Dead Island (PC, Xbox 360 & PS3)

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:46 pm

It's been in development since 2007 and almost got scrapped at one point. Should be out this year.

Dead Island is a non-linear first-person shooter in which you find yourself on an island plunged into chaos. It's a place where the word "dead" has an entirely new meaning. Face the nightmare and fight for survival.
Use anything you find in your surroundings as a weapon. Make decisions that influence the entire world around you, take advantage of opponent behavior and game physics, and explore the secrets hidden in the darkest regions of the island.

Trailer is amazing no gameplay footage yet.

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360 · Post by **360** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:04 pm

Holy shit @ that trailer. Might be the first time a VG trailer ever made me feel something. Deep.

Love zombies so I will be looking into this.

Req · Post by **Req** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:02 pm

zombies are fucking dicks man

Kalistoga · Post by **Kalistoga** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:57 pm

crazy.

Truth. · Post by **Truth.** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:14 pm

best cgi trailer in a while

Sucka Ducka · Post by **Sucka Ducka** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:48 am

wow. thanks for posting. will cop.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:27 am

Hacksaw Jim Thuggin wrote:wow. thanks for posting. will cop.

hold onto your cash, man.

No actual gameplay footage or reviews yet.

Sucka Ducka · Post by **Sucka Ducka** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:47 am

no doubt, just sayin'. Looks like a definite purchase from that trailer. Although I usually try to not buy games right when they come out anyways.

LilLeftBrain · Post by **LilLeftBrain** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:54 pm

ill.
add the main score from LOST
iller.

BigCat8 · Post by **BigCat8** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:33 pm

Obviously I'll reserve judgement until gameplay is shown, but it definitely sucks that it took them so long to get this developed because it's no longer a new experience. Dead Rising 2 did the combo weapon zombie thing, so I'm hoping there's some kind of twist (other than first person perspective) to make this a unique game.

Zombie classes could provide an interesting twist on the formula, but until I see more, I'm kinda feeling a little deja vu given the information out there.

Watching the IGN Rewind Theater on this trailer pointed out a few little things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Most notably, most signs of zombification seem to fade after the girl falls to her death.

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The Aluminum Falcon · Post by **The Aluminum Falcon** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Man, if the gameplay is half as enthralling as the trailer is this game is going to be incredible.

Don't know if you guys have heard but The Walking Dead will be made into a game as well. Hopefully this adaptation will be a little better than the TV series(which is decent imo).

The Walking Dead. For years, the title was known -- and adored -- by comic fans, and then this past October the franchise went mainstream with the AMC television show. Now, it's a phenomenon that nearly everyone knows about.

A video game was inevitable, and Telltale Games is happy to answer the call. Today, the developers behind adventure games such as Back to the Future and Sam & Max announced that it has entered into a "multi-year, multi-platform, multi-title" Walking Dead partnership with Robert Kirkman, creator of the franchise. Specific platforms for the project weren't announced, but the agreement covers PC, Mac, consoles, handhelds, mobile and social gaming media. Telltale is looking at a fourth quarter 2011 release.

We don't know about you, but those aren't enough hard details for us. That said, we grabbed Robert Kirkman and threw our burning questions at him about the game, TV show and Invincible. What did he have to say? Let's find out...

The first piece of art for the game.
IGN: A Walking Dead game?! Does this prove conclusively that there is a God, Mr. Kirkman?

Robert Kirkman: I think the jury is still out on that one, but the trail is definitely warm.

IGN: What kind of game is this? Third-person action? Adventure? Where does this game take place in terms of the Walking Dead timeline? Will we see characters that haven't been explored on TV and/or comics? Who do we play as? Are we Rick, someone in his group or just a survivor in the Walking Dead World? Oh, snap, are we zombies?! Tell us something?!

Robert Kirkman: The game is at an early stage, and we're in the process of mapping this all out now.

IGN: What Walking Dead universe does the game fall into? Is it happening in the comic world? The TV show? A mix of both?

Robert Kirkman: Definitely within the comic book world, just like the novel series.

IGN: Telltale is known for episodic adventures; is that what's happening here?

