Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 Review

Kid Safe: Very Low                     Game Quality: Very High

Genre: Survival Horror

-          This game features a focus on horror themes and attempting to escape the terror that has overtaken the situation. This game may contain situations that are scary for some players and scenes of intense blood and gore.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Dead Space 2, while having an extensive single-player story campaign, features an impressive internet-based multiplayer aspect where players can play online with other individuals. Likewise, additional content will be released for this title sometime later on that will be sold (and downloaded) through the internet.

Story Summary: In Dead Space 2, you step back into the boots of survivor and engineer, Isaac Clark,

who, after the events of the first game. Now, waking up from a coma on the massive space-station, The Sprawl, you find yourself once again fighting for your life. You must battle both your own developing insanity along with the undead monstrosities that are quickly devouring the Sprawl as you attempt discover the truth behind what happened both to you and the residents of the brutally overtaken space-station.

Kid Safe: Very Low

-          Foul Language: High

o   Dead Space 2 features an extensive amount of foul language, primarily in the words "F*ck", "*S*it", "Motherf*cker", and "D*mn". These words are regularly encountered throughout the entire game in general dialogue, in text-based articles and journals, and in cutscenes between characters. Players are able to trigger a stream of profanity by punching or stomping the ground, which results in the main-character spewing frustrated curse-words. The language is constant throughout gameplay.

-          Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Dead Space 2 is, by far, the goriest and most violent game that we have reviewed to date. This title features an extensive amount of both violent scenes as well as depictions of blood, gore and viscera. To begin, the creatures and monsters that players must fight are constructed from the bodies of those that have been killed by others. The very first scene of this game consists of a person waking Isaac from his coma, only to have a creature sneak up behind him and impale him through the chest and head; resulting in the man transforming into a mutilated beast that attempts to murder and devour the main player. Every monster is constructed of the mutilated remains of one or more dead human beings.

o   Not only this, but the primary way to kill the monsters, named "Necromorphs", consists of dismembering the creatures. Players are encourage to use different weaponry to blow off the arms, legs and heads of both monsters and corpses to keep them from reanimating and attacking them. Should the monster/corpse not be initially attacking them, players are encourage to stomp on dead bodies to remove limbs such as the arms, legs, and head.

o   There are multiple scenes in which non-player characters are attacked and murdered, main of which are ripped limb from limb. One disturbing scene in particular features a mother who calls over a "Necromorph" infant and cradles it before the infant explodes and sprays gore and viscera across the entire room. The game also features a creature that desecrates the corpses of fallen human beings to transform them into beastly monsters.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Low

o   Dead Space 2 features a low amount of sexual content. While the game has no focus on sexually related activities and does not feature any inherent nudity, this title does feature one creature of particular note. Known as the "Spitter", featured in both single-player and multi-player modes, the creature is the monstrous remains of human female who is seen holding and squeezing her breasts with her human hands while she attacks players with the spiked limbs protruding from her back.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Low

o   Dead Space 2 does not feature any known instances of drug or alcohol usage. However, the game does make reference to individuals using medication overdose in order to take their own lives.

             

Game Quality: Very High

-          Graphics / Visuals: Very High

o   Dead Space 2 features an exceptionally high quality of graphics and visuals. First, to start with the positives, everything in the design of the game feels fully realized. As you walk, explore, fight, and occasionally break through the massive space-station that is The Sprawl, you find that the world around you is fully realized. You find yourself walking through a variety of districts, the majority of which that has been hand-picked and designed to provide the feeling that you are, in fact, walking through a space-station several generations old. Each level reveals decimated apartments and living quarters, shopping districts, engine and science labs, and even elementary schools. Each chapter of the story reveals more and more destruction across an entire city in space.

o   Not even this, but the graphical design for every level and structure is physically impressive to look at; even by today's standards. Almost every structure and creature appears realistically in front of you. Metal appears hard and smooth, blood splattered and dripping slowly runs down and cakes upon surfaces, and candles flicker against the darkened background of space. On top of this, every monster and creature you encounter is fully designed from the mutated body of one or more deceased individuals, creating entire range of beasts ranging from a standard "zombie-like" horror to a 15 foot tall monster constructed of the tied together pieces of different corpses.

o   The only complaint concerning this title's graphics are as follows: the remaining corpses. Respectfully, I know that this is a family-focused website, however since this is not a family-focused title, it seems legitimate to bring this up. While everything else seems fully realized and designed, the remnants do not. These "left-overs" appear as little more than graphical "dolls" that have just been painted over with a gory pallet and left to provide poorly-done atmosphere to a well-done game. While it does not overly distract from the title, it was rather annoying to me as a fan of survival-horror games.

