The game is centered on the challenge of survival on a zombie-infested island. Dead Island was released on September 6, 2011 in North America and September 9, 2011 for PAL regions. Dead Island features Open World roaming, played in the First Person perspective. The focus is on melee combat, incorporating customizable weaponry, vehicle customization, combat, and RPG elements.
The Game – Dead Island: first person horror action-adventure video game
Game Modes: Single Player | 4 Player Online Co-op
Developed by: Techland | Published by Deep Silver
Available On: Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3| Xbox 360.
PC gamers who made an early start on Dead Island got a shuddering shock when they downloaded the colossal day one patch. The patch caused maximum chaos, erasing all saved game data and it still did’t fix all the games bugs. In light of the bugs that riddled the main game, TechLand put the upcoming ‘Bloodbath Arena’ DLC on the backburner to iron out all the current kinks. Dead Island launched with no less than 37 bugs, requiring an immediate day-one fix. Ripping that band-aid off’s gotta hurt. Bloodbath Arena DLC for Dead Island has been pushed back to an unspecified date – to be announced – so Techland can spend more time fixing launch bugs. The developers made the announcement via the Dead Island Facebook page.
UPDATE: An announcement was made by the developers today on the date for an update to Bloodbath Arena, a little vague, but heck here it is: ” We have news for all who are waiting for the Bloodbath Arena DLC: it will be moved to mid November. The additional time will be used to make sure that every Dead Island fan will receive the best experience possible on every platform“
The game takes place on the fictional island of Banoi, Papua New Guinea. Four main characters wake up in the Palms Resort Hotel to find the island has been attacked by zombies. Mysteriously, they are immune to whatever is turning people into zombies . . .
The Review: This is where you come in – starring as one of four ‘survivors’ each with their own unique traits, moves and skills. After a wild night out on the Bourbon, you wake in a hotel room, all is not well – we’ve all been here. You venture out looking for survivors and zombies to stomp.
You soon discover that you’re immune to the zombie’s infectious bites (How or why is not really explained here you just are) and this, naturally, means you are the person to save and solve the plight of other survivors of the evil undead-raising plague Using your character of choice, you’ll then be unleashed upon the massive, sprawling world of Dead Island, given a weapon to get you started and defend yourself and then set off to explore. Here you find a Quest based system. The plot line here is a bit weak and bad voice acting doesn’t help, we dont tend to connect to the survivors we help along the way and the fact we are immune could have been used more in the game apart from just giving us a reason to be out stomping zombies. The vioce acting sounds a bit forced but is almost corny enough to work, The game play helps overlook this.
Melee combat is were this game shines, weapons are available all around in the environment from shovels to swords the zombies themselves, look absolutely incredible. One of my favourite aspects of the game is the fantastic musculature, bone and other types of damage systems that Techland has implemented on the zombies, leading to some highly impressive and extremely gory killings. For example, wielding a sword and swinging it wildly at a zombies’ arm will many a time sever the zombie’s arm completely, leaving them without one of their weapons. Other bodily appendages behave in much the same way – you can crush heads under your foot, (Unlocked skill that gives a foot stomp reminiscent of duke nukem) chop them off, break zombie arms so you can see them flailing wildly and you can even shock zombies with electricity, set them on fire or poison them with your unique weaponry.
There is a mod system here for weapons for those that played Dead Rising will be familiar, find a workbench and combine items you have found however unlike dead rising there are no time limits for quests so this gives time to explore, and first person view gives the melee combat ease of use. This and a border lands style of graded weapons (calour coded grey normal blue better etc) gives this game a feel of its own, the zombies tend to be in groups attract to many at your own risk. The let down here is the death and respawn if you find yourself over whelmed by a hungry swarm of zombies you respawn back with a loss of cash, as weapons are easy to find and cash is found in lots of items, this makes dying of little consequence.
The graphics in this game look good, the engine is chrome 5 and directx9 runs across all platforms, all functions are here for pc such anti-aliasing and full settings so not just a console ported game, some sound issues, but these were solved by running headphones.
Good Points: Open world play, Gory melee combat, Lots of zombie smashing fun
Bad Points: Weak Plot lines,Bad voice acting and accents.
SCORE GAMEPLAY 8/10
SCORE STORYLINE 5/10
| Rating | |
| Media/Distribution – | – Optical disc, Download, Cloud |
https://deadisland.deepsilver.com/
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Wiki:
Bug Fix/Patch
So what got fixed . . .
Fixed map synchronization when player joins during map load.
Fixed saving player re-spawn position when playing in co-op mode.
Fixed occasional inability to complete sidequests in Laboratory.
Improved enemy awareness (zombies).
