David Moloney

I don't understand why Dead Island has such low ratings. Maybe I will need to play more to find out. I went into Dead Island 2 wondering what they could possibly have to offer that could compete with Dying Light. The graphics are really something else, but what really got me is how much details they went into for body destruction physics, I have witnessed a zombies skin melt off after being exposed to acid, char from being set on fire, I have been able to bludgen a zombies body, exposing a full skeleton and organ system. It really allows you to see that damage you're causing on each hit. However, I will say. They could tone down the ragdoll a tad. I'm not so sure about the story so far. *Spoiler* You start off in a plane crash and land in Bel Air. There is some famous movie star which has the forseit to install a perimeter fence around her mansion and bullet proof glass. You start off looking for other survivors around the map, after finding you're immune. (you were bitten after the plane crash) and find out that the military have set up in a hotel nearby. When you arrive, you find it's been overrun. You later get contacted by a doctor, who reveals he works for the CDC and is very excited to hear that you're immune, claiming that they've been looking for someone like you. The premise being that you are the only hope for a cure and you now need to make your way to a government lab so you can be experimented on for a cure. *Spoiler End* It's still not clear what direction the story is going to take from here, but so far, it seems alright. Nothing that hasn't been done before, I feel like it's being played safe. The weapon crafting system is great, you can keep a favourite weapon and repair it at workbenches, upgrade, modify and even match the weapons level to your own. This means that you'll never leave a weapon lying on the floor. You can also pick weapons up and break them down for parts. The game has a skill card system, that gives you buffs and some additional skills, like a flying kick or a drop kick. Kicking a dead zombie in the head is oddly satisfying. But for some odd reason, is the only thing that doesn't cause physical damage (punching them in the face does and is actually really fun to do) The leveling system isn't much to shout home about. You level up, zombies in the open world scale to your approximate level. You may encounter some that a couple of levels higher than you, you will encounter some that are a level or two below you. It keeps the game varied in my opinion, some zombies will die in one hit to the head with a shovel, others will take a bit more. The game is good at making you want to avoid large zombie groups. All in all, it's a surprisingly good game, which I would recommend. I don't usually write reviews about games but I feel this deserves one, because it's sitting at 3.5 stars on playstation, with some bad reviews floating around. I don't think it's deserved at all. I'd recommend this game

I find the story very difficult to complete in this game, not because it sucks but because the game is so content rich, you'll encounter something meaningful every corner of the map you explore, the side quests are great, the encounters are great and all the mini side activities and events are incredible too. The game just keeps on giving, from the combat system, to activities, cosmetics and the story itself (the combat system is the best I have seen yet) The games optimisation is horizon zero dawn level of good, most of the game is buttery smooth with a few minor frame drops in really particle rich areas of the game. The amount of graphical beauty this game has for a PS4 game is really something. If you have been on the ropes about getting this game, I'll tell you now, it will be one of the best games you'll play this year. I almost feel bad that this game won't be the game of the year with a competitor like Cyberpunk 2077 which may well still be the top candidate for that. If this game had have been released any year prior it would definitely be the best game of that year, no doubt at all in my mind. Only time will tell whether Cyberpunk will be as good as it looks. Regardless, get this game.