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Conceived in 2005, Dead Island finally makes its shambling way to shop shelves, invigorated by a promotional boost but carrying some telltale traits picked up during its six-year gestation. What began as a straight survival FPS – a wide-eyed go-anywhere, wield-anything premise – arrives looking a bit peaky. We spy Borderlands-shaped toothmarks on its loot-focused weapon customisation and fourplayer online co-op. Elsewhere, NPCs bear Oblivion-esque side missions – with none of Bethesda’s branching outcomes – while zombie types echo Left 4 Dead’s. Only Banoi Island itself remains Techland’s own, complete with all the texture, audio and animation glitches we’ve come to expect from its Chrome Engine.
Dead Island delivers death by a thousand cuts, both literal and figurative. The literal cuts are almost good fun. As zombie hordes (or, thanks to limited tech, zombie tens) shuffle closer, a series of melee blows result in chucklesome injuries. Wrenches split heads, butchers’ knives cleave legs clean off and baseball bats dislocate arms, leaving them swinging impotently from the shoulder. Hit a sprinting infected with a well-timed swipe and its head pops off in slow motion as momentum sees the body comically run on by. In a game about bashing zombies, the zombies look suitably bashed. The problems arise from the bashing.
For a game built primarily around melee combat, the swinging arc is an inexact science. Some blows clip enemies visibly out of reach, while others refuse to snag bodies filling the screen. The vital kick move, handily knocking attackers down, sees the player’s leg constantly alter its length. Sometimes we are lanky Bruce Campbell, at others a wee Sarah Michelle Gellar. The mystery of this ever-changing limb is more engaging than Techland’s yarn. Console players get the added bonus of an inconsistent auto-aim, refusing to dish out the head lops that come more easily to PC mouse-wielders. What should be laughs of vindictive satisfaction are more often snorts of genuine surprise.
The survival fiction is particularly inept. Items respawn after a short window of time, lending infinite resources to a narrative that trades on desperate struggle. On a micro level, it leads to the absurd. Characters cry about dehydration as energy drinks lie at their feet, while tricky supply runs sit at odds with the infinite quantity of canned food in the room next door. And these inconsistencies cannot be forgiven with a weary shake of the head. Ongoing trade missions can be exploited as XP mines, while weapons need never go blunt thanks to endless trading funds. Only an awkward shopping interface dissuades such underhand play – every item has to be sold one unit at a time. Selling 17 magnets in a row is a true survival horror.
Comments
164I've played this game. It is
I've played this game. It is not a 3/10. It is not a perfect game, but it is a good game and it is no where near a 3/10. How long are you going to keep these crappy reviews up, Edge? You're a good publication but you have absolutely no credibility in your reviews. No one takes you seriously any longer because you never rate anything properly.
Excellent review of a review!
Excellent review of a review! Your credibility is of course well deserved, Mr Internet voice.
I find EDGE's reviews very
I find EDGE's reviews very trustworthy, and I take EDGE seriously.
I also take Edge's reviews
I also take Edge's reviews seriously and value their opinion.
No publication is flawless in matching my views on every release (reviews are human opinion, after all), but Edge is by far the most accurate to my tastes and preferences.
'....but Edge is by far the
'....but Edge is by far the most accurate to my tastes and preferences.'I could not agree more, Sir.If you read the Edge review of Fall Out: New Vegas, Edge pretty much tear it to shreds. They then go on to include it in their 'Most played' section of a future issue.I'm sure that it's reasonably fair to say that even technically-flawed games can deliver an immersive, fun experience, (possibly not in this instance), but I wouldn't have thought Edge ever reward a score for potential.
Yup, it's just an opinion.
Yup, it's just an opinion. Like yours. They gave Fallout NV a bad score and I have enjoyed the HELL out of it. One of the best FO games imo. It's just a matter of taste. Their opinion is just as valid as yours or anyone elses.
What jaks meant to say - "RAH
What jaks meant to say - "RAH RAH RAH! My opinion is truth! My ignorant uninformed opinion which lacks any knowledge of the genre or the art is the truth."
You are right, this game isnt
You are right, this game isnt 3/10, it is 1/10. I played it on ps3 more than 2 times only to find out the 2/3 times the game completely erased my game save to leave me at 0% storyline completion. the third character that amazingly DIDNT get their saved file erased is like lvl 14 (would have been higher but the game doesnt save where u left off it saves 4 chapters behind) and its lvl 14 on chapter 6.... now mind you its lvl 14 using lvl 11 weapons fighting lvl 22 zombies. pls explain to me why this game deserve even the slightest good review????