           

-          Audio: Very High

o   If there is a single there that stands out with Dead Space 2, it is the absolutely excellent audio quality. While the music is perfect and helps to add to the atmosphere, the real kicker is in the truly-amazing ambient sound; it adds everything you need to the gameplay. Walking through any given hallway, you are prone to hear the soft tinkle of claws against metal as a creature runs through a vent or the pounding footfalls of someone running a floor above you. Or perhaps the overarching environment doesn't scare you; maybe it's just that which is directly around you. You will hear the screaming sobs of a woman trapped in her apartment or the heavy breathing and soft roaring of a creature slowly following you in the rafters overhead.

o   While this game does not feature an outstanding musical score, the soft instrumental accompaniment attributes to the scares the player feels. A violin, quickly gathering pace, scratches upon your nerves as you try and walk down a hallway. The sudden absence of all background noise, filled out by only the soft breathing and steady thumping of Isaac's heart, is more terrifying then any score could have provided. This game does EVERYTHING a title should with its ambient audio quality and I cannot think a single place where they have faulted.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Dead Space 2 features a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability. To begin with, the controls for this title are relatively simple and blend well into the gameplay. I very rarely found myself wondering what button performed what action as the lay-out was relatively simple to all other games of the genre. Likewise, for sequences of gameplay that were out of the norm, the controls were generally of a simple nature and quick and easy to pick up. Likewise, all of the gameplay is extremely varied in a manner that keeps each situation and chapter fresh.

o   One of the truly fascinating elements of gameplay that blew us away was how the cut-scenes and regular gameplay were constantly mixed and matched. The game seamlessly moves from the standard game to the character talking and interacting with irregular elements, such as main characters from the story or extreme situations versus the monsters, and then back again. A perfect example was a mind blowing sequence where Isaac slide down a collapsing tram line, fighting off necromorphs, only to be ejected and hang upside down by one foot fighting off a second onslaught of monsters.

o   However, while the controls are generally simple (very often exact in comparison to the original title), the game has this strange problem of not telling you what those controls ARE. The tutorial aspect is a bit slow on the uptake, often tending to drop you into scenes of extreme danger and then, while you are running for your life, popping up a small window telling you how to keep from being eviscerated. I won't deny that each action is explained eventually, it doesn't often help to find out that you can use certain items as weapons after having been mauled by an undead monster 5 times in a row before you find that information out.
          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Dead Space 2 has a relatively high dollar-value that is perpetuated by its well-rounded options and gameplay. To begin with, the game-experience is always kept exciting and new as new and interesting environments and elements are constantly introduced. Not only will players be fighting through the haunted corridors of The Sprawl, but they will be fighting the Necromorph threat upside down, inside, and even outside of the Sprawl in deep space; hurtling through the stars as you fight for your life against the gruesome beasts that the Necromorph infection has created in a 12 hour game.

o   That said, maybe fighting the infection on the Sprawl alone just isn't your calling. Maybe you want to have some friends along for the ride. This title features an extensive multi-player campaign akin to the Left 4 Dead series that can be played on the internet. This series allows individuals to play as both Humans and Necromorph monsters in 4 vs. 4 battles as the Human attempt to stop the outbreak. Players are even able to level up, similar to designs such as Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad Company.

o   The only downside to the above mentioned design is that the gameplay feels a bit roughly put together. While enjoyable, there are extreme balance issues that need to be fleshed out between the Necromorph monsters and the Sprawl security teams. While this is a relatively minor complaint in the scope of things, it affected gameplay strongly enough that I always debated whether I wanted to attempt to play multiplayer modes.

