You take the role of one of four playable characters who survived the first wave of a zombie outbreak at the luxury Royal Palms resort on the holiday island of Banoi. What caused this outbreak, as well as why you are immune to the zombie infection, is just one of the mysteries in a grindhouse – style narrative that serves as an excuse to you causing melee mayhem. The game can be played single player but the way it is meant to be played is in cooperative mode. This really shines through with a great and intuitive online system. You can get a party of your buddies together and jump straight into the action or search for a game with strangers all from the touch of a button within the pause menu. A cooperative feature that came to my attention straight away is the quick join option that comes up as you go about your business in single player. The game seems to be always searching for games whilst you are playing and when you hit a certain area where someone else is playing and is in the same part of the story as you an icon pops up on the screen telling you that you can join their game straight away. The game in itself feels to like cross between Dead Rising, Left for Dead and Borderlands. The reason I say this is because you are in this huge open world of Banoi island and you can go about your adventure in any direction you wish. The island is so huge that throughout the game you can find vehicles that all four characters can fit into and cruise in any direction you wish running over zombies (Which is huge fun). The mission structure is very reminiscent of Borderlands where you can stack up as many missions as you wish and go off and do them in the order you see fit. The Dead Rising feel comes from the fact that guns are very rare and you spend 99% of your time with melee weapons ranging from boat paddles to Machetes. Throughout the game you can pick up items to upgrade your weapons such as tape and nails etc… Reminiscent of Dead Rising you can take your weapons and upgrade items to (you guessed it) a work bench and make all sorts of items like baseball bats with nails in them. The upgrades also cost you money which can be acquired from dead zombies, desk drawers and the many suitcases scattered all around the island. Dead island has a very strong main storyline where you meet lots of great characters. The game does a very good job of making you feel like you are on a holiday island. All the characters are as standard dressed in their holiday shorts and Hawaiian shirts. The graphics and voice acting are second to none. The main mission is to eventually find a way to summon help to get off this zombie infested island. The side missions which there are loads of will distract you from the main game immensely and you will run into some crazy characters. For example I met one crazy lady who gives you a mission to find her lost teddy bear and yes she really does come through as insane. The graphics are great and the gameplay feels very fast and fluid and you never get bored of whacking zombies over the head with the various choices of weapons at hand. The only flaw I found is that you really need to go into this game with a few friends to play with but it’s not to say that playing on your own is not fun. I personally found playing single player frustrating at times due to the difficulty level. At times you can find yourself overwhelmed by zombies and you can die pretty easily. The upside is that the checkpoints a very good in this game and you revive after 5 seconds and you can just carry on. This game has really surpassed my expectations. With the single player surprisingly immersive with a very long story line with loads of side quests to do and the great attraction of 4 player coop I can see this being the new coop game of choice for many people with their friends. Dead Island is tons of fun and will keep people occupied for a long time to come. A game this fun with 4 player co-op hasn’t been seen since Left 4 Dead. If you’re a fan of the latter then this is definitely a game for you. I give this a game a well deserved 8/10 www.360gamercast.com… Expand

Dead Island is a Open world, first person view, zombie survival horror with item collection and character skill advancement trees. Its as If Borderlands and Dead Rising got together and had a baby, that baby would be dead Island. This game has rich four player co-op, simple yet effective story, a deep weapon crafting and character customization system. Do you love zombies? Exploration? character advancement? item collections? co-op? then dead Rising is a no brain-er. The only reason this game doesn't get a ten is due to a slightly bugged user interface that should be fixed this week with a patch.… Expand

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), 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

I don't care what other people say. The game is simply amazing. I was scared like hell and I still hear the screaming zombies behind my back. I have to admit that I have never played game like this: huge world to explore, beautiful environments, lots of action that you can not predict and above all that crashing feeling that you may die soon... Just WOW!!!!

Played this since midnight on monday until now. BEST ZOMBIE GAME I've ever played! Take the freedom of Dead Rising and mix it with left 4 dead's uneasy feeling of "what comes next" and drape it with a Borderlands feel and you have Dead Island. It takes getting used to as it's def something all it's own but those on the fence of whether this is up your alley only need to check a couple boxes. 1) Did you play and enjoy Fallout 3 or Borderlands? 2.) Do you enjoy co-op games? 3.) Do you like zombie games/films? If you said yes to all three questions go buy this right now I guarantee you will have a blast. Critics are being really harsh on this game but it truly is worth every cent of your purchase. My friends and I are loving every minute of it.… Expand

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. 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

It's sa to see the 35 negative reviews that came without justification. This is the stuff that kills jobs. This isn't a perfect game, but what it did do was create an experience that is completely it's own. The vistas are gorgeous despite ugly character models. The combat is frantic and exciting, but occasionally frustrating. That said the package is something fresh in a year of constant sequels. I bought this game knowing it was new IP and I stand by that knowledge a better man for having supported a company that took a chance. Not perfect, but deeply satisfying, Dead Island makes me happy to struggle to survive in a zombie breakout unlike anything I've ever seen.… Expand

I really can't understand why there are so many people rating this game badly. It's so fun! I think that the ones that aren't liking it just can't like this type of game. My anticipation was really high and I was so worried about it not living up to my expectations/hopes. It really does in a big way. I've only played for a couple of hours so far so maybe it's not fair for me to praise it so much, but even if the story and everything else that I haven't seen isn't any good, it wouldn't bother me because I'm having so much fun with just running around killing zombies. I loved both Dead Risings, but this has a completely different feel to me. It's more realistic in some ways, but I find it doesn't frustrate like some games like that do, (trying to be too realistic). I wasn't sure about the stamina meter and the upgrades and things along those lines, but I really think the developer kept right in the middle of what they were going for, so it works great! I think if you like the game play trailers, you'll have fun with this. I have high hopes for the story too, (I like it so far), but as I said... if it isn't that great, I'll have fun watching zombies drowning as they take water into their ugly heads, as well as everything else that I've seen/done so far. I've also read complaints about the visuals and character models as well. I thought everything was done great. I can't speak for what you see/experience later in the game, but so far I think it looks and plays amazingly. I think that people are either trying to give it a bad score for some reason without even trying it, or they just don't like this kind of game. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty convinced that the ones that are loving it will keep loving it for quite sometime. Awesome game!… Expand

Zombie games redefined. Outstanding mood and game-world. After gameplay movies I was a bit worried about melee fighting. Its just hard task. And what happened? I am playin it for 7 hours. Melee fighting is a masterpiece. Good work Deep Silver. BTW - City of Moresby is giving me the best survival experience in my life.

I am thoroughly enjoying my time with this game. I love large open worlds that allow me to do whatever I want whenever I want. Mix in some zombie survival and an upgrade system similar to Borderlands and I am a happy gamer. Yeah, it's a little rough around the edges, but it does enough things right to justify the full retail purchase.

Well, its zombie game, but its completely different than L4D or Dead Rising - in my opinion: much better, much more adult and interesting. It has great climate and that's more important, right?

