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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Thrillhouse
    Sep 7, 2011
    8
    A mix of borderlands, fallout, and dead rising. If you're one of those people that plays games and needs to brag about the graphics, this game wont disappoint, but also has the addictive gameplay to make you forget to eat a few meals. Playing coop with friends is the way to go, you end up running through the streets just stomping out zombies, basically feeling you're in a lynch mob, butA mix of borderlands, fallout, and dead rising. If you're one of those people that plays games and needs to brag about the graphics, this game wont disappoint, but also has the addictive gameplay to make you forget to eat a few meals. Playing coop with friends is the way to go, you end up running through the streets just stomping out zombies, basically feeling you're in a lynch mob, but for all the right reasons… Expand
  2. pez79_14
    Sep 7, 2011
    8
    Dead Island is a game any zombie fan should enjoy. The combat is up close and visceral. It never gets old to cave in a zombies head. There are many small touches that fit into the "zombie apocalypse" theme, such as some of the zombies have bandages on there arms from when they were bit as a human, and bodies that are completely eaten on the ground. The Crome engine looks really good and IDead Island is a game any zombie fan should enjoy. The combat is up close and visceral. It never gets old to cave in a zombies head. There are many small touches that fit into the "zombie apocalypse" theme, such as some of the zombies have bandages on there arms from when they were bit as a human, and bodies that are completely eaten on the ground. The Crome engine looks really good and I appreciate the time put into the many zombie characters and types. There is a constant sense of uneasiness and tension that never lets up. The first player gameplay is similar to Farcry in the animations of your movement, and driving. The combat is similar to Condemned and Chronicles of Riddick with great first person combat. The quests are similar to Fallout 3 or Borderlands. This game is a no-brainer for zombie fans, and a good game for anyone looking for a fun first person action/adventure game.… Expand
  3. Bighairyturtle
    Sep 29, 2011
    8
    Pros:
    1. Weapon variety and creation.
    2. Entertaining and challenging fighting controls and interface. 3. Fair story and lots to do. 4. Scenery is Pretty and engaging. Cons: 1. Driving 2. Starts off slow in my opinion 3. Save system can be better and is buggy at points 4.Needs some polishing. Summary: I enjoyed this game the classes, weapons, fighting, and story were all great.    Pros:
    1. Weapon variety and creation.
    2. Entertaining and challenging fighting controls and interface.
    3. Fair story and lots to do.
    4. Scenery is Pretty and engaging.
    Cons:
    1. Driving
    2. Starts off slow in my opinion
    3. Save system can be better and is buggy at points
    4.Needs some polishing.

    Summary: I enjoyed this game the classes, weapons, fighting, and story were all great. Unfortunately the some of the flaws and lack of polishing can make this game frustrating and take away from the experience. After a patch and the price drop I think this will be a solid game to turn to when you want some story, zombie violence, and fps feel.

    8/10    … Expand
  4. oligibbons
    Sep 9, 2011
    8
    After month and months of anticipation for this game, it really took me by surprise to see the terrible reviews that this game got. After playing it myself, I thought it was best to review it myself.

    I love(d) the game, but that's not to say there aren't a few issues with it. Yes, the co-op match-making is a little uneven and the co-op mode as a whole is a little factured at the time of    After month and months of anticipation for this game, it really took me by surprise to see the terrible reviews that this game got. After playing it myself, I thought it was best to review it myself.

    I love(d) the game, but that's not to say there aren't a few issues with it. Yes, the co-op match-making is a little uneven and the co-op mode as a whole is a little factured at the time of writing this; and there may be a number of glitches throughout the game in general; also, the game engine does seem to struggle with the more complicated renders; but these are only minor, superficial problems that have no real impact on the overall game. Also, Techland are working tirelessly at the moment to bring updates that will fix these issues.

    There are plenty of positives in this game, that people seem to ignore - For example, the vistas are beautiful! There is nothing better than strolling along the beaches of paradise, before taking on a horde of the undead. Also, the atmosphere that is created can be chilling to say the least - This is best shown in close quarters though; especially in the dark. Furthermore, the sheer desperation shown by NPCs really gives you a sense of panic and despair. The soundtrack does a lot to carry this as well.

    I've seen people complain about the fact that there is too much money on the island -- You are in a holiday resort for the best part of the game. Whenever I go on holiday, I tend to have a lot of money on me as well... It's something that you would expect to find in this situation. Also, people have been complaining about the fact that so much has been "borrowed" from other games, such as levelling systems as well as skill trees... It makes the game better than it would be without it, so I don't see how you can complain at something that improves the game.

    That said, there could definitely be a lot done to improve the unrefined look of the game. But to a degree, it is this "rough-around-the-edges" charm adds character to the game, in the same way it did to Fallout 3. And on the topic of Bethesda's Game of the Year title, a lot was made of the comparison's between the two as it approached launch, and I saw more that slight flickers as to why this was - Needless to say, the expansive and desolate open-world map is of a similar vein, but the minimalist feel that lets the game breathe for itself is also striking between both games.