Recommendations

-          Sadly, we cannot think of a single survival horror game that has been rated lower that M by the ESRB rating system. However, as we have suggested in previous reviews, you may wish to take a look at the Resident Evil series. While this title involves blood, gore, and zombie-monsters, it is also one of the lightest horror titles on the market and offers a large number of available games.

Dead Rising 2

Dead Rising 2 Review

Kid Safe: Low   Game Quality: Moderate

Genre: Open-World Survival Horror

-          This game takes place in a world where choice is everything. Rather than providing a set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore and do as they wish. This game features a focus on horror themes and attempting to escape the terror that has overtaken the situation. This game may contain situations that are scary for some players.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          This game features a moderate amount of internet usage. While it does have a good deal of offline content that can be played without internet connection; this title also offers plenty of online content which includes a multiplayer-mode where players may compete against each other or play together to complete the main story.

Story Summary: Dead Rising 2 takes place in Fortune City, NV, a fictional city built around gambling,

   casinos, and entertainment; akin to places like Las Vegas, NV or Reno, NV. The main

   character is Chuck Greene, an ex-motocross rider who, after having lost his wife and

   nearly lost his daughter in a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, now competes in the

   gruesome reality game-show “Terror Is Reality” to earn money. During a filming

   however, the zombies that are the focus of the game-show are released upon the city,

   wreaking havoc and killing many; as well as framing Chuck Greene for the catastrophe.

   Greene now has 72 hours to battle the creatures, clear his good name, and save as many

   lives as he can before the military arrives to tie up any loose ends.

Kid Safe: Low

-          Foul Language: Low

o   This game features a low amount of foul language including d*mn, s*it, b*tch, and a*s. These words tend to be used sparingly and no single character demonstrates an excessive amount of cursing. Generally, this foul language is also used realistically; portraying scenes of actual anger or dismay rather than being used excessively for no real apparent reason. The only really questionable language falls under the large presence of sexual references made by a number of characters in game (which are covered under Sexual Content below).

-          Violence and Gore: Very High – Not Recommended for Children

o   This game features an excessive amount of blood, gore, and violence and is the primary focus of the entire title. Players are able to act violently against both living humans and zombie creatures alike and they are encouraged to use literally any and all items that are available to them to do so. With over a hundred possibilities available, items can be anything from traditional weapons such as firearms, knives, grenades to household items such a scissors, brooms, and hammers. Likewise, individuals are encouraged to combine items to make them even more deadly, such as a traditional water pistol converted to use gasoline and spray fire at enemies.

o   Aside from the encouragement of violence, players witness an incredible amount of gore that seemingly never stops. Zombies tend to act more as blood-filled targets than threats and many weapons will dismember, maim, and eviscerate them; sending bloodied chunks and pieces everywhere and even covering your character, Chuck Greene, in blood for a short amount of time. As well, when fighting any of the multitude of “Psychopaths” (live humans who have gone insane and become violent from the situation) in the game; upon defeating them these characters often suffer gruesome deaths such as a Chef who is burnt alive in his own deep-fryer or a protestor who slits his own throat with a piece of glass.

-          Sexually-Related Content: Moderate

o   This game features a fair amount of sexual content but does not feature any outright nudity. The majority of this content takes place in either pictures or sexual references in dialogue. To begin, there are posters and flyers scattered around Fortune City which are advertisements for Playboy Magazine. There are multiple versions of these posters and all of them feature scantily clad or mostly unclothed young women; however no genitalia or explicit areas are visible. Aside from that, multiple characters in the game make lewd comments and sexual references to each other in dialogue; some of the more predominant including a motocross biker asking Greene if he has “a hard on for him”, two female assassins asking if Greene would like to engage in “a threesome tonight” when going to attack him, and finally the name of a mini-game called “Master Shafter”.

o   There is a single exception to the previously mentioned examples in one scene featuring the two female assassins holding another young woman hostage in which one of the assassins gropes the hostage’s breast.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Low

o   This game features a low amount of drug or alcohol usage and that which does take place is almost predominantly alcohol usage. The game does not condone alcohol usage but in fact discourages it. Characters are able to pick up alcohol as a “healing” item which will restore a little health, but any excessive usage will result in Greene becoming sick and throwing up; encouraging players to use other healing items to avoid these malicious effects. On top of this, when Greene finds a survivor who has been drinking heavily, she is very sick and generally dislikable; once again discouraging the consumption of alcohol.
           

