I’ve been waiting a ludicrously long time for Dead Island 2 to sink its teeth in me. Announced a whopping 9 years ago, then worked (and reworked) on by three studios, it’s something of an unknown quantity now. This shambling ARPG stubbornly refusing to die is impressive, but the danger of long development rot exists. Conversely, years of extra experimentation and augmentation may have just created a stronger zombie variant, not unlike the in-game berserkers who see your brain as a Big Kahuna Burger.
The jury is still out, but the veil of this terrifying tinseltown was pulled back for me recently. I had a pretty gore-gasmic time hewing my way through the living impaired in the first 5 hours of Dead Island 2. Basically, I think Dambuster Studios has secured a strong (Malibu) beachhead for fun times here. There are no signs of any major fault lines at present, San Andreas or otherwise.
Could this City of Angels still house the odd developmental demon? Sure, I’m not suggesting we’re out of the (Holly)woods yet, and I’ll detail my specific concerns below, in the second part of my appraisal. For the time being, however, the positives outnumber the negatives as we near the April 21st release of Dead Island 2.
If you’re keen to hear more, click here to continue this non-spoiler hands-on. Or if you're already sold, scroll to reserve a PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, or PC version. Fancy editions are available. Below, you’ll find a full rundown of what comes in each, how much they cost, and more..
PS5
PS4
Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One
PC
Preorder the standard edition, and you’ll get the game, plus the items detailed in the 'Preorder Bonuses' section below.
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[H1]Dead Island 2 Fancy Edition Preorders[/H1]
PS5
PS4
Xbox
The HELL-A edition comes with the game, plus the following digital and physical items:
The digital-only deluxe edition comes with the game, plus the following:
The digital-only gold edition comes with the game, plus the following:
If you preorder Dead Island 2, you’ll get the Memories of Banoi Pack, which contains the following in-game items:
Also, if you sign up for the newsletter on the game's official site, you'll get a bonus in-game knife.
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[H1]Hands On Impressions After 5 Hours[/H1]
Before I list the positives of Dead Island 2, let's identify the kind of player who might raise an eyebrow at this bash-a-thon, right off the (cricket) bat. If, like me, you've come from a recent playthrough of Dying Light 2, expect a culture shock. Call it the classic mistake of thinking every zombie game shambles in lockstep with one another, like the industry equivalent of a Thriller routine.
It's best if we reset your expectations from the get-go. Forget any Dying Light 2 expectations of Mirror's Edge parkour meets vast sandbox verticality in the first few hours. Dead Island 2 will see you become a painter who works exclusively in red but, as opposed to one big mural wall, your masterpiece will spread across 10 distinct canvases. That means sizeable suburbs stitched together by loading screens. Not ideal, admittedly.
Likewise, cast aside all ideas of a Dead Rising-esque take on resourcefulness and DIY death-dealing. Despite the fact that I had plenty of things to swing, I did notice a number of prime candidate 'attitude adjusting' objects that were strangely off-limits. Case in point: random electric guitars which somehow couldn't be scooped up and used to rock people in the MMA sense.
On the positive side of things, I quickly fell into the groove of puzzle-solving my way through impressively detailed McMansions of the rich and famous (many of whom were still at home but sporting the most extreme makeovers imaginable). Utilising a surprisingly tactical and nuanced melee system, I provided my own facelifts with a resident history buff’s cutlass, and the odd 2 x 4 or pipe. A lack of guitars became a distant memory.
Hell, by the time I hit level 10 I was more or less sold on Dead Island 2 when craftable Wolverine-style claws appeared and marked my transition from stealth exponent to ultra-violent name-taker. Because, hey, which statement sounds more fun? "I snuck around a group of zombies" or "I absolutely snikt my way through 'em like Logan."
Which statement sounds more fun? "I snuck around a group of zombies" or "I absolutely snikt my way through 'em like Logan."
