There’s even special options depending on which character you’re playing, which play into their particular strengths. By the end, a wide variety of options are available to customize your character to fit the playstyle you favor, which in my case was optimizing my attack speed to be ultra fast and making counter-attacks following perfect parries as devastating as possible. – Greg Miller, SeptemScore: 8Īnother thing that keeps combat fresh is a steady stream of passive perks and active abilities that unlock as you progress through side quests and stories. Here on the other side of a 25-hour playthrough – where I skipped a lot of side quests after Act 1 – I'm anxious to get back into Dead Island, and despite the game's flaws, that's not something I say often. There is a huge world to explore, thousands of zombies to kill, and tons of side quests to take.

It's got visual bugs, the controls take a bit to feel normal, and the presentation in general isn't up to snuff. Making Hollywood’s red carpets even redder by applying generous helpings of gore was laugh-out-loud funny and time generally well-spent.ĭead Island probably won't win any game of the year awards. But even though it lacks originality, Dead Island 2 still competently executes on its over-the-top, LA-based zombie parody and injects some much-needed botox into a series that’s been languishing for far too long. But aside from its balls-to-the-wall silliness and considerable comedy chops, there just isn’t much to it that hasn’t been done better in a dozen other zombie-filled games since the original Dead Island came out more than a decade ago, including and especially Dying Light 1 and Dying Light 2 (which, notably, were made by Techland, the studio that created Dead Island).

On one hand, Dambuster Studios has delivered a charming and hilarious apocalyptic sequel to the 2011 original that’s littered with great one-liners and dismembered body parts in equal measure. Like an Orange County socialite, Dead Island 2’s great looks and seemingly ideal first impression belies a striking lack of imagination.

Dead island 2 gameplay