Game Review by Mike Papo CIS 487 Fall 2010 “Who do you voodoo, b*$#%!?”

DEAD ISLAND Publisher – Deep Silver Developer – Techland Genre – Horror Action Adventure Hardware – Multi-platform  Xbox 360 ($59.99)  Playstation 3 ($59.99)  PC ($49.99) Release Date – Septempber 6, 2011 ESRB – Mature

Game Summary 1 – 4 player (with online co-op) action role-playing Play the role of one of four characters in a zombie outbreak on a resort island just off the coast of Papua New Guinea called Banoi. Goal: Escape off the island while helping others by taking on quests. Weapon Modification Digital or Analog fighting controls Auto Saving / Checkpoints Game play like Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Characters Sam B Special Trait: Tank  Skilled in Blunt Weapons Xian Mei Special Trait: Assassin  Skilled in Sharp Weapons Purna Special Trait: Leader  Skilled in Firearms Logan Special Trait: Jack of All Trades  Skilled in Throwing Weapons

Enemies Walker  slow  dangerous in groups Infected  fast, agile and vicious Floater  capable of hurting, blinding or disorienting enemies from a distance Ram  extremely tough, strong and ferocious  ramming attack Butcher  meaner, tougher version of the infected Suicider  high damaging self-destructive explosion

Strengths Vast environments  exploration of in-game maps Nice weapon modifications and upgrading  poison, flame, and shock modifications Unique quests Quests rewards  cash  rare weapons  weapon modification blueprints Nice level-up rewards  new abilities  added health

Strengths (cont.) Enemies promote different challenges and strategies (including humans) Fast action pace game play Good zombie voice acting Soundtrack sets mood and atmosphere Survival  lack of ammunition  weapon durability  stamina / health limits Quick learning curve Analog fighting

Weaknesses Visual quality and glitches  Invisible zombies  Character's shadow  Slow texture rendering Poor storyline and character development 1 – 4 player design flaw in dialogue No daylight / night time transitions Weak vehicle design and controls Obscured attack range Weapons look overly damaged even after a single hit Re-spawning after dying can cause problems

Game Score Game Play: 9.0 Presentation: 7.5 Uniqueness: 8.0 Replay Value: 7.0 Price Value: 9.0 Total Score: 8.0

Final Thoughts What Left 4 Dead should have been Needs better written story and character development Would like to see blood splatter on screen Patch release (Dead Island Official Twitter page) - Online matchmaking improvement - AI improvement - Quest and escort fixes - Visual glitches fixes