With all of the games that have come out in 2011, one in particular stands out as my favorite. That game is Dead Island from Deep Silver Games (PS3). Dead Island is an open world zombie game set on the fictional island of Banoi. You get to play as one of four characters trying to make their way to safety amidst all the carnage and chaos caused by the zombie plague. Let’s take a look at the features that make this my pick for favorite game of 2011.
Different Characters, Different Skills
Each character has a different skillset that comes in handy depending on the weapons you encounter. For instance, Sam B is best with blunt weapons, Xian Mei is best with sharp weapons, Purna is strongest with guns, and lastly, Logan is a master of throwing weapons. Who would you pick? After playing the game, you would be surprised at how much this matters. This brings me to the next reason of why Dead Island is so great.
Weapons Galore
Anything from sticks to machetes, and even machine guns, are waiting to found on the island. The best part of those is all of the possible weapon modifications. You can find instructions that will enable you to do things like electrify a machete, put nails in a bat, or even make bombs out of random materials. Weapons are also able to be upgraded which enables them to last longer and do more damage. Weapons also have different levels, which brings me to the last point of why I find Dead Island so entertaining.
Leveling Up
In Dead Island, you can level up by earning experience points from kills and completing missions. When this happens, you can also upgrade aspects of your specific skillset pertaining to your weapon specialty. However, the real treat comes in the form of stronger weapons. In the game, you will come across weapons on all different levels that increase as you do, but if you aren’t at the same level as the weapon, you can’t use it.
While Dead Island is not groundbreaking, it offers a fun departure from all of the standard shooter, sports, and fighting games that permeate the market. The graphics are amazing and bring the island to life, and there are countless items to loot for goodies to help battle zombies. Simply put, Dead Island is bloody good fun.