    This game is definitely not for everyone. But if you are looking for a game that you can lock yourself in your room for hours on end, with the windows closed and the volume turned up as you completely immerse yourself into a frightening world, then this could be the game for you. However, if you are looking for a refined masterpiece, a la Red Dead Redemption, then this isn't for you. You can't even think of tackling this game without a forgiving mindset, so if you treat this game kindly, it will reward you with a very very satisfying ride.    … Expand
  5. TheHarshOne
    Sep 11, 2011
    8
    I bought Dead Island exspecting a really boring RPG,must say,i was wrong. I could see myself putting countless hours into this game. Now lets start with the things i liked about the game. i overall think the graphics are great, on consoles they are great. I cant imagine what they are like on PC. The gameplay of the game is hack and slash, and some gun gameplay thrown in here and there.I bought Dead Island exspecting a really boring RPG,must say,i was wrong. I could see myself putting countless hours into this game. Now lets start with the things i liked about the game. i overall think the graphics are great, on consoles they are great. I cant imagine what they are like on PC. The gameplay of the game is hack and slash, and some gun gameplay thrown in here and there. This game is a hardcore RPG. Looting galore, and leveling up is as fun as ever, adding skill points, and upgrading weopons. The Co-Op of the game is amazing, playing with friends is the best Co-Op experience i have ever had. Now onto the bad things. The presentation has texture bugs, and pop-ups. Gameplay can be really hard if you are playing by yourself. Playing alone is alot harder than playing with friends. The story, well um.... what story!? There really isnt a story, its just 4 survivors trying to escape the city, other than the four characters backstory. The matchmaking is awful, you will drop from a game randomly. There are also bugs that stop you from continuing the story. I was escorting a survivor, and she just stopped i couldnt get her to move so i had to restart my xbox. Some people are just destroying this game, but its a big world, and there are bound to be bugs. It has already been annouced that there will be 37 bug fixes soon. If there were not bugs, this game would have gotten a 9.0, but with the game bugs this game gets a 8.0.… Expand
  6. Tornel
    Sep 11, 2011
    8
    Let me start off by saying that anyone who gives a game with so many workable and fun elements a 0/10 is just an idiot, I'm sorry. Unless the game is just unplayable (which at almost 20 hours in I can promise you is it quit the opposite) it doesn't deserve a grade that low on the fact that it is a working playable game. There are tons of quests with lots of variety to them (though manyLet me start off by saying that anyone who gives a game with so many workable and fun elements a 0/10 is just an idiot, I'm sorry. Unless the game is just unplayable (which at almost 20 hours in I can promise you is it quit the opposite) it doesn't deserve a grade that low on the fact that it is a working playable game. There are tons of quests with lots of variety to them (though many are fetch quests I admit). The graphics are very good (at least on the PC version, but you can't expect consoles to compete in that department based on old hardware and bandwidth limitations on them) and there are sooo many ways to decapitate the zombies, that no other game I've played even comes close. This leads to many tactics, such as the Thug enemies that are the first stronger enemy you will encounter. You can chop his arms off which eliminates the threat of him knocking you to the ground causing massive damage, and leaves him very easy prey at that point. Whoever said the engine limits you to 5 zombies at once, either didn't get to act 2 where the special area leads to you getting constantly swamped and struggling to live, or the consoles themselves are limiting the number of zombies, I can't say since I didn't play it on console. The biggest surprise to me playing this game was the fact that the whole game wasn't based around the resort area. From all the gameplay and trailers I watched that is what you are lead to believe, but it is far from actuality. The resort area is actually my least favorite of all of the areas, with acts 2/3 being very fun by giving a very different feeling to the game. The item prefixes tell you a lot about the quality of the item, you just have to learn what they mean (which can be hard since they give you very little to go on). The mods for the items add another level of enjoyment to the item system by giving you many options to go with for each item. Sometimes the mods make your weapons awesome, and then sometimes they fall short of your expectations and I wind up not using them. I honestly don't see how anyone can give this game ratings worse than games like Borderlands when it has way more content and doesn't get state nearly as quickly due to the range of environments (whereas borderlands had desert and more desert). It has rough spots every now and then though, as other users have mentioned sometimes you will swing and you will not hit the zombie in front of you when you should, causing you to get hit or knocked down, but this isn't often enough for me to quit playing. The online has worked well since the first patch (and even before then I was still able to play with my friends). It will pop up often asking if I would like to join others, and if I'm not playing with friends I sometimes will. All of my friends have been able to join my game and I have been able to join them as well without any problems. I think the biggest reason for bad reviews is the game can get tiring if you play for too much in one sitting. Having to fight zombie after zombie, and actually have to work at killing them, can be tiring for someone used to other games where you just shoot your way through with ease. On that point, guns are not effective at killing zombies, at least not as effective as melee. If you get solid headshots it takes many bullets, where I could have just knocked them down and stomped their head. Although against other living enemies in the game (i.e. not zombies), guns are very effective, with usually a single headshot doing the job. The environment,music, sound effects (especially severing a limb or shooting a rifle) all sound great and couldn't be better. All in all if you like games like borderlands you should try this game out as it has all of the good points about borderlands, but looks better, has more varied quests, has better items, allows you to slice/bash up your enemies giving you the edge in a fight, and allows you to do all of this with friends which, for me, made it all the more enjoyable.… Expand
  7. Muro
    Sep 11, 2011
    8
    I am having a hard time understanding why this game is so loved by some and so hated by others
    From a technical stand point it's buggy, though not broken. The game engine lacks polish, but its not the ugly mess that some claim. So from a purely technical side its about a 6. There have been games far more polished for their release.
    Now to the actual point of any game, having fun, and    I am having a hard time understanding why this game is so loved by some and so hated by others
    From a technical stand point it's buggy, though not broken. The game engine lacks polish, but its not the ugly mess that some claim. So from a purely technical side its about a 6. There have been games far more polished for their release.

    Now to the actual point of any game, having fun, and in this regard Dead Island is very good, though dam me its difficult. Maybe it is this difficulty that some people are not liking but I am loving it, at last a game that is just challenging me at every turn. The zombies are vicious and unforgiving, which is good.
    The hack and slash rpg aspect enough to keep you wanting to level up just one more level, to get that one slightly bigger knife, that one extra skill point, to kill a few more zombies.
    So in terms of being fun, this game is a 9.

    I would have given it an overall score of 7.5 but I can't do that so it cna have an 8.
    It's not the masterpiece that the 9's and 10's are giving it, but it deserves justice from all the haters.

    One final word to edge magazine... as actual professional critics you thought this game was a 3?
    I don't know if you had received a beta copy of the game that wasn't the final code, or were just hating to cause shock and drive traffic to your site but seriously guys just get a few of you online together and play it, and tell me you aren't having fun.    … Expand
  8. ZomB
    Sep 12, 2011
    8
    8.5
    I just registered on here to try & boost this games score as i think it is a real shame that some gamers might be put off by some of the negative reviews (The Edge review is so wide of the mark its beyond a joke!). I'll try to keep it brief but Dead Island is a great game but i wont deny that it does have some minor flaws.
    As i said the flaws are pretty minor & should not    8.5
    I just registered on here to try & boost this games score as i think it is a real shame that some gamers might be put off by some of the negative reviews (The Edge review is so wide of the mark its beyond a joke!). I'll try to keep it brief but Dead Island is a great game but i wont deny that it does have some minor flaws.

    As i said the flaws are pretty minor & should not constitute the majority of a review. Yes there are some graphic glitches. For example if you drive somewhere fast a texture might not load up straight away. So slightly annoying but hardly game breaking & ive seen this issue in plenty of other games including the recent LA Noire. Personally that is the only glitch ive seen after playing for about 10 hours.

    If i had to compare then this game does borrow some idea's from other games. If you enjoyed Borderlands then you will definitely like this. In my opinion the mission system is better than Borderlands as you actually aquire missions from NPC's rather than outposts. This makes the game flow more naturally. There are also elements of Fallout in how you can acquire random items to create new weapons etc. So imo the game should not be knocked for 'borrowing' some of these ideas. I think the vast majority of games also do this to some degree. Modern Warfare took a lot from Counter Strike but that didnt effect the reviews for COD...and rightly so!

    So like Borderlands one player is fun but can be more challenging without any back up. The real fun begins when you play co-op...especially with friends. If you want something different from the usual shooters & mass produced games then dont sleep on this.

