• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dead Island 2 | Review Thread

Bartski

Gold Member
I jumped in and honestly I'm having a blast. Bloat-free relaxing brain-dead carnage. I'm at lvl 16 and constantly playing with new weapons and perk combinations. Cards don't seem to make this much of a difference but maybe I haven't looked into it.

I see people say guns are utter shit but they're not? Do lack some punch but hit reactions are just as good as with melee and you can add effect perks to those as well... which is bothfun and useful, like electric bullets for zapping distant pools of water.

How's the challenge level in the game? I know there's no traditional difficulty settings but just want to ask if its generally a fun and a less challenging experience?

I'm just looking to break the shit out of zombies without worrying that it'll be a Souls-like experience.

I'm playing Jacob who starts with the most health of all characters and it's a breeze.
 
Last edited:

Ogbert

Gold Member
Thoroughly recommended.

About ten hours in now. A relaxed, highly enjoyable arcade-style whack-a-zombie. The weapon upgrades are standard fare, but all great fun.

Infinitely more fun that Dying Light 2.

They have also absolutely nailed the saccharine Hell-A atmosphere.
 

Shakka43

Member
Thoroughly recommended.

About ten hours in now. A relaxed, highly enjoyable arcade-style whack-a-zombie. The weapon upgrades are standard fare, but all great fun.

Infinitely more fun that Dying Light 2.

They have also absolutely nailed the saccharine Hell-A atmosphere.
Playing on PS5? If so does it have decent dualsense support (triggers/haptics)?
 

Denton

Member
Managed to get a PC EGS copy for 35 bucks. That's about the most I am willing to pay for EGS game.

Played first hour - 2880x1620 (DLDSR), all ultra, 60fps with zero drops - runs great, looks great - no shader stutter either and the shader compilation took about 10 seconds - quite a difference compared to 25 minutes in Last of Us!

It is also interesting to compare it to Ghostwire Tokyo in gamepad controls. In Ghostwire, even at 60fps there is a pretty huge input lag and the default controls are practicaly unusable. I had to google some reddit posts for how to make those control bearable. Meanwhile in Dead Island all I had to do was increase sensitivity and the controls are perfect, no input lag either.

Playing as "straight man" Ryan, but I might replay it as Dani or Jacob who look fun.
 

winjer

Gold Member
7 hours in and I'm still having fun. My only gripe is that killing zombies gives almost no XP.
Doing missions and side quests is the best way to level up.

And using the Epic Store is so annoying. This thing is so barebones and useless.
 
Last edited:

Denton

Member
Can you tell where you got it so cheap?
On one of the game trading subreddits, from someone who had the AMD bundle.

And using the Epic Store is so annoying. This thing is so barebones and useless.

It is a piece of shit. I hate how it always launches and opens whenever I launch the game. It cannot stay in tray or whatever, no it has to fully open, that piece of diarrheic shit.
 
Last edited:

Spyxos

Gold Member
On one of the game trading subreddits, from someone who had the AMD bundle.
Hmm interesting. I didn't know there was such a thing. Isn't it dangerous to get screwed over there? I have only found subreddits that are not active.
 
Last edited:

winjer

Gold Member
It is a piece of shit. I hate how it always launches and opens whenever I launch the game. It cannot stay in tray or whatever, no it has to fully open, that piece of diarrheic shit.

And to make it even worse, it has a built in overlay, that cannot be turned off.
 

Denton

Member
Hmm interesting. I didn't know there was such a thing. Isn't it dangerous to get screwed over there? I have only found subreddits that are not active.

How and where please?

I got it here

Obviously proceed at your own risk, vet the seller as much as you can, accept that you may be giving money to a scammer, yada yada

Worked out great for me though.
 
Managed to get a PC EGS copy for 35 bucks. That's about the most I am willing to pay for EGS game.

Played first hour - 2880x1620 (DLDSR), all ultra, 60fps with zero drops - runs great, looks great - no shader stutter either and the shader compilation took about 10 seconds - quite a difference compared to 25 minutes in Last of Us!

It is also interesting to compare it to Ghostwire Tokyo in gamepad controls. In Ghostwire, even at 60fps there is a pretty huge input lag and the default controls are practicaly unusable. I had to google some reddit posts for how to make those control bearable. Meanwhile in Dead Island all I had to do was increase sensitivity and the controls are perfect, no input lag either.