Game Quality: Moderate

-          Graphics / Visuals: Moderate

o   The graphics and visuals for this title are generally of a fair quality. While they are certainly not bad-looking and do not suffer from any major problems; they do not tend to impress given the high quality of the video game market today. Facial animations are strange and seem a bit off. Characters tend to seem a little like goldfish with their mouths simply opening and closing while they speak rather than showing distinct facial expressions. Likewise, other characters have shown virtual breaking as they attempt to show facial expression and parts of their face do things that really shouldn’t happen (like a man’s eyebrows seemingly dropping OFF of his actual brow and going in front of his eyes).

o   For some of the stranger problems that Dead Rising suffers, it most certainly has some impressive qualities, as well. As zombies are the primary focus of this title, Capcom did their job very well. Zombie creatures look impressively grotesque and rotted; very much how someone would expect a walking corpse to look. On top of this, the game has the ability to show literally hundreds of these creatures at once without any graphical problems at all. Finally, the design of Fortune City itself deserves special mention for the incredibly diverse and sprawling feel of the city; which, with its hundreds of different stores, restaurants, and locals, captures the charm of places like Las Vegas perfectly.

-          Audio: Moderate

o   The sounds and audio of the game are of a generally fair quality. Much like the graphics, while the sound quality and the music are not poorly done, they are equally insubstantial. The game offers decent musical accompaniment to almost every scene, with the score rising and falling with everything from soft almost-elevator music to hardcore rock music; adding a strong sense of tone and emotion to these scenes (most notably the "psychopath" battles). Likewise, the majority of cutscenes feature relatively decent voice acting that properly portrays the emotion and feeling of the situation. However, sadly, almost all voice acting taking place outside of cutscenes seems strange and forced; taking on an almost mechanical tone. Dozens of survivors have no more than several voices amongst them all and tend to speak the same lines despite the situation and Greene's rebuttals are equally flat-toned and simplistic.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   This game features a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability. The controls are relatively simplistic and is well-rounded to encompass the usage of multiple items in a variety of situations. A player is able to easily switch from swinging a sledgehammer to targeting and firing a submachine gun to throwing a brick without any control difficulty. Likewise, onscreen displays help to easily point out items in the nearby area on top of showing what kind of item it is; such as whether it is a health item or maybe it can be used to make a combination weapon. Likewise, combination weapons are easy to do and figure out; boiling down to simply placing one item on a workbench and seeing what other item can be combined with it. All in all, the interface helped the game to be very enjoyable and simple.

o   On the flipside, however, there are two notable problems. The first is that, at the very beginning of the game, the controls are not explained and so you are not sure how to move or defend yourself. The main problem with this is the fact that the game starts you off in a fight where you must defend yourself immediately. The other problem is that the entire game constantly has a clock running in the background, counting down the 72 hours until the military arrives; making it extremely difficult to complete all of the tasks that pop up in game (which all also have timers attached to them).
          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   This game is of a decently high dollar value. Even without any internet connection, you can easily get 12 to 15 hours of gameplay; and that is only on a single play through of the game when you need to play the game twice to fully experience everything there is to offer. On top of this, I personally spent hours absorbed just in the weapon combinations and seeing what I could create. Not only that, but the game also offers a decent amount of online content with more levels and story available for purchase and download. Finally, the game features two multiplayer modes. The first is the ability to play the entire story with a friend. The second is the ability to actually play Terror Is Reality, which is essentially a four-player set of mini-games that allows you to earn money that can then be transferred and used in the regular game. While the overall design of the game may be lackluster, this game still offers a strong bang for your buck.

       
Recommendations

-          Sadly, almost all horror-related and zombie-related games will be M-rated by the ESRB; any realistic depictions of undead tend to do that to a rating. It should be noted that Dead Rising is one of the lighter games on the market as well for this content. However, if you are looking for something else you may wish to try Resident Evil, a very long series that now has a great number of different games available on the market for many systems. While still M-rated, Resident Evil tends toward a less graphic depiction of death and gore and may be more suitable for younger audiences.

