Dead Island: Riptide Review

"A bit too much deja vu"

Video Review

Intro

A year and a half ago, the original Dead Island released shortly after a phenomenal, yet mostly unrelated, trailer, that provided some false hype. The game sold very well. Why wouldn't it, considering it seems that lately zombies are the new vampires, if you catch my drift.  Critically, the game didn't fair quite as well; most complimented the concept, but ragged on the lackluster graphics and glitches.  Wasting no time on pumping out a sequel to follow the original's success, Dead Island: Riptide came to be.   The question is: How is it?  Well, let me put it this way: Riptide plays more like an expansion or DLC than it does a sequel, yet, sequel is what it's supposed to be.  It's funny though, because I'd never gotten as heavy a sense of deja vu until this game came along.

Free Fallin!

Graphics/Presentation/Story

The story picks up right where the last one left off, and newcomers to the series are brought up to speed on what has transpired by a very to-the-point cut-scene.  Our band of immune misfits once again must fight their way through a seemingly endless onslaught of undead in an attempt to overcome the zombie apocalypse.  Players can expect about the same from the story department in this newest entry.  By that, I mean the story is mostly unimagined and predictable, yet for some unknown reason, it's still somewhat interesting.  Cinematics appear outdated  and are poorly executed, which do not help the story come along.  Dialogue, once again, is very hit and miss, but really missing more than hitting.  I found myself watching all the actual cinematics, but when it came to talking to NPC's in-game I skimmed the dialogue or just outright skipped through it.  None of it was interesting enough to be granted my full attention.  The people in the game, to be straightforward, are really boring. One would think with a full-out zombie apocalypse going on outside they would be more fun to listen to.

Burning Ring of Fire

In-game graphics can pretty much be classified as identical to the first Dead Island, which, if you remember what I mentioned earlier, was criticized for having "poor" graphics.  Personally, I really don't mind how this game or the one that came before it looks. I'm rather fond of its cartoonish gorey charm.  Considering the scope of the game, I think they are more than acceptable.  Although, in opposition, I do think that, given this is supposed to be a sequel, the graphics should have gotten an overhaul.  The only changes I noticed were some very minor changes to the menu screens, some slight improvements on the blood effects, and I think the lighting looked a little better; but that last one might be a stretch.  Other than that, there's not much to say. Most of the objects from the first game were recycled and used in this entry.  The locations are different, although the majority of the game takes place in the jungle, which is very reminiscent of the first island locale from the original,  However, that's not necessarily a bad thing because everyone I've talked to preferred that location, opposed to the later areas featured in the game.

Gameplay/Structure

From the start, the player is given the option of either loading their high-level character obtained from the first installment. or choosing from the same 5 characters and starting fresh, which is what I did.  Allowing people to transfer over characters was perhaps one of the few smart moves done by the developers.  Everybody loves knowing that all their hard work and time put into a game wasn't for naught.  Anyway, if you start fresh your character is actually jump-started to level 15, and the overall cap is now level 70.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre anyone?

As soon as you are in control of whichever character you choose, the sense of deja vu I spoke of will begin to set in.  I'll start trying to name all the changes I noticed to the gameplay, which actually isn't as hard as it should be.  Kicking now seems to be less effective, the stamina bar appears to be a bit more generous, looting bodies is now instantaneous instead of having a split second delay as it did before, the map looks a tad better (sadly the mini-map is still as un-detailed as ever), there are defense inspired missions, a couple new zombie types are added, and boats can now be driven, along with cars.  Out of all these changes, I'd have to say the boat is the biggest addition. Plus if you charge 100 infected with your boat, you are granted a very generous 90 point achievement. Good luck trying to turn it though, hope you enjoy three-point turns.  One other change is that some animations have changed ever so slightly, although for some reason, most of the interactions required (activated by the "X" button) still lack any character animation whatsoever.  I do have to say that I encountered fewer issues with this game at its launch than its predecessor, so, I guess it is more polished. However, that doesn't prevent the occasional graphical hiccup.

Waterkill

The game is set up exactly how the previous game was, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, seeing as the formula worked wonders the first time around.  Combining action, zombies, and an open world with RPG elements will probably never get old.  Leveling up is as addicting and rewarding as needed.  More addicting is the collecting of rare, unique, and powerful weapons to enact gruesome acts upon one's foes.  Managing inventory and keeping track of weapons is necessary, yet for some reason, still kind of a hassle.  Not because doing it bothers me, but because I don't feel that comparing weapons, and finding which ones are ideal is as fluid or simple as it should be.  What is ideal, though, is the amount of weapons able to be assigned to your character and held in your inventory.  Something I still personally feel could be done away with is melee weapons becoming damaged and constantly needing to be repaired.  I mean, come on, nobody in their right mind actually enjoys having to repair their weapons after every mission.  Plus, if the developers need something for the players to spend their cash on, then they should just come up with a more in-depth weapon upgrade system.  I mean, they're already sort of on the right track with being able to build custom mods, but if they were to include something similar to the upgrade system introduced in Dead Space 3 and completely get rid of having to repair weapons, then they would be golden.  That would allow people to truly feel that the weapon is unique to them, which is what people want.  People want to be able to create something that other people don't have.

Bum-rushing the game's main-plot will take roughly 9 hours, or at least that's how long it took me starting with a fresh character.  After doing so, I was right around level 40 I think.  The game notifies you right before its end that after activating the last mission you will no longer be able to explore the island.  Even if you do choose to end the game, you are able to start up a brand new campaign with your same character and inventory, so it's not a big deal. You'll just have to redo missions that have already been completed.

This is a game that a lot of people won't want to put down just because they finished the campaign.  No, they'll want to try to hit the max level cap, complete the extra side-quests, and find the many different collectibles.

Zombie Gropage

Like its predecessor, the game features drop-in/out co-op.  As expected, playing cooperatively with friends can be a blast, and from what I've noticed, it tends to make the game easier.  Solo play is equally enjoyable, so don't feel pressured into needing people to play with.  Actually, more than likely, someone will end up joining your game anyway, unless you disable that feature.  Three times during the main plot, someone joined me on my missions.

Conclusion

Dead Island: Riptide seems to be nothing more than an almost exact replication of the original, which causes it to not actually feel like a sequel.  If you can get past the obvious disappointment of not getting any real, yet much needed ,improvements, then you will once again get to experience some fun zombie slayage with your friends.  This game proves again that the unique RPG-esque formula with zombies can create an awesome experience for the player.  Being able to transfer your high level character over to this game was a well-made decision.  Graphics remain outdated and gameplay flaws remain.  Technically speaking, out of the two, I found this to be the better game.  Just tread carefully when making your decision to purchase this game.  Make certain that you are okay with experiencing a lot of deja vu.  If you loved the first game, and couldn't get enough of it, then you will likely still enjoy this game.  Actually, you may not even care that this is far from a "true sequel."

Headshot!

Pros

+ RPG elements
+ Gameplay formula equals awesome
+ Gorey fun
+ Cooperative
+ Rewarding/addicting

Cons

- Not a true sequel
- Deja vu
- Graphics weren't improved
- Cinematics still suck
- Story is still unimagined
- Dialogue is hit and miss
- Some quests are boring