Dead Island - Best Open World Zombie Game Ever?

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Johnked6

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I'm not really into zombie games but this looked really interesting. It's a semi realistic take on an open world zombie rpg. The game is melee focused with four classes to chose from. The main goal is to survive and escape the island.


6 min gameplay video
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56SfgnRsqZQ"]YouTube - ‪Dead Island - E3 2011: Last Chance on the Wall 2‬‏[/ame]

20 min gameplay video
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVzRo39P31I"]YouTube - ‪Dead Island: 20 Minutes of Gameplay Footage [HD]‬‏[/ame]
 
I'm not sure how many more zombie games we need but this has some promise.
 
Q-BZ said:
I'm not sure how many more zombie games we need but this has some promise.
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Really looking forward to it myself. Lots of zombie games but nobody really made a survival sandbox type.
 
It will depend on how it stacks up to Left 4 Dead for me... I understand the progression is different but the gameplay on L4D is what has made it last for me.
 
I wonder how fun the co-op is going to be.

I got 3 buddies I played through boarderlands with. this is could be a fun one to play. (while we wait for Diablo 3)
 
I like the open world approach,but I'm not big on the melee part. And zombies have been done to death,no pun intended.
 
michael.pa2 said:
I like the open world approach,but I'm not big on the melee part. And zombies have been done to death,no pun intended.
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On wikipedia it says that they are modeled down to muscle level, so zombies you cna break apart could be fun
 
tuaarita said:
It's Dead Rising FPS and it looks great.
Click to expand...

Actually it's not -- at least according to the developers. They have stated that they want to break away from the "zombie = canon fodder" mindset for a something approaching a genuine survival atmosphere. The idea is to run when you can as opposed to dive in all guns blazing (and there won't be many guns...)

I'd like to see how this comes out in the finished game. It might be very interesting and a breath of fresh air in a overdone genre.
 
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Q-BZ said:
I'm not sure how many more zombie games we need but this has some promise.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for someone to make a zombie game that is less FPS, and more Minecraft/Simcity--building up your base, looking for survivors/tools/resources, trying to rebuild society, etc. Throw in a decent over the shoulder third person shooting mechanic, and that would be a really interesting game.
 
Sparkhard said:
It will depend on how it stacks up to Left 4 Dead for me... I understand the progression is different but the gameplay on L4D is what has made it last for me.
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Ya well I am not sure how this game would really stackup to a MP only game.
 
Games I look forward to this year:

Dead Island
BattleField 3
and if Diablo 3 gets released ;)
 
have my copy pre-ordered :)

I hope it's as good as the previews made it look
 
infect0 said:
Ya well I am not sure how this game would really stackup to a MP only game.
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Also add to the fact that L4D has no story or RPG elements whatsoever.

Katalysis said:
I'm waiting for someone to make a zombie game that is less FPS, and more Minecraft/Simcity--building up your base, looking for survivors/tools/resources, trying to rebuild society, etc. Throw in a decent over the shoulder third person shooting mechanic, and that would be a really interesting game.
Click to expand...

Very, add in a deep character customization and you got yourself a game.
 
A different take on the zombie genre with an Oblivion like open world.

And why are people comparing it to L4D? Seems really different.
 
i dont know you can say zombies are over done. There is no where as many compared to your generic WW2 era/modern/future fps game
 
eon said:
i dont know you can say zombies are over done. There is no where as many compared to your generic WW2 era/modern/future fps game
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You could say they are in current culture. Media overload but personally I love the whole zombie thing so it will take a lot to take really sick of it.


Now vampires on the other hand *barf* fucking done with them.
 
_PixelNinja said:
Actually it's not -- at least according to the developers. They have stated that they want to break away from the "zombie = canon fodder" mindset for a something approaching a genuine survival atmosphere. The idea is to run when you can as opposed to dive in all guns blazing (and there won't be many guns...)

I'd like to see how this comes out in the finished game. It might be very interesting and a breath of fresh air in a overdone genre.
Click to expand...

There's nothing survival about being hit by a bunch of zombies 10 times and still being able to walk. This is what I saw in the videos.