    So to conclude Dead Island is a really ambitious project & a few minor bugs dont stop this from being a very good game. If you plan on playing through one player this might not be the game for you however if you have some friends to play with then don't hesitate in getting this!    … Expand
  9. DoubleNegativ
    Sep 13, 2011
    8
    Pros: Great graphics, great controls, great default difficulty level (due to swarming, weapons breaking)
    Cons: single player = hard as balls, penalty for death isn't great enough, nor is the death respawn
    At first I hated the weapons dulling and breaking aspect, but as I played further I realized that it made the game fun. You have to understand that this game is NOT like other games in    Pros: Great graphics, great controls, great default difficulty level (due to swarming, weapons breaking)
    Cons: single player = hard as balls, penalty for death isn't great enough, nor is the death respawn

    At first I hated the weapons dulling and breaking aspect, but as I played further I realized that it made the game fun. You have to understand that this game is NOT like other games in aspect of killing everything that you see. There are times when fleeing > fighting and that is exactly what makes this game incredible. If you are the type of gamer that's run and gun > strategy then this game isn't for you.    … Expand
  10. emanuel83
    Sep 18, 2011
    8
    In our current gaming society where games are nitpicked to oblivion, and every glitch and shortcoming are spouted to the online community, Dead Island may look bad on paper. Why some may focus on bugs, graphical errors and the like, they will undoubtedly miss the boat. Dead Island has flaws with clipping, loading textures, hit detection, balance, saving (on some platforms), and even basicIn our current gaming society where games are nitpicked to oblivion, and every glitch and shortcoming are spouted to the online community, Dead Island may look bad on paper. Why some may focus on bugs, graphical errors and the like, they will undoubtedly miss the boat. Dead Island has flaws with clipping, loading textures, hit detection, balance, saving (on some platforms), and even basic gameplay that you think should have been addressed during testing. However, as you make your way through the body littered island of Banoi, you start to forget some of these issues while gazing at the simply gorgeous landscape. Suddenly you are brought back to reality by the distant roar of a Thug. You look around quickly and see an Infected running towards you full boar and think, "Crap...." Armed with only a baseball bat, you kick the crazed zombie then crack his head open with a perfectly executed swing. Blood and brain matter spray on the sand as the recently bloodthirsty brain muncher now lies motionless. It is that this time that you forget any criticism you had of Dead Island.

    Dispatching one of these undead foes is, to put it very lightly, refreshing. The motion of the camera, the first person perspective, the way enemies react to the force of a hit. It's all so satisfying that pretty soon you've spent 5 hours running around slaughtering the undead and haven't even done a quest. Every friend you have join your game only seems to amplify the experience. To me it's a lot like Borderlands, except with zombies... and melee weapons instead of guns (for the most part). It takes many cues from that title, but doesn't really do anything better, or even quite as good. Much like Borderlands, however, the co-op is endless fun and should be played in 5-7 hour increments.

    I remember a time when games were given good ratings because of how fun they were, and not necessarily how perfect they were technically. If you want a good time and love zombie genocide, then check it out!    … Expand
  11. shadowrun
    Oct 13, 2011
    8
    ok so it wasnt the sweeping tragic story that the early trailer may of let you believe. but its brutal. blood thirsty. crass romp through the over cluttered genre of survival horror. yes its flawed in some places. but nothing a few patches will cure. but for people like me. who love bashing zombies across the face with a blunt object. this will be your game of the year! dead island is leftok so it wasnt the sweeping tragic story that the early trailer may of let you believe. but its brutal. blood thirsty. crass romp through the over cluttered genre of survival horror. yes its flawed in some places. but nothing a few patches will cure. but for people like me. who love bashing zombies across the face with a blunt object. this will be your game of the year! dead island is left for dead (played at half speed) with a dose of borderlands. and a bucket of gore and guts, some dodgy voice acting and story. but who cares. its a zombie game! bring some friends!… Expand
  12. anthonygen94
    Oct 24, 2011
    8
    The game is one of the best zombie games I've played. The scenery blew me away, but it seemed to me that they took so long on the scenery and wanted to sell it quick, so they didn't even give any character any facial expressions. During touching moments in the game I just couldn't get into it because they didn't have any expressions, which ruined the mood quick. And the play ability isn'tThe game is one of the best zombie games I've played. The scenery blew me away, but it seemed to me that they took so long on the scenery and wanted to sell it quick, so they didn't even give any character any facial expressions. During touching moments in the game I just couldn't get into it because they didn't have any expressions, which ruined the mood quick. And the play ability isn't very good, I rate it a 7. I beat the game twice already and got to level 50. I almost have every achievement just not even caring to get them, all you need to do to get them is just play the game. It was a great game, but they could have done better by a lot. But hopefully they will do better in the 2nd one. At the end of the game they hint at a 2nd one being created.… Expand
  13. silentshade
    Oct 25, 2011
    8
    I like my zombie games from time to time and IMO this is my favourite one yet. So to start with the visuals which aren't that great, they look best in the first act with the beaches but they look rather ugly elsewhere. I noticed that the draw distance is not very good either and seeing a beach ball spawn in front of a zombie was a tad weird. The story is also not very good with some awfulI like my zombie games from time to time and IMO this is my favourite one yet. So to start with the visuals which aren't that great, they look best in the first act with the beaches but they look rather ugly elsewhere. I noticed that the draw distance is not very good either and seeing a beach ball spawn in front of a zombie was a tad weird. The story is also not very good with some awful accents and a genuinely boring plot with no suspense, same goes with the mission and side quest which should all be renamed to fetch the item because that is all it is. When I played it took me about 31 hours to finish which is a bit longer then most but I do like to explore and kill zombies. Now onto the gameplay which is where Dead Island shines, there is nothing better then whacking a zombie in the head with a baseball bat and seeing his head implode in SLOW MOTION, the melee weapons all feel nice and kill zombies in great ways and that is before there modded. Firearms fall short and are not as great to use and don't give the same good feeling a machete will. The RPG elements are also done well with the skill trees all making sense and I always found my self wondering which skill to go for next. Now the modding is actually a lot better then I thought it would be with some pretty good weapons to make which pack a hell of a punch such as the sledgehammer with the Tesla mod which literally sends zombies flying. The Co-op side of things work rather well and you wouldn't really think you had left single-player, I only experienced a problem once and even that was minor.
    In conclusion this is definitely a game you should take a look at and with about 50 hours on the clock for me, it sure is worth the cash.    … Expand
  14. Somogibbs
    Oct 28, 2011
    8
    Dead Island has it's flaws. Engine problems abound in this game with clipping and sometimes ugly textures and strange enemy AI. Graphical hiccups aside, this game is a lot of fun. There is a main story/quest structure that you can follow and side quests issued by people you meet. Much of the combat is melee and it is easy to get overwhelmed as enemies level up with you. This keeps theDead Island has it's flaws. Engine problems abound in this game with clipping and sometimes ugly textures and strange enemy AI. Graphical hiccups aside, this game is a lot of fun. There is a main story/quest structure that you can follow and side quests issued by people you meet. Much of the combat is melee and it is easy to get overwhelmed as enemies level up with you. This keeps the combat challenging throughout to the end of the game. Each section of the island forces you to employ new combat mechanics to stay alive so the game didn't get boring. The game is full of gore and creepiness and it was a day one purchase for me. I'm eagerly awaiting DLC and highly recommend this game.… Expand
  15. poorjonny
    Oct 31, 2011
    8
    I am shocked this game scored so low. I have to say that there were a few bugs in my playthrough, but I am assuming that there was a patch that fixed all of the major ones as I didn't get bothered in the least by any I ran across, just a few minor hiccups. The story was also lacking, considering this is a zombie game I think we can all get over that. Now that the two main flaws are out ofI am shocked this game scored so low. I have to say that there were a few bugs in my playthrough, but I am assuming that there was a patch that fixed all of the major ones as I didn't get bothered in the least by any I ran across, just a few minor hiccups. The story was also lacking, considering this is a zombie game I think we can all get over that. Now that the two main flaws are out of the way we can get down to what was great about the game, as this was the meat and bones of the negativity. The scenery really sucks you in. This draws you into thinking that you are in a zombie apocalypse, or at least a B-movie as the voice acting is absolutely hilarious at points. It is so much fun to wander through the vast maps while battling the random zombies that come at you. Each one provides a lootable item. Looting is one of the most important parts of the game. It is necessary to collect many different parts to modify weapons or complete quests. The looting is usually done after attacks so it never does become stale, only a breather from the combat, which can actually provide quite a challenge at times.
    There are four classes. Each class has it's own weapon type specialty which is related to the skill tree upgrades. The zombies do level with you but never overbear your skills, I found the difficulty progression to be right on the money.
    The game is based around co-op play. With an internet connection joining a friends game is a simple process. Joining another game is also only a button click away. Unfortunately there is no local co-op, which is truly a shame as my friend and I passed the controller back and forth for all 32 hours we spent on the main campaign. These 32 hours do not take into account the amount of game we did not complete. Two days after the completion of the game we both decided that playing through again under a different class and attempting to complete each side quest.

