• 20Oct 11

  Dead Island Review

  So here it is without further a due, I'll begin with the Storyline, and Gameplay, sorry but this is all I have time for right now, if I get the weekend off I'll post a few more follow ups

  Score: 7.7

  Storyline

  Unfortunately this is where the game lacks so very much, like any other zombie movie or game for this matter it does not draw you into the game what-so-ever, which is a large disapointment considering the remarkable, and emotional driven trailer Dead Island had was so compelling that it confused most into believing there was some kind of dark, mysterious, and gloomy feel to the game. The game kicks off with you selecting one of four "heros", Xian Mei, Sam B, Logan, and Purna. Once done you're tossed into an interesting tutorial, possibly the most comfortable ones I've been through in a long time. You start by waking up in a hotel, all seems well and fine with nothing to complain about as the tropical sun fights its way through the blinds that are covering the windows..so far so good.

  You're then prompted to leave your room, once you steadily walk into the hall way you get an instant feeling of an ominous energy. Luggage bags are unpacked and still craddled on the luggage cart, flicking lights dazzle in the far, scattered bottles, and paper give you a very firm grasp that something just isn't right. Moments later you hear a shreeking, and if you've ever watched 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, or any other zombie movie, then you'd know what to do when facing a blood-soaken-babboon unarmed..yea, if you selected A) RUN LIKE HELL..you might have saved yourself from being Mr. Chunk-Missing-From-Faces' dinner.

  You're hurdled toward an elevator, and instantly torn downwards to the bottom floor with a crashing end due to the elevator malfunctioning but thats not all. Once off the elevator you have to keep on running, a voice shouts out that you must follow, several jogs later you burst through the door you figure the voice is coming from, knocked on your bum by zombies, just before dozing off from getting your arse handed to you by a mob of flesh eaters you catch a glimpse of a man, the man you must have heard, he trashes the zombies and just as he leans over you to check if you're alright..the screen goes black, thats one hell of a start to a hang over.

  Upon the new screen you are standing before a life guard, John Sinamoi. He is one of many individuals that you will be doing odd jobs for, and for that matter I do not wish to list off all the individuals because it does go hand in hand when I am both lazy, and there are to many people to count in that game. Like stated above like any other zombie game or movie, it lacks in storyline..there is no meat on the bones for lack of a better term, its mostly a, "We heard there were survivors over there, lets go over there, I heard there was safety here, lets go here" kind of gig. Essentially there is a voice on a radio that promises he can get you off the island but you have to do a few jobs for him inorder to gain his trust, while working to meet this "voice" you do many hours of side quests and main quests..and just so we're clear the finale isn't exactly to die for.

  Gameplay

  Finally, something that this game does extremely well. What Dead Island lacks in unmotivated, and uninteresting tales it more then makes up for in combat. In my opinion it is probably the most inviting combat for melee I have ever seen in a game, it was superbly well done and it was richly fresh every time you decapitate a mindless walker, and it better be, taking into account you'll be facing A LOT of zombies..and the odd human to balance the madness out...did I also mention you can drive vehicles?

  Lets begin with how it plays out, throughout the game you can pick up misc weaponry or random trash from bags (My advice to you is collect everything you see and do not sell it) you can use the weapons you find along with the random items you collect to make a unique weapon that is more powerful then the base line weapon you found, you can make anything from electrical surging machettes to sticky-bomb throwing knifes, and all the way to fire shooting shotguns the vast amount of modifications make it a treat to go out and scavenger around for random parts to see what you can make next.

  Actually using these weapons is a whole other story, (For PC) holding down your right mouse button you enter into an ability that allows you to throw your weapons, a bright red X sort of thing pops up on the zombies, and depending on where you look the X will shift along with your movements. This X obviously indicates where you'll be throwing your weapon. Aiming at specific body parts will injure your targets, so if you throw a machette at their arms, they arms will become limp or be slashed off rendering them inable to give you a left hook. Aim for their legs and they'll be immobilized or dramatically slowed down and open for all sorts of attacks.