Robert Kirkman: Yes, it's definitely episodic.

IGN: If I can bend your ear and beard about the TV show, the last two episodes of Season 1 veered drastically away from the comic book. Will Season 2 continue down this path and into original TV stories or will it be circling back around to pick up storylines from the comic?

Robert Kirkman: For the most part, it will be circling back around but, like the entirety of the first season, there will always be divergences from the comic story to keep people on their toes.

IGN: Besides Frank Darabont, it's a new group of writers for Season 2. Have you talked to Glen Mazzara about the direction they're looking to go with the series? If so, what is it?

Robert Kirkman: I've been working closely with Glen for a week now, and you're going to have to wait for any details, because I can't reveal anything right now.

IGN: Are there any characters you're hoping to see introduced soon on the show?

Robert Kirkman: Yes -- Michonne, Tyrese, Hershel... whether or not we'll get to all of them in [season 2]is up in the air. I'm looking forward to most every comic book character making it into the show, but I'm excited to see who we actually do get to.

IGN: You wrote an episode in season one, are you going to pen one in season two?

Robert Kirkman: Currently, yes.

LilLeftBrain · Post by **LilLeftBrain** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:51 pm

BigCat8 wrote:<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PsIg5htPlzw?fs ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PsIg5htPlzw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>

jesus. safe to say i missed mostly all of that
in the camp of buying this w/o seeing any gameplay footage.

None · Post by **None** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:13 am

This looks like Heavy RainxZombies, I can only hope there is an obvious visual metaphor to contrast the game's dramatic tension. Also, zombies contemplatively mugging the camera to sad music would be incredible.

Drastik · Post by **Drastik** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:28 am

^NO WAY. Heavy rain was just button pressing. The guy said that you will have to find random objects in game to use as weapons that deteriorate. He said something about acquiring the blueprints of random shit and then assembling new weapons at a workbench of some sort. Doesn't sound anything like Heavy Rain. Fuck that game.

Kalistoga · Post by **Kalistoga** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:59 am

anyone read the IGN article where someone played the game? kinda disappointed that the game is more on the comedic side like Dead Rising. The guy said he didn't get the same vibe playing the demo as he did seeing the trailer.

manwhore · Post by **manwhore** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:33 am

GDC: Is Dead Island Anything Like Its Debut Trailer?
So far, all the excitement has been about the incredible Dead Island trailer. Let's check out the actual game.

Serious. Somber. Disturbing. These are words I would use to describe Dead Island's amazing debut trailer.

You saw it, right?

Dead Island's Debut

Today I got to see about 15 minutes of Dead Island in action. What words would I use to describe the gameplay?

Silly. Wacky. Goofy.

Oh, and fun.

Dead Island is a first-person hack-and-slash game set in the midst of a zombie outbreak in a tropical paradise. It's more Dead Rising than Resident Evil, with a focus on action over suspense. The developers themselves say they're going for "zombie zombie zombie all the time." An abundance of makeshift weapons lying around like paddles, baseball bats, and wrenches ג and the fact that these can be combined and upgraded ג further reminds me of Dead Rising.

A game trailer that shows no gameplay might be entertaining, but it is useless as a metric for judging a game's quality.
Then there is the four-player cooperative play, also giving Dead Island a little Left 4 Dead flavor. At the beginning of the game you select your character (which represents your class) and are stuck with that choice for the duration of the adventure. Whomever you choose, you are special among the survivors on the island -- you seem to be the only person immune to the zombie disease, and therefore can go toe-to-toe with the undead without fear of being converted.

The game has a very different tone than the somber trailer. It's fast and arcade-like. The plaintive piano and strings of the trailer are replaced with video game heavy metal. You can be clawed, bitten, and mauled by zombies and then be in perfect health a moment later. Tools and equipment can be jammed together to create ridiculous weapons, like an electrified machete. Is an electrified machete cool? Of course it is! But the macabre giggles it coaxed out of me are quite different than the quiet unease I felt while watching the trailer.

Electrified machetes are cool, but do they fit the mood of Dead Island's debut trailer?

