One area where the artwork falls short (as many games do) is in the eyes of the living, which are as dead as their undead counterparts.Īs you make your way through Banoi, you hear moaning zombies before you see them, which creates a sense of dread, as you're never quite sure where they are.

Dead Island renders plants, buildings, and even human skin tone with lavish detail. That's not to say that the entire game is slaughter in paradise-there are urban environments (equally impressive visually) where you battle the undead-but it's nice to not have the usual spring-loaded-cat-in-a-dark-hallway scare. It's this juxtaposition of the serene and the hideous that makes Dead Island such a visually impressive game. Techland created an absolutely gorgeous island paradise, and the lush world separates the game from a sea of rival titles set in wrecked environments-at times I found myself, between zombie battles, marveling at the backdrops.

The graphics, however, are far from standard. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. ( Read editorial our mission.) In other words, it's standard zombie game fare in terms of plot, but some side quests reveal the somber effects of a zombie rising that could have been heart wrenching, had the story been crafted with more care-but I won't spoil that here. Your mission is twofold: find and assist other survivors, and make your way off the island. The four main characters awake in the scenic Palms Resort hotel to find the island rotten with zombies, but the heroes themselves are mysteriously immune to whatever is transforming people into the walking dead. The online multiplayer experience could use some work, however.ĭead Island is set in the fictional island of Banoi. Dead Island's now available for PC (the format I reviewed), PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and, although it doesn't match the heights of the trailer, the open-world action-RPG offers a very solid single-player zombie-slaying good time, and one of the best PC games you can play. When Techland's Dead Island ($49.99, retail) trailer hit the Web earlier this year, it featured one of the most moving video game sequences ever produced: a small child and her family being slaughtered by zombies against the backdrop of a soft, haunting Giles Lamb musical score.

Multiplayer combat isn't as smooth as single player.

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How to play two player on dead island