Playing as "straight man" Ryan, but I might replay it as Dani or Jacob who look fun.

Someone was arguing the other day how Ghostwire Tokyo doesn't have an input lag issue.. it has the worst lag of any game I've played in the last several years
 

poodaddy

Member
7 hours in and I'm still having fun. My only gripe is that killing zombies gives almost no XP.
Doing missions and side quests is the best way to level up.

And using the Epic Store is so annoying. This thing is so barebones and useless.

On one of the game trading subreddits, from someone who had the AMD bundle.



It is a piece of shit. I hate how it always launches and opens whenever I launch the game. It cannot stay in tray or whatever, no it has to fully open, that piece of diarrheic shit.

And to make it even worse, it has a built in overlay, that cannot be turned off.
This is why I won't be buying it on PC. I'd prefer it there, but I simply refuse to support Epic Game Store. I'll grab it on Series X at a discount later. Game looks fun as hell though for sure, I loved the first one so I know I'll like this one too.
 

MirageMew2

Member
I remember the first game had a control scheme hat let you aim melee weapons with the right stick for precision dismemberment, is that still a thing? That was the thing that I remember fondly from the earlier games.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Why would anyone who own a next gen system get this on epic instead of physical on ps5 or xsx!
Epic exclusive and denuvo… ugh
 
Last edited:
I remember the first game had a control scheme hat let you aim melee weapons with the right stick for precision dismemberment, is that still a thing? That was the thing that I remember fondly from the earlier games.
Unfortunately, like Dying Light, they've removed analog combat. :(
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Ridiculous scores when compared to other, high-scoring games (as expected).
I think I will stop reading reviews. At least it seems people are giving this game a chance. Forspoken didn’t had so much luck and people believed reviews :p
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Why would anyone who own a next gen system get this on epic instead of physical on ps5 or xsx!
Epic exclusive and denuvo… ugh
Because it looks better and i can do 4k120?

Also i don't need to pay ps plus for multyplayer and you still pay less than console for the game.
 

winjer

Gold Member
Ridiculous scores when compared to other, high-scoring games (as expected).

Mind you this is not some masterpiece, game of the year contender, 10/10 type of game.
It's just a fun game about killing zombies. I can't say the story and characters are very engaging, but it's also not terrible.
Graphics are top notch, despite not using path-tracing. Combat and exploration are fun.
The game is very well optimized. It has no shader compilation stutter, only the rare traversal stutter, no crashes and very few bugs.
It's pretty much a finished product on release. The only bugs worthy of note, that I found was the muffle sound inside some buildings and the interact button on the quest "The Death of the Party", that was hard to find.
For me, it's already a solid 8/10.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
It's a really fun game, I actually didn't believe they'll make a good one after the entire troubled development process. Combat is fun even though firearms tend to break the balancing of the game a bit later in the game. Humor is great (except for the cringy Hell-A bit) and plenty of easter eggs to go around. Locations are beautiful and it's a dream come true for someone who likes LA.

My only big complaint is that some of the maps don't give you enough room to explore and instead you have narrow roads and passageways constructed like a maze. I assume this was so that the game could run on past-gen hardware. Even on the PS5 you can experience some frame drops in Venice Beach which is the most open map in the game.
 
Last edited:

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
It's a really fun game, I actually didn't believe they'll make a good one after the entire troubled development process. Combat is fun even though firearms tend to break the balancing of the game a bit later in the game. Humor is great (except for the cringy Hell-A bit) and plenty of easter eggs to go around. Locations are beautiful and it's a dream come true for someone who likes LA.

My only big complaint is that some of the maps don't give you enough room to explore and instead you have narrow roads and passageways constructed like a maze. I assume this was so that the game could run on past-gen hardware. Even on the PS5 you can experience some frame drops in Venice Beach which is the most open map in the game.
I saw the "youtuber apology" house on one of the vids lol
 

GenericUser

Member
just got ...
my first shotgun :messenger_sunglasses:
_GAEZa.gif
 

Eiknarf

Banned
Really hope this does well enough to give us a Dead Island 3. A proper "next gen" version with this gore system and bigger environments and enemy numbers would be fantastic.
Seems to be a decent length game at approximately 20 hours (up to 35 for completionists)
 

Fools idol

Banned
Completed the game just now on normal difficulty.