    My impressions of the game are very high. I came into the game with very low expectations. After seeing the trailer months before it came out I was intrigued. After watching the gameplay I was pleasantly surprised. I remembered how disappointed I was with other zombie games in the past. After a few weeks of the game being out I decided to give it a try despite the poor reviews. Basically I went from buying the game as a casual time killer to being completely sucked into the absolute awesomeness of this game. Forget the negative reviews and give this game and honest chance. If you don't like it after roaming around for some time and allowing yourself the opportunity to try the different aspects then you are probably playing the wrong genre of video games.    … Expand
  16. MalignantPlague
    Nov 25, 2011
    8
    First of all I would like to say that I have by no means finished this game completely, but I feel i've played enough of it to experience the main features of the game. When I first played Dead Island, I just felt like it was a more challenging version of the Left 4 Dead games that was open-world and had MUCH better graphics. But, the minute I started playing the game in co-op, I realizedFirst of all I would like to say that I have by no means finished this game completely, but I feel i've played enough of it to experience the main features of the game. When I first played Dead Island, I just felt like it was a more challenging version of the Left 4 Dead games that was open-world and had MUCH better graphics. But, the minute I started playing the game in co-op, I realized truly how awesome this game turned out to be! And one of the most satisfying things I've found so far is the great feeling of using a sharp blade to cleaning cut the entire head off of nearly every zombie I encountered. This game is great if you are on your own, however, it becomes even more great the second you team up with a buddy, or three buddies for that matter.… Expand
  17. Kenmei
    Jan 1, 2012
    8
    I enjoyed this game more than I thought I would. First of all, if anyone thinks this is just a Left 4 Dead clone, then know that there's a bit more emphasis put on the single-player and you aren't forced to play what amounts to a multiplayer only game like L4D. However it is similar to L4D enough that if you liked that game, then you will like this one. If nothing else this will sate yourI enjoyed this game more than I thought I would. First of all, if anyone thinks this is just a Left 4 Dead clone, then know that there's a bit more emphasis put on the single-player and you aren't forced to play what amounts to a multiplayer only game like L4D. However it is similar to L4D enough that if you liked that game, then you will like this one. If nothing else this will sate your need for a new zombie game and the open-endedness is kinda refreshing for this type of game. Especially now that the price has dropped, if you were thinking about taking a chance on this game, go ahead and do it. You should enjoy what it has to offer you.… Expand
  18. TStout
    Apr 17, 2012
    8
    This game was an absolute blast to play. While there are a few instances of bugs with clipping, they are a forgivable offense in light of the overall hilarity and replayability of this title. The characters' rage powers are different and interesting, which helps add to the replay value since the experience retains much of its freshness via the different styles you approach the fightingThis game was an absolute blast to play. While there are a few instances of bugs with clipping, they are a forgivable offense in light of the overall hilarity and replayability of this title. The characters' rage powers are different and interesting, which helps add to the replay value since the experience retains much of its freshness via the different styles you approach the fighting with each of the four characters. The variety of zombies is fun, although sometimes a bit far fetched in concept, they are still fun to dismember, decapitate, and otherwise decimate. If you are a fan of the genre, and want to savor the macabre mayhem a bit more than is allowed by the Left 4 Dead series, then this is the game for you.… Expand
  19. FrankDHp
    Nov 22, 2012
    8
    A First Person Openworld Zombie game with RPG elements seemed like the holy grail for me as soon as i heard about Dead Island. Sadly, for ME Dead Island just didn't deliver the hype. While the graphics looked good to say at least, in a game like this, storytelling and character development means much for me but i just couldn't care for the story or characters, cause this all felt flat.A First Person Openworld Zombie game with RPG elements seemed like the holy grail for me as soon as i heard about Dead Island. Sadly, for ME Dead Island just didn't deliver the hype. While the graphics looked good to say at least, in a game like this, storytelling and character development means much for me but i just couldn't care for the story or characters, cause this all felt flat. Then you have gameplay, which usually makes up other flaws. Again, this unfortunately didn't deliver it for me either. While the gameplay and combat was fun for 30 minutes, it just felt too clumsy and kind of sluggish to keep me entertained long enough. Don't let this review keep you away from the game though, cause just because it's a flawed game doesn't mean that nobody will enjoy it. If you love zombie and/or hack and slash games with RPG elements and if you're able to look past good story and character development, then Dead Island might be the game for you! Dead Island was for me personally a flawed game that misses a lot of potential and a game that isn't for everyone. Based on how i felt, i would give Dead Island a 6/10.… Expand
  20. SCHMOOPITIZE
    May 14, 2012
    8
    RPG ZOMBIE KILLING! The only problem i see is that after 5 hours you will need to play with a friend to hold interest. This is because the characters have no back-story and the actual story is stale. However, the game-play is GREAT. The combat is exactly like skyrim's so if you don't like that then don't buy it.
  21. hanibaldemp
    Jun 4, 2012
    8
    This game is great. Had alot of fun with friends and is definately one of my favourite games of 2011. The lack of content would be the only downfall with us finishing the game in a few days. though it can still be played enjoyably after it has been completed therefore 8/10.
  22. nms1215
    Dec 20, 2012
    8
    This game is poorly judged- it is a great game with some small flaws. Imagine Left 4 Dead mixed with Far Cry. This game is a huge open world filled with zombies (including a good range of types), with a large array of weapons and items, as well as a way to upgrade and construct weapons using items you find along the way.

    Starting Out: The reason most people did not give Dead Island a    This game is poorly judged- it is a great game with some small flaws. Imagine Left 4 Dead mixed with Far Cry. This game is a huge open world filled with zombies (including a good range of types), with a large array of weapons and items, as well as a way to upgrade and construct weapons using items you find along the way.

    Starting Out: The reason most people did not give Dead Island a fair chance is that is starts plain- you get no real game introduction where the developers hold your hand while teaching you controls and mechanics. Instead, you wake up in a zombie apocalypse and are told what each button does (such as kicking), but not the significance of said button (what good does kicking do for me?). This can be frustrating at first, but as you get the hang of everything you learn that this is an enjoyable part of the game. After gaining experience and leveling up, and gaining weapons I chose myself, I became an experience survivor. I knew that kicking a zombie is a great way to buy a couple of seconds, or that sometimes you are better off running for your freaking life. You *learn* these things. It makes the survival aspect seem completely legitimate. Also, the world does not quite open up and get really cool until level 15 or so (it comes faster than you know it, so give it a fair shot).

