Dead Island 2 - Day One Edition (PlayStation 5)

Fantastic semi-open world RPG. The pros: - very detailed world - fun missions - great melee and long range combat - lots of gore - Lots of environmental hazards to create interesting ways to kill zombies - decent length - I spend at least 40 hours total on this The cons: - weapon tinkering and maintenance can get a bit tedious - the ending doesn’t properly conclude and leaves things open for the DLC which is quite annoying - some missions a bit long and tedious - limited fast travel points means lots of running around For me personally this is one of the best games made in the last few years, but I would count myself as the target audience. Certainly not for everyone and worth watching a review before you play.

As someone with a fear of zombies I have no idea why I purchased this game. I played the first game and got through it because I played in co-op so it was less scary I guess. But this one is a definite upgrade from the first Dead Island, and I played solo and was so tense throughout my playthrough that I ended up with an injury to my neck and shoulder afterwards! The game is great, plenty of gore and violence, and the setting is just perfect and so beautiful even in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Struggled with some bosses at times (the hotel!!!) but once you get used to certain zombies and their attack patterns, then it becomes easier to play. Still if you don't like this genre or zombies in general (as I do not) then you might struggle, but I play it to be scared, that's the point for me, and it's a perfect game to go back to for that.

Dead Island 2 is a really good combat/action game, vast options of weapons to use from as well with the perk card system to make your character stronger in a variety of different ways. I do wish the story however could be more in depth, it's a short story and the characters are somewhat bland and are forgetable in most cases. The graphics are quite decent, it runs quite well at 60fps and haven't seen any glitches in the game so far. It's a good game if you want to dive into the fighting and combat with zombies but the story could be better.

From the moment the game begins it shines quality. The opening cinematic is great! The gameplay is genuinely great FUN! The environments are immaculate, highly detailed, each one feels unique and packed with exploration. The movement is very precise and responsive (unlike dying light which feels very sloppy and hit and miss to me), each strike FEELS solid. Personally I found the story pretty interesting and engrossing. The gore system is off the charts incredible! Probably one of my favourite games. Interestingly, one of the few new games I’d class as truly next gen. Just wish it was longer and bigger. Hoping for some DLC with new areas to explore. Highly recommend.

What a game graphically fantastic I’ve never ever jumped so many times in my life what I enjoyable Game I had to put down multiple times for a rest because it’s that bloody scary good. You have got to be nuts not to play this game major experience good fun. Oh yes, it’s probably next to nothing now just play it silly not to.

Great game. Good graphics. It's a zombie slaying game that isn't too serious and dark. It's fun to play.

Considering this game was stuck in development hell for 9 years its amazing it came out at all never mind that it's actually a joy to play. It's not open world but more open areas that are connected and that makes the level off detail in each area far greater than in a game like dying light. The combat starts off feeling a bit weak but once you learn what weapons damage which types of zombies and level up a few times it becomes very satisfying, stunning a zombie so he drops to his knees and having the chance to wind up a hit to the head is so rewarding and the damage models really sell the violence. I'm only giving it 4 stars because I'm only 5/6 hours in but I'm looking forwards to getting some guns and really seeing what sort of damage I can do.

So far a have survived a plain crash…..drop-kicked numerous zombies into a swimming pool full of acid at the Halperin Hotel and that’s only 2 hours of play so far! The level of gore and violence is quite harrowing which may lead to some weird dreams but for £14.99 it’s well worth it 👍