As fans of this series might expect, breakable weapons abound, as does the need to XP grind to be effective against elite ‘skull’ enemies. Also, your approach to this carnage will be largely influenced by which of the six distinct Slayer characters you choose. My learned colleague Tristan Ogilvie went with Ryan, a tank-like male stripper who weirdly earns health buffs by knocking down Zs. I chose posterboy Jacob, an expat British stuntman who prefers a more direct approach.
I was quite happy to build off his innate skills of Feral and Critical Gains. The former earned me a damage boost for consecutive hits landed, while the latter coincided with the end of those onslaughts by increasing my crits when my stamina was depleted. Relentless, high-risk CQC assaults are as fun as they sound.
It’s also interesting to see how Jacob can be inched into certain proficiencies, thanks to a tarot card system. Admittedly, I was only privy to smaller, quality of life damage and defense buffs in the Act 1 of this game. The potentially life-changing, sub-class-creating 'Numen' cards remain a mystery to me.
In closing, I feel better acclimated with the atmosphere and intent of Hell-A, and can see myself sinking many hours (and curved, pointed appendages) into this zombie-fest. And that's without even mentioning the feature that has me the most excited about this game: three-player co-op. Though this is a disappointing downgrade from the opt-out-8-player originally touted, it still fits with the John Donne philosophy I personally subscribe to.
No one is an island, entire of itself; friends who slay together, stay together.
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[H1]Dead Island 2 Trailers[/H1]
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Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
Continue reading...
The jury is still out, but the veil of this terrifying tinseltown was pulled back for me recently. I had a pretty gore-gasmic time hewing my way through the living impaired in the first 5 hours of Dead Island 2. Basically, I think Dambuster Studios has secured a strong (Malibu) beachhead for fun times here. There are no signs of any major fault lines at present, San Andreas or otherwise.
Could this City of Angels still house the odd developmental demon? Sure, I’m not suggesting we’re out of the (Holly)woods yet, and I’ll detail my specific concerns below, in the second part of my appraisal. For the time being, however, the positives outnumber the negatives as we near the April 21st release of Dead Island 2.
If you’re keen to hear more, click here to continue this non-spoiler hands-on. Or if you're already sold, scroll to reserve a PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, or PC version. Fancy editions are available. Below, you’ll find a full rundown of what comes in each, how much they cost, and more..
Table of Contents
- Cheapest Preorder opps
- Fancy Editions to consider
- 5-hour Hands On Impressions
- Dead Island 2 Trailers
Dead Island 2 (Standard Edition)
PS5
- Get it at Amazon -
$99.99$70 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi -
$99.99$79 - Get it at MightyApe -
$99.99$69
PS4
- Get it at Amazon -
$99.99$70 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi -
$99.99$79 - Get it at MightyApe -
$99.99$69
Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One
- Get it at Amazon -
$99.99$70 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi -
$99.99$79 - Get it at MightyApe -
$99.99$69
PC
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $89.99
Preorder the standard edition, and you’ll get the game, plus the items detailed in the 'Preorder Bonuses' section below.
Back to top
[H1]Dead Island 2 Fancy Edition Preorders[/H1]
Dead Island 2 HELL-A Edition
PS5
- Get it at Amazon -
$149.95$144 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi - $149
- Get it at MightyApe -
$149.99$139
PS4
- Get it at Amazon -
$149.95$144 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi - $149
- Get it at MightyApe -
$149.99$139
Xbox
- Get it at Amazon -
$149.95$144 - Get it at JB Hi-Fi - $149
- Get it at MightyApe -
$149.99$139
The HELL-A edition comes with the game, plus the following digital and physical items:
- Steelbook case
- Venice Beach Travel Map
- 6 Slayer Tarot Cards
- 2 Pin Badges
- 1 Patch
- Expansion Pass
- Pulp Weapons Pack
- Golden Weapons Pack
Dead Island 2 Deluxe Edition
- Get it at PS Store - $107.95
- Get it at Xbox Store - $117.95
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $97.95
The digital-only deluxe edition comes with the game, plus the following:
- Memories of Banoi Pack
- Golden Weapons Pack
- Character Pack 1 & 2
Dead Island 2 Gold Edition
- Get it at PS Store - $129.95
- Get it at Xbox Store - $149.95
- Get it at Epic Games Store - $119.95
The digital-only gold edition comes with the game, plus the following:
- Expansion Pass
- Memories of Banoi Pack
- Pulp Weapons Pack
- Golden Weapons Pack
- Character Pack 1 & 2
Dead Island 2 Preorder Bonus
If you preorder Dead Island 2, you’ll get the Memories of Banoi Pack, which contains the following in-game items:
- Banoi War Club
- Banoi Baseball Bat
- Personal Space Skill Card
Also, if you sign up for the newsletter on the game's official site, you'll get a bonus in-game knife.