I have played it as well, and
I have played it as well, and while it did not fill me with the urge to poke out my eyes with a wooden spoon, in my over all opinion the game is a steaming pile of poo.
Left4Dead blows this game out of the water, and I am bone tired of L4D2.
I have to say, again, in my opinion, Dead Island is a waste of time and money. Poor Plot, sad graphics
I hate to doom pickleer, but it
You genuienly believe that
You genuienly believe that publications award scores to generate publicity?
ina game about an vacation
ina game about an vacation with zombies, deillusion just sucks
of course, teh zombies have
of course, teh zombies have otter things to say about the review
*Selling 17 magnets in a row
*Selling 17 magnets in a row is a true survival horror.*
feed teh trolls
bams you friggin' idiot - you
Maybe you should try the
Maybe you should try the "Reply" button.
i make them single post:
i make them single post: complaints about not coherent. also, theyr indepentend thoughts, ewry one of them. naturality. but, i'll hear ur words. thx.
aslo: it's b-a-r-n-s , u illiterate :)
Before calling someone
Before calling someone illiterate, you might want to ensure that your own spelling and grammar is above reproach and that you're not using text-speak.
Terrible review. It reads
How can I take this review
How can I take this review seriously? It's far too funny.
Keep up the good work!
yesh!
yesh!
Oh noes, Edge has slated a
Oh noes, Edge has slated a game I was really excited about so I'm going to accuse them of having no credibility.
Raaaaage!
I don't know.....there have
I don't know.....there have been other, scathing reviews of this title. The score seems very low but the complaints raised do make the game sound terrible.
Other reviews have highlighted the problems of having to endlessly replay missions (escort missions, at that!) you've failed, only the game forcing you to do so with all your weapons depleated - i.e. your punishment for failing a mission is being handicapped with the next attempt. What kind of design logic is that???
There are people out there who will enjoy this title because they love all things zombie related. I think the key thing is that they will enjoy the game despite its flaws, rather than because of any conscious design decisions.
In truth, despite enjoying a good zombie slaughter session as much as the next gamer, I'm not usually a fan of open-world titles, so this would've needed glowing scores/reviews across the board to get my money. Everyone's been disappointed with this release....
Maybe it's just me but I
Personally, I associate buggy
Personally, I associate buggy and unfinished with broken.
I am going to take that to
I am going to take that to mean that you don't play many games then. When was the last time a game came out that wasn't buggy in some shape or form? Even old Nintendo games were shipped with bugs, and they were working on a single platform. The unfinished is inexcusable, but bugs just seem to be a (terrible and unfortunate) part of gaming. I own the game, and I own it on the PC, and I am enjoying myself. Not a 3/10, but it's also not an 8/10 either. 5/10 sounds about appropriate. I had to read this review after I found it was getting slagged all across the internet. I have to say, fortunately for me, I haven't encountered any of the issues or bugs the reviewer complained about. But the strange issue is that the reviewer didn't discuss anything other than bugs, he makes very few comments on anything outside of sounding very angry that the game wasn't what he was expecting. I hadn't even heard of this game until about 3 weeks ago when the marketing blitz started on Steam. Seemed interesting, so I rented it and tried it on the 360, I enjoyed it and bought it on the PC. The simple fact is this. Reviews should never be used as more than a guideline. If you are interested in a game and are hesitant to buy it, rent the game and try it. If you like it, buy it. But that doesn't mean you should bash a game you haven't even played based on the review from your favorite magazine or on the other side, to bash everyone that is criticizing a company or product you love. If you enjoy it, say so. If you don't, say so. But if you haven't played it, how can you formulate an opinion on whether the game is good or bad?
If a 5 is average at best
If a 5 is average at best then a 3 isn't broken it's just not very good it's like saying a 7 is great, it's not.
3 is broken, this game sounds
3 is broken, this game sounds broken.
we have watched and enjoyed
we have watched and enjoyed many zombie apocles. many of the game type. still, we feel the need to see this through. the zombie thingy is bringed to us with many suprises, most of them unpleasant to go through. will you zombie fans disregard this because the art of play is not to our standartds in this one? no. edge may have true on the going through this thing, but, an vacation on an island with zombies wasn't going to be an paradise.
would i buy it? would i play through a new resident evil if it meant id have to stay locked in an reality where things didn't really work out? yes, the storyverse where zombies lay does still keep mind interested. so, i would follow the foot step of g. romero, an b or c [or thiscase d] presentation will not matter. evermore, im more ready to fight the zombies the next time theyt appear.