Finally a zombie game that brings strategy to the table. Put together elements of fallout mixed with a dash of left 4 dead and dead rising and you've got Dead Island. This game is nowhere near perfect but I cannot stop playing it. Left 4 Dead 2 before this game was my favorite zombie game. This is now my new favorite one because you can't merely hack and slash in a corner as compared to Valves hit series l4d. you actually have to use skill and prior encounter experience for this game. I would compare this game to fallout greatly in the way that it is not only an fpsrpg, but also a rough game with graphical problems. Fallout has much more bugs than Dead Island has yet people talk **** about this game yet not fallout because fallout has settled itself within the gaming community. Because it is developed by an almost unknown company it will never be praised the way it should be. I would also like to include that the coop is fantastic, the mechanics are fascinating, and the analog combat style is a neat feature. The only complaint I have is that you cannot look behind you or use mirrors in vehicles. This game I could play over and over with my friends. The beautiful, yet dark at the some time setting of Banoi is really visually stunning and emotionally captivating. This game really brings out the teamwork in you and your friends. I recommend this game to anybody who loves fps', RPGs, and don't mind playing a game that is not 100% perfect. This game will never get the credit it deserves. The complete opposite of the cod franchise. Cod is a horrible series that gets overthrows while this is a fantastic game that will be underrated.… Expand

So far 50% of the people knew what they were buying and enjoyed their purchase...and 50% of the people didn't do their research and though they were buying the reveal CG trailer, found out it was just a regular game and started raging. If you like exploring, and fighting zombies this game is a must have. If on then other hand you'd like to run and gun through a meat shield of raging zombies on easy, this is probably not the game for you. For those that like to do both and enjoy a good distraction this is a solid buy or rent.… Expand

First off.. i was worried about this game but i just could not resist buying it.... My worries were immediately erased when i played it! The biggest complaint i have seen is how it has picked popular qualities from other games. But seriously is that such a bad thing? Man This game is pure survival & though i wouldn't call it scary as hell this game has managed to make me jump & get very nervous from close calls. I really enjoy the crafting mechanics in the game and the way your weapon will actually show its wear and tear from use & they did not leave it to just having a health bar! what can i say i love the little things. Also i was caught off guard by the bloody size of the skill trees you use to get tougher & more capable. I will never get bored of throwing a knife into a zombie & pulling it back out while it tries to grab me than just stab the heck out of it :P… Expand

Awesome game! A must have for any fan of zombie/horror games. The perfect mix of action and suspense. My advise, buy this game, turn off the lights and hook up surround sound!

First off, I hate, HATE zombie games. I'll be 100% honest, I picked up Dead Island because of all the hype and because people mentioned it was "Fallout 3 with zombies". Well, with Fallout 3 being one of my favorite games in existence, and me being a sucker for anything like it, I had to give this a chance. So yeah I bought into the hype, but bottom line, it's a really awesome game. I think Dead Island deserves a 9/10 across the board. The graphics and sound are both over the top good, the core game is a TON of FUN, and the feeling you get while playing is worth the price of admission. Throw a few online friends into the mix, turn your speakers up, and watch the blood fly. You'd have to be dead to not enjoy this game.… Expand

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.

Woohoo! An open world zombie slasher with impeccable graphics and fresh gameplay. It has some glitches so I'm still waiting for that patch but otherwise it's exactly the game I've been waiting for. Weapon decays is balanced as long as you loot useful stuff (as you would being a survivor in a zombie apocalypse), the enemies have enough variety to stay entertaining but it's still obvious that they're zombie variations. Melee combat is unique, especially when you switch the oddly named 'fight type' to analog. Then you control the melee swings by swinging the right analog stick. And one more thing: PLAY IN CO-OP!!… Expand

This is the best current gen Zombie game to date.... It takes aspects of both fallout and borderlands and combines them into a very enjoyable co-op rpg. Its nothing like led or dead rising aside from zombies and crafting weapons... It has bugs but they dont ruin the game or experience imo

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 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, etc… But this is, however, utterly useless. Additionally, the comparison function could use a bit of tweaking. It would have been nice if the developers allowed items being compared to be swapped; for example, if you are comparing weapon with an equipped weapon, you can easily press a button to switch the two. Furthermore, when selling, repairing, and upgrading weapons, there is no indication whatsoever of which items you have equipped which is endlessly annoying. The weapon and leveling system is far too simple and quite boring. It isn’t very original and there aren’t many aspects of the character that get upgraded. Although it resembles Borderlands leveling system, it lacks things like proficiencies, etc… I despise the fact that weapons need to be repaired. I hated it in fallout and I hate it in this game. The menu system itself is very slow which is frustrating when trying to quickly switch around weapons or view the map. The on-screen text is very small and it is difficult to see sometimes. By far the most annoying thing in the game is the delay between when you press square to pick up something, and when you actually pick it up. Many can argue that it makes the game “more difficultâ€� or “freakierâ€� because you cannot move or defend yourself while opening or picking something up. But this does not make up for how annoyed I would get while trying to loot a room; and in a horror survival game, there is a lot of looting to be had. I am sorry to say it, but this was not worth my money. I would wait till it is $30 before you pick it up.… Expand

This game is just downright fun. Multiplayer is a joy with friends. Sure, there are technical issues, but that doesn't stop this game from being fun. This isn't a story driven experience. For all of you douchebags who give this game a low rating because of the story, go read a book. This game is for gore lovers and anyone who enjoys a good cooperative experience.

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 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

I've read too many whiny reviews about this game and how "it erases my game" or "my kicking leg changes length" or my favorite " waaaahhh!!! Items respawn!!!." These things alone are enough for you to drop this game to a 1/10. I will daresay that you gamers are quite petty. This game is absolutely what the gaming world needs. First I applaud this game for making me actually sit on the edge of my seat while I struggle for my life at almost every turn which completely makes up for the fact that the floater I fought last night disappeared into the floor before I could collect my exp. NO BIG DEAL! Second I found the world of Dead Island so graphically beautiful that it easily rivals other open world rpgs such as Oblivion and the Fallout series. And last of all I found the weapons to be very cool indeed. I was skeptical at first when I grabbed a paddle and sent my first zombie to Hell, (good things come to those who wait) and now I'm wielding weapons that absolutely devastate my foes. So, I say to all you people who are at home counting each pixel on your screen so you can argue about how the screen resolution isn't perfect; get the hair out of your crack... sit down...put this game in...and just have fun with it. Ignore the zombie who glitches once every blue moon, assume your character's leg gets shorter and longer because he/she is actually Mr. Fantastic, and just chill.… Expand

Good fun = good game. It's as simple as that. Even if the game is not flawless I can recom-mend it without hesitation and all because of its incredible survival horror experience. I'm not fan of the genre but I was carried away with action and atmosphere. I also truly appreciate the fantastic environments and really nice zombie. And one thing more: the soundtrack is phenomenal. All in all, it is a decent product that scored 95% on my scale.… Expand

This is the best zombie game ever made by humanity, ever. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is that some minor glitches need to be fixed with a patch. Otherwise it's simply mindblowing! The island is huge but it's not just the beach, there is a city, jungles and much more. I'm in the middle of my second playthrough. Cooperative is the way to with this one. Not like there's anything wrong with single-player but sharing the horrors of the zombie invasion with other players is what XBL was invented for LOL!… Expand

I'll start simply by saying this is my first ever review on metacritic. I had to speak up! I followed this game for awhile and I will admit the trailer with the little girl was quite misleading. I'm also not going to go comparing this to all the games it's not and how similar it is to others. I picked it up on launch, before reading any reviews. I'm shocked to see the scores. Dead Island is FUN!!! It seems a lot of the reviewers that gave bad scores have not played the game that far, a few only referencing the first or second quest. The controls are spot-on and the first person view is amazing. There has been more than a few times I jumped because a zombie is about to eat my face off. Aiming with a melee weapon shouldn't be locked on for guaranteed success. Guns seem to do a lot more damage than a baseball bat, as they should! After leaving the initial area I was shocked how much your style of play has to change, due to non-zombie enemies (don't want to spoil). The AI of these new challengers is spot on and refreshing compared to the lumbering zombies. This was an interesting twist i was not expecting and enjoyed! The sound is also great in surround sound. Being able to tell what direction a zombie is running full blast at you from is very useful. The lack of music is also a great decision by the developers. Sometimes just the sounds of your footsteps is enough to polish the immersion. Graphics are ok, by far not the best to date. They do a good enough job for an occasional "wow" moment. The damage effects on the zombies is nice. You actually see a radius and an ulna when you chop at their arms! There is a lot of "delivery" quests and some lack of flair with the characters. I do however feel the pull to want to keep leveling up, despite the lackluster back story. I hope more people try this game out and ignore some of the baffling bad reviews. I can't wait to play more!… Expand