IMO, instead of adding a ton of health so that the game is reasonably playable they should make a person very agile and fast, compared to slow and not maneuverable zombies.

I *kind of* liked what I saw, but I really hope they will change the gameplay a bit. What I saw was not survival by any chance.
 
Not what I was expecting at all from this game after seeing the trailers a while back.

I have to say the brutality of it is very tempting but I'm really put off by the points that come flying out of the zombies when you kill them, completely ruins the immersion.
 
krogen said:
There's nothing survival about being hit by a bunch of zombies 10 times and still being able to walk. This is what I saw in the videos.

IMO, instead of adding a ton of health so that the game is reasonably playable they should make a person very agile and fast, compared to slow and not maneuverable zombies.

I *kind of* liked what I saw, but I really hope they will change the gameplay a bit. What I saw was not survival by any chance.
Click to expand...

You are arguing and focusing on the term 'survival'. While your point is ultimately valid, I was mainly trying to underline the difference between what Dead Island is going for (according to the developers) as opposed to games like Dead Rising in which the player is supposed to feel like a trigger-happy super human. Granted I could have used a better choice of words...

PrincessFrosty said:
Not what I was expecting at all from this game after seeing the trailers a while back.

I have to say the brutality of it is very tempting but I'm really put off by the points that come flying out of the zombies when you kill them, completely ruins the immersion.
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It does feel weird. It is most probably coming from their integration of RPG mechanics... But it comes off as looking like Super Mario Bros.
 
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Been looking forward to this, but it's like a 50/50 split between good and bad attributes.

Pros:
- Amazing body deformation, detail, gore and hit detection
- Slow moving zombies and they look fantastic (most realistic of any current game)
- Some great atmosphere (saw a vid where it was dark, gloomy and raining and it was fantastic)
- Some ares look beautiful (environment)
- Mainly melee, which makes it far more realistic, because no one is going to be packed with guns and ammo in real life
- Actually feels/seems more like a true survival horror game, not just blasting guns at waves of walking dead

Cons:
- Repetitive character dialog as you're killing things
- Generally low-res textures and not enough environmental detail, which breaks the immersion a bit
- XP numbers when killing are far too large, which can be distracting; something I've mentioned about Guild Wars 2 as well; it's really distracting to see giant numbers on the screen, and almost a little "condescending"; it detracts from the visuals, whether it be blood or magic
- Health bars for zombies (especially because they're also a bit big; kills the immersion and just doesn't "fit")
- Generally looks and feels, from watching the gameplay, a bit too consolized due to textures and giant XP numbers, as well as possibly the feel of the movement

So, I don't know. I feel torn about it, because there's definitely some good aspects, but the bad, while not a huge list, are very bad things, at least for me, personally.

I only wish they'd at least put as much detail into the environment, as they have into the zombie models, which would definitely help with immersion, as well as "toning down" the giant XP numbers, which I cant stand in games. At least make them smaller.

It's a toss-up for me. I really want to get it, because of the Pros, but some of the Cons are a real turn-off.
 
I would pay AT least 5 dollars for this game. Seriously though, does look pretty fun.
 
what would be really cool is a zombie mod for Just Cause 2.
I think all games need a grappling hook and a parachute.
 
I think it looks pretty fun and I'll most likely end up buying it for the co-op, provided the reviews don't completely tank.

The thing I don't like (as someone else said) is that it doesn't focus on the more pure survival stuff like finding shelter, food, defending the shelter, finding ammo, etc. I know this game might have "quests" or plot lines that sort of have these elements, but I'm referring to more of a wide open sandbox. Something like that isometric zombie game that was posted a few days ago, but with Dead Island's graphics/FPS style. Still kind of dumbfounded as to how that type of game hasn't been made yet given how hugely popular the zombie "genre" is.
 
Not immediately impressed. Console game with repetitive zombies and a load screen every 2-3 minutes. :eek:
 
Dethred said:
Not immediately impressed. Console game with repetitive zombies and a load screen every 2-3 minutes. :eek:
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pretty much expected for being on a console. my hope is they are able to break away from that on the PC side. both videos were done on the console version.. lets hope they spent a little more time on the PC version instead of just doing a direct console to pc port. if they did then the game could be pretty bad ass on PC.


krogen said:
There's nothing survival about being hit by a bunch of zombies 10 times and still being able to walk. This is what I saw in the videos.

