When it comes to horror games and zombie games in particular, I am not the biggest fan.
The entire concept zombies really unsettles me and jumpscares just make me plain angry. So before reviewing dead island 2, I tried to check my bias and go in with a very open mind.
A few minutes into the game and I realized that I hadn't needed to.
The initial opening sequence and character selection is incredibly slick and stylish and the whole thing has a B movie vibe, on a Hollywood budget.
Within no time you are through the tutorial and into the action.
Graphically I have to say it's one of the best looking games of this genre I have ever played. The characters and zombies are frighteningly realistic especially up close.
Dambuster studios have actually created their own bespoke combat engine which renders body damage anatomically correctly, as you hack and slash at the zombies their skin tissue bone and organs rip away.
It's an incredibly grim and visceral spectacle and definitely not for the faint of heart.
Dead Island 2 really sets itself apart from other games in the zombies genre both in terms of the feel and it's aesthetics.
You come out the gate swinging and feeling like a badass, the game never really makes you feel helpless or overly afraid to explore or take on enemies. While there is danger around every corner there isn't an oppressive feeling of peril.
The initial parts of the game are also same midday in the searing California sunshine; while there are some darker areas you need a flashlight to explore, there isn't that overarching menacing presence, the helpless feeling of limited vision and possible jump scares around every shadow veiled corner.
The voice acting and scripting is all really good, it's very tongue in cheek so don't expect a convoluted plot or complicated storyline. The characters, while not particularly likeable are all very memorable. There's also plenty of comic relief along the way.
That Island 2 is one of those games where everything just meshes together perfectly.
The environments, the enemies, skill trees, the combat, movement and interactions. Everything just jealous I'm well nothing is overly deep or complicated everything just works and there is no weak link to bring down the overall experience.
It's a dumb game sure, but it's dumb fun and tremendous fun at that
During my review the servers were offline and I didn't have the opportunity to play online co-op, so while I can't comment on that side of the game it is probably the part I'm most anticipating.
All in all Dead Island 2 really does nothing new, but it does everything right.
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