Dead Island

 Dead Island Review

Kid Safe: Very Low (1.5  / 10)                             Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)

Genre:  Open World Survival Horror Shooter

-          This game takes place in a world where choice is everything. Rather than providing a set story that a player has to follow, they are provided a world that they can explore and do as they wish. This game features a focus on horror themes and attempting to escape the terror that has overtaken the situation. This game may contain situations that are scary for some players.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Dead Island features a moderate amount of internet requirements that is built primarily on the ability for a game to play with multiple other players online. While the game is enjoyable enough that a player need never  hop onto the internet, it can most definitely make a difference. The game does not feature a competitive aspect, however players are able to play together up to four players using the internet so that they might fight through the game's story together.

Story Summary:

-          In Dead Island, you take the role of one of four survivors who have found themselves in a precarious situation on the fictional island nation of Banoi. Players choose from Sam B, a hardened rap artist, Xian, an honor-bound agent from the Hong Kong police department, Logan, an ex-football superstar, and Purna, a police-officer turned bodyguard for the island's VIPs. Waking up one morning, players find that the resort they are staying in has been overwhelmed with the undead. As people continue die, drop, and get up again (in that order), players must explore the island nation of Banoi and all it has to offer including a luxurious five star resort, a massive slum-packed city, and a lush tropical rainforest; all of which are teaming with zombies! Will this group of survivors manage to find a way off the island and escape this nightmare, or will they simply become another meal for the ghouls that are walking these sandy beaches?

Kid Safe: Very Low (1.5 / 10)

-          Foul Language: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Dead Island features an impressively high amount of foul language in the form of the following words: "d*mn", "a*s", "s*it", "b*tch", "f*ck", "motherf*cker", and "b*stard". These words are heard regularly from almost every character during both combat scenes as well as normal dialogue. Players will not only hear these words but also see them written, a perfect example being an interrogation room that has "Die B*tches" written in blood on the wall. Words like "f*ck", "s*it", and "d*mn" are by far the most commonly heard curse words. These words are spoken both in situations of extreme emotion, i.e. frustration, pain, fear, as well as in regular dialogue where emotions are not a notable reason for cursing.

-          Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   If there is one thing that really stands out in Dead Island, it is the violence and gore; this title is quite simply one of the bloodiest games this year. Starting off, players will be engaging two types of enemies: zombies and humans. The zombie creatures range in variety from your average "walker", your classic zombie, to the "infected", an enraged, unrelenting, and incredibly fast paced undead that acts as though they still have some sentience due to their human-like reactions to pain. Not only this, there are multiple "boss" zombies as we will call them that are mutated versions; the most notably disturbing of these is the "Butcher" which is a creature that is torn off its own face to reveal a grizzled skull and uses the broken-off, protruding bones of its forearms to stab and maim its enemies. As for humans, players will be almost exclusively engaging "punks" and corrupt militia soldiers who seek to take advantage of Banoi's infection by taking everything they could want whether it be food, weapons, or other people. Players are unable to harm regular civilians.

o   Combat in Dead Island is down-right brutal. Players will use a wide variety of weaponry to maim, dismember, and kill their opponents. Weapons include wood planks, baseball bats, police batons, knives, cleavers, machetes, hatchets, axes, sledgehammers, katana swords, pistols, rifles, shotguns, grenades, Molotov cocktails, and much, much more. Attacks often yield a blood effects, with blood and gore spraying from inflicted wounds, whether players are using melee weapons or firearms. Realistic wounds can also be seen opening on zombies as gashes can be opened up in a zombie's flesh as well limbs can be chopped off using bladed weaponry. The usage of fire-type weaponry such as Molotovs or propane tanks will often set enemies on fire and cause them to flail in pain while their flesh burns and chars until they a little more than a blackened husk. Players are also able to "execute" fallen enemies by stamping on their head and making their skull explode into gory bits. Corpses from fallen enemies will remain where they fall until the player leaves the area, at which time they disappear for the rest of the game.