I want to start by saying that this is an easy 8/10 game at least. In my opinion,this is THE most definitive Zombie game ever made,& by far best does the iconic Zombie justice,better than any other game to date,bar none,& does exactly what it says on the tin.The game does have alot of bugs & glitches at launch though,it has to be said,which is unecceptable.I'm sure they'll be fixed,but thats not the point.Also,to get one more thing out out of the way.Enough of the complaining that the game is not like the 'CGI' trailer!.. Honestly,what game IS like their CGI trailer? But i dont hear complaints about them. I'm not sure what kind of game some where expecting due to this trailer,but as the trailer suggested,this game is about a Zombie outbreak on an Island Resort.Moving on though,the game itself is great fun to play.Not sure why people have criticised the graphics,they are as good,if not better than just about every other free roaming game out there.The frame rate is solid,with no noticable slowdown & sound is great,with those Zombie growls causing tension,especially when they're chasing you. Where this game excels though,& what sets it apart from any other Zombie game,is the combat,& the pace of it.I never really got on with Left4Dead,because the pacing was too fast,meaning there was no tension,& it was all about 'pray N spray' shooting,mowing down Zombies sprinting at you.Thats not a proper Zombie game as far as i'm concerned.I much prefer Dead Rising(Moreso No2)myself.It was closer to that Zombie game i always wanted,with its slower pace,& 'Proper' slower Zombies,with much more emphisis on melee weapons.Still wasnt my ideal Zombie game though,due to its slightly zaney & cartoony violence,& the humour with things you could wear,& the music. No,Dead Island is the real deal! It is LITERALLY that Zombie game i always wanted.The Zombie,as an enemy,is treated with respect,& is a genuine threat if taken lightly in this game.In fact with the excellent combat mechanics in this game,every Zombie is kind of a fight in its own right.When taking on a Zombie,you have to go in,get in a hit or two,then get out before it hits you back,or get it to swing at you first,THEN attack.Theres more to it than that though,as you can target anywhere on the Zombies limbs or body,by having your crosshair on that part when you attack(its easier than it sounds),Which gives you options in every single fight you have.Do you go for a tricky head blow,to take the enemy out quickly,or try to break or sever(depending on wether your carrying a blunt or edged weapon respectively)an arm to make their attacks less effective,or legs to slow them down? Or risk kicking them to the floor to pound them while they try to get up.Kick them into some water,or off the edge if there is one.The choice is yours,depending on your circumstances,like how many enemies you are taking on.Running is also a very real option if things get too hot,or your heath low.Now if all that sounds very cool,then believe me,it is.The Zombies visually show damage where your hitting them too,which is awesome,especially when you've cut a limb off,or you've broken it,& their limb flopping about,rendered impotent.Guns do come into the game later on too,so if you like shooting your Zombies too,you can,though its not the focus of this game. This is a BIIIIG game too,with a big play area,& many main & side quests thrown at you Borderlands style,& i havnt even gone into the leveling up of your character,gaining skills,Finding,trading,repairing,upgrading & constructing weapons.. Being able to trade objects & weapons with the other players,& heal them,& the great 4 player Co-Op in general. So yes,this is by far the best Zombie game to date,but as i said,at time of launch(& writing this)theres bugs to fix,some are worse than others,but once they are fixed,the game will be one of the best experience to be had out there,& so for that reason,it gets a 9 from me.Should've been released without the glaring bugs & glitches though,theres no getting around that..Tut Tut Techland.… Expand

The 360 version features broken matchmaking for the vast majority of players. One should not be surprised at the broken network code, considering that these are the same artisans that shat out the deplorable Call of Juarez: The Cartel (47/100 on Metacritic at the time of this writing). The Chrome engine is dated and can't handle spawning more than 5 zombies at a time. There is no suspense, as money is plentiful and all the loot respawns with a great frequency. Do not buy this game before reading the Edge Magazine review. If, after reading their litany of (spot on) complaints you still feel like playing it, rent it from Gamefly (or, better yet, check yourself into an institution). I don't generally write reviews for games (especially negative ones) but this is the most ripped off I have felt with a game purchase in the last 5 years. I had my reservations, but seeing the fairly positive reviews, swallowed them and went ahead and got it. Should have gone with my gut. As an added bonus, if your pre-ordered the game on Steam, you got a broken dev version that they now have to repair (making your DLC, save games, and game data corrupt in the process). That is the general level of competency you can expect from Techland and Deep Silver.… Expand

I am blown away at how bad this game this. Seriously. Before I begin, let me address the positive reviews that say "Do not believe the negative reviews": Nearly 1/3 of reviews of this game are extremely negative. We should not be ignored. The game is ridiculously bad on so many levels. It starts with an amazing concept that has infinite possibilities, except, it somehow makes it childish, clunky, and boring. I was promised an interactive sandbox. What I got was a world in which I can look, but can not touch. While Dead Rising offered a third person world where everything was a weapon, Dead Island offers a first person world where nearly nothing is a weapon and anything that is a weapon breaks strangely easily. The game opens by violently ripping the individual who tends to obey and respect the law from the game. None of the characters (that can be played as) have backgrounds that are relate-able, all of them are pretty much deserving of getting eaten by a zombie. The game just comes across as lazy: every single time you need energy, you have to chug one of the many energy drinks that can be found. For those of us that don't care for energy drinks, it makes one wonder, why can't we have other food be used as energy? Is this laziness by the developers or is this supposed to be some sort of humor, playing on the "energy" in "energy drink"? The mechanics are simply clumsy. Aim for the zombies head; hit his leg; that is to say if you do not miss entirely. The missions given to you by the NPC are extremely tiring. Not because they are boring, but because I find no motivation in finding spark plugs for some guy who just opened his garage door and yelled "hey you! I have a job for you!" And, reflecting on the main story, the developers do not attempt to explain why I was spared while everyone else dies (besides that I got black out drunk and passed out in my hotel room while everyone is eaten alive). Furthermore, I can not see why I my immunity to the virus is, at all, essential to the NPCs surviving, as they claim it is. Then there are the portions of the game that are just childish. In the first hour, it became glaringly obvious that every single female NPC was in a bikini and was well proportioned. Every time that the main character is referenced, it is as "he," even if you play as a female. There is even a bungalo where a dead gore-ified naked woman, tied down to the bed posts, with cameras surrounding her. I understand that many games tend to show females with sexist stereotypes, but this game does so in a glaringly obvious fashion that reeks of immaturity. The fact that one of the females is rough and tough body guard does not balance out the before mentioned. It took me two hours to become extremely bored of this game. I returned it immediately to my local GameStop, taking a $28 loss. This game is so bad that I would rather take an immediate $28 loss than have it all around my house. This game had so much potential, yet, what I got was a clumsy looking glass that showed me an world that I could look at, but barely touch.… Expand

