linear first person shooter with annoying game mechanics. The quite long story (main story and side quests) starts interesting but loses liability fast. You will find groups of survivors in a lighthouse, in a church, a ware house and in the jungle. But their stories are just"Neaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh", *rums, *wumbs, Dead. What starts as a promising zombie sandbox game turns out to be a very linear first person shooter with annoying game mechanics. The quite long story (main story and side quests) starts interesting but loses liability fast. You will find groups of survivors in a lighthouse, in a church, a ware house and in the jungle. But their stories are just there to show you places and have you more of these "Neaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh", *rums, *wumbs, Dead. To the end of the game, everything is just very linear. The maps get tighten up, leave you less routes to take and places to visit.

    More broken are the game mechanics. Zombies, killed seconds ago spawning right in front of you. Weapons which seem to be shorter than a toothpick. Zombies (or ghosts) running right through you and hit you from behind. Somewhat useless guns. And the fact that you loose money when you die, because the game designers probably felt that you need more punishment than just the very very annoying fast and raging zombies. "Neaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh", *rums, *wumbs, Dead. Those zombies are just hard to kill which makes parts of the game unfair and really frustrating.

    Although, the graphics are nice. Especially the city looks very detailed.

    I have not tried multiplayer because I felt no real incentive in joining another session.

    TL;DR: It's worth to play the game to the end for those who like the genre. But some will stop over too much frustration because of those "Neaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh", *rums, *wumbs, Dead. And Left 4 Dead keeps the throne!    … Expand
  24. xxFORDSTERxx
    Sep 17, 2011
    7
    I think the reason im giving this a 7 and not a 9 or 10, Is due to the trailer got me so pumped for this game, It looked like a perfect game, But the final product did not live up to my expectations. The game is still good though. I should also note that the bugs are lowering my score, They need to be fixed
  25. PreCaut1on
    Sep 23, 2011
    7
    Dead Island, unfortunately, is one of those games that I simply can't love, but really wished I could have.

    You start off this zombie open-world adventure by choosing one of the four main classes, each with their own back story (which to be honest either needed more to it or to be left out entirely.) One of my main issues with the game is right here, with the character selection. The    Dead Island, unfortunately, is one of those games that I simply can't love, but really wished I could have.

    You start off this zombie open-world adventure by choosing one of the four main classes, each with their own back story (which to be honest either needed more to it or to be left out entirely.) One of my main issues with the game is right here, with the character selection. The characters do not differentiate themselves enough. The best option is the blunt expert because of his regeneration skills, and his fury attack uses only his fists. Choosing any of the other three classes, to me, would feel like a waste of time, since you'll just be better with the blunt expert without a doubt.

    While in the style of Borderlands, the multiplayer is also a bit of a let down. The weapons, and there are a lot of them, all seem to look the same. Combat consists mainly of simply aiming for the head, and I quickly became bored with smashing the same generic enemy types over and over.

    My final point really is the biggest let down, and it is all the poor design choices the developers made. The car driving is extremely boring, with the roads being very narrow and you aren't allowed any 3rd person view. The choice to go primarily melee might have sounded good on paper, but after playing a game like borderlands, with its variety of guns and interesting animations, finding a high level weapon that is merely a stick and then bashing it against a zombie head like you have since the beginning of the game is a massive let down.

    I really did want to enjoy this game with my friends, but I didn't have massive expectations. After watching gameplay months before it came out, i had a feeling this wouldn't be my answer to Borderlands withdrawal. To be honest, this really does take many good mechanics from other good games, such as the loot and coop from Borderlands, the zombies from Left 4 Dead, the open world of a Fallout Game (though it does feel much more constricted than Fallout). But they were executed rather poorly. Pros: *Fun level-based coop game
    *Tons of loot and weapons
    *Big island to explore

    Cons:
    *Combat gets old rather quickly
    *Classes don't differ enough
    *Driving is awful. Just awful.

    7: This game does deserve a 7, because at times it can be fun. But overall the experience felt like a chore, due to a boring story with almost nothing to work towards, and a mediocre combat system that will feel old and tiresome after the first act or 2.    … Expand
  26. Someoneudunno
    Oct 15, 2011
    6
    I was pretty disappointed with this game to be honest. I'd been following it pretty much since announcement and was pretty much ecstatic when the first trailer was released. But this game fell so short of what I expected. There are a lot of major bugs in the game and even more weird animations, the gameplay gets somewhat stale very fast, going from open world to incredibly restrictiveI was pretty disappointed with this game to be honest. I'd been following it pretty much since announcement and was pretty much ecstatic when the first trailer was released. But this game fell so short of what I expected. There are a lot of major bugs in the game and even more weird animations, the gameplay gets somewhat stale very fast, going from open world to incredibly restrictive areas and the story is next to non-existent. The main redeeming factors are the variety in weapons available and the graphics. What I will say is if you enjoyed the style of game-play Borderlands had you'll probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.… Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
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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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