techland

Being stranded on an island during a zombie outbreak doesn't sound like the perfect vacation, but in Dead Island, players are faced with such a situation. We've seen a resurgence of the undead in entertainment lately, so how does Dead Island stack up against the others?

Jeff:After one of the most successful buzz-inducing trailers in recent history, Dead Island has finally seen daylight. Contrary to the aforementioned teaser that led viewers to believe a single family was at the center of the story, Dead Island is actually an open-world action RPG presented in the first person.

At the start of the game, players must choose one of four characters, each of whom specializes in certain areas. From then on, things are mostly left in the player's hands. You can choose to either take on quests that continue the main story or explore the fictional island of Banoi for other side quests, adventures, and scattered luggage to loot.

Even though the game takes pride in the bludgeoning of zombies at close range (which it does quite well), at its core, Dead Island is an RPG first. Players must manage everything from the upkeep of their weapons to the specific skill-tree perks that they self-assign when leveling up. Even your stamina has a meter that must be watched with a careful eye during zombie encounters.… Read more