    Good: This game has amazing graphics and outstanding gameplay. It does a great job of making melee weapons precise zed-bashing/slicing instruments, allowing you to target heads, arms, etc. fluidly. The missions provide exciting environments and enemy interactions, and the world is beautifully constructed.

    Bad: The game really has a poor narrative. I found myself bored by the characters and missions (they tend to be "we need their help so you have to risk your life a million times over and make these people safe without risking them in order to get their minor assistance") and was immediately skipping cutscenes and dialog. The quest log for me was not a story guide, but an adventure guide. It was telling me "here is where the excitement is, this is your reward."

    All in all, I think this a great game to play with your buddies and go zombie-killing, and just have some laughs. It can be difficult, but there are never moments where you get furious at the game or a poor teammate. The game is just fun and definitely worth the buy.    … Expand
  23. Captain_Kirk
    Aug 14, 2012
    8
    Dead Island is not a game for everyone. Some may be turned off by the constant texture pop in, spikes in difficulty, and ugly cut-scenes. However, if you ignore these and find yourself immersed into the enormous landscape and brutal combat, you might find a very fun game to be had. Killing zombies feels very satisfying, and the brutality of it all adds more flavor to it. Upgrading weaponsDead Island is not a game for everyone. Some may be turned off by the constant texture pop in, spikes in difficulty, and ugly cut-scenes. However, if you ignore these and find yourself immersed into the enormous landscape and brutal combat, you might find a very fun game to be had. Killing zombies feels very satisfying, and the brutality of it all adds more flavor to it. Upgrading weapons is also a nice touch because it gives players a chance to experiment and try new things. There's also a lot to discover on the island, and the skill tree adds more to the overall package.… Expand
  24. InboardPG
    Nov 24, 2012
    8
    This is a very fun game! The combat is a pulse-raiser, zombies look amazing, looting is nice, and the atmosphere is great! The only downsides are the story and the textures. The story is very predictable and silly and the textures are pretty bad for a 2011 game. However, the fun factor is great and the replayability is great until somewhere around 60 hours. This game is very fun to playThis is a very fun game! The combat is a pulse-raiser, zombies look amazing, looting is nice, and the atmosphere is great! The only downsides are the story and the textures. The story is very predictable and silly and the textures are pretty bad for a 2011 game. However, the fun factor is great and the replayability is great until somewhere around 60 hours. This game is very fun to play with friends. This is a recommendation for zombie and survival-horror lovers.… Expand
  25. KelvinFelix
    Dec 25, 2012
    8
    It could have been better, the characters seen dead in their facial expressions and are real weird when moving sometimes, and forget about that "Hell in Paradise" thing, the Resort is just the first scenario and the others are just too boring and don't live to the promise of fighting zombies in an Tropical Heaven, but it's a great and addicting game in the end, I even got 100+ in-game hours in it
  26. Vanpire73
    May 2, 2014
    8
    It's a shame this wasn't a Rockstar or Bethesda game or the like. It would've gotten better reviews. Personally, I didn't experience any bugs playing it. I bought it after the first price drop. Games like Skyrim (which I love as well) get a 9.5 and game of the year but are UNPLAYABLE on certain systems for the first year or two. I found this game to be quite enjoyable. It didn'tIt's a shame this wasn't a Rockstar or Bethesda game or the like. It would've gotten better reviews. Personally, I didn't experience any bugs playing it. I bought it after the first price drop. Games like Skyrim (which I love as well) get a 9.5 and game of the year but are UNPLAYABLE on certain systems for the first year or two. I found this game to be quite enjoyable. It didn't reinvent the wheel, but for an open world, melee-based first person zombie slasher with RPG and loot elements it is 1st in it's class. I found the gameplay systems and quest set-up similar to Borderlands. You "honest and fair" reviewers out there make me wanna sew your Mom's gaping hole shut for birthing you, assuming there's enough yarn.… Expand
  27. TheCDBurner
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    "Dead Island" was something I really wasn't expecting. It's a little rough around the edges, but it pulls enough punches to be a really freaking good game.

    PROS: Good story. Nice variety of weapons to use. LOVE the customization options for the weapons. The graphics are great to look at. Great exploration factor. Game rewards you for completing tough challenges. CONS: Game is a    "Dead Island" was something I really wasn't expecting. It's a little rough around the edges, but it pulls enough punches to be a really freaking good game.

    PROS: Good story. Nice variety of weapons to use. LOVE the customization options for the weapons. The graphics are great to look at. Great exploration factor. Game rewards you for completing tough challenges.

    CONS: Game is a little light on character development for everyone but the main quartet. Some of the special zombies feel like they were ripped straight out of Left 4 Dead. Puzzles can be infuriating at times, especially in tight spaces. Banoi is a little too big, it could've used a downsizing.

    OVERALL: "Dead Island" is a fun, fast-paced zombie RPG that will have you on the edge of your seat. It may be rough in some spots, but the good sides are enough to make up for it.    … Expand
  28. Jspotter89
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    I'm perplexed by the review scores for Dead Island. I went into it not really knowing anything about it aside from the basic premise (jungle island with zombies), and came out thinking it's one of the best zombie-fiction game out there, right up there with the likes of the Left 4 Dead games.

    It's interesting for a game to be rated so low when it's core mechanic (namely, the evisceration    I'm perplexed by the review scores for Dead Island. I went into it not really knowing anything about it aside from the basic premise (jungle island with zombies), and came out thinking it's one of the best zombie-fiction game out there, right up there with the likes of the Left 4 Dead games.

    It's interesting for a game to be rated so low when it's core mechanic (namely, the evisceration of many, many zombies with melee weapons) is so solid. I must have stabbed and bludgeoned one or two thousand zombies to death over the course of my playtime, and even by the end it was still satisfying to flawlessly kill even your run-of-the-mill zombies. The melee combat in this game just WORKS. And many games like it have gotten first-person melee combat so very, horribly wrong over the years.

    That being said in its favor, I can understand why Dead Island isn't getting perfect scores left and right. The main characters are ridiculous, cheesy, stereotypical, and horribly voice-acted. The narrative of the game is about as bare bones as can be: escape Dead Island! It has enough atmosphere and thrills, but it could have used a little bit more than the basic plot we have here. And finally, when you have firearms, you find out quickly that shooting zombies dead is far less satisfying than lopping off their limbs with a machete.

