And we're back....Yes, the survivors of the original Dead Island are about to continue their journey together as they find the nightmare is far from over. The Holiday Resort of Banoi is way behind in their rear view. Safely aboard a military ship the survivors find themselves in more danger but nature has a way of kicking people when they're down and this group of unlikely heroes is no different. A storm hits and the survivors find themselves stranded on yet another island... the same problems awaiting them with bloody maws gaping wide and hungry for flesh.
Building on the success of the first game. Logan, Sam B, Xian Mai and Puma return to face off against the horrors that Dead Island has to offer. The characters are back, the gameplay remains the same; so why should you spend your hard earned dosh on Dead Island Riptide? Well, there's a new playable character...
IT'S MEGA FUN!!! There's nothing more satisfying than the skull caving fun that the Dead Island franchise provides. It's practically therapeutic as the bones of the undead give way under the might of a crowbar or a sword with oddly strange BBQ modifications.
Everything is here from the first game, including the very shallow story and of course the bugs and glitches that made Dead Island so immensely frustrating. Techland follow up their 2011 hit without actually addressing the issues that gamers had first time around. It's frustrating but don't let that take away from the engrossing and beautiful surroundings you've been placed in. Just don't look too closely at the textures or the character models that you're talking to or you might find yourself weeping silently in anticipation for the next generation consoles that will hopefully add a whole new dimension to games like this.
The language, the gore and the violence are all in tact here. Dead Island certainly delivers on all those levels. It even provides atmospheric and new tactical situations where building defenses to fend of the zombie horde, is vital to not only your survival but that of the group you are amassing.
Yep, the story is practically the same as the first. Get off the damn island safely. The only difference is, Banoi was a haven, a resort for holiday makers and this new wilderness is the exact opposite, it's dangerous, it's wild and untamed and there are dangers lurking in the water that will make you poop your pants from time to time.
You may be on yet another island but there's a whole host of new dangers to worry about and obstacles to traverse, just watch out for those invisible walls, you may find yourself getting stuck on more than one occasion!
It's difficult to not come across as a homicidal nut case by saying the fun part is the crushing of skulls beneath your boot but Dead Island Riptide is just that. It's a hack and slash with RPG elements which make the game far more immersive than it should be considering the real lack of story. Banoi was a HUGE island and lots of holiday makers got caught unaware. It would have been nice to have told the story from a Families stand point trapped, afraid, no combat techniques at their disposal, just raw survival!
The Dead Island franchise could be story rich but storytelling plays second fiddle to gameplay when they should go hand in hand.
If only Techland could have worked out the kinks instead of ignoring them. I'm a big fan of Community Managers relaying disgruntled messages back to the development teams during the creative process. Taking mistakes, learning from them and fixing them next time around but you'll still see zombies stuck in walls, trapped behind doors and clipping in from no where if you're really lucky.
Although Dead Island Riptide isn't lucky to have that amazing teaser trailer this time around, the game still stands its ground, it says come at me bitch because I'm gonna poke it in and wiggle it around. You WILL have fun and you'll get dirty as you do it!
There's enough free roaming fun to make you feel like you're getting lost in this tropical wilderness and enough bottle necks to make you consider backtracking and you will backtrack when faced with a horde of zombies because Riptide moves away from the guns that littered the first in favour of blades and heavy blunt objects which can lead to repetitive ass kicking but when you hear that satisfying crack and squelch... it's all worth while!
It's a bloody and gutsy experience littered with mistakes and terrible character animation but the gameplay grinds all the negatives in to dust, making them bearable.and inconsequential! This one is one to watch, who knows what Techland can do on future hardware?!?!