There's no way that this game deserves below an 8 from anybody who even played it for more than 1 hour. First, let me establish EXACTLY what kind of game Dead Island is, since so many other user critics fail to describe it accurately. Take the brutal and intense co-op zombie-slaying action of Left 4 Dead, the open-world exploration of Fallout/Oblivion, and the addicting looting of Diablo to form Dead Island. I don't understand why people can complain about Dead Island "ripping off" other games...It simply takes proven formulas and combines them into a new, superb one. Please disregard any user score below an 8, as most of them are utterly wrong in their reviews...not to mention that they're all written at an elementary school grammar level, which should tell you a little something about the writer. I have to stress to you that while the game is still extremely addicting even when playing by yourself, the amount of fun is literally multiplied for each additional friend you're playing with. Sounds cheesy, but is nonetheless true. The storyline is about what you would expect from a zombie game, consisting of the survivors attempting to get off of the island. It consists of about 30 hours of gameplay, excluding much exploration. The game's RPG elements are a nice touch, making me feel like all of the zombie-killing has more purpose than just good fun. I wouldn't describe the game's RPG elements as light, but they're about as straightforward and novice as you can get. You level up by doing quests and killing things, unlocking one skill point every level to spend on your character. Each character has 3 skill trees with about 15 or so skills per tree. You can spend this point to either unlock a new skill, or improve upon a current one. The skills aren't immensely deep, consisting of skills such as "Improved Weapon Durability", or an increased chance to kill a zombie in one hit. There are other skills that are much more exciting than the ones I described, but the core ones are generally passive that overall improve your characters combat skills. The four playable characters all represent some standard RPG classes, which are tank, leader/firearms expert, assassin, and throwing weapons specialist (who's also the "Jack of all Trades"). Combat in Dead Island is some of the most addicting melee combat ever implemented into a game. I highly recommend going to the Options at the main menu and switch your combat style over from "Digital" to "Analog". Digital consists of you mashing Right Trigger over and over, while Analog allows you to utilize precision with your melee swings. You use the Right Analog Stick to literally swing your weapon, allowing you to target various limbs. It takes a little time to get used to, but after a few minutes, it's fantastically addicting. The visceral mutilation is amazing graphic-wise, and the blood effects are astounding. In fact, the entire game possesses phenomenal graphics and the world is never bleak or dull. The looting on this game, as I mentioned, is very Diablo-esque, and never ceases to stir up excitement when I discover another weapons chest that may or may not contain that next godly machete or sledgehammer. You can attach various mods to any of your weapons, allowing them to cause even more destruction. Since this game revolves around melee combat, I had anticipated the shooting to be clunky and boring. I couldn't have been more wrong. The gunplay is extremely fun, and is not cumbersome to utilize whatsoever. Scoring that sick headshot on an unsuspecting zombie with a shotgun or magnum is a breeze. However, ammo is scarce throughout the game, but you can craft it later on with the necessary materials. Aside from all of these positives, I do have some gripes. The normal enemy zombies are called Walkers, with the next step up being called Infected. However, I think the Infected are some of the cheapest enemies in the game. They rush you furiously without any regard for their own life, and will literally chase you halfway across the map. As if that didn't tire them out, they're a ball of energy when they finally reach you, flailing their arms in all directions and scoring multiple devastating hits on you. The most annoying part is when you are in Act 2, and you're required to proceed through the "Quarantined" area, where the Infected literally spawn every 5 seconds nearby, forcing you to either die or fight an army of them. My biggest gripe of this game is weapon degradation. Your weapons degrade at astonishing rates, forcing you to repair quite frequently. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't so expensive to repair them. Couple that with the 10% of your cash penalty you receive when you die (which is often), and you've got yourself an annoyance to induce rage to even the most stoic of gamers. Overall, easily one of the best co-op experiences available on consoles, and in my opinion, a frontrunner for Game of the Year.… Expand

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 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

Dead Island is great. Go buy it. There. That was easy. Oh- You want to know why? Well I'll tell you. Dead Island is a very good open world zombie survival game featuring a robust weapon crafting system and first person melee combat. It’s positively chock full of bloody undead chunks. As a single player experience it's fun (really fun), but not amazing. There are some minor flaws that keep it from becoming something truly special. As a co-op experience, Dead Island overcomes these flaws, nay, it strait up curb stomps them into a soupy red goo. Dead Island is one of the best co-op titles of the year. If you’re playing Dead Island solo, you’re, as they say, "doing it wrong." Four players can get together in the undead sandbox of Banoi and transform a survival horror game into an all out action gorefest rife with zombie butchery. While my dreams of chucking zombie children off of hotel balconies may go unfulfilled, I did encounter a zombie near a cliff side. I shot him with my modified electric gun, broke one arm, chopped off another, embedded my poisonous machete in his head, lit him on fire with a Molotov **** and finally kicked him off the side of the cliff. I then had to hop down that damn cliff to retrieve my "Toxic Military Machete." Purple text weapons don’t grow on trees, you know. I hate saying that a game is a cross between game X and game Y, but writing this review is keeping me from Dead Island, so I’m going to do it anyway. I'd have to say the game reminds me of Borderlands mixed with your bloodiest zombie wet dreams and then infused with a healthy dose of first person, panicked, flailing, melee combat. There’s also hints of Fallout 3 in the game as well, both in terms of the RPG elements and the ridiculously gory violence. Top that all off with some gratuitous potty mouths and you’ve got a recipe for one Dead Island and a very Mature rating. You'll begin your adventure by choosing one of four characters. Each has their own special abilities you can enhance through three skill trees. The trees have the same titles across all four characters, (Fury, Combat, and Survival) but their individual skills vary greatly. Sam B is a blunt weapons brute. Logan is a weapon throwing pro. Purna is the firearm specialist, and Xian is a master of edged weapons. Anyone can use any weapon, so long as they meet the level requirements. Each character receives bonuses for using certain weapons. For example, Sam B’s first combat skill adds 5% damage to blunt weapon attacks. I chose Xian in my first playthrough. She’s a nimble hellcat of a blade expert. Her Fury skill is a super powered knife assault. When activate, she can pretty much one shot almost anything in her way. Her Combat skills focus on edged and poison weapons, while here Survival skills focused on getting a higher yield from Med Kits. I tinkered with the other three characters, and they all have their own distinct abilities. Dead Island is the closest thing to date to an open world co-op action RPG. As an added bonus, it has zombies. There’s plenty of content here as well with lots of side quests to keep you occupied. You should have no problem putting 30 hours into the game before seeing the end with one character. Not to mention all the return vacations you’ll be making to Banoi with friends. Dead Island breathes new life into the zombie genre. The Co-Op Experience: Team up online with four players to survive a zombie infested island. Players can trade items and weapons, drive each other around, revive fallen teammates, and kick the crap out of zombies.… Expand

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

One of the best zombie games ever made. Great job Deep Silver and Square Enix it was well worth the wait. This plays much more like fallout/borderlands than L4D so be warned, if you didnt like either of these games but in all honesty who wouldnt love this :-)

I had to create an account to rate this game, just because i was so utterly baffled by the bad reviews of this game. I guess the bad reviews prove that some people you just can't please. I can't imagine that -anything- makes the people who disliked this game happy. Anyhew. This game is like the world's best milkshake. They picked the best parts of a dozen different games, and blended it together into deliciousness, and every bit is incredible. The skill tree, and items with stats from borderlands, weapons and combinations from dead rising, fallout-esque missions and targeting of limbs. It's just incredible. The -stupidest- complaint i've ever heard is that all the women are in bikinis. The first 25 percent of the game takes place on a beach resort...the men are in swimsuits too, it's a beach! I gurantee you there aren't bikini clad women in the slum-town that is the next section.… Expand

I have been waiting for this game since the 2008 trailer came out, and I have not been disappointed. The combat is very unique and challenging, especially the analog fighting style. The sheer amount of zombies that you run into is a perfect amount for four player co op. The scenery is breathtaking and simply well done. And when you are roaming around the island with only a baseball bat in hand and you hear a ferocious roar from in front of you, it makes you want to run away. There are so many great things about this game, like the modification, the character progression throughout the whole game and the gratuitous amounts of opponents is a suffice challenge. I have no idea why people are rating a game that is this original and well done so poorly. This game does have a few problems like the lack offline co-op, but that doesn't mean that it should be so poorly rated. I have had extremely few problems with the game with the 26 hours that I have logged in. Just because its a challenging that game that some people have trouble with doesn't mean it should have a low score.… Expand

Great Game, bit slow to start off, but the good physics engine and the addictive fun of obliterating zombies with various makeshift weapons makes it worthwhile. The change in scenery is great over the course of the game, and i didn't find the missions too repetitive. Graphics are great, no complaints. Smooth textures and clean edges make it a great looking title. Amazing really. Pick up a copy and judge for yourself.… Expand

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 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

Wow i really cant believe what mixed reviews this game received by the critics. For one i personally have not encountered either A. a game ruining glitch, B. The incredibly frustrating battles, or a boring storyline. Sure you spending your time just concentrating on the main story will yield you only a few hours of gameplay. But what true gamer actually only plays the game to beat the story? What gamer does not take the time to explore every nook and cranny of gameplay that the developers busted their butts for you to enjoy?. As soon as i got the game the first thing i noticed were the great graphics that push the current gen consoles to the limit. The second thing i noticed was the massive maps that you get to play in the game, split up into several acts may i add. This game feels like what Fallout 3's gameplay system should have been. A true mix of great elements, you got a little bit of FPS for the action junkies, A dash of RPG elements for the harder to please crowd, And did i mention ZOMBIES. The gameplay takes a little time to master but once you do, its a riot. Given you may not like the game as soon as you pick up the controller, but if you do give it a chance you will not regret it. Im so addicted to this game right now :D… Expand

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

Mesmerizing games ! Steam 1.2.0 version is working A1 so far . Not as out of this world as FALLOUT or HALF LIVE but extremely near . Like most games lacks of complexity. The recipe is simple but the result is tasty . 50$ well spent , thanks , that's entretainment ! OPEN WORLD .