o   Aside from the imagery seen in combat, the regular environments and world feature your fair share of gruesome content. First off, the entire game is littered with corpses of those that have fallen to the undead, leaving a multitude of half eaten, bloodied, and gored bodies in their wake. Strewn muscle, organs, and bones such as ribs, legs, and arms are clearly visible on certain characters and corpses. Blood splatter and spray is clearly visible everywhere in the game. One scene depicts a man sobbing in a kiddie pool that is filled with red blood and surrounded by corpses as he tries to contend with the fact he had to just kill his entire zombified family. Several scenes follow in this same wake, where people are horribly shaken up after making reference to killing friends and loved ones. Another notably interesting but equally disturbing situation takes place when you visit a certain location only to return later on and find that the safehouse has been overrun and everyone inside that you had met and talked to have been killed, eaten, and zombified.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: Low

o   Dead Island features a low amount of sexually related content that takes place almost exclusively through sexual reference and some mild partial nudity. This partial nudity is depicted primarily through individuals, both undead and alive, wearing bathing suits and showing off some small amount of cleavage and buttocks. Generally, this is not noticeable since the majority of individuals who you might "admire" are attempting to run at and eat you. Nonetheless, there are a handful of sexual references throughout the title. One mission features a detective who wants you to recover information on a former case about a rapist. One of the characters describes her background as having dealt with a man who was "clearly molesting his 14 year old daughter". Another situation is presented where a bikini-clad young woman is tied up on a bed surrounded by cameras. Explicit details are neither shown nor discussed.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Moderate

o   Dead Island features a moderate amount of drug and alcohol usage, primarily through the depiction of alcohol consumption with some minor cigarette usage. Starting with the smaller piece, several characters throughout the game are depicted in an almost constant state of smoking cigarettes while they talk. Aside from this, alcohol has a predominant role throughout the title. One cutscene features a "club" party sort of atmosphere where multiple people are shown imbibing alcoholic beverages while several of them act in a drunken manner. Likewise, players will collect alcohol bottles as they play. These bottles can be utilized as a means of creating new weapons, i.e. Molotov cocktails, or they can be used by the player. All characters who drink alcohol will suffer from a "blurred-screen" effect as well as a shifting camera to hint at drunken stumbling and lack of balance. Certain characters are able to use alcohol to bolster their strengths and weaknesses, essentially making said character  more useful when he is drunk than when he is sober.

             

Game Quality: High (8.0 / 10)

-          Graphics / Visuals: High

o   Visually speaking, Dead Island could have really nailed it if not for a number of number of issues that needed to be ironed out. Starting off, the game boasts an absolutely massive world, complete with several completely different and interesting areas that are huge in their own right. These areas each try and portray something different about the world the players are exploring. Examples of this include the Resort area, which is generally very bright and sunny and focused heavily on the presence of luxury items and beach fare; the overall focus being on the recreational aspect of it all. A secondary example could also include the City which players will find after some exploration and which is so phenomenally different than the resort, it isn't even funny. The city is generally darker and dingy, with sunlight shining through but also usually being blocked out by the surrounding buildings. The quarters are cramped and absolutely littered with trash, waste, and filth; a far stretch from the immaculate presentation of the Resort area in which the only major defiler of its pristine presentation are the corpses that cover the sand and the smoking remains of wrecked vehicles. The amount of forethought that went into designing the world is impressive and vivacious and really deserves mention.

o   What really kept Dead Island from achieving visually came from a feeling of being unfinished. Character models tend to decently made and yet most of them don't seem like a great amount of effect was put into their creation or, perhaps, their completion, with facial animations and movements feely stocky and unkempt. Likewise, a number of the Island visuals, while absolutely gorgeous, also feel unfinished. The edges of, well, alot of things (buildings, desks, doorways, etc.) will often have a "jagged" appearance to them where edges look like a serrated knife that comes from the game designers not having cleaned up the presentation so that it looked realistic. Finally, the game suffers from the occasional glitch that detracts from the beauty of it all; a perfect example being when I looked out into the ocean sunset only to see a massive white "box" simply form between the ocean and the sunset. Whoops.