    Still, I give it a respectable 8 out of 10 for it's excellent melee combat, good atmosphere, and decent RPG-light elements.    … Expand
  29. ITZZZPERRY
    Nov 10, 2014
    8
    Dead Island is an extremely addictive and fun cooperative game. While the story is weak, the gameplay is fun for the most part, containing some glitches here and there. This is definitely a zombie game to play.
  30. PolisKanin
    Feb 28, 2014
    8
    Dead Island is not a perfect game, but you don't expect that coming into the game for the first time. I looked at the cover art, and expected it to be a pile of crap. However, it was actually a relatively good game, with an ok story, good controls, ok characters, ok graphics and good gameplay.
  31. Kiwi_Ingenuity
    Mar 8, 2014
    8
    The trailer was misleading, yes.
    The game is unpolished, yes.
    Controls and fluidity is clunky, yes. It is tonally uneven, yes. But, the overall game is a blast; an immersive, unsettling experience. It also a great cooperative experience with friends, alike. Take it for it is, or for what it was supposed to be. The game has some difficulty, and the mechanics are unforgiving, but the    The trailer was misleading, yes.
    The game is unpolished, yes.
    Controls and fluidity is clunky, yes.
    It is tonally uneven, yes.
    But, the overall game is a blast; an immersive, unsettling experience. It also a great cooperative experience with friends, alike. Take it for it is, or for what it was supposed to be. The game has some difficulty, and the mechanics are unforgiving, but the levelling system makes up for that; it's not only rewarding, but satisfyingly gruesome. The weapon modification allows you to create diabolical devices to slaughter the undead. The game is flawed, no doubt. but the experience is amazing, for those who dare to visit paradise.    … Expand
  32. taconinja
    Jul 31, 2014
    8
    Now, it may not be up to expectations of the emotional trailer story-wise, but has enough RPG and FPS fusion to make a fun experience. The game has a large map that is worth exploring, and is fun to play overall. Let's hope the newly announced Dead Island 2 fairs a little better on story and small bugs, okay? I'm going out on a limb giving it an 8 out of 10, so please treat this new gameNow, it may not be up to expectations of the emotional trailer story-wise, but has enough RPG and FPS fusion to make a fun experience. The game has a large map that is worth exploring, and is fun to play overall. Let's hope the newly announced Dead Island 2 fairs a little better on story and small bugs, okay? I'm going out on a limb giving it an 8 out of 10, so please treat this new game with respect.… Expand
  33. Bajo19
    May 17, 2015
    8
    I had a great time playing this game. Some random bugs pop-up but after all story was good, crafting system was absolutely amazing. Only thing that I hated was the time you need to spend to get somewhere.
  34. Panchogul
    Jul 8, 2023
    8
    El gameplay es adictivo pero todo lo demás es deficiente, mi primera partida me tomó 31 horas bien aprovechadas donde conseguí llegar al final con nivel 42 en donde el farmeo y grindeo no tuvieron descanso, las misiones secundarias sirven de mucho pero al final toma demasiado tiempo y es fácil aburrirse debido a lo repetitivo que se vuelven, la historia es tan simplona como las de ResidentEl gameplay es adictivo pero todo lo demás es deficiente, mi primera partida me tomó 31 horas bien aprovechadas donde conseguí llegar al final con nivel 42 en donde el farmeo y grindeo no tuvieron descanso, las misiones secundarias sirven de mucho pero al final toma demasiado tiempo y es fácil aburrirse debido a lo repetitivo que se vuelven, la historia es tan simplona como las de Resident Evil y los personajes tienen menos carisma que una piedra. Me lo pasé muy bien pero no dan ganas de pasárselo de nuevo.… Expand
  35. CloudStrife05
    Aug 19, 2021
    8
    Might have been over hyped at first but the fact I didn't ready anything into the trailer, I actually was not disappointed and enjoyed it.
  36. goodgriff33
    Dec 24, 2022
    8
    Answer: 75 characters is between 10 words and 19 words with spaces included in the character count. If spaces are not included in the character count, then 75 characters is between 12 words and 25 words.
  37. 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
  38. 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.
  39. 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
  40. rotku
    Oct 24, 2011
    7
    Good game which I felt was a cross between left for dead and grand theft auto. The plot is predictable but not boring and the concept of weapon and player development did add depth to the gameplay however where i felt this game stepped up a notch was in the online co-op play which actually gave a feel for the need to co-operate as a team and punished players who tried to kill allGood game which I felt was a cross between left for dead and grand theft auto. The plot is predictable but not boring and the concept of weapon and player development did add depth to the gameplay however where i felt this game stepped up a notch was in the online co-op play which actually gave a feel for the need to co-operate as a team and punished players who tried to kill all zombies/collect all goodies without their teammates.
    A second playthrough may give some further depth to this game and perhaps the upcoming DLC will show something different but either way this is recommended for anybody who enjoys basing zombies to pieces.    … Expand
  41. 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
  42. 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
  43. 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.
  44. 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.
  45. 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
  46. 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
  47. 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
  48. 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
  49. 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
  50. 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
  51. HeavyLead
    Oct 3, 2011
    7
    Dead Island is some of what it is and some not. This game is a fantastic zombie killing game. It does have fantastic RPG elements with all the upgrading, mods, upkeep, and scavenging needed for each weapon. This game however is not one where you will be immersed in the world, plot, characters, etc. There is really no likable characters, they all have cheesy accents and their stereotypicalDead Island is some of what it is and some not. This game is a fantastic zombie killing game. It does have fantastic RPG elements with all the upgrading, mods, upkeep, and scavenging needed for each weapon. This game however is not one where you will be immersed in the world, plot, characters, etc. There is really no likable characters, they all have cheesy accents and their stereotypical dialogue isn't even laughable its just sad. Nothing story wise about this game is memorable...now that I have that out of the way this game excels at both graphics and audio. This is one of the best looking zombie games I have played. The audio is also top notch, as you can hear bones break as you hit a zombies arm with a baseball bat. This game should be played with 4 people to get a full experience, nothing like killing zombies with a friend. There isn't alot of replay value after you beat the game, joining a lower level players game is laughable because of how slowly you'll rank up. Overall, good game, but could have been better. 7/10… Expand
  52. Killkerson
    Oct 15, 2011
    7
    Seeing the game trailer for this so long ago I really expected a gripping fight for your life experience. What was received was a in your face mash em up. This game is fun. Pure and simple. Lacks extremely in story but the sheer game play is very rewarding. With that being said I experienced several bugs with the game. Constant freezing in Co-Op was very frustrating plus the corrupted gameSeeing the game trailer for this so long ago I really expected a gripping fight for your life experience. What was received was a in your face mash em up. This game is fun. Pure and simple. Lacks extremely in story but the sheer game play is very rewarding. With that being said I experienced several bugs with the game. Constant freezing in Co-Op was very frustrating plus the corrupted game saves I encountered made it game breaking. Regardless of the bugs I still had and have a blast with this game. You really can't get over the broken limbs and perfectly timed decapitations.… Expand
  53. ablindkid
    Nov 5, 2011
    7
    Dead Island is interesting, unconventional and incredibly disappointing. The visuals are great, combat is (usually) responsive and fun, plus you can level up your character. Unfortunately, the story and gameplay become frustrating and repetitive a few hours in, and the glitches certainly don't motivate you to keep playing. Co-Op with friends is fun as long as you keep your charactersDead Island is interesting, unconventional and incredibly disappointing. The visuals are great, combat is (usually) responsive and fun, plus you can level up your character. Unfortunately, the story and gameplay become frustrating and repetitive a few hours in, and the glitches certainly don't motivate you to keep playing. Co-Op with friends is fun as long as you keep your characters the same level. However you and your friends will probably end up having the most fun laughing at the crushingly generic plot. Dead Island isn't bad, hell it may even be worth a rental or a bargain bin purchase, but there are far better alternatives out there.… Expand
  54. DevoutestDoor
    Nov 9, 2011
    7
    Not the best game i've boughten but it aint the worst. Dead Island is perfect for people who like the Dead Rising franchise and L4D games. Its more like the combination of both. Graphics are great. The itself is kind of short but the quests don't get boring so easily. This game would be my second choice on my list of Games That You Would Recommend To A Friend.
  55. DarkPlum
    Nov 10, 2011
    7
    Dead Island is a game that I followed from its first appearance online to its release only to feel the slightest bit disapointed in what I have experienced. Being a huge fan of the Zombie genre, I played the game for up to 30 hours in my first two days of owning a copy to detect the similarities in other games that I had noticed in developer interviews online.

