Dead Island (video game)

[AngryNeighbour]

I know I'm probably going to get labeled as a troll for saying this, but I honestly don't have a lot of hope for this game. I mean when I first heard about this game years ago I was expecting a free-roaming sandbox game about zombies done in the style of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls or (new) Fallout series. I wanted a realistic sandbox game about zombies with a serious survival theme because I've grown sick of all the cheesy new zombie games like Dead Rising and Left 4 Dead, however it seems like this game will be a combination of both of those games. You have 4 playable characters who are all pretty much racial stereotypes (smart and pretty Asian chick, tough gangster-rapper black guy, 'cool' white guy with a mohawk, etc), and even though I originally liked the idea of this game being focused on melee combat, they've ruined it for me by allowing your character to make crazy melee weapons like a "shock machete". I officialy lost all interest for this game when I learned that one of the major character-specific skills they were talking about was going to be "punching a zombie's head off". What I want for once is a zombie game that has a serious theme like the first few Resident Evil games did, but also has the freedom of exploring a whole world and being able to do almost anything you want in a realistic way the way Bethesda's games do. I want a game where you can seek shelter in abandon buildings, find weapons to fight zombies, look for other survivors, scavange supplies to help you stay alive, etc. I want it to feel like I'm actually a character in one of Romero's films fighting to stay alive and keep from getting infected, and having an entire world to explore and seek sanctuary from the undead. Maybe I'm asking too much for a zombie game, but regardless I don't think I'll like this game. I'd rather just play one of Bethesda's new games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I'm willing to bet it'll be more fun then this game (to me at least) even if it isn't about zombies. There is a Zombie MMO possibly in the works that meets your description. Search it up. Zombie MMO for Xbox 360. I would link it, but I'm too lazy :P

[Rancid Carcass]

Gamespot UK hands on preview, all sounds rather tasty... http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/dea...&mode=previews

[MinionZombie]

every hands on says the same. this is a really hard game. that alone has me excited for the challenge. Hard? Pfft, screw that! Gamespot UK have had a hands on, all sounds rather tasty... http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/dea...&mode=previews I wonder if this "stamina" thing will end up being a tad unrealistic - like, might it run down quicker than you genuinely would in real life? Also, with all this stuff about great big boss zombies, I'm a bit "meh" about it. Like UndeadChicken (and others on this forum), I want a Fallout 3 style RPG-FPS set in a world (not in the future, not post-nuclear either, though) of purely Romero zombies, where a few are no problem, but too many are, and where bad humans are even more troublesome than the undead themselves. Where you're tasked with finding, securing and upgrading your own refuge from the undead throughout, and moving on when you have to. Where you have to help other survivors, and deal with the challenges of avoiding or confronting the humans who take this opportunity to be bad guys - do you stop a bad guy attacking a good guy, or do you help them out and risk your skin doing it? Where you can either blast through the zombie's front door, so-to-speak, in a re-purposed vehicle (which you can adapt and upgrade), or sneak in through the backdoor, so-to-speak, and go for the stealthy approach where you do your damnedest not to be spotted by any (or many) roamers. Where you have to go out hunting for supplies, after having eventually joined a larger group of survivors in a large walled-off area (think Land of the Dead) and deal with the issues and challenges (both practical, and in terms of interpersonal relations) of that new circumstance in which you find yourself. That would be the ultimate badass zombie game. Nevermind this 'zombie boss' and 'zombie runners' shit in games involving zombies. I want what I just described above. It'd be awesome. FACT.

[Mitchified]

I wonder if this "stamina" thing will end up being a tad unrealistic - like, might it run down quicker than you genuinely would in real life? Also, with all this stuff about great big boss zombies, I'm a bit "meh" about it. Like UndeadChicken (and others on this forum), I want a Fallout 3 style RPG-FPS set in a world (not in the future, not post-nuclear either, though) of purely Romero zombies, where a few are no problem, but too many are, and where bad humans are even more troublesome than the undead themselves. Where you're tasked with finding, securing and upgrading your own refuge from the undead throughout, and moving on when you have to. Where you have to help other survivors, and deal with the challenges of avoiding or confronting the humans who take this opportunity to be bad guys - do you stop a bad guy attacking a good guy, or do you help them out and risk your skin doing it? Where you can either blast through the zombie's front door, so-to-speak, in a re-purposed vehicle (which you can adapt and upgrade), or sneak in through the backdoor, so-to-speak, and go for the stealthy approach where you do your damnedest not to be spotted by any (or many) roamers. Where you have to go out hunting for supplies, after having eventually joined a larger group of survivors in a large walled-off area (think Land of the Dead) and deal with the issues and challenges (both practical, and in terms of interpersonal relations) of that new circumstance in which you find yourself. That would be the ultimate badass zombie game. Nevermind this 'zombie boss' and 'zombie runners' shit in games involving zombies. I want what I just described above. It'd be awesome. FACT. So in other words, you want it to be boring and repetitive for everyone not into the zombie survivalist thing but are just looking for a fun game. That's seriously how it would play out if you have basically one kind of enemy for the entire game. Too much realism (erm, so to speak, in this case) doesn't make for a fun video game. If it did, developers would be making HD versions of the Oregon Trail. What you're describing works well in movies and books, but it makes for boring video games.