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

By far the most funloving and entertaining title to come along for quite some time. It might not be everyone´s cup of tea but if you like open worlds, tons of stuff to do and braindead Zombies (who doesn´t) then pick this one up. This is a game that is quite literally what you make of it, so if you only like games that give you no freedom, this is not for you. For all others, you are in for a treat.… Expand

Its really sad how a game with this potential turned out so annoying, first of all you take too much damage, weapons break after you kill about 3 zombies,and the whole concept of money is dumb, why do i need money to fix my stuff ? why do i need money at all on this situation? You can't interact at all with the scenario everything seems to be nailed to the floor, except for beach balls which are the only thing you can interact with, but the physics are horrible. Combat is extremely repetitive it doesn't change from start to end, in Dead Rising you got sweet skills and upgrades every level, that actually made you feel how you character is getting stronger, on Dead Island skills are pretty much useless as Zombies actually get stronger while you get a skill that allows you to do more damage while drunk, the skills would help somewhat if zombies didn't get stronger, Why do Zombies even get stronger ? i find no reason, are they are capable of learning?, their bodies are able to build muscles ? in that case are they even different to the non infected or my character is paranoid and sees them as zombies while there is actually no infection? that would be a sick plot for a psychological thriller . Runners are faster than you, you cant escape and also you cant fight cause they come in groups and chances are when they charge at you they will miss, leaving you surrounded and hopeless,also you character seems to have no weight to him, he gets knocked down way to frequently. There's no plot whatsoever, quests are dumb i feel no motivation to help someone find her Teddy Bear, that's an actual quest found in the game, a grown woman asks you to risk your life for a god damn Teddy Bear, also rewards aren't worth it , this wouldn't matter in a game like Borderlands where combat is fun and rewarding, but in this game you don't really want to fight, you want to get things done, cause its impossible to enjoy getting killed over and over again, even worse if you know there's nothing different you could have done as combat is extremely simple you literally have 2 abilities, kick and swing, you can also throw, but its useless, as I said before you cant learn abilities, you are stuck with kick and swing for the whole game. A zombie punch seems to be way stronger than bullets, if a zombie hits you, you loose about 1/3 of your life, but you loose about a 1/25 when you are shot. Your character is a tool, he gets bossed around like no one else, people even say things at you like "What are you waiting for" after you accept their quest, they don't have the slightest of gratitude. You get in situations where you HAVE to do what the tell you, in main quest a guard asks you to look for his friend "Ken" who is most likely death, if you don't he wont let you pass, a guard makes you risk your life for a dead man. people in the island have no interest in helping you, but the still demand your help... , In Fallout you would have been able to kill the guard to advance to the next area, at the cost of loosing Karma, but not in this game, you are as good a Jesus and are forced to be a tool. This is kind of a personal point but, Zombies walk around with their flesh ripped off, still they complain when you hit them, Zombies don't feel pain, i know they are fictional characters but still there's a pattern to follow.… Expand

To me, it's extremely ODD that many posted user-reviews spend so much available text-space berating and reviewing OTHER user reviews. . . Any review is merely an opinion and to overtly and mistakenly judge that certain user reviews are more credible than others is, yet, another opinion. -"My dad can beat up your dad" argumentation is silly and does NOT contribute to any meritorious discussion about this novel, new mess from Techland via their half-baked Chrome engine. . . DEAD ISLAND is a buggy, often broken, beta-quality muddle of concepts and it, routinely, makes NEW VEGAS, at its earlier launch, look like a storied and pristine example of flawless game design and implementation. /cough. Trollery aside, with droll fetch quests bordering on the inane, erratic AI, pop-in, FPS swings, insta-spawing zombies in familiar places, repeat-spawning of cash inside treasure chests; er, suitcases, paying-a-workbench to upgrade a pipe, or whatever, DEAD ISLAND is DOA with its many bugs, glitches and half-done Q&A. Aside from the released Steam version being an incorrect XBOX beta version and then being patched so that users would lose their DLC, savegames, etc; the following PS3 patched-version would then erase all Trophy support and create yet another set of diverse oddities, while the XBOX patch is under review, prior to any release; DEAD ISLAND was shipped incomplete, beta-quality, shoddy. Some users have claimed that they have not experienced ANY anomalies with the game, minimal bugs, no weirdness, just grand game design all-around; although, if that were strictly accurate, WHY would so many diverse users on various systems report similar strangeness when encountering the same quests and traversing much of the same terrain? To be sure, as an open world, each player would find their own way, use their own weapons concoctions and approach questing in a random manner; BUT, why then does Techland's FIRST patch have nearly 40 admitted corrections and adjustments if everything is so wunderbar in Banoi? DEAD ISLAND will be soon forgotten, like BRINK. . .… Expand

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 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

Don't let the mediocre and bad reviews sway you into missing one of the greatest zombie killing games ever made. I play it on the PC and at first, it was a buggy, jumbled mess. But since they've patched it up, it's become one of my most favorite games to play. Completely wide open island packed with hidden chests and goodies. Co-op zombie killing is a complete riot and probably the most fun I've had playing a game in a long time. It's also a pretty good RPG with talent trees, upgradable weapons and even green/blue/golden weapons to signify rarity. If you're on the fence, pick it up, without a doubt. You will not regret it.… Expand

I was initially turned off from this game after watching gameplay on YouTube and reading reviews, but decided to get the game in an Xbox 360 Console bundle; this is mainly because the rest of the games were garbage, such as Black Ops. I am ever so glad that I chose this... don't make the same mistake as me, BUY THIS GAME! It has the best graphics of any FPS game i have ever seen, the visuals are quite honestly STUNNING (If there were no zombies I would still quite happily sit around and look at the breathtaking visuals). The contrast between the chaos of a zombie apocalypse and the tranquility of the island really hits hard and immerses you from the minute you begin the game.… Expand

"Medkit here!" "Hey look its a Tank! I mean a Rammer!" Hmmm, this game sounds familiar. Can you guess which one? Here are the choices: 1. Left 4 Dead. 2. Resident Evil. 3. Killing Floor.

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 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

This is by far my favorite Zombie Gaming experience ever. It truly satisfied the many aspects that left 4 dead left me craving. The game did have its problems at launch with the developer releasing the wrong version. That being said, i'm not gonna dock any points for that. Ultimately the only thing that matters is if the game is fun or not. As Far as Fun factor its a 10/10 without a doubt as long as you can look past some of the issues that plagued the game at release. If you are a zombie fan DO NOT PASS THIS GAME UP!… Expand

Fallout 3 mechanics with Zombies. Most of the bad reviews are so nit picky I didn't even notice the issues until reading these reviews. My copy is PS3 and haven't seen any screen tearing. the odd visual bug maybe, but that is to be expected from a game of this size. It's rumored the campaign is 20-30 hours long, with drop in/out multiplayer to take on quests with people when you want and dominate zombies solo when you don't. I owned LFD 1 & 2 and this game blows it away. In Left For Dead you run along the same linear path over and over and over, while in Dead Island you're free to explore. this freedom makes the game much more intense and scary. The combat is mainly melee but you can throw any of your weapons, with guns being added later in the game. Also, VEHICLES! What's more fun than demolishing hordes of zombies in your truck with your 3 buds? Nothing.… Expand

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 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