   

-          Audio: High

o   Luckily, the audio presentation is a little bit better done than the visual one. Dead Island boasts a fair share of talented voice actors as well as good sound effects and a decent musical set. Starting off, as always, with voice acting: I can't really say that I have any complaints. Voice acting is generally well-done with actors covering the full range of emotions such as rage, indifference, sadness, and the occasional bit of joy without any issue. Lines are also normally well-done with some exceptions that sound like they simply should have been re-recorded as the voice actor sounds more like they are reading than acting; luckily these aren't all that common and are generally reserved to lesser characters. Sound effects are equally adequate; complete with a whole range of zombie screams, gunshots, footsteps, car noises, and more. Care was clearly taken in this area and is well done.

o   However, if there is one thing an audiophile might latch onto in this game, it's the music. The game's music covers a full range. By far the most popular and noted song is a piece from the character, "Sam B", who wrote a zombie-focused rap called "Who Do You Voodoo, B*tch?", which has already become highly popular outside of the game itself. Rap aside, this game features everything from simple effects like a guitar being lightly strummed an played to a harder paced rock number that really gets the action going. Even better is not the rock, but instead a number of pieces that I'm not even sure what genre they could fall under. These songs really set the tone for the game with an almost "tribal" or "aboriginal" sound to them that is well-blended with the stereotypical creepiness of horror movie music. This score really makes the game what it is and provides it design that is entirely unique.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Dead Island's gameplay is pretty decently varied and offers quite a lot to do. The playability is also decently paced so that players both experienced and novice can get into it with little issue. Starting off with playability, the game initially starts to introduce a fair amount of gameplay mechanics like moving around, opening or breaking open doors, collecting stuff from the environment, etc. before they ever run into a zombie (although it does feel like one's gonna jump around the corner at any time). The majority of necessary buttons that a player needs to push are almost always displayed whether it be to pick something up, use something, etc. and so players are less likely to worry that they forgot how to perform one of the game's many tasks. Once combat gets rolling, the game is constantly scaled to the player; progressively getting harder as time goes on and players explore the world. Boss Zombies are also rolled out slowly over time so that players can get used to battling each one before they have to worry about the next one jumping out from a cabinet and eat their brains. All in all, it's the difficulty curve is constantly increasing, but at a good pace so most players won't feel left behind.

o   As for gameplay, Dead Island does a pretty decent job of always mixing it up a little bit. The general design to it is "Find a group of survivors", "Get the 'story mission'", "Get the 'side missions'", "Complete missions", rinse and repeat. While the overall feel can be a little tiring, the missions luckily aren't. Missions themselves range from something as simple as cleaning the undead out of a cemetery to collecting food for starving survivors, finding a girl's lost teddy bear to finding and assaulting a warlord's encampment, rescuing a trapped survivor to helping a dying man say goodbye to his family before he passes away. While the missions are all generally combat and survival focused given the overwhelming amount of zombies on Banoi, the range of style and depth to each individual story generally make them quite enjoyable and always wondering what will happen next.

          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Overall, Dead Island has a decently high dollar value. The game suffers from a couple of glitches here and there, however the general quality is up there. Likewise, the amount of stuff that is available to do will generally keep a player content for quite a while. If a player was JUST focusing on trying to burn through the story missions, it would probably take about 8 to 12 hours of gameplay, however it's hard not to get wrapped up in everything else going on; this can easily extend gameplay to upwards of 20 hours or more. On top of this, every character in the game has been designed with their own style and feel; each one of them offering their own unique powers, strengths, and capabilities that can completely change how the game plays out. Many players already have reported how they are playing through the game multiple times just so they can play different characters. So long as you are ok with the excessive blood and gore and the action/horror focus, Dead Island will be worth your bottom dollar.

Recommendations

-          Just about any other game, perhaps with the exception of Dead Space, will be less gory than Dead Island. With that said, there aren't really any horror games that aren't M-Rated. However, if you are going for the horror feel and are ok with an M-Rating, you might check out Left 4 Dead, Condemned, or FEAR. If you are more interested in the open-world design, you might also give Fallout New Vegas or Borderlands a look.