[Danny]

So in other words, you want it to be boring and repetitive for everyone not into the zombie survivalist thing but are just looking for a fun game. That's seriously how it would play out if you have basically one kind of enemy for the entire game. Too much realism (erm, so to speak, in this case) doesn't make for a fun video game. If it did, developers would be making HD versions of the Oregon Trail. What you're describing works well in movies and books, but it makes for boring video games. been there, said that dude. inb4 shitstorm....

[Mitchified]

been there, said that dude. inb4 shitstorm.... To be fair, isn't there already some zombie simulation text-based MMO out there? I can't remember the name, but I can't see any way to make a "true" zombie apocalypse game outside of text-based. But hey, if THAT is going to cause a shitstorm, I might as well add more truth to the fire. Left 4 Dead's enemies were better than zombies because they were fast and there were different versions, Dead Rising only worked because of the insane people, Dead Island looks pretty darn bad, and pretty much every resource-based zombie game sucks.

[Danny]

To be fair, isn't there already some zombie simulation text-based MMO out there? I can't remember the name, but I can't see any way to make a "true" zombie apocalypse game outside of text-based. But hey, if THAT is going to cause a shitstorm, I might as well add more truth to the fire. Left 4 Dead's enemies were better than zombies because they were fast and there were different versions, Dead Rising only worked because of the insane people, Dead Island looks pretty darn bad, and pretty much every resource-based zombie game sucks. all stuff i've said before, basic zombies are at best a type of natural environmental danger to corral a different type of ai like psychos in dead rising or special infected in left 4 dead that exist to break up the monotony of the thing. The masturbatory survivalist end of the world hodown game would be boring as all get out.

[MinionZombie]

Odd how you complain of a "masturbatory survivalist" game when I'm not describing, nor intending to describe, such a game. Indeed, like with the best zombie movies, it's not really about the zombies - it's about the people. Dismiss it off-hand, and underestimate/criticise a potential audience if you will, but I'm not the only one who'd love to see a game such as I've described - and not for 'gun nut survival wanking' reasons. Some survivalism sure, that's a basic element of being in a zombie situation. A "masturbatory survivalist" game would clearly be a man in the woods, on his own, wearing a flannel shirt, with a bit of a gut, bad breath, and greasy hair, yelling maniacally at helicopters as he shakes his gun/wife in the air ... and then he goes and jerks off for eight hours before skinning some rabbits for lunch. I'm sure you could easily read Fallout 3 as a "masturbatory survivalist" game.

[Danny]

Odd how you complain of a "masturbatory survivalist" game when I'm not describing, nor intending to describe, such a game. Indeed, like with the best zombie movies, it's not really about the zombies - it's about the people. Dismiss it off-hand, and underestimate/criticise a potential audience if you will, but I'm not the only one who'd love to see a game such as I've described - and not for 'gun nut survival wanking' reasons. Some survivalism sure, that's a basic element of being in a zombie situation. A "masturbatory survivalist" game would clearly be a man in the woods, on his own, wearing a flannel shirt, with a bit of a gut, bad breath, and greasy hair, yelling maniacally at helicopters as he shakes his gun/wife in the air ... and then he goes and jerks off for eight hours before skinning some rabbits for lunch. I'm sure you could easily read Fallout 3 as a "masturbatory survivalist" game. 1: fallout IS a masturbatory escapist game. 2: i would probably play a game about a survival nut whos gone full on snooker loopy.

[Mitchified]

Odd how you complain of a "masturbatory survivalist" game when I'm not describing, nor intending to describe, such a game. Indeed, like with the best zombie movies, it's not really about the zombies - it's about the people. Dismiss it off-hand, and underestimate/criticise a potential audience if you will, but I'm not the only one who'd love to see a game such as I've described - and not for 'gun nut survival wanking' reasons. Some survivalism sure, that's a basic element of being in a zombie situation. A "masturbatory survivalist" game would clearly be a man in the woods, on his own, wearing a flannel shirt, with a bit of a gut, bad breath, and greasy hair, yelling maniacally at helicopters as he shakes his gun/wife in the air ... and then he goes and jerks off for eight hours before skinning some rabbits for lunch. I'm sure you could easily read Fallout 3 as a "masturbatory survivalist" game. You're right about Fallout 3, although I would like to point out that there's a variety of threats in that game and thus creates variety for the player. After thinking about it, I can see one way that a zombie game of the type you described could work. If it was done in the same style as Heavy Rain and the upcoming Jurassic Park game, that might work. That way, the entire game from start to finish is based completely on plot and not on action, and each decision you make affects the plot as it continues on. A game with any "real" action, though.... yeah, that would get boring for the reasons I mentioned above.