Fixed occasional bug with NPC’s hands bend (IK)
Fixed spawning enemies in some quests after joining co-op game.
Fixed showing locations on invisible NPCs.
Fixed potential path blocker when quest “Knockin’ on heaven’s door” was completed before talking to Dominik during the “On the air” quest.
Fixed displaying gather rings near some doors.
Fixed enemy reaction to fire.
Fixed enemies’ health and stamina bars in co-op.
Fixed filtering of games in lobby.
Volume of pickup’s engine has been increased.
Fixed a number of issues causing game instability.
Fixed the switching of maps upon player death.
Fixed enemies unable to reach the player on some arenas.
Thrown items cannot be picked up by co-op players for five minutes.
Items from freshly opened containers cannot be picked up by other players for five seconds to prevent theft.
Fixed animation glitch when trading with team members.
More than one player can use a ladder at the same time.
Fixed stomping execution animation when target’s attacked by a second player.
Fixed the infinite respawning of shooting enemies.
Fixed not hiding menu if players die inside a vehicle.
Fixed item level calculation when playing New Game Plus.
Added information about players requesting pause in co-op.
Fixed A.I. animation glitch after fast-traveling or using a map portal.
Added distinction between quest checkpoints and other types of saves.
Fixed bug causing all inventory to disappear.
Fixed reloading and kicking. After the clip goes in, the reload is a success.
Purna can gain bonus rage from both “Grim Inspiration” and “Inspiring Kick”.
Only “Walker” type enemies increase the extra XP of the “Combo” skill from Xian’s Survival skill tree.
Health regeneration is disabled during grabs.
Focus on items in shops not changing after selling or buying.
More HP for NPCs in escort missions.
Butcher enemies won’t spawn at all during escort missions (hooray!)
Fixed tracking after loading checkpoint.
Increased minimum vertical distance to count a waypoint as passed for NPCs (they no longer wander back-and-forth)
WTF was that . . .
Open World : An open world is a type of video game level design concept where a player can freely roam a virtual world and change any factor at will. Video games that include such level design often are referred to as “free roam” games. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with “sandbox” and “free-roaming”; however, the terms open world and free-roaming describe the game environment itself and allude more to the absence of artificial barriers, in contrast to the invisible walls and loading screens that are common in linear level designs. The term sandbox refers more to the mechanics of a game and how, as in a physical sandbox, the user is entertained by his ability to play creatively and with there being “no right way” of playing the game.
Role Play : Role-playing video games – RPG – is a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests. The major similarities with pen-and-paper games involve developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replayability and immersion. Electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences.
First Person : In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight simulators. Perhaps the most notable genre to make use of this device is the first-person shooter, where the graphical perspective has an immense impact on game play.
Characters
- Development: A trailer featuring the transformation of a young girl into a zombie, played in a nonlinear sequence, was commented upon by Ben Parfitt of MCV. Parfitt praised the trailer itself, but criticized the online reaction to it, writing “It’s a video that uses an image of a dead girl and images of her dying to create an emotional bond with a product.”Wired exclaimed, “It may be the best video game trailer I’ve ever seen; gorgeous, well-edited and emotionally engaging.” However Wired urged caution, stating that Techland did not make the trailer and that “everyone is hyped up about a short film, not the game itself.”Xian Mei (voiced by Kim Mai Guest), an employee at the Royal Palms Resort. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she chose an occupation that allowed her to leave her country of birth in order to experience different people and cultures. She is a fast learner, intelligent, and quick on her feet. Having just arrived at Banoi Island, Xian Mei was responsible for myriad menial tasks at the hotel, before starting work as a receptionist. This opportunity to meet and greet all the different nationalities that visited the hotel was ideal for Xian Mei, as it provided a perfect source of inspiration for her dreams of travelling the globe.
- Sam B (voiced by Phil LaMarr), a one-hit wonder rap star from New Orleans. He was booked by the Royal Palms Resort to perform his well-known song “Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?” at a high profile hotel party. He gladly took the chance to play this gig. Once strong, self-confident and proud, Sam B has had a troubled past and a history of drug and alcohol abuse, as his private life became caught in a haze of fake friends and bad advisers. He believed his gig at Banoi was his last chance to get back on top.
- Logan (voiced by David Kaye), a former NFL star, spoiled by life and successful in every possible way. Logan’s ego finally put an end to his bright future. Taking part in a reckless street race with tragic consequences, Logan not only killed a young woman – his unfortunate passenger – he also fractured his knee, putting an end to his sports career. His fall from stardom inevitably followed and he plunged swiftly into a life of bitterness and despair. He ended up letting a blood drive use his name, and in return received an all expenses paid trip to Banoi.