I think people are giving this game a bum steer, and not being fair on the game. The first point I will address is the multi player function and people complaining about the annoying in game popups to join other peoples games SOLUTION switch to "Single Player" in the online menu, problem solved. The next issue is the combat system - IF you find this game hard or think the combat system is ineffective... well you probably just suck at this game. The combat system is fantastic and very intuitive, point the cross hair at the part of the zombie you want to hit and hit it, if you have a knife it may just cut or disable the limb, it may cut it right off, blunt weapons will cripple and in the case of the head smash it clean off. I have read many complaints that the stamina system means that if you come up against more than a couple zombies your done for, this is not true. in real life you wouldn't just swing your arms and scream like someone from the internet releasing there nerd rage would you, and this game is no different the key to success is controlled use of weapons, a strike to the head will often kill a zombie in one blow if not knock it to the ground stunning it for a while giving you time to dispatch any other zombie attacking you. This title is better than "Dead rising" and "Left for dead" where it differs is that while it is from the first person perspective it is not a 'first person shooter". If you buy this game thinking your getting a FPS you will not be happy. So what do you get? Well if you are fan of Oblivion and Melee combat this game is for you. the game is a basic RPG in that completing missions and killing zombies earns you XP with can be used to upgrade your characters abilities, and also their effectiveness with particular weapons and in combat. Graphics - the graphics in this game a bloody awesome, when you consider it is a completely open world, go anywhere anytime, you can often see ahead of you for miles and there are virtually no load times, when you enter a building or a safety area there are no load times. Complaints of texture pop ins are unfounded and nothing that no other video game of this scale suffers from, and to be honest it is barely noticeable unless you look for it and does not take away from the game at all. Sound - again bloody awesome and draws you right into the game, you will be exploring an area, with the ambient sounds of waves crashing the wind perhaps a radio playing music in the back ground and then you hear a groan! (I have surround sound) you spin around to the direction it came from to see a zombie pick himself up and start coming after you. Gameplay - Awesome!!!! You are immune to the infection and cannot be turned into a zombie, so people use this to their advantage by asking you to do favours for them, unfortunately while you are immune you are not invincible and can be killed. Characters in the game when approached will ask you to do favours for them you either accept or decline in return they will give you money (for better weapons and upgrades) weapons, and XP points. the way you get new missions is very well done you talk with the character they give you the back ground of the mission and then hand you a blood stained piece of paper with all the details. the missions are usually go hear get this talk to person X come back when your done, find me this etc, just like your GTA's and many other games, some people say they find these mission types boring and repetitive but i think the key to games like this is not to just do one mission return do the next return, but treat the side missions as exactly that "well if I am in the area I will do it" and it makes the game much more fun and immersive. overal this game is easily a 10/10 and one of the best games I have played for a while after a steam of consecutive new release titles that sucked If you got a woody for the game trailer thinking this game would be some kind of gripping emotional roller coaster, then I really do question your manhood. Who on earth would have expected anything more than roaming an island smashing zombies? Bugs - Well none that i can see, (none that really effect game play) after 4 hours of playing, all open world games suffer from some glitches here and there, but having said that i experienced none All I can say is don't think this game is going to be COD with zombies because you will be disappointed, and don't believe the nay sayers and bad reviews this game is great… Expand

Do not listen to the haters. Just like them I waited 2 days to play the game I paid my money for. However, unlike them I had the patience and willingness to wait it out. And so glad I did. The game is awesomesauce wrapped in bacon. Killing zombies has never been so much fun. And why on earth did it take so long to come up with the formula. Open world + RPG skills + zombie-killing + co-op = Fun-freaking-tastic. Making this short to start up another session. Work just made the addiction worse... going to imagine some zombies with bosses faces =)… Expand

Borderlands + Dead Rising = Dead Island. That's the easy equation if you really want to know how this game plays. The four-player co-op, leveling opponents, mission based narrative and stat-based and elemental (fire/electric/toxic/explosive... all realistic in their ways) weaponry from Borderlands... the strategy-based teamwork, combinable/upgradeable weaponry, survivors to save, and, of course, zombies from Dead Rising... combines into a game that works on many levels. As many have complained, yes, the game has it's cons: - Graphical errors (like discarded weapons "swimming" along the floor in a random direction, or shadows suddenly going oddly ballistic when a zombie has an action sequence) - Animation problems (NPC's and co-op players oddly bumble around the screen and look unnatural in some movements) - A huge learning curve when it comes to understanding your controls (which leads to drastically missing an attack and getting killed when all you wanted to know was how to throw your weapon as a projectile) - Voice acting (It seems as if they only did one take on certain things, and calling you a "him" when you're playing as one of the girls is a little frustrating) But there are many pros: - Branching tech trees allowing for deep characterized customization (meaning that though you and your friend may be using the same character, you could have a totally different skill set, leading to good strategy based on combat, survival and special skills) - Visceral feel to the attacks (all your landing attacks FEEL like you’re landing the hits, and lead to carnage in crazy, bloody ways) - Co-op friendly (The missions get harder if your friend decides he wants to show up and play, and the game is drop-in drop-out friendly as well, with people able to join a game in progress and leave when they want without harming your gameplay.) - Expansive areas (The days of small arenas are over… each part of the map is about as large as one of the GTA IV islands) - Survival Horror Feel (Most zombie games don’t feel like survival… most are just shooters where you have a pistol with unlimited ammo, in this one, you have weapons that can and will break, and a single zombie can sneak up on you and kill you in a few hits if you aren’t being careful) - RPG feel (zombie games lack building of character, save for the Dead Rising series, but this game makes YOU the survivor, basically… so the character acts the way you would… are you a “run in willy-nilly, guns blazing and fight” guy? A “run away and live another day” guy? Or a “strategic stealthy” guy, killing when you have to? You make that call.) - Expansive gameplay (Unlike a straight-forward game like Left 4 Dead, your missions can be stretched out, or compacted as much as you feel necessary… making for a game that runs 16 hours, or 50+ depending on how you want to play it.) The game has some flaws, but they minimal in comparison to the experience of the game. People put too much pressure on how a game looks that they forget that it’s about the gameplay. Remember, GTA IV is a phenomenal game. But the graphics are MEH. If you understand that difference, play this game.… Expand

Seriously do yourself a favour and buy this game! It is not perfect, but all of the technical or gameplay complaints, that seem to mar other reviewers experience so much, just pale into significance against the sheer FUN to be had in game. If you enjoy open world and/or zombie games then I would definitely recommend this!

Don't believe the bad reviews. I've been playing this game for 4 days now. I've played Borderlands, Left4dead, Deadrising, and countless other games. I've been playing PC and console games since 1990 on a hardcore basis, and I can say without a doubt that this is a damn fine game. It's open world, very very few loading zones, and has tons of locations. The combat is a bit different, but if you take a little bit of time you will get used to it, and have a ton of fun dismembering the zombies. Some reviews compare this to the previous games I mentioned, and they are right. Just think Borderlands, on Farcry island, meets Dead Rising without a time limit. The only low points in the game I can think of are some graphic lighting issues, and some ugly character models. This game is not getting the credit it deserves, it's very under rated. Take it from somone who has spent a lot of time playing this, and has a lot of gaming experience, you'll like this game.… Expand

I love this game! Been playing it since day one and I can’t put it down. Forget about all the negative reviews. If you are a Zombie/RPG fan you owe it to yourself to pick this up. This game gets a 9/10 from me, even with the bugs….

