Dead Island: Riptide

While Dead Island Riptide may not be Dead Island 2 by name, Dead Island Riptide is the full sequel to the original game. This was released shortly after the first game (just a couple of years) and there is some talk that it was originally intended as some kind of expansion pack rather than a full game.

The Gang Is All Back!

To say that Dead Island Riptide is a direct sequel is a huge understatement. This game takes place literally right after the events of the first game. As a result, all of the characters that you can across in that first game and who made it to the very end are here right at the start of the game.

New Island, Same Problems

The game sees you arrive on a new island that is once again something of a tropical paradise. The island this time around does not feel quite as spectacular as it did before and the level design feels like they have played it very, very safe. Do not get me wrong the island is a great size, there are plenty of locations for you to explore and each one is full of the undead. However, it just feels like you have seen it all before as there is very little here to wow you after the first game.

More Zombie Slaying RPG Antics

While the setting may not blow you away, as far as a zombie survival horror, RPG game goes I do feel that Dead Island Riptide is still a lot of fun. Now granted they have not exactly added a ton of new content here, but what it does, Dead Island Riptide does very well. You will once again be exploring every nook and cranny as you try to loot each location for all it has.

Making your weapons, leveling up and making use of your skill points are just as much fun as they were before. So is the survival horror aspect where you always feel like there could be death waiting for you just around the corner. While I had fun with Dead Island Riptide and actually, I would say that technically it is just as good as the first game. The fact is they really played it safe here and did not add much of anything new.

Zombie Slaying With Friends

I would say that the co-op offered by Dead Island Riptide is better than its predecessor. Each of the playable characters do feel different, but the game will cater the zombies to the level of the people playing. So, if one player is a much higher level than another the game will set the level of the zombies accordingly which is a nice feature.

Let’s Talk About That Collector’s Edition!

Ok so this has nothing to do with the actual game, but we have to address the creepy, disgusting…... and kind of cool collector’s edition that came out with this. Getting a statue with a game is nothing new and something many of us collectors look forward to. Dead Island Riptide got some pretty major press for having a statue of a severed female torso as its statue!

Pros:

• The island is once again diverse
• It is actually a full sequel
• There are buckets of blood and gore in the game
• The characters feel different from each other
• The RPG mechanics and survival horror aspect are once again fun

Cons:

• The same problems of the first game are here
• It is very, very similar to the first game

Most folks actually consider Dead Island: Riptide, Dead Island 2. Which does kind of make sense as this was the follow up to the original and so far, Dead Island 2 still does seem like a very long way away!

The Story

Despite not actually being called Dead Island 2, Dead Island: Riptide takes place just after the first game. Without giving away spoilers here, the characters that survived the experience in the first game ended up on a brand-new island and once again have to fight in order to survive.

I have to admit that the story this time around really did not do a ton for me and it felt like it was rehashing much of what happened in the first game. It was said that this game started out as an expansion pack rather than a sequel and I can kind of see that.

The Presentation

Dead Island: Riptide is once again set in a “tropical paradise” no matter if you are outside or in an indoor environment the game looks good. They did play it rather safe with the style of the game as there is not really anything that I would say is radically new here. However, at the same time what the game does do it does it very well and I especially love how decayed some of the zombies are in this game.

The sound in Dead Island: Riptide is actually something I feel it does not get the credit it deserves for. The smash of slamming something against a zombie’s head is incredibly satisfying. On the flip side, the groans and noises the undead make are quite unsettling.

The Gameplay

Let me start by saying that if you loved what the original Dead Island offered you are going to love Dead Island: Riptide. This game is offering more of the same which is not really a bad thing if you as me as the first game was a lot of fun. You will still be going from area to area looking for new things that you can loot so you can make some kick butt weapons. You will be wanting to level up as quickly as possible and you will want to make sure you do all you can to survive. I think survival horror/RPG is the best way to describe this series and Dead Island: Riptide is offering more of that kind of action.

This game plays very well and it is a fun experience. However, remember when I said this was said to originally be an expansion to the first game? Well, the very similar gameplay does support this theory if you ask me.

Playing with friends this time is better though. I love the different characters that this series has and in Dead Island: Riptide. I actually felt that picking a certain character over another did make a difference.

The game is also very clever in the way it dishes out the undead for you to fight. The zombies get harder and harder as you level up, but when you play with people you can be at all different levels. Well, the game is smart in the way it will adjust the difficulty of the zombies to suit the different levels that players are at in a game.

Final Thoughts On Dead Island: Riptide

This may seem like a rather negative review of Dead Island: Riptide, but let me state that this is a fun game. I liked the first Dead Island game so I liked this one, I just feel that they did not really change enough things to really make this one stand out on its own. Still, it is well worth checking out, especially if you enjoyed the first game.

7.5/10

Pros:

• Plenty of areas to explore
• The different characters are fun to play as
• There is so much blood!
• Looting is a lot of fun
• Playing with friends makes the game even better

Cons:

• Not much new over the first game at all
• It does feel like a 1.5 more than a full sequel