- Purna (voiced by Peta Johnson), a former officer of the New South Wales Police Force, referred to by the game as the ‘Sydney Police department’. After losing her career when she shot a child molester who could not be prosecuted because of his wealth and connections, Purna then turned to working as a bodyguard for VIPs in dangerous places all over the world. She is hired not just for her skills but for her looks, as wealthy men do not mind showing up with Purna on their arm.
Dead Island was originally stated to be released in 2008, developed by Techland and produced by Adrian Ciszewski, but was delayed. An official teaser trailer, titled “Part 1: Tragedy Hits Paradise”, was released on May 17, 2009 featuring various gameplay aspects. A follow-up trailer, titled “Part 2: Dead Island Begins“, was released on June 6, 2011 along with the announcement of the game’s release being set for September 6, 2011 for the US, and September 9, 2011 for the worldwide release. The game’s zombies were rendered to have fully modelled layers of meat and muscle, meaning they have a multi-layered damage system with real-time injuries. On August 9, 2011, Deep Silver announced that Dead Island’s development had finished and that production had begun.
Stir-it-up: “Gender Wars”, an unlockable skill for the playable character Purna which increases her combat damage against male opponents, was referred to during development as “Feminist Whore”. Although changed throughout the game before release, the original name could still be found in debug code on the PC version. Publisher Deep Silver described the line in question as a “private joke” made by one of the developers, and regretted its appearance in the final product.
The PS3 version has ignited arguments about what modes (LAN only/public) are safe to play as the frequent PS3 system updates erase player save or trophy data, forcing the player to start over at the beginning or a much earlier point in the game.
Marketing: In Australia, a collector’s edition was available to pre-order exclusively from EB Games. The collector’s edition came with a Turtle Beach X12 headset (even though it has not been publicly released in Australia), Ripper weapon DLC and Bloodbath Arena DLC.
The collectors edition in Canada has the Ripper and Bloodbath DLC.
On July 20, Dead Island became available for pre-purchase on Steam as a single copy of the game for full price, or a four pack with one copy free. Both the single copy and the four pack include the Ripper and Bloodbath DLC.
In PlayStation Home (North American version), the PlayStation 3’s social gaming network, users can pre-order Dead Island from a special kiosk in the Central Plaza (Home’s central meeting point redesigned for this promotion and includes a “Zombie Survival” minigame) and receive an “Exploding Zombie Outfit” (features a remote option for users to explode) for their Home avatar.
Deep Silver funded a four-part series of comedic short films written and starring hosts of Talkradar from the video game journalistic websiteGamesRadar, entitled Dead Island: Secret Origins. The film depicts fictionalized versions of the hosts who travel to Dead Island and become zombies out of choice.
On March 21, 2011, gaming licenser ESRB announced that the original version of the Dead Island logo was not suitable for release in North America, and Deep Silver was told to change it. Instead of the hanging corpse in the original logo, it was changed to a zombie standing by the tree. This logo change will currently only appear on the boxart of the North American release, with the logo remaining unchanged in other territories and in-game.
In Australia, the game was released a day early breaking the street date instead of its intended release date, September 9th by EB Games.
The PC version of the game has initially received many negative reviews from magazines and websites due to an accidental release of the development version of the game on Steam. This included features such as no-clipping and the ability to toggle third-person perspective. Rock Paper Shotgun also noted that the code revealed references to Xbox 360 version. The developers, Deep Silver, released a first-day patch seeking to address as many as 37 issues.Dead Island has received generally positive critical reception since its release, according to Metacritic. Metacritic scores were 80/100, 72/100 and 71/100 for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions respectively. The Italian PlayStation Magazine has given the game a rating of 8.5. praising its outdoor environments, realistic combat, and co-op mode but criticizing the indoor graphics and lack of split-screen multiplayer. IGN gave the game an 8.0, criticizing the game presentation, glitches, various bugs for the consoles, and texture loading, but praising the atmosphere and overall feel of the game and stating that the game’s pro-points are significant enough to outweigh its cons. Game Informer gave Dead Island an 8.5, saying, “If you’ve spent your time planning for the zombie apocalypse, Dead Island is the best option so far to test how long you’d last.” Official Xbox Magazine (UK) gave the game a score of 7.0, stating that while it falls short of its potential, there is more than enough to make up for the in-game issues, while the US version gave it 8.0. CVG awarded the game a more negative score of 6.5, stating “This budget zombie thriller ain’t too pretty but could manage to capture a cult following.” However, Edge magazine gaveDead Island a 3/10 score referencing a very large number of gameplay and technical issues. Screwattack gave the game a 6, mostly for technical flaws.
MMOMFG stated “This is one zombie experience worth playing all the way through. Just be sure to sharpen those blades and aim for the head.”
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