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

This game is a masterpiece! I love it. Good atmosphere, great combat and ALLOT to do. The game even looks fantastic. Really hope that they will make a sequel. Thank you

This game is simply amazing on the 360, the good game engine allows a unique approach to the zombies genre, by a rpg first person survival perspective. This game has so far been very satisfying with loot system and killing zombies and levelling, i have had no bugs interfere with the game and gameplay itself. I am really suprised that the mean user review score is only 6.7. and only 7.1 by the game reviewing organisations. I have heard of some gameplay issues with texture load/ saving/ AI troubles and a variety of other stuff, however this hasn't occurred to me so far. I was a big fan of fallout 3, and i've played borderlands (which was alright) and this game implements components of each of these games into one in a very good way.… Expand

You can see an entire walkthrough of the game here:http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL19C772559E876B8E&feature=viewall Perfect hybrid of Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead and Borderlands(a little bit of Fallout as well). Leveling up with a skill tree, scavenging and looting, weapon mods, melee madness, guns and explosives, co-op, and a long single player experience makes this one of the best zombie games ever. However one of the best things about this game is probably the difficulty. The game starts out pretty easy but as you level up so do the zombies. As you progress through the game you encounter stronger types of zombies that are pretty difficult to take down. The game even warns you that certain areas of the island are very dangerous to traverse alone bringing the emphasis on playing the game in co-op. This is the true zombie survival horror game that we have all been waiting for. The promise of death in a few seconds in the event of a zombie encounter adds to the atmosphere and the realization of the ever impending doom of the zombie apocalypse. Anxiety and fear take over as you traverse the city where you are severely outnumbered around every corner and your best chance of survival is to just run. However you cannot always escape because you must manage your stamina. Using too much of it to run away from encounters will get you winded and in the event that you get cornered, not being able to defend yourself will provide you with a quick death. Having said that the combat in the game is exceptional. Mostly relying on melee weapons, it adds a great mechanic into the mix: being able to sever or break limbs to cripple the enemy. This alone adds a skill gap to the combat system that rewards accuracy and tactical thinking. All in all it is a great game that has a relatively long single player experience that can be shared with 3 other players online. You will die a lot in this game and that just makes it that much better because it adds to the atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse. This is one game where you are rewarded for your skills in combat as well as tactical thinking otherwise you're "dead meat".… Expand

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

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

I feel that this game is not quite as good as the Left For Dead series, but not quite as bad as Deadrising. The graphics are decent, the gameplay is fairly smooth, the option to do whatever missions you would like without too much of a time limit makes it feel more open ended. I have not played the multiplayer yet, but it does not seem to be promoted too much in the menus, you have too look hard to even figure out how to access the multiplayer instead of having it prominently displayed. If you are a zombies or undead fan, you will like this game, if not, probably not your top pick going into the gaming season.… Expand

I really dont know why someone come here to give anything less them a 8 to this game. This is a great game. I really love it. Very good graphics, great gameplay. It have some minor bugs but nothing that can male u give a low score to the game. I've been waiting a log time to play a good Zombie game and this is is better them I have expected. Great game.

Game falls short for me, however there are alot of positive things about Dead Island that make it fun. The good...RPG elements, open world, sandbox style zombie killing game. That is a pretty bold idea and if it would have been executed just a little bit better...the game would have been "the next big thing". The devil is in the details though...better choices of character - or customization of characters, more guns, better cut-scenes...small things that make a big difference. Dead Island almost got it. There is no doubt, the development team worked hard on the game, it feels like feedback from gamers from a beta would have helped. In the end, my harshest remark is that Dead Island is Left 4 Dead with major improvements and it is better than L4D, but is an "almost" game.… Expand

This game is like a litmus test for reviewers, showing who played through it and who only played for about 10 hours before going "I've got the gist of it" and writing an article. I think Game Informer hit it on the head with an 8.5/10, the strange thing about this game is that it actually gets progressively better as you play through it, it's almost as if Deep Silver created this game in the order that you play through it, and the later portions are the result of the developers learning from their mistakes in building the first portion of the game. I feel that this game probably suffered from poor pre-production planning, and could have used a couple more months of polish.… Expand

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, but for all the right reasons… Expand

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.

This game is incredibly fun to play in Singleplayer mode or MP mode. I can only reason that the low scores must have come from FPS fans. If exploring, crafting, leveling and defiling zombies with hundreds of weapons in amazingly bloody fashion than this game is for you. Do not let the critics talk u out of this game it is a must play.

Dead Island is the kind of game that you either love or you hate. It is not a perfect game but for any reasonable minded gamer the flaws should not be enough to break the game. Graphically it is a mixed bag, the environment providing the best visuals and the character animations ranging from great (the undead) to stiff (the humans, ironically). Having played through nearly twelve hours of the game (roughly 34% of the main quest and a ton of the side quests) I can safely say that those who tackle the game solo are missing the point, this game is made to be played with a group. In my time spent playing with friends the admittedly mindless destruction of scores of undead never ceased to be enjoyable, cutting down zombie after zombie and running for the high ground when their numbers begin to overwhelm you always was oddly terrifying and enjoyable. The decision to make it a first person game, while giving the melee combat a bit of a learning curve, definitely adds tension to the game as not being able to see three or four feet behind your character at all times makes you keep your digital head on a swivel. In summary, Dead Island is far from perfect but it is still an insanely enjoyable game to play with friends in spite of its short comings, smashing zombie heads in with a nail studded baseball bat never gets old.… Expand

REVISION: It still garners a straight 10 in my book. The game delivers as much as it needs to. Clunky controls? Quit button-mashing. Loads of glitches? False, you're still button-mashing. I've only seen two or three, none of them anywhere near a true hindrance on enjoyment. Unplayable in single-player? BUTTON-MASHING, STOP IT. The game has a skill curve. It is not a hack-and-slash instant win. It's unnerving how atrociously bad some of you are at taking blame for your own shortcomings. I've been at this game for over fifty hours doing side quests, the main story, and just exploring. This is the best zombie game to-date. The controls aren't perfect, but they aren't as bad as you red reviews make them out to be. Dead Island upholds natural selection; you make up the low end of the bell curve.… Expand

If Condemned married Oblivion and went to a beautiful tropical island for their honeymoon, Dead Island would be the result. And that's a very good thing. The graphics are top notch and the few times I experienced pop up in textures wasn't enough to distract me from the zombie babe about to eat my face off. Most of the main characters have a lame back-story and cut scenes are short and have a huge (press b to skip) in them which take away some of the immersion, but I could care less when a game is this awesome to play. Control wise, everything feels like it should ( I recommend turning on the analog control scheme ) and is smooth and responsive. Weapons are varied and fun, and have just enough RPG like management to keep them interesting and exciting. I jumped quite a few times and also was blown away by the sheer scale and length of this game. It's not borderlands long, but it easily rivals and trumps most other horror/survival games. Clocking in at around 30-50 hours depending on how many side quests and goofing off you do. As a true gamer, this game can't be missed. Dead Island 2 please.… Expand

As you can read; there are over 100 user reviews that are "positive", yet, the average is still only a low 6.7 out of 10; That's telling you something.. that this game is lacking... Both USERS and CRITICS alike grade it about the same: "Just OK". Most users, such as myself, that are reviewing it are fans of all things "zombie", and the game still doesnt score in the 80's (an average needed to be considered a great game) - So you've all answered it for us: This game is only "ok". It's "decent at best". It makes for a great rental or used purchase if you can get it for under $40.00…… Expand

Ok, the game is not perfect, not even close. Let me tell you, I am just a casual gamer who owns a X360 for zombie games (yes, my very late adquisitions are L4D, L4D2, -both of them masterpieces- dead rising,dead space and Dead island) and who plays quite often a game from 1999, Heroes 3 of might mand Magic, weird , uh? I bought Dead Space several months ago. I barely played it 2 hours. I bought Crysis 2 several months ago. I barely played it 4 hours. I bought Dead Rising, I didnt finish it. Neither DR case zero. I bought Dead island last Saturday. I have played it over 10 hours. I'm anxious to reach home and continue playing. Seriously, it has its glitches (the water stuff, sometimes you have to reload the mission 'cos the target mission items dissapear, that kind of things) The graphs, many of you may say that are not Dx11, ok... I don't have a gaming rig, but the graphs are very close , if not better than the ones I've seen on crysis 2 (xbox, of course) . The scenarios are beautifuly designed, there's lot of detail everywhere. I like how the zombies are eating the death corpes in the middle of the streets. I love how the zombies are hitting the doors to reach the survivors, I love those kind of details. So far, this is the first game that provides that kind of details fully. I found stupid on L4D how the zombies just punched you. Here they take a more "realisitc" approach to their victims. I dont have any problem with the 1st person melee fights, in fact, it's a quite refreshing aproach to the genre. I don't have any problems about respawning items, I've seen that on DR and nobody complained of that. I haven't played it multiplayer, and I will probably never, but I dont care. I really enjoy to be inside the game atmosphere, the great dramatic tunes , and the great enviroments. So far I haven't passed from 1 act and as I have read the things turn very intense! I don't **** understand how this game is taking so many bad critics, while a PIECE OF CRAP like RE5 was, was taking almost AAA califications. I dont understand why proffesional reviewers focuse on bad stuff for small companies like techland who try to bring something new over the table. I'm **** tired of the gaming industry. Seriously. It's very probably that I wont be playing this game in a few weeks, but, hell, this game has already provided me GREAT FUN **** ZOMBIE SLASHING moments. Yep. That's it.… Expand