  There are several types of zombies in this game which make the tactics more variable and random at times, especially taking note that everytime you level up, the surrounding enemies do as well which is very enjoyable to consistently have an evenly matched opponent instead of wondering every zone looking for a worthy challenge. There is a fat Bloat looking zombie which trys to cover you in acid, luckily though, this can work both ways though. If the Bloater spits the acid and misses or spews some love on his friendly dead pals and you just so happen to have a flammable utensil, you can light up where ever that acid hits, making for some good moments. Next in line is the Ram, a heavily fortified brute that charges towards you relentlessly with no regards for whats in his running lane. He does have a soft spot though, and no I'm not talking about him getting all emotional and calling you at night requesting to go out on a fancy dinner but more so that with such a heavily fortified front, his back side is completely open for an attack which optimizes all damage. There is a Suicider that is a toxic filled individual that basically looks like a human-like heart with beating toomers around his body that pulse, and once in his vicinity those toomer like things start beating until they explode..my advice is to ignore this fellow. I believe the last one is the Berserker who excels at close quarter combat with his relentless spew of unstoppable stream of attacks. When facing one of these, I always think back to that one Indiana Jones movies when Jones is pit against a well trained swordsmen that is doing all these fancy twirls and twists, front flips, back flips and what have you..only to be greeted with a lift of a handy pistol and to be shot right in the kisser.

  This takes us to another feature represented in Dead Island, if you're having struggles with mass quantity of zombies, humans, erectile disfunctions or what have you, you can always hit the last resort button, "Rage", clicking on the designated button that activates it flings your character into a unholy ravaging stance of heightened power and accuracy. Every character has their unique ability that can be dispersed when in rage-mode but use it wisely, grasshopper..because it does have a limited use. Although having said that, you can upgrade Rage along with various other traits that each character seperately has, so you can be the ultimate survivor.

  SIDE NOTE: even though this doesn't specifically sit into a category that was listed but the enviroment in this game is outstanding. The towns are full of characteristics that pulse with a story to be told, the city streets are engulfed with litter, torched cars, and unattended markets..you truly get a vibe like no other when roaming the streets or beaches in Dead Island, you can easily be swept away by its beauty.

  The Good:

  -Combat is outstanding and keeps fresh even when you're slaughtering something ever other second

  -Visuals are outstanding as far as graphics

  -The enviroments and layout of every zone is very well thoughout and extremely enjoyable, very immersive enviroments

  -Weapon modifications are vast, keeping your choices wide open to fit your style of gameplay

  -Vehicles are fun to drive, clobbering zombies as they mindlessly run into a 2 ton trunk is always fun to watch

  -The skill tree is always fun to use when upgrading your survivor to become more powerful

  -Surrounding zombies level up with you, so you're always against a top contender

  The Bad:

  -Storyline is uninspired and rather dull

  -Finale wasn't much of a shocker, and a bit aggrivating rather then challenging

  -Some areas have to much zombies and make it nearly impossible to maneuver if you're not cooperatively playing with friends.

  The Ugly:

  -The voice acting is almost painfull to listen to

  
  

  • Posted Oct 20, 2011 4:12 pm GMT
  • Category: Games
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 20Oct 11

  Busy Busy Busy

  Its been a long time since I've posted a blog, must be in part of the reason that I'm currently working two jobs, a security guard and a bouncer at a night club..both jobs taking up more of my time considering they're all night shift oriented jobs. Oh well, money is money and work is work. I guess I'll begin with what I'm planning to do with the next few weeks with my blog..hopefully, when I get additional time to do so, I'll be selecting the top games from "My Most Inticipated Games of 2011" list right below this blog post and possibly cordinate a review for the selected ones. I have already played Dead Island and I'll hopefully be working on a review the minute I post this if not, possibly when I wake up at about 6AM/EST cause I literally just walked in the door from work several minutes ago.

  Possibly as a little treat I'll do a muchly awaited for review of Battlefield 3's Beta and possibly go in depth on what I experienced and all that sweet stuff, I'm glad to be back (sort of), and I'll try my best to hook you folks up with latest reviews, news, and all things that could be interesting to you and myself also.

  Sarge out.

  • Posted Oct 20, 2011 5:59 am GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 24Aug 11

  My most anticipated games for 2011

  We're just about to turn the corner and be steps away from the best portion of the year with the best releases. There are a lot of games coming out within the small window between now and the end of this year. The best way to talk about each release is probably in an ordered fashion as to when they'll be expected to hit the shelf.

  
  

  Deus Ex: Human Revolution - August 24th, 2011

  Although I'll admit I have never played the first prequel to this game but considering it has been given a lot of credit for its extensive customization and replayability this game will not go unmissed as one of the most inticipated game releases that I am most excited for, and hopefully getting my hands on it within the near future.