I give it a solid 7/10 (yes, that is a good score)

Pro's

- Gore is easily the best ever in a videogame. It's just gross and really violent.
- Game is very, very smooth at least on PS5. Combat feels buttery and weighty.
- Generally fun overall gameplay loop with plenty of options to customise weapons and make some badass combos that do nasty damage and status effects
- Linear, crafted areas that feel like time was spent and polished

Cons

- story is passible at best
- characters are usual 2023 blue hair brigade of cardboard cutouts
- game is quite short sadly but more than good enough and fun enough to do multiple replay runs
- zombie spawning issues. Not as bad as Cyberpunk police but these mf's will spawn in a completely closed house / walled area that you cleared just moments ago.

I may even go for a plat run on this, it's the perfect mindless popcorn game.
 
Thoroughly recommended.

About ten hours in now. A relaxed, highly enjoyable arcade-style whack-a-zombie. The weapon upgrades are standard fare, but all great fun.

Infinitely more fun that Dying Light 2.

They have also absolutely nailed the saccharine Hell-A atmosphere.
How is it more fun than DL2 without parkour? Im curious to know how this differs in zombie killing satisfaction.
 
Last edited:

Bartski

Gold Member
Credits! Definitely not done here and jumping right back in as I just unlocked some banger legendaries for all the side missions left on the map.

Some things I loved:

- Enemy model damage system best in the business. Both ranged and melee. Lets face it - without it this game would be a fart in the wind.

- Absolute mayhem chain reactions on weapon mods and environment elements, all running without a hitch.
I'd love to see those devs makeing enough dosh here to green light Dead Island 3 focusing on pushing physics everywhere else.
Like way further than the three element system, towards destructible environments, systemic traps, crushing zombies with heavy objects for more creativity in gameplay.

- Op end game weapons, like the Big Shot

Some things I hated:

- Obnoxious in your face zombie spawning. Game often tries to hide it as they crawl from vents or sewers but more often that not they just spawn out of thin air in front of you while you're running. Devs also didn't read the memo after Atomic Heart - throwing endlessly respawning enemies at the player is annoying and ruins exploration. Some later areas are just an endless onslaught at every corner while you're trying to find a goddamn cellphone to follow a side quest. A game like that really has more than enough combat to force all this additipnal combat on top, give me lots of enemies but let me kill them all and take a breather checking some of this awesome handcrafted level design.
 

decisions

Member
Man why tf did this publisher take EGS money…Surely Dead Island would’ve been a pretty big hit on Steam? Not like it’s an unknown IP.

I will play on PS5 but it’s a shame all my PC friends are passing on it so I can’t really get the co-op experience.
 
Last edited:

Ogbert

Gold Member
How is it more fun than DL2 without parkour? Im curious to know how this differs in zombie killing satisfaction.
The combat is slower and more visceral. Charged attacks with sledgehammers are hugely satisfying. The levels are smaller and far more interesting.

It’s slow to get going, but when it does, it’s a hoot.
 

Stafford

Member
I have this red exclamation point/mark on the lower left of the screen all the time, what is this?

Also, we've done 6 story missions now, but aren't there unique weapons to find or make? So far I'm only able to put electricity on weapons and the usual standard improvements. No things like add fire to a weapon, or poison, or spikes/nails and so on?
 
Last edited:

MagnesD3

Member
The vibes I'm getting is that this is absolutely worth getting even if the review scores say otherwise, makes me really wish reviewers would have a "fun factor" to crank their scores up if they thought the game was too fun to ignore.
 

Eiknarf

Banned
The vibes I'm getting is that this is absolutely worth getting even if the review scores say otherwise, makes me really wish reviewers would have a "fun factor" to crank their scores up if they thought the game was too fun to ignore.
Damn. Same thought I had

I was thinking of finally picking up either a pre-owned copy of Returnal or Death Stranding this week. I know both are good but also know both are NOT for everyone - and for me that’s taking a chance because I don’t like the things “everyone else” loves (Souls games) and I tend to love what everyone else doesn’t like (Callisto Protocol, Sniper Elite 5)

So now I’m stuck
 
Top Bottom