Firstly, this is an amazing game. As you might of read already the environment outside is breath taking and is really stunning, the storyline is very entertaining at most parts but sometimes can feel kinda predictable. This game is defiantly for Co-op play however if you don't have on-line, don't worry as single player is also bad-ass. The skills and levelling up system is simple yet it works, The story is 20-22 hours long excluding MOST of the side quests. Lastly the re-playablity of this game is VERY HIGH so if you have anything planned over the weekend.. Reschedule as you might be busy. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys having fun with their friends and wants to waste a couple of hours a day kicking zombie butt.… Expand

After such a brilliant launch trailer I was expecting big things from Dead Island, but unfortunately its a mixed bag that doesn't live up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, the combat system is realistic, the atmosphere and environment stunning, and some aspects are genuinely chilling. However, there are so many bugs that some parts of the game become almost unplayable. Another downside is the collecting of money from quests. Money's only real use is for upgrading and repairing items, but as it is you who upgrades and repairs them, are you paying yourself? Additionally, the vehicles need work, one can plough through countless zombies and then get stuck on a sandcastle. I also dislike the health and stamina system. One hit basically takes one health bar (no matter what level you are) and this means you're screwed in fights with more than two zombies and the battle devolves into kick spamming. The battle system can be a bit repetitive too and is a bit continual hack and slash for my liking. Furthermore, the stamina bar runs out too quickly. Once its gone it basically means you can't move until some is replenished. In fights, this means that you just get beat on by opponents, coupled with the quick loss of health, expect to die a hell of a lot. What should have happened is a points system instead of money to use for dealing with weapon enhancement and the real-life health and stamina bar is a good idea that routes the game in real world, but its just not well realised. Lastly, the bugs; disappearing items, freezing enemies and characters, lost objectives and autosaves, graphic and pixel flaws and unresponsive controls make you rage through more than a few parts of the game.… Expand

The first night I fired it up I spent 7 straight amazing hours in co-op with friends. Since then I've put about 10 hours into the game solo, and it still plays amazing. I have yet to come across a single glitch in the beautifuly detailed world. If you liked Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, or Dead Rising, you can't go wrong with this 2011 GOTY contender.

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 much Dead Rising on an island.… Expand

I never experienced all of the bugs these people are talking about. Not once, even before the patch was released. I played by myself off and on through out the game. Let me tell you, my friend and I started the game together via xbox live after we got past the hotel. We had a BLAST!!!! Then my two other good friends joined us a couple days later and it was just amazing. The graphical glitches are VERY and I mean VERY RARE! The graphics of the game are beautiful. 8.5/10. The combat is absolutely Gorey, unique, satisfying, and entertaining. 9.5/10. Open world environments are split up into 4 areas, all of which you can fast travel between. Although, since I am used to oblivion, morrowind, and borderland open worlds, I believe the whole map should be traversed by foot, land or boat and not just fast travel. Also not everything in the open world is interactive or you cant pick up every item. IF it were a bethesda game, you can bet you can go into every building and pick up any item you see and not be fixed to the ground or be a useless prop. I give that a 7/10 for average. The items, upgrading, repairing, and modding weapons are more than what I expected from an open world zombie RPG. It is creative crafting system and I give that a perfect 10/10. Music and sound effects fit the situation and etc. I give it a 8/10. Multiplayer is just AWESOME and gives it replay value. For the first time, It actually makes me want to replay the game even when I have beat it. I give this a 10/10. A lot of people complain about how the zombies level up with you. Do you realize how easy it would be if they didnt?!?! I joined a friends game, I was level 30 and he was level 15. Literally, one hit to a zombie killed it. It wasnt satisfying. I told him to join my game instead. The point is to level up, and get as many skills as you can get. Skills make your combat situation easier thus making you feel more powerful when you do fight zombies that are the same level as you. Skill trees are pretty well thought out and since dead island is the first of its kind, it did an excellent job. I'm pretty sure there is room for improvement but they did the best they could. I give it a 10/10. Story isnt all that gripping. I give it a 6/10. In this game, it really doesnt matter as the story isnt what draws you in, its the combat, multiplayer, crafting aspects that keep you playing. what does a story matter when you are going to be replaying the game over and over again(cause it has awesome replay value)? So my total scoring average is 8.6 out of 10. Now, since we have no-life nerds who come on here and COMPLAIN about everything...kinda pisses me off. Get out of your mothers basement and get a job. Maybe if you do that you wont be OVERLY picky on a game that deserves credit. WHA they level up with you, WHAAW there are bugs here and there, WHAAW there is money in a game when you dont need money, WHAAA WHAAA WHAAA WHAAA. I wont talk about the good stuff....because I am a little spoiled brat. If it were halo, gears of war 3, and any other popular title.....I would give it a perfect 10 out of 10 regardless if it is the same quality as dead island. So, since my average is 8.6 out of 10. I am forced to give this a 10 out of 10 to combat the lamers on here.… Expand

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.

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 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

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 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

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!

I had high expectations for this game, maybe a bit too high. I was disappointed when I played it, there were many things I liked and that I didn't like. But overall, it is a good game and should be played, even though it was problems.

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 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

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.

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

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 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

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, 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

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 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

Started out as a great game, problem for me was when my 20 hours save file got corrupted. Because of this I would warn people to keep in mind that many of the bugs in this game haven't been rectified by the developer. I think they are more focused on Dead Island 2.

I wanted to like this game, I REALLY wanted to LOVE this game. I tried, but I couldn't. With a game breaking weapon break system, horrible release version full of glitches, patches that caused more issues than they fixed, and "Pre-Order DLC" that still hasn't been released (it was announced today to finally come out on November 22nd, months after release) I can say that when I traded this game in, the 25 dollars I got back were a sore disappointment. A game with huge potential that got horribly mishandled by what seems to be a fledgling developer may have been the nail in their coffin for me.… Expand

Not hard to see where this game went wrong. The first you thing you notice is the terrible button layout that’s not changeable and the lack of split screen co-op. Clipping and getting caught on terrain problems run abound as you chunkily meander through a glare ridden beach. Melee combat seems like a bright spot for the game with a number of moves but just like the weapons it quickly deteriorates when you realize that there’s no point in doing anything but kicking for the majority of the game. The voice acting is mediocre at best, one- liners repetitive and nauseating and story is uninspired. There’s a leveling system is similar to borderlands but since the majority of the skills just give you +damage or +critical hit instead of unlocking cool new abilities and when you consider the fact that zombies scale with you it seems rather pointless to have this. Overall the game feels like a rushed combination of Dead rising, Borderlands and Oblivion that fails to meet its mark (or even live up to any of those games individually).… Expand

This game is pure genius!In the end after you analyze this game in every way,put in over 30 hours,you realize that other zombie games are in the dark ages compared to this game.Left 4 dead 2 and Dead Rising:Off the record are the #2 and 3 next best zombie games ever, but this game trumps it,Ace of spades style!10

This game is pretty awesome. Gameplay and graphis are good. Super gory and creepy at times. The cgi cutscenes were downright awful though. Many of them appeared to be unfinished and they sometimes referenced things that had not yet happened. The developers should have left them out entirely. This game's plot was pretty weak anyway. That said, the gameplay and overall experience was solid and kept my interest. It's a fallout-esque, super violent zombie game.… Expand