Four Reasons Why You Should Buy Dead Island
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It's the closest we've got to an open-world Zombie RPG so far
We've all sat there and thought about the possibility of a zombie apocalypse game where the main objective was simply to survive. Collecting supplies, searching for shelter, trying to find other survivors: no campy humour or playing dress-up, just balls-to-the-wall terror and isolation. Dead Island is the closest we've come to that so far, and even though its tone may not be as serious as its incredible debut trailer hinted towards, developers Techland have assured us that we will be able to experience the world how we see fit and, with inclusions like a stamina bar and a skill tree, it's got the potential to be the sandbox zombie RPG that we've all been waiting for.
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It's not a sequel!
In a world where the consumer can only be excited by being reacquainted with the familiar, it's nice to see a new IP like Dead Island clawing its way out of the hype machine. For all those saying that its trailer is misleading, yes, you're probably right, but when it is competing against Licensed Game #201 and Inanimate Call of Duty Title #72 something drastic has to happen in marketing for any game other than a sequel in an established franchise to get a break.
A cursory glance through the list of releases for this year will indicate that yes, our taste in games is worryingly bland and no, we aren't big fans of that little word (innovation), that now only seems to appear in taglines for motion controllers.
While I'm as excited as the next man for both Nathan Drake and Batman's next outing, I'm just as excited to see the gaming community's take on Dead Island as the first real new big title of the year. If this flops, I think it's safe to say that we will all lose hope in originality in the 21st century, and will be doomed to an eternity of shooting faceless enemies in monochrome corridors with AK40-somethings. No pressure, Techland.
