Dead Island - 5 Reasons It Kicks Undead Ass
While there certainly isn't a shortage of great zombie games out there (just check out our Top 10 Zombie Games article), Dead Island is far more ambitious than most. Ever since that trailer debuted everyone was hungry for more info….and brains.
Now we're just days away from the local release of Dead Island and everyone is waiting for their chance to be thrust into this island of chaos. We thought now was as good a time as any to give you five reasons why Dead Island is going to kick the undead's ass!
Open world to explore
Much in the same vein as Fallout 3 or Borderlands one thing that Dead Island excels at is providing the gamer with a huge world to explore. While the game may be set on one island, there are several areas to explore providing you with a real open world feel. If you can see it, chances are you can climb it, break it, move it, shoot it and explore it. Don't forget you won't always be traversing the island on foot - there are a number of vehicles scattered around to get you from place to place, and of course run over some zombies in satisfying fashion..
Weapons, Weapons, Weapons
One of the main strengths of Dead Island is the robust arsenal and customisation options available to the player when it comes to weapons. You aren't a trained military operative with unlimited bullets, you're a survivor on a resort island, and thus your weapons are more often makeshift instruments of death rather than guns. Weapons will range from rusty pipes, oars, hammers and baseball bats, right up to machine guns and more. Thanks to the deep customisation options however you can combine multiple items to create a unique killing tool to lay waste to the undead. Electrified knife anyone?
Deep unlock system
Dead Island features a deep and engaging unlock system that will allow players to upgrade three separate skill trees to mould a character suited to their gameplay style. The advantage to this is apparent when jumping into a co-op game with friends - while you both might be the same character class thanks to the skill trees you will most likely have very different abilities. Having such depth means that players can really flesh out a character just as they want, and then come back with someone new and exciting for a second play through.
We're on a quest!
Quests are the order of the day in Dead Island - this isn't a strictly linear affair my zombie killing brethren. To supplement the main story quests there are a boatload of side quests that will take you to interesting locations across the island, often unlocking large XP bonuses and taking you somewhere you haven't fully explored before. This means you can move at your own pace and truly see what the island has to offer.
Sense of survival
Dead Island excels at making you feel like you are in constant danger. Whether it be scavenging food to replenish your health, finding weapons to defend yourself or even just running to safety there is an underlying tone of panic as you traverse this dangerous world. It's the fact that at any given moment you could be outnumbered and have nothing more than a rusty pipe to fend off your attackers that really gets your heart pumping, something that most zombie games simply lack.
Dead Island may not be as emotionally provoking as the initial trailed led us to believe, but it is a deep and engaging RPG filled with gorgeous environments and gruesome zombies. Why not jump into our heavy discussion to fill in the time before the release this Friday?
By Stephen Heller
Stay tuned for Gaetano Prestia's initial impressions later today!