Dead Island Review (Xbox 360)

Game Review: Dead Island (Xbox 360)
Release: September  6, 2011
Genre: Zombie Action RPG
Developer:  Techland / Deep Silver
Available Platforms:  Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Players: 1 – 4 Online Co-op
MSRP: $59.99 US (Consoles) / $49.99 US (PC)
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Website:  www.DeadIsland.com

Dead Island takes place on the Island of Banoi, in and around the luxurious Royal Palms Resort.  A mysterious and contagious zombie outbreak sends the entire island into chaos.  Among the guests at the resort, only four are immune to the virus, and they are called upon by all of the other survivors to risk their lives to go find everything from gasoline to Champagne.  The main quest is to escape the island before an approaching monsoon hits.

Playing as one of the immune, you explore the huge open-world island, finding weapons, looting luggage, drinking energy drinks (health packs)… and killing zombies.  Each of the four playable characters has a special skill (guns, blunt weapons, blades and throwing weapons) and just enough back-story to explain why they have their specific skill.

The huge island is divided into areas (resort, city, jungle, etc.) and access to each consecutive area is earned  by completing quests.  Weapons are literally everywhere and degrade with use, so scavenging for money to pay for repairs and supplies to modify your weapons are an important part of the game.  Fortunately there is no karma system in the game, so feel free to loot everyone’s luggage, steal medical supplies and help yourself to whatever you want in the church.

Dead Island is a culmination of some of the best features of many great games.  Imagine a Franken-game created with parts taken from the following:

• Sound design from Dead Space
• Four playable co-op characters from Left 4 Dead
• A huge open world map unlocked a section at a time from Borderlands
• Lots of NPCs with scavenging quests from Fallout 3
• Assorted zombie types from Left 4 Dead
• Skill trees from Borderlands
• Weapon mods from Dead Rising
• Vehicles from Far Cry 2

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Dead Island Map App Coming To Apple AppStore Sept 6, 2011

As if I needed one more reason to purchase Dead Island, BradyGames comes along with the Dead Island Map App.  This is the only authorized app for Dead Island and will be released on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 to coincide with the game’s release in North America.  Think of it as your personal tour guide to one of this year’s hottest gaming vacation spots.  Grab it for only $2.99 on Tuesday at the Apple AppStore.

(Check out more screenshots in the Gallery below.)

The app was developed in conjunction with publisher Deep Silver, and contains detailed maps of every square mile of Banoi Island, a resort paradise gone horrifyingly wrong. The maps are scrollable and zoomable, turning iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches into handy navigational tools. The app also pinpoints the location of every collectible ID Card, Banoi Herald excerpt, and Investigation Tape—more than 150 items total! Each item is accompanied by a screenshot detailing the location and descriptive text to guide users to the exact spot in question. The app also features an Objective Complete check box that allows users to track which items have been located and which ones remain undiscovered. An interactive Legend allows users to toggle on/off any of the collectible types and show/hide hidden or found items. Official Dead Island music immerses users in the mysterious and dangerous atmosphere of the game.

Dead Island Map App Features:

• Explorable maps of every area in the game
• Locations of all collectibles, including:
• ID Cards
• Banoi Herald excerpts
• Investigation Tapes
• Objective Completion tracking
• Official music from the game

Want more Platform Nation Dead Island coverage?  Look here.

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Dead Island Release Trailer And Free Digital Comic

Dead Island has released two new treats for those of us anxiously awaiting the release of Dead Island this coming ?Tuesday (September 6,2011).

First we have the official release trailer. Deep silver has given us some gorgeous trailers in the past (remember the first one which was a reveal in reverse?) and this one, even though it is straight forward, is no exception.

Second, Deep Silver is giving away free digital copies of the Dead Island comic book which was previously only available in a printed limited edition.  You can grab your free digital copy here.  This comic reveals the events that lead up to the story of Dead Island and its zombie infestation.

“The comic introduces journalist Roger Howard, who has traveled to Banoi to investigate the illegal exploitation of the island’s resources. During his investigations in the Royal Palms Resort hotel he discovers a terrible surprise that no one could ever expect…”

“The story was created by Marvel Custom Solutions by the creative team of writer William Dailey, along with artists Jorge Lucas, Juan Santacruz, Diego Olmos, Carlos Rodriguez and Sergio Arino. The comic also features an eye-catching cover by Christian Nauck.”

Want more info about Dead Island?   Check out all the previous Platform Nation coverage, visit the Official website, www.deadisland.com, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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New Dead Island Screenshots Released

Dead Island is quickly infecting the gaming community – with anticipation.  The game announcement trailer was an artistic slow motion epic following the demise of a family – in reverse, and has gained a fan base all of its own, giving rise to much commentary and speculation about a movie also being in the works  While not as impacting as the trailer, these new screenshots certainly do the job of making me want this game more.

Dead Island is slated for release sometime in 2011 (no specifics yet) for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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