  Dead Island - September 6th, 2011

  As a huge fan of the zombie genre, along with cooperative option when playing a game, Dead Island truly caught my eye when I started following it back in 2009. Its going to be set on a tropical island where you must use the tools or items across the landscape inorder to help you survive against the many zombies that have mysteriously sprawled across the island. Dead Island will be show casing a new "Damage over time" feature for zombies, so if you bluntly "eliminate" a zombie, hours later they will ressurect and be living once more only to mirror the damage you delt to them. This game will also be featuring a custome weapon building system much like Dead Rising but the overall combat system seems much more challenging for you will have fatigue that you'll need to watch very closely so you don't engulf yourself with hordes of zombies and be given no tactics to evade them. As far as I've seen it will be a melee heavy based game and guns such as assault rifles or shotguns will act as gold because they're very powerful and hard to find. The towns or cities will have to be avoided as much as possible inorder to survive because they will be holstering the large populations, and if you've watched enough zombie films you will know that larger populated cities equal large undead civilians.

  Driver: San Francisco - September 6th, 2011

  I can't say I am truly excited for this game but if the developers state they're going back to the clasic Driver controls of vehicle maneuverability then I am truly keeping my eye out for this game because I really enjoyed the Driver series even if they were infested with bugs or glitches it made for an extremely enjoyable adrenaline filled driving experience. The new features will include; Shift, and a large variety of multiplayer modes that you can choose from. I'm not sure how they can incorporate this new Shift feature without making this game into something that isn't believable but regardless I will be keeping my eye out for Driver, regardless of its rating on release.

  Rage - October 4th,2011

  Rage seems to be the dark horse of this years releases, it hasn't exactly been trying to push a lot of hype but having said that it should considering the grand fathers of FPS' are behind this game and upon every video they make about the behind-the-scenes business about the game, it just pulls me in more and more. It seems they're the rare company that actually innovates on something that requires innovation. They have made it so AI is truly random, making 500 death possibilities for each enemy you'll encounter so if you shoot them in the chest they may tumble to the ground and seek coverage or they could bear down with the wounds they've been delt and charge full throttle towards you with no remorse. This is something I've always wanted from a game, where the AI is truly unpredictable rather then knowing if I shoot an enemy in the chest a couple times they'll tumble over or just make it easy for me to shuttle a bullet into their empty minds. Rage will definetly be a first release date purchase for me.

  Batman: Arkham City - October 18th, 2011

  Althoguh I have not been following this game as much as I'd like to, the combat system looks flawless along with the storyline and boss fights. It seems like Batman will truly get to spread his wings in this game and you'll get to see how deadly of a bat-ninja he can be.

  Battlefield 3 - October 25th, 2011

  If you know me you'll know I am all about DICE and the Battlefield series. Battlefield 3 will be showcasing a very long list of improvements from Battlefield 2. The most notable improvements and innovations would have to include the Frostbite 2.0 engine that was designed chiefly for Battlefield 3, along with a never before seen single player and cooperative in the original Battlefield series (Bad Company is not part of the original Battlefield series). There will be the returning, Rush mode, Conquest mode, Deathmatch, and lots of others. This will probably be one of my most wanted games for this year and next.

  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - November 11th, 2011

  What can be said for one of the most successful RPG series ever to be created? "I can not wait". Between Battlefield 3 and Skyrim, I will find it extremely difficult to find any spare time in my social life. Not only is it a new place to adventure around in but there is lots of new content starting with dungeons being designed to stick out from one another, dragons to hunt, ability to create and made your own customized armor. Along with re-engineered combat systems where you'll be able to learn specific tricks for each individual ****you choose or custom create and have full capable movement for combat with both arms. Skyrim will be just as difficult to put down as Battlefield 3 will be.

  Saints Row: The Third - November 15th, 2011

  From its wacky and over the top origins, I hope they carry over that mentality in this new release. I miss being able to fling civilians onto incoming traffic, jumping off buildings to gain insurance fraud, chasing down rioters or theifs with rocket launchers, joining car derbies or getting into a fight club and learn new martial arts to take down enemies. This game truly has something unique to offer and in the same hand offers so much, I remember being sidetracked with all the mini side activities I could do in the game that I didn't even complete the storyline. I hope to be swallowed up by this sequel like I was with its earlier releases.

  Thats my most anticipated releases for the remaining months of 2011, I'd like to know what yours would be so drop a comment below!

  • Posted Aug 24, 2011 2:32 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »