Dead Island Riptide review: uninspired and boring
Dead Island Riptide is hopelessly crushed under the weight of the same problems that bogged down its predecessor.
It's easy to get lost on the island
This Dead Island Riptide review was based on an Xbox 360 version of the game provided by the publisher. The game will also be available on PC and PlayStation 3 when it comes out tomorrow, April 23.
-
Shacknews
replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, Dead Island Riptide review: uninspired and boring.
Dead Island Riptide is hopelessly crushed under the weight of the same problems that bogged down its predecessor.-
-
This is what I thought!
-
-
-
-
I'll be picking it up after work on Wednesday. Fuck yeah!
-
-
-
-
Well he didn't like the first game, and apparently Riptyde is more of the same, so it makes sense he wouldn't like that either. I would have preferred a review from someone that could at least appreciate what the first game offered, but oh well. "Sucked like the original" is enough of an endorsement for me to pick it up.
-
-
Don't see how it compares.
Duke had huge hype for 10+ years. Dead Island is from a Polish dev (that also made Call of Juarez). Maybe some hype for it, but not for very long.
Sure some people hate Dead Island, and others enjoyed it. I know it had flaws but I enjoyed it and finished it. -
-
-
it had some big bugs the first week of its release. but they fixed them. i never even experienced the bugs that were there. the game was fun. i dont know what starts the trend of when it becomes the thing to do to just trash a game. but i remember that happening here when the original was launched.
-
Pointing out bugs is not 'just trash'ing a game. This is why everyone is stomping on you. If you experience a bug, that's an issue, and it should be mentioned in a review and reflect on the impression.
Just because you didn't experience them does not make them any less valid. Now, if he didn't have fun, that's his opinion, so disagreeing with that is fine. But your attitude that any negative opinion = trashing is flawed. -
i dont know what starts the trend of when it becomes the thing to do to just trash a game
Do you feel this way about every game that gets a bad review or just the ones you are interested in? Why are you saying this is a "thing to do?" Is it that unbelievable that people would take issue with the games flaws?
-
-
-
They sure do feel like arguing today, you'd think they were lawyers, I agree with you though, there's not many middle of the road reviews anymore and if there are they get buried while reviews like this, which say the game basically sucks, gets attention. Which is the reason it's done. A middle of the road moderate review wouldn't stir emotion in anyone and no one would care.
-
-
Yep!!! I disagreed with the reviews of the first game, and will treat this one the same. Yes there was frustration but Christ Almighty did I have FUNNNN with that game!!!
-
Gleefully leaping onto the Defenders of Dead Island shackpile, I am a bit worried about the sound engine bug mentioned in the last paragraph, which was a major aggravation in the first game; guess we'll see when the PC version hits.
Much of the article complains about the combat mechanics, but wow, I enjoyed DI combat immensely: so visceral and immediate. The slightly more advanced stuff, like waiting for your 'rage meter' to fill, then attracting a crowd at the beach with bait, and mowing through them with a scythe or blowing up the lot with a well-placed propane tank: very satisfying. I never did experiment with the 'analog' aiming method, did anyone use that with m+kb? -
I loved playing the first one co-op with friends so this actually excites me. I'll wait until tomorrow to see what you guys say though.
-
I was bored of Dead Island by twenty hours in but at the same time, I was bored of Dead Island by twenty hours in.
-
-
I just started a NG+ with the bladed weapon chick. I'm having a good bit of fun again!
I've been rocking a Zed's Demise with some crazy damage mod. So so much damage, and good head slicing!
-
-
-
-
What!?
-
-
I do! LOL! What a world where this game gets trashed on, yet Dragon Age get's accolades and recommends all across the board. Reviews = comedy :)
-
Dragons Age was good! (not DA2... although I liked the storyline)
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
Monster Lv scaling still there? If so I'm going to pass, I like when a game lets you lv up and become higher lv the enemies in old areas.
-
-
Because CoD and Madden actually suck shit.
-
So does this game apparently.
-
And that's exactly the reason for this thread.
-
-
-
-
Watch the Quick Look. Read more reviews. This is exactly the same game they released two years ago. Same assets, same structure, same problems. But because it's the 2nd, not the 10th version of a flawed and disappointing game, it's okay?
Should I have used Left 4 Dead as an example? I probably should have.
Remember how people lost their shit because Valve dared to improve a great game with: better graphics, AI, scripting, levels, weapons, abilities, enemies and locations?-
Yes. It's okay because it's an expansion, not a sequel. You can literally import your character and start Riptide at level 50. If you like, you can think of it as Dead Island episode 2.
-
People lose their shit over the dumbest things. You still cannot compare annual full priced releases from Call of Duty or Madden with something that is coming out with just its second game in TWO YEARS that is priced at just $40, below the normal going rate for a new release. That's a far cry from having it priced at $60 or more like a new Madden or Call of Duty would assuredly cost at launch every single year.
The fact still remains that you simply cannot compare regularly annualized, full priced, franchise releases with this.-
Yeah, I guess if you approach it that way it's not fair to compare them.
Techland had two years. They made the exact same game again. This is what's bugging me. They're lazy and instead of fixing the damn formula, they do nothing. But hey, can't expect them to do that just yet. It's only their 2nd release in this IP.
Can you see why I have a problem with that statement?