IMO, instead of adding a ton of health so that the game is reasonably playable they should make a person very agile and fast, compared to slow and not maneuverable zombies.

I *kind of* liked what I saw, but I really hope they will change the gameplay a bit. What I saw was not survival by any chance.
Click to expand...

my guess is the over used health is based on the difficulty level you play at. maybe hard or survival mode difficulty has no health at all. based on the video's it looks like they had it set on easy.
 
v0rtic3s said:
Been looking forward to this, but it's like a 50/50 split between good and bad attributes.

Pros:
- Amazing body deformation, detail, gore and hit detection
- Slow moving zombies and they look fantastic (most realistic of any current game)
- Some great atmosphere (saw a vid where it was dark, gloomy and raining and it was fantastic)
- Some ares look beautiful (environment)
- Mainly melee, which makes it far more realistic, because no one is going to be packed with guns and ammo in real life
- Actually feels/seems more like a true survival horror game, not just blasting guns at waves of walking dead

Cons:
- Repetitive character dialog as you're killing things
- Generally low-res textures and not enough environmental detail, which breaks the immersion a bit
- XP numbers when killing are far too large, which can be distracting; something I've mentioned about Guild Wars 2 as well; it's really distracting to see giant numbers on the screen, and almost a little "condescending"; it detracts from the visuals, whether it be blood or magic
- Health bars for zombies (especially because they're also a bit big; kills the immersion and just doesn't "fit")
- Generally looks and feels, from watching the gameplay, a bit too consolized due to textures and giant XP numbers, as well as possibly the feel of the movement

So, I don't know. I feel torn about it, because there's definitely some good aspects, but the bad, while not a huge list, are very bad things, at least for me, personally.

I only wish they'd at least put as much detail into the environment, as they have into the zombie models, which would definitely help with immersion, as well as "toning down" the giant XP numbers, which I cant stand in games. At least make them smaller.

It's a toss-up for me. I really want to get it, because of the Pros, but some of the Cons are a real turn-off.
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For me this post wins.

What you spelled out here basically boils down to a title that I'll probably wait for the sale bin unless it comes out and I see a SLEW of great reviews and, more importantly, glowing feedback from gamers on forums like these.
 
What's with the recent fascination with zombies? L4D really did kick start a pretty serious fad....
 
VolvoR said:
What's with the recent fascination with zombies? L4D really did kick start a pretty serious fad....
Click to expand...

I honestly think it started with 28 Days Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake. Both of those films brought zombies back into pop culture in a big way. Before those movies, the niche was always there (Resident evil and such), but the genre exploded soon after.
 
I liked zombies before it was cool.



That said, Dead Island looks like it can be good. I'll wait and see how the feedback rates it first.
 
Katalysis said:
I'm waiting for someone to make a zombie game that is less FPS, and more Minecraft/Simcity--building up your base, looking for survivors/tools/resources, trying to rebuild society, etc. Throw in a decent over the shoulder third person shooting mechanic, and that would be a really interesting game.
Click to expand...

I would totally play that game.
 
I want to see a game like this:"No time limits, no plot devices, no crazy "super zombie" boss..
Just a massive open world where you have to actually be careful what you do. Where if you set off a car alarm, you have to either get the hell out of the area, or find a place to hide until the zombies move on. Where ammo is genuinely scarce and you have the opportunity to turn a house into a makeshift fort to buy you a couple days rest.
I want a game where it is possible to spot other survivors who aren't out there as plot devices, but rather there to either assist or use as bait.
They want to add some way of "winning" like surviving for an insane amount of time or actually killing every single zombie in the country? Fine, but give me a persistent zombie game world modeled after real cities in America, and that will be the last game I ever need to buy."

http://undeadlabs.com/class3/

That looks pretty close, but I guess you need permission from the state to model levels after actual cities. And the production cost would be astronomical. Not to mention, open world games (like gta5) looked awesome, but were lacking in the number of civilians and traffic. I guess there's a price you pay for open world environments.
 
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