weirderguy's blog: September 2011

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/preview-dead-island-20110808-1iita.html

Looking at the whole first hour of the game, it shows a lot of promise. Visually the game has some noticeable problems, but that could easily be cleaned up before the September release date. The main focus however is the combat and RPG elements, which is where Dead Island made the biggest impression on me. Melee attacks feels well balanced enough to complement the violent subject matter. The light RPG aspect and weapon development also has a lot of potential. Coupled with the announcement that the game has four-player co-op, Dead Island looks like an increasingly attractive prospect. Anyway, who can resist the clammy charm of a zombie in a Hawaiian shirt? I know I can't.

Deep Silver Reveal Dead Island Social Networking App

http://electronictheatre.co.uk/index.php/articles/8879-deep-silver-reveal-dead-island-social-networking-app Dead Island will be available in stores in North America on 6th September and on 9th September 2011 in the rest of the world. Electronic Theatre will keep you updated with all the latest details on Dead Island, and other forthcoming titles from Deep Silver.

Preview: Dead Island

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/preview-dead-island-20110808-1iita.html

As you will be spending a large chunk of your time in combat, the emphasis on making it play well is paramount. Unlike Dead Rising, and other previous zombie games in which the bloodthirsty hordes become too familiar and soon lose their bite, I found the combat to be thoroughly entertaining (for the hour I played, at least). Sam B's attacks have a satisfying weight to them without being overpowered.The interesting thing is how difficult it can easily become. As I got used to the controls and became complacent, Dead Island repeatedly put me in my place with a group of four or more living dead. This difficulty requires you to be more tactical with your attacks and keeps the tension high when it needs to be. Hopefully the rest of the game can take advantage of these tense moments and expand on them.

Dead Island: Slice and Dice in Paradise

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/118/1185181p1.html The only major criticism that we can level at the game based off our one-hour hands-on is that the voice acting is straight up awful. Given that the island in question – the fictitious 'Banoi' – is supposedly situated off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the bulk of the survivors in the game appear to be holiday-goers from the neighboring countries of Australia and New Zealand. Yet their jumbled dialects make them sound like Polish people impersonating a South African mimicking Paul Hogan from his 'shrimp on the barbie' tourism commercials from the eighties. It's possible the audio was still placeholder in this early build of the game, but with only a month to go until the game's release its most likely that these voices will stay, and the clumsiness of the acting really lessens the impact of any drama the game is trying to create.

PREVIEW: Hands-on with Dead Island!

http://www.examiner.com/video-game-industry-in-san-francisco/preview-hands-on-with-dead-island

From a graphical stand point, DI is, well, bloody. Zombies are found right out of the gate with satisfyingly disgusting gore. If there demo weren't timed I would have just stood there taking the madness in, it's quite a sight. Bloom and weather effects all deserve double takes.Bushes, character models, palm trees and water effects are solid. The level of detail is astounding. The island is filled with gorgeous vistas as well as the grotesque. It's a classic beauty and the beast.