Dead Island - Game of the Year Edition (Xbox 360)

Dead Island is quite, quite brilliant. This genre is not normally my cup of tea but, by God, was I glad I picked-up this bad boy. Set on the fictitious island of Banoi, the holiday resort you're staying at has broken out in a viral epidemic which has turned 99% of the population into murderous savages (zombies between you and I). After waking-up from an alcohol induced sleep your character awakes to a deathly silent hotel. This is the obligatory intro to learn the ropes but still atmospheric as you're plunged into this waking nightmare. Guided by a disembodied voice over the radio you must make your way to them and salvation but not before doing loads and loads of main and side quests; not to mention being a one-man/woman zombie killing machine.As far as survival horrors go it is magnificent in its job; I haven't been this creeped-out since the Dead Space and Silent Hill games. The opening level is very effective in immersing the player; entirely shot in bright sunshine, mutilated bodies everywhere, totally silent, as you explore the beach all you hear is the lapping of the waves. In the corner of your eye, palm trees swaying in the breeze and the shadows they cast look like someone approaching. So you turn around, 'phew, nothing there'. Then BAM from your exposed flank all you hear first is that dreaded moaning that you'll learn to hate as the zombie (and these suckers aren't the slow, shuffling variety from the films) creeps up to take a chomp at your arm. Dammit! They did it again. Seriously, not recommended for people on Beta blockers. Speaking of atmosphere, sometimes it's the smallest aspects of the game that are most chill inducing. Like coming across a weeping man in a blood red swimming pool surrounded by his family he had to butcher. The fact that you can't interact with the character fully means you have to leave him there, sobbing. Very effective. A bit like in Dead Space 1 with the clearly insane NPC beating his head bloody against the wall of the spaceship.The graphics are absolutely beautiful with this paradise island perfectly rendered, though the further you progress the darker it gets. Combat is also excellent, I would highly recommend the analogue controls over the digital controls for combat. They are quite tricky at first as you have to manually raise your weapon then swipe in the opposite direction to connect the blow. Apart from the added realism it also means more accuracy so you can target various parts of the zombies' anatomy - weee, flying limbs and heads a-go-go!Like Rage and Borderland before it, Dead Island does really well in mixing an out-and-out action game with RPG elements so you'll earn experience points via combat to level up your character meaning more health, more power and more skills to choose from. Some are more effective than others, I wouldn't bother with the medkit perks as you'll have more than enough energy drinks and medkits at our disposal. Then there's the rage mode, once you've filled-up enough of your rage meter you can unleash your, er, rage for a few seconds during which you become a whirling dervish of flashing guns or knives tearing your way through the zombies. Fun, fun, fun.You get five characters to choose from (the fifth is only for the DLC version I think) all with varying skills; I choose Xian who is very weak (had I only known...) but an expert with all things pointy and sharp. Once she's fully buffed with skills and modded weapons with poison she is pretty damn mean towards the end.The zombies are also well varied, not only do they level up with you, the further you get in the game the more a diverse range of zombies you encounter. Trust me, once you meet the Infected you will learn to dread the sound of their trademark screams. These guys will cut you to pieces in seconds. And woe betide you if there's more than one...I could go on for ages but suffice it to say another cracking game for the Xbox and will provide over 30-odd hours of entertainment. Just in time for the sequel, Dead Island: Riptide, happy days.

This review is meant to guide others who are reading this and wondering whether to part with the cash...Dead Island is a pretty decent game, the graphics look good most of the time, but there are some pretty jagged texture draws at intervals, which spoils the fluidity of the animation somewhat. However it is not a persistent problem:unless you change weapons CONSTANTLY (then it might prove unbearable!).I don't want to add any spoilers as I hate it when others give the whole point of the game away prior to playing it yourself. I will comment mainly on the control system and the features of the game, so I hope this info comes in useful for someone.+'s1) Great selection of weapons, blades, bludgeons, tools, guns, customs...you name it...it's all here. Some much better than others; I lost count of how many times I scoured the island looking for parts for the "ultimate custom weapon" only to find it a huge disappointment after all.2) Nice animations, like the dismemberment actions...very well "executed" (pun intended) if you have a sick sense of humour, it never gets old.3) Money for upgrades can be found EVERYWHERE, I was never really hard up. Admittedly paying to maintain your weapons gets a bit irritating after a while...but you will probably not keep one longer than an hour before the more powerful replacement is unearthed in a case somewhere.4) The "Classics Edition" with the DLC and bugs "fixed" (cough cough) is good value if you pay just over £10 like I did!5) Customisation skills tree allows for loads of individual quirks with your character. No two playthroughs are the same.-'s1) Buggy as hell! Zombies run straight through you and end up smashing you in the back of the head before you can 180'.2) Odd engine quirks. Such as not being able to pick up medikits/molotovs even though you are holding some already. Drop your weapon for said item and it adds to the stock, then pick up your original weapon again and good to go. Why make it so bloody convoluted?3) The 2nd chapter is a bit repetitive and the designer of the 3rd should be shot (unless the intention is to get you lost)4) Sneaky easter eggs that require at least another playthrough to collect (unless you spoil it and research ahead of time;which I didn't)5) A fair bit of "doubling back" as I come back from an area after completing a task..only to find I have to go straight back!All in all: Equal parts good and bad, although it must be said that I enjoyed playing and found it quite addictive (except sewer sections). Hopefully the second one will be better and more thoroughly produced. To be fair to Deep Silver though, they are not the richest games manufacturer out there, so I think they did pretty well for a smaller games making outfit.Final Score = 75% (Mainly due to the price; I would not be happy if I had paid £30+)

The zombie genre is pretty crowded, with plenty of shoot-em-ups and beat-em-ups out there to meet all your zombie-killing needs, but this is an excellent free-form open-ended game that might seem a little dated now (it's no Skyrim or Fallout), but is still an absolute bargain worth picking up if you have the time to play it.What stopped me giving this game 5 stars are little things that eroded my enjoyment a little. Firstly, it takes a while for the game to get going, although I appreciate that some folks might appreciate the time to get used to the controls. Secondly, there are too many achievements that you cannot get if you only play this game single-player. Lastly, if you're only following the main story (and no side-missions), then the game can be completed pretty quickly, too.Overall, though, a solid and challenging bargain game.

Hi!Just finished "Dead Island" yesterday. Very huge, beautiful and rich detailed environment. Can't await our next holiday!! Of course not on "Dead Island"... The Main Story is extensive with innumerable side-quests.Some programming errors are surprising but negligible. Really a lot of blood and violence. Not always necessary for a thrilling story... Please don't expect too much. Every quest requires killing Zombies. Thats all... But that is realized in a great manner! So if you are stressed and overworked, don't annoy your family: play Dead Island!Tom, 41, Germany