Dead Island Riptide Previews
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Gaming Capacity:
The game will feature the same essential ideals of its predecessor, with single and co-op multiplayer which became Dead Island's trademark. Both of these modes are no different from each other and left up to the player with the controller in their hand, but to get the most out of this game, you are encouraged to play this game online with friends. Weapon customization has also returned. The game's combat is still focused on the melee weapons, but guns are still going to be essential to survive Palanai. The game will also feature new weapons, such as a nail gun, with which you can retrieve the nails after you (all in favor of this awesome idea say hell yes).
Bit-tech:
Those core features are still in play. Dead Island: Riptide does feel much more of an extension of the previous game than an entirely new take on the idea or setting. There are some additions that will serve to make the game more interesting, but it very much follows the same path.
One such addition is the choice of a new character, John. Intriguingly, his specialisation is using hand to hand combat but, rather than the game accordingly incentivising players to play without weapons, his extra skills aren't the most comprehensive set of martial arts moves we've ever seen. John can perform such moves as a running kick that delivers more damage than a standing one and send any enemies flying backward.
Further diluting the distinction, a hand to hand move of sorts has been added for all characters too. Fall upon an enemy from a height and you can unleash a vertical strike attack that delivers a massive amount of damage. A move of which Dishonored's Corvo Attano would no doubt be proud.
Meanwhile GamesRadar takes the list approach:
As deep as it is
wide Dead Island is just as much an RPG as it is an adventure game, and Riptide brings substantially more detail than the original. While the character skill-trees are only mildly confusing, the weapon-crafting and trading system feels more like spreadsheet work than enjoyable gaming. Good news if you like depth and tinkering with your weaponry; bad news if you just want to show up and slice zombies.
We played for a couple of hours, and although our preview version started us off at level 18, we gained three levels in that time. We did spend time upgrading several weapons, and that had a noticeable effect on combat. To keep things balanced, you're fined a percentage of your total cash every time you die, so if you tackle too many dangerous missions you may end up with little cash for upgrades and weapon repairs.