[AngryNeighbour]

You're right about Fallout 3, although I would like to point out that there's a variety of threats in that game and thus creates variety for the player. After thinking about it, I can see one way that a zombie game of the type you described could work. If it was done in the same style as Heavy Rain and the upcoming Jurassic Park game, that might work. That way, the entire game from start to finish is based completely on plot and not on action, and each decision you make affects the plot as it continues on. A game with any "real" action, though.... yeah, that would get boring for the reasons I mentioned above. Not necessarily. As MZ has said in his last two posts, zombies aren't the main focus, the main focus is the people in the game and the other characters. If they added in villainous and heroic factions, that would pose moral dilemmas which might keep the gamer entertained. The villain faction steals, attacks and kills other people (they could have a base where they pit people against other people and other types of side games and mini games inside of the game) and there could be the heroic faction where you help people and are rewarded with companions and supplies and stuff like that. Not to mention you could add in other kind of psychos too. The zombies themselves don't necessarily have to be superpowered to be entertaining, have different classes of hordes and you have to base your strategy and gameplay around the size of the horde. Also you could add crawlers and sleepers in and stuff like that. Ever played Zombie Island for Borderlands? That was somewhat decent. I think a zombie DLC for Fallout would be amazing, or just a zombie game similar to that. If they did, they should have like DLC where it's like more medieval like Oblivion.

[Mitchified]

Not necessarily. As MZ has said in his last two posts, zombies aren't the main focus, the main focus is the people in the game and the other characters. If they added in villainous and heroic factions, that would pose moral dilemmas which might keep the gamer entertained. The villain faction steals, attacks and kills other people (they could have a base where they pit people against other people and other types of side games and mini games inside of the game) and there could be the heroic faction where you help people and are rewarded with companions and supplies and stuff like that. If you focus that much on other human factions, what's the point of having zombies in the game at all? You could take literally any threat and plug them in instead of zombies. You're just remaking Fallout 3 with zombies instead of mutants, or at the very best you have a small section of a game (like the zombie DLC for Borderlands that you mentioned), not an entire game. There's the heart of the problem. If you want an entire game based on a zombie apocalypse, you have to use the zombies as the main antagonists so that you're showcasing your game's point. If you do that, you have to have variety or else the player is going to get bored with the concept over time. And that brings us right back to my original point. There's only so many ways that you can go with a game if you want the plot to be the main focus. You've got an old-school RPG (which I can't see being any good, really), the movie-esque direction that Heavy Rain takes, or some text-based thing. Anything else that requires an action-based approach has to have a wider variety than simply throwing different amounts of the same enemy at you.

[AngryNeighbour]

If you focus that much on other human factions, what's the point of having zombies in the game at all? You could take literally any threat and plug them in instead of zombies. You're just remaking Fallout 3 with zombies instead of mutants, or at the very best you have a small section of a game (like the zombie DLC for Borderlands that you mentioned), not an entire game. There's the heart of the problem. If you want an entire game based on a zombie apocalypse, you have to use the zombies as the main antagonists so that you're showcasing your game's point. If you do that, you have to have variety or else the player is going to get bored with the concept over time. And that brings us right back to my original point. There's only so many ways that you can go with a game if you want the plot to be the main focus. You've got an old-school RPG (which I can't see being any good, really), the movie-esque direction that Heavy Rain takes, or some text-based thing. Anything else that requires an action-based approach has to have a wider variety than simply throwing different amounts of the same enemy at you. That's true, but all the "missions" involving the factions would revolve around the zombie storyline because maybe for the evil guys it would be like "go catch some zombies and bring them back here so we can use them as paintball targets or something) and for the heroic guys it would be like save this dude from the pack of zombies surrounding his shelter. Stuff like that you know, and then maybe when trying to rescue the guy, the evil people come and try and kill you cause they want something the guy you're trying to save has. Idk it's possible in my opinion, but you make very good points.

[MinionZombie]

Fallout 3 isn't about the monsters featured in it, so why bother having them in at all? If Dawn of the Dead isn't really about zombies, why bother having them in at all? GTA IV only features other human beings - borrrrrring, right? That's not a valid argument, in my view. And look at the two Dead Rising games - one type of zombie in the entire game, and it sold like hot cakes (beyond the change they take on after the 72 hours in DR2, but that's beside the point). The main thrust is what's happening around the zombie infestation. One or two you can handle fine, but get surrounded and you're knackered. Angry Neighbour has set out some good ideas of how it would work further.

[Danny]

http://kotaku.com/5804505/over-ten-m...at-your-brains new game footage, looks like oblivion meets dead rising minus capcoms 'lol, murrcans' schtik. should be a fun, challenging game by the looks of it.