The review seems fair, I had
The review seems fair, I had a feeling this game was going to stink despite the great trailer. The review tally's with metro (who i also trust) and I won't be buying it.
You guys do realise that you
You guys do realise that you have most likely played an unfinished version of Dead Island? Or perhaps not; I have this game on my list of pre-orders as I love anything and everything zombie. Whilst I enjoy reading your publications I unfortunately feel as though you have completely looked past the positives and listed tons of things you think were wrong. This is barely balanced and simply another 'we don't like this game' article. All I know is that the producer (can't remember his name off the top of my head, I'm afraid) mentioned in an interview that - actually - zombies are mostly randomised but limited so that they appear to have simply wandered into the area they are in at the time. Yes, you may find zombies in the same place a few times over, but until I play for myself on Friday I'd much rather listen to what they have been telling us.
I wouldn't say that 'this is another version of [insert game title here]', especially since this was 'concieved in 2005' and slowly became what it is today. I don't believe that anyone has deliberately borrowed everything as every 'original' creation today has elements that have come from elsewhere - from other people. Nothing is actually original anymore, when you come to think of it.
The rating of 3 that you gave is certainly unfair. I'm not saying that the game will be flawless when first released, but I'm certainly not saying that it will be terrible as you seem to think it is. Please balance your articles a little better in future.
Let me get this straight,
Let me get this straight, you'd rather trust the comments of the designer - someone who's personally involved in the project, wants it seen in the best light, and who has a personal interest in the game selling well - than trust the review of an independent journalist. Seems nonsensical to me....
As for you point on borrowed elements and no true originality in today, this is true - influences have always inspired evelotion/development of art, products, technology....everything really. I didn't read it that Edge was being critical of developers borrowing ideas, as such, rather that this hinted at a title which had seen competitiors/alternatives introduce new ideas during its development and introduce them with little concern to their original template and vision. The trick for developers is to pick and choose their influences to enhance their own creation.
Trust me, Edge is rubbish.
Trust me, Edge is rubbish.
If you think that then why
If you think that then why are you wasting your time signing up to and reading "rubbish".I couldnt give this game a rating just yet because I havnt played but from the streams and gameplay footage Ive seen it looks like an awful game. It looks dated and clunky with the graphics of 2001 rather than 2011. Watching people play Im seeing bugs all over the place and the whole experience of trying to survive zombie attack in a free roam land to give you a more immersive experience is ruined by some horrible design decisions like the XP that pops up everytime you kill a zombie. Its not as immersive a zombie game as it could have been because of constant reminders popping up all over the place that this is just another game with points and levels. People are saying Edge arent giving this game what it deserves because its not finished yet. Screw that approach, you want a fair review then dont release an unfinished game. Sell now fix later is a business choice designed for failure.
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I wouldn't say that 'this is
I wouldn't say that 'this is another version of [insert story notitle here]'
i think i wouldnt too
i rated it 3 too
i rated it 3 too
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Really what was the point in
Really what was the point in posting this, it's not even an "indepentend thought" unless the ellipsis are meant to show your brain was taking a well needed break after sharing these 'gems of wisdom' with us all? Please be considerate and don't resort to these consecutive posts and edit your original one, it'd be appreciated.
It was probably a double
It was probably a double post. I just did the same because I double posted. It is considerate because it means people dont have to look through your comment twice. Theres no delete post so thats the best way to fix a double post.
unfortunately feel as though
unfortunately feel as though you have completely looked past the positives and listed tons of things you think were wrong
*goes to read the review*
*goes to read the review*
Bams (I like it better than
lol - crazy post-overload
lol - crazy post-overload isn't it!
SHUT UP BAMS!!!
(/really hope he/she changes their username to Bams, far better as CQ rightly points out)
Heh.
Heh.
controll issueswasn't stalker
controll issues
wasn't stalker like this?
just got hl2e2 sry 4 troll :P
Bams, Bams, Bams... <sigh>I
Bams, Bams, Bams... <sigh>
I think you've said quite enough.
After reading the review, the
After reading the review, the score of 3 sounds generous. From what i can gather elsewhere this review is pretty much on the money. I'd certainly trust Edge over most reviews so i'm not sure what the first post means by 'never rate anything properly'. I'm assuming they were expecting a high score, deserved or not.
I cannot express how bored I
I cannot express how bored I am of zombies. I have loved them since the 90's but my God have developers milked them. The source of my childhood nightmares reduced to "meh". How disappointing.