-
-
-
-
-
-
I liked the first Dead Island, just haven't played all the way through it. Eventually, I will get to this one. The mix of zombie games + rpg elements (which seems to be on the rise with some of the MMOs coming out soon/lately) was pretty awesome to me. Kind of a Skyrim esque zombie game.
-
Giant Bomb review:
http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/dead-island-riptide-review/1900-571/-
"The first Dead Island was long on good ideas but short on skillful execution, and while there's still a truly great game lurking in there somewhere, Riptide is not it."
Couldn't have said it better.-
I want to see a Review Off between you and Rudds judged by David Bowie.
-
[deleted]
-
I love when people throw a fit about a review on the shack but they're totally ok with another site saying the same thing.
-
IMO, Riptide is an expansion, not a sequel. It's exactly "more of the same". The B-movie story is intentional. Crazy combat moves and ridiculous weapon mods don't fit with a serious story. And your gripes about combat are due to your ineptitude with it, I think. I thought there was a finesse to it. I had no problems connecting my swing to a limb, and being overwhelmed was never a problem. Playing Xian as a ninja with a katana feels exactly like it should. Dodge a charger, swing, and the zombie flies past you while its limbs shoot forward. You can take a head off with a forward stab with pinpoint accuracy.
It seems like you and Brad are expecting the game to be Dead Island 2 with massive improvements, new game mechanics, and new shit. Is that accurate?-
I had hoped that with two years having passed since the first game, they could have taken what was wrong with it and refined it. The first game was a buggy mess. I should not still be seeing those bugs and glitches two years later. I shouldn't still be seeing zombies get stuck inside textures or having my sound die out on me. I shouldn't still be seeing characters fall through map holes. I shouldn't be able to stop at a point, look around 360 degrees to see everything's clear, and then take a step forward to find out I got jump by a zombie that magically spawned from thin air two inches behind me. Driving shouldn't feel as bad as it does. Animations shouldn't look crooked and stilted. Aiming with melee weapons shouldn't still be a pain in the ass.
If it was the same exact mission structure as the first game, I wouldn't have been so aggravated by it. I'd have said it's mediocre and just moved on. It's already been mentioned that if you have friends with you, Dead Island can even be fun. And ultimately, that's why I'm so aggravated by Riptide. It has POTENTIAL! It CAN be an awesome game! But there are so many lazy mechanics, glitches, and repetitive gameplay (kick zombie down, curb stomp, repeat ad naseum) that it's a test of my patience.
That isn't to say I don't think they'll get it right someday. I really hope they do. A next-gen Dead Island that's polished with refined mechanics could be awesome. As it is, it's a wretched single-player experience and a half-decent four-player romp.
Can't emphasize it enough. When you guys play this, always play with friends. Then poke and laugh when they fall through a map hole.-
I didn't experience the buggy mess. There were only two animation glitches in all of my 150+ hours in singleplayer. Never fell through a maphole, never had sound die out. Mouse control was terrible till I changed a few lines in an .ini. If that's what you meant by aiming with melee weapons, I agree with you. If you meant you just couldn't judge if your weapon would hit your zombie, watch the GiantBomb video and see Brad break and cut limbs like a pro.
The game can certainly be improved in a lot of areas, and I agree that the bugs should've been fixed, but I can forgive a lot of it because the combat was just so good. "Kick zombie down and curb stomp" isn't how you should be playing. It isn't even the best way to play. The small pause after the jump off leaves you vulnerable to rape by chargers. Often, it's better to dodge and cut. It's not game of the year material, but it still can be a ton of fun. -
I'm glad I played Dead Island a bit late. I heard about the bugs but my game was pretty much flawless.
And, yeah, play with friends.-
A round of patches could do wonders for the PC version. If you're planning to get it, I'd say do like you did last time and wait for some patches to hit first.
-
-
I played the week of release all the way through with 4 friends, 2 amd systems, 2 intel systems. 1 with a aftermarket sound card, 3 with onboard. No one had any issues. Fix your junk
-
I had a preorder on the first game and I can't honestly remember any serious bugs in it. I was on PC, maybe it's a platform thing? The only gamebreaking issue was the duping people were doing, and that was mostly just a level 50 jumping in my game and spawning shit all over the place. That got patched out.
I never saw anyone fall through map holes, and really don't remember any insta spawns other than scripted events.
-
-
-
-
-
It was a little disappointing how much more useful Sam B and the other dude were over the sword chick. Sam could elbow his way out of most dangerous areas and the other guy could get explosive death daggers as his special attack. The black girls' gun ability wasn't half as good in comparison and the sword chick was so fragile and her sword skills just weren't very powerful at all. I'd hope Riptide would balance things a little but I haven't heard mention of that.
-
I liked Xian the best. One shotting everything felt so much more powerful than Sam B's brute force.
-
No shit. I got to be a master at lopping off heads.
Playing as some of the other guys a horde of runners would be an "oh shit!" moment. As Xian I just stood my ground and had a huge pile of headless bodies all around me.-
This is why I love Dead Island.
-
-
-
This is hilarious to me as my buddy and I played Sword Girl and Gun Girl. Had a blast with them, too!
-
-
Why have someone who hated the first one, write the review of the second?
-
Sequels to bad games can be good.
See: Assassin's Creed -
[deleted]
-
-
I enjoyed the first 20-30 minutes of the original Dead Island and from then on it got very repetetive and uninspiring - not going to go back to that. With Riptide they had the chance to beef of the week parts of Dead Island but obviously decided against it and continued with what they had.
-