When developer Techland played Dead Island for me today, they chose the stereotypical "video game black guy" character. As he ran around slicing up zombies and bashing in their heads, he would exclaim things like, "Daaaaaamn, that bitch was huge!" and "You a dead bitch now!" Imagine hearing that sort of commentary over the trailer that depicted the tragic death of a young girl.

Games are about gameplay, not CGI movies. A game trailer that shows no gameplay might be entertaining, but it is useless as a metric for judging a game's quality. This should be an obvious statement, but think about how many game trailers we see these days that are bereft of gameplay footage. You can create an incredible trailer that draws attention to your game (DC Universe comes to mind), but that trailer could very well end up being more entertaining than the actual game (DC Universe comes to mind).

What if Angry Birds was really an advertisement to promote a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds? It would still be an amazing game, but it wouldn't have anything to do with that movie. Would that make any sense? It's an extreme example, but a lesser form of that bait-and-switch is happening with Dead Island.

The takeaway: Dead Island looks like good fun, even if the debut trailer was a little disingenuous. Like shooting Nazis or making robots explode, hacking up zombies really never gets old, and Dead Island seems to offer a slightly different perspective on the pastime. The level I saw today was fairly straightforward, consisting of moving from point A to point B to point C while dispatching the zombies that got in our way. But at one point I saw a plane coming in for a landing. That fascinated me: does the outside world not know of the outbreak? Did someone send help? Is a zombie flying the plane?! I look forward to finding out.

The next step is for us to actually play the game for ourselves, which we'll get the chance to do before E3

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:46 am

Yeah, fuck this game.

360 · Post by **360** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:44 pm

I'm calling bullshit on that review. I refuse to believe the game doesn't take itself seriously after watching the trailer.

Combo7 · Post by **Combo7** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 4:13 pm

There are multiple reviews online echoing the same sentiments.

Drastik · Post by **Drastik** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:34 pm

I believe it. The gameplay of Left 4 Dead is kind of goofy, too, while still holding suspense. I can see this getting repetitive. I played Dead Rising 2 for a little bit, and got bored fairly easy.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Thu May 19, 2011 4:15 am

Latest teaser. Looks like it's showing off the in-game graphics engine. Not as gripping as that first trailer but still fucking depressing.

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Captin Planit · Post by **Captin Planit** » Thu May 19, 2011 6:20 pm

How can they continue to market this the way they have if any of these sentiments about it being goofy more than anything else turn out to be true?

360 · Post by **360** » Thu May 19, 2011 8:40 pm

Good question.

However, the real question is: Who tf is the director of the trailers because they are obviously talented.

Sigma · Post by **Sigma** » Fri May 20, 2011 12:34 am

360 wrote:Good question.

However, the real question is: Who tf is the director of the trailers because they are obviously talented.

The director was a guy called Stuart Aitken from a company called Axis Animation. He also directed trailers for Killzone 2, Crysis and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.

I think the trailer is bullshit though. Not the trailer itself, the fact that it has very little to do with the actual game, other than containing zombies. The family from the trailer isn't in the game and a scene like the one it portrays doesn't happen.

I think the game is gonna be mediocre. The developer is the same team that made the Call of Juarez games, so I'm not expecting a highly polished AAA title.

360 · Post by **360** » Fri May 20, 2011 7:56 am

Wow, such false advertising.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Fri May 20, 2011 9:20 am

they do that all the time for movies though.

360 · Post by **360** » Fri May 20, 2011 9:43 am

Yea, but this is like advertising 'Your Highness' as a period drama.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Fri May 20, 2011 10:06 am

360 wrote:Yea, but this is like advertising 'Your Highness' as a period drama.

point taken

considering the amount of speculation and positivity written over that first trailer, the dev team have got to be thinking of changing the tone of their game to match it's promotion and probably announce the inevitable delay to sort this shit out.

Sigma · Post by **Sigma** » Mon May 23, 2011 6:40 am

Here's an 11 minute gameplay demo (contains spoilers obviously): -

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Kalistoga · Post by **Kalistoga** » Wed May 25, 2011 5:40 am

i dig the free roaming aspect of it.