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Dead Island (PS3)

Status: Stopped playing - Got frustrated
I started playing this game on Tuesday 1 May, 2018  //  I stopped playing this game on: Monday 7 May, 2018
Current opinion of this game
No comment, yet.

May 7, 2018 05:54:34 PM
I really, really enjoyed a lot of things about this game - it's sort of what I had hoped Dead Rising would be when I first played it: an open world zombie game where, for the most part, you're pretty safe. There's a ton of rpg-lite elements in tha tyou gain XP, level up, unlock perks but also have to manage equipment. Weapons break (really quickly), need repairing, and can be upgraded. There's tons of side missions where you find things, find people, deliver things, kill zombies, etc.

There's also driving.

And the game (still) looks pretty amazing. It's all set in a resort/holiday getaway island so pretty much all the zombies are in swimwear.

I stopped playing mostly because I did not understand (or appreciate) the combat. It's mostly close combat and it feels really hard to gauge successful hits and such (it's in 1st person). When attacking two or more zombies the whole thing is a mess - most hits don't land. But sometimes they do. And you take hits all over the place. It wasn't really an issue in that I was dying all the time. Rather, it felt like it mas more of an exercise in frustration than fun.

So, back on the shelf it goes!

Oh, there was a game design/UI element I thought was really cool. There's a few missions where I had to get gas from a gas station or get some juice packs. It was recommended that I take a car (pickup truck) and when I found the items I had to carry them to the car and place them in an outline in the back of the truck. The truck has 4 spaces where you can place items that are carried around. It was nice touch I thought - much more interesting than simply adding stuff to an inventory, especially since carrying the things around meant that you could not wield a weapon and where thus temporarily vulnerable (so, parking close matters!).


 
kudos for original design to Rodrigo Barria