Back to top
[H1]Hands On Impressions After 5 Hours[/H1]
Before I list the positives of Dead Island 2, let's identify the kind of player who might raise an eyebrow at this bash-a-thon, right off the (cricket) bat. If, like me, you've come from a recent playthrough of Dying Light 2, expect a culture shock. Call it the classic mistake of thinking every zombie game shambles in lockstep with one another, like the industry equivalent of a Thriller routine.
It's best if we reset your expectations from the get-go. Forget any Dying Light 2 expectations of Mirror's Edge parkour meets vast sandbox verticality in the first few hours. Dead Island 2 will see you become a painter who works exclusively in red but, as opposed to one big mural wall, your masterpiece will spread across 10 distinct canvases. That means sizeable suburbs stitched together by loading screens. Not ideal, admittedly.
Likewise, cast aside all ideas of a Dead Rising-esque take on resourcefulness and DIY death-dealing. Despite the fact that I had plenty of things to swing, I did notice a number of prime candidate 'attitude adjusting' objects that were strangely off-limits. Case in point: random electric guitars which somehow couldn't be scooped up and used to rock people in the MMA sense.
On the positive side of things, I quickly fell into the groove of puzzle-solving my way through impressively detailed McMansions of the rich and famous (many of whom were still at home but sporting the most extreme makeovers imaginable). Utilising a surprisingly tactical and nuanced melee system, I provided my own facelifts with a resident history buff’s cutlass, and the odd 2 x 4 or pipe. A lack of guitars became a distant memory.
Hell, by the time I hit level 10 I was more or less sold on Dead Island 2 when craftable Wolverine-style claws appeared and marked my transition from stealth exponent to ultra-violent name-taker. Because, hey, which statement sounds more fun? "I snuck around a group of zombies" or "I absolutely snikt my way through 'em like Logan."
Which statement sounds more fun? "I snuck around a group of zombies" or "I absolutely snikt my way through 'em like Logan."
As fans of this series might expect, breakable weapons abound, as does the need to XP grind to be effective against elite ‘skull’ enemies. Also, your approach to this carnage will be largely influenced by which of the six distinct Slayer characters you choose. My learned colleague Tristan Ogilvie went with Ryan, a tank-like male stripper who weirdly earns health buffs by knocking down Zs. I chose posterboy Jacob, an expat British stuntman who prefers a more direct approach.
I was quite happy to build off his innate skills of Feral and Critical Gains. The former earned me a damage boost for consecutive hits landed, while the latter coincided with the end of those onslaughts by increasing my crits when my stamina was depleted. Relentless, high-risk CQC assaults are as fun as they sound.
It’s also interesting to see how Jacob can be inched into certain proficiencies, thanks to a tarot card system. Admittedly, I was only privy to smaller, quality of life damage and defense buffs in the Act 1 of this game. The potentially life-changing, sub-class-creating 'Numen' cards remain a mystery to me.
In closing, I feel better acclimated with the atmosphere and intent of Hell-A, and can see myself sinking many hours (and curved, pointed appendages) into this zombie-fest. And that's without even mentioning the feature that has me the most excited about this game: three-player co-op. Though this is a disappointing downgrade from the opt-out-8-player originally touted, it still fits with the John Donne philosophy I personally subscribe to.
No one is an island, entire of itself; friends who slay together, stay together.
Back to top
[H1]Dead Island 2 Trailers[/H1]
Back to top
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
Continue reading...