    Many people have stated    Dead Island is a game that I followed from its first appearance online to its release only to feel the slightest bit disapointed in what I have experienced. Being a huge fan of the Zombie genre, I played the game for up to 30 hours in my first two days of owning a copy to detect the similarities in other games that I had noticed in developer interviews online.

    Many people have stated that Dead Island is considered to be a lovechild of Dead Rising and Borderlands, and they aren't wrong. I believe that ALL RPG elements from Borderlands are present within Dead Island, from the Skill trees, weapon rarities, zombie level and health bar present to the "damage dealt numbers" flying out of zombies with each weapon strike. Either Gearbox, as a friend, lent these features to Techland, or they have been darn cheeky about putting these features in. The Dead Rising element here however of attention to zombie killing detail and weapon creation has been taken a step further, with the MOD system being very planned and with a selection of fun MOD's.

    Visually and Audio wise, the game is masterpiece. I often found myself just looking at the trees sway, listening to the sound of sea waves and enjoying the crunch of zombie bones and flesh being torn off zombies. Every environment within Dead Island is flawless and really does set the standard that I believe all zombie games in the future need to rise above or abide by.

    Solo play at first will seem very fun, but as time progresses, you feel overwhelmed and bored with running from mission to mission. Playing with others insures that you will have a 9/10 gaming experience, especially if they are your friends as much fun can be had tormenting zombies with them. Still only 9/10 because of the games story. As for story, a terrible excuse for one. The further you progress in the game, the less of a point it seems to make. The fun to be had here is exploring the beautiful landscapes and finding lots of fun weapons and items to slaughter zombies with your mates.    … Expand
  56. 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.
  57. 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
  58. 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
  59. 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
  60. 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.
  61. 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
  62. 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.
  63. 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
  64. 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!
  65. 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.
  66. 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!
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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.
  71. 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
  72. 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
  73. 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
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. 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
  77. GentlemanRick
    Nov 7, 2011
    6
    Where to starttttt, well this game is just bad ass, hands down. The graphics are amazing, the zombies are very realistic, and the campaign is legit. There are soo many different guns and stuff you can customize and they can all do really sweet stuff. This game is just simply amazing!!
  78. 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
  79. 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
  80. 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
  81. 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
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. 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
  85. 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
  86. 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
  87. 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!
  88. 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.
  89. 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
  90. 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
  91. 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
  92. 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
  93. 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
  94. 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
  95. 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.
  96. jdrandall38
    Nov 8, 2011
    4
    Ive never been less interested to play a game after the first 20 minutes than Dead Island. Sure the concept is good but the gameplay and features have been done to death with zombie games. As a new franchise, they needed something different in the zombie genre in order to take flight. Dead Island doesn't deliver anything we haven't seen in previous zombie titles. This is pretty muchIve never been less interested to play a game after the first 20 minutes than Dead Island. Sure the concept is good but the gameplay and features have been done to death with zombie games. As a new franchise, they needed something different in the zombie genre in order to take flight. Dead Island doesn't deliver anything we haven't seen in previous zombie titles. This is pretty much Dead Rising on an island.… Expand
  97. metatcn
    Sep 9, 2011
    4
    This game has neat concept, open world zombie game, but wrapped up in mediocre gameplay and tons of glitches. There are save glitches that breaks the game. Random awkward respawn for cheap deaths, and tons of other glitches, missing animation. techland promised fixes but now they saying September 29th ie before they release their DLC. Also this game is a bore fest solo, if you are thinkingThis game has neat concept, open world zombie game, but wrapped up in mediocre gameplay and tons of glitches. There are save glitches that breaks the game. Random awkward respawn for cheap deaths, and tons of other glitches, missing animation. techland promised fixes but now they saying September 29th ie before they release their DLC. Also this game is a bore fest solo, if you are thinking of going solo you better rent first, this game is definitely made with co-op in mind. With that the co-op causes all kinds of other glitches and it's hard to connect to people even your friends through online. The system link works great though but who has time to lug around their consoles to friends houses. This game reminds me of homefront, great concept in MP action but ultimately ruined because of glitches and bad netcode. and that game had empty promises of fixes as well. If you are thinking of getting the game try to find it used or wait till at least October to see if they came through with their fixes. As of now I just can't recommend this game for the full $60 . If the game was more polished I would probably give it a 6 or 7.… Expand
  98. ImprezaActual
    Sep 12, 2011
    4
    Hmmmmm where to start? The idea of the game is fantastic, and had so much potential! The FINAL PRODUCT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A SHAMBLES, the story is that of one that has no depth, the missions and soooooooo repetitive. "Run around help someone out, turn this on, get this from here bring it back there". I'm sick of unknown game studios having someone make a trailor for a game just toHmmmmm where to start? The idea of the game is fantastic, and had so much potential! The FINAL PRODUCT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A SHAMBLES, the story is that of one that has no depth, the missions and soooooooo repetitive. "Run around help someone out, turn this on, get this from here bring it back there". I'm sick of unknown game studios having someone make a trailor for a game just to promote a product the apart from name has nothing much in common with the end result. The game is so rough around the edges and so slow to progress techincally from something like Far Cry 2. The game leaves you feeling cheated and out of pocket, wish I had never taken Deus Ex for part trade in. If like me you are an old skool gamer who can tell the difference between good and bad you will save your cash and avoid this like the plague. What a wasteof total time, effort and cash. PURE GARBAGE!… Expand
  99. Pickle_of_Fire
    Sep 7, 2011
    4
    I really, really, REALLY wanted to like Dead Island. 15 hours later, I can tell you that I don't at all. 5 1/2 years of development gave them enough time to "borrow" elements of game play from other (far superior) games in an attempt to emulate the glory of these titles. Whether you're talking about the the Co-op of Left 4 Dead (Dead Island started development as a single player game), theI really, really, REALLY wanted to like Dead Island. 15 hours later, I can tell you that I don't at all. 5 1/2 years of development gave them enough time to "borrow" elements of game play from other (far superior) games in an attempt to emulate the glory of these titles. Whether you're talking about the the Co-op of Left 4 Dead (Dead Island started development as a single player game), the inventory of Borderlands (500 different pistols with barely discernible stat differences and names), or the crafting of Dead Rising 2 (get a blueprint, collect pieces, assemble at a workbench), Dead Island tries and resoundingly fails to utilize these in any way that does justice to the titles it lifted them from. (PROS)
    30+ hours of gameplay.
    Ambient audio and soundtrack are both surprisingly top notch.

    Beating a zombie to death rarely looks as satisfyingly devastating as it does in this game. (CONS)
    Matchmaking is broken on Xbox LIVE at the time of this writing. You are not able to join into games with people who are not on your friends list. Even if you are friends with someone it is more than likely that you will be unable to invite them to your game (or vice versa); regardless as to whether or not you are in the same Chapter/Area/Level Range.
    30+ hours of fetch quests. The vast majority of the missions (at least in the first 15 hours of play) involve an NPC telling you they need something (or 5 of something) and that they expect you to fetch it. This is fun for the first hour or so, but it's novelty wears off very quickly. Especially considering the amount of time that you will spend backtracking through familiar and well trod areas to turn in quests. A narrative that does not immerse you in the world. You stumble across an NPC that is dying of thirst. They ask you to fetch some water from across the island. You scratch your head and wonder what is wrong with the six cans of "Energy Drink" at their feet (or, for that matter, the bottles of water across the room). The game is rife with idiosyncratic narrative elements that absolutely destroy and suspension of disbelief. Game mechanics that depend on you feeling as though you're low on resources to make any sense at all. All the items that you can pick up in the game, be they weapons, money, healthpacks, crafting components etc respawn very rapidly. When your weapon takes damage over time (which is does very rapidly) You don't have to be concerned as You have more than enough money to repair it, a new weapon to replace it with and enough snack bars and energy drinks lying around to make it very hard to find yourself in a situation with any tension related to the "Survival horror".

    Enemies that respawn in exactly the same number/location/configuration every time you pass through an area. Since you'll spend a lot of your time on the island backtracking to places you've already been it won't take long for you to know which bodies are dead and which are zombies, where the super zombies spawn, and how many times you need to fight the exact same three zombies before you're ready to turn your makeshift club on yourself. Inconsistent graphical presentation. The Chrome engine that Techland employs in this title is terrible at rendering shadows and vegetation. This makes it especially terrible at rendering tropical locales. When you combine this with the overabundant bloom, inconsistent texture resolutions, and last gen environmental effects it makes for a game that is at times pretty; and at other times so ugly that I would gnaw my own arm off to escape were I to wake up next to it in the morning after a night of heavy drinking.
    Terrible, stilted animations. While not readily apparent on the zombies (as they are supposed to look unnatural when they move) this becomes quite atrocious when watching any NPC perform any animation whatsoever. I would be surprised if motion capture technology was used at all in this games animation process. Broken collision detection. For a game where the primary focus is beating zombies to death you figure that they would have spent more time refining this core element of gameplay. Sometimes your swinging weapon will decapitate a zombie that was clearly out of range of your attack and other times it will pass right through a zombie torso (allowing them to close the distance and attack). Lots of frustrating combat missteps as result of this.
    (Final Thought)
    In closing, I would like to say that a certain kind of gamer will love this. It is a mindless open world beat 'em up and a lot of people don't play games for style or substance. If you were expecting a AAA title in line with some of the other releases this coming this fall, you'd be better served not playing it, renting it, or waiting the month it will take for this to find it's way into the bargain bin.    … Expand
  100. BOSTONJOHN32
    Sep 8, 2011
    4
    ok, well i will start off by saying that i review based on 3 main points of interest, gameplay, graphics/visuals and fun factor.story would fall in there but some games(sports for example) may lack so one must know how to dissect a game properly to give a fair and non-biased view by playing the game hands on. i own 360/ps3/p.c. and by no means am i a fan boy, im a gamer who is a fan ofok, well i will start off by saying that i review based on 3 main points of interest, gameplay, graphics/visuals and fun factor.story would fall in there but some games(sports for example) may lack so one must know how to dissect a game properly to give a fair and non-biased view by playing the game hands on. i own 360/ps3/p.c. and by no means am i a fan boy, im a gamer who is a fan of good gaming exp's. with that said dead island. like all of us we watched that wonderfully made trailer and like most of us had high hopes for this game, and like some of us knew that trailer was a tough act to follow. so to make a valid review i must not combine the thoughts of the trailer w/ this game because it would make reviewing the game w/ a mindset which is "f*ck this stinks, trailer didnt look like this !" but to be honest how many trailers do actually live up to the hype that is something which could be used for a hollywood production? not many. w/ that aside i am a old school gamer who has found it necessary to make reviews here and there because a review is just that, insert game into console and explain to other gamers exactly what the exp is like, how the controls are, should you buy or rent etc. and of course this is just an opinion but i have had the pleasure of playing many many games and can tell you what is worth playing and what is worth leave displaying at local game store. when i put this game in i had already heard mixed reviews and some that were so mixed in regards to either very good or very bad, and found it funny how there was a small middle ground, either hated or loved, no in between. well to start off i try to look at the positives in every game and try my best not to pick a game apart by flaws, especially if the flaws out do not out weigh the positives. graphically the game isnt top notch but it isnt bad either, thats a draw and to me graphics can be overlooked so as long as gameplay/fun factor/story is solid, unless the graphics hender the ability to decipher wtf you are looking at but this was not the case, graphics are not bad.. but one thing i did notice was that the game was very tedious as far as looting from the very beginning, now i dont mind looting, actually enjoy it but i was not enjoying a stack of suitcases within 5 feet of each other and the overly animated sequence when one grabs something (almost like every item that can be grabbed looks like "give me that f'n energy drink") but its not a game breaker. minor. then i started to hear the voice of the person i picked to play w/ starting to repeat the same "i kill you" and "maybe something inside" and this is done every time you search something or take a whack at a zombie/undead,again it is minor, very annoying at times, but again not a deal breaker.. but already im dealing w/ 2 few minor issues which are are starting to bug me and i have finished 1 quest, 10-15 mins into the game. now lets get to controls. well they can be unforgiving at times and takes a little getting used to but after playing now for a few hours, i still dont feel i have complete control w/ weapons, aiming and rage. but i have learned a few tricks to rough it out and kick button is the secret for me (until you face bigger, meaner zombies and then the kick isnt as effecting. but again controls not a major set back but doesnt help the cause. now some of the quests will have you running back and forth to the same spots and rinse and repeat, this can get redundant but im just trying to have fun, because this game is not a serious survival zombie game, and if you jump into this thinking so then i will say you may be disappointed. and do not think you will get an emotional or gripping story via the trailer, again you will feel cheated if you do.w/o going into a long dragged out review i will give it to you as i see it. we all have different tastes and ideas of what a fun game is, but to me im not having much fun, along the way i found minor flaws here and there but then ended up w/ a bucket full of them, and flaws are not a deal breaker so as long as the game can keep one wanting more and arouse enjoyment. and unfortunately i did get the special edition and didnt bother to use the dlc's. i just did not enjoy myself w/ this hack and slash. hack and slash isnt a bad thing, not at all, some of my fav games are hack/slash. but to me it just got old and fast. keep in mind i was happy i bought this game, before i played 4-5 hours of it and now i (want to say regret it) wished it would stay in my console for a few days or some co-op but i do not enjoy this game.yes there are some good points, the gore, the grunts and screams from the zombies but thats not enough for me.i am saddened to have written a review which is less than stellar for this game,but because i made an investment in it doesnt mean i will entertain others by giving gamers what they want to hear, instead i must give you my opinion and that is, i highly recommend you try b4 you buy,im unhappy w/ D.I… Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »