After a long wait and multiple delays,Dead Island 2finally launched. Fans of the series already dived head-deep into zombie’s guts and discovered different gameplay mechanics. The game was in development hell for an extended period of time and is throwing players into its version of L.A.; Hell-A.
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Dambuster Studios have kept the soul of the first game (and the Riptide spin-off) intact in the second part. This means you’ll still be slaying zombies with homemade and modified weapons in the sequel. However, the team has made several upgrades and changes to the classic formula. Many changes are great and make Dead Island 2 a blast to play.
As we know, Los Angeles is not an Island, at least right now. Dead Island 2 takes place all over L.A. and is not an island either. There are beaches sure, but we couldn’t find a body of land surrounded by water in the game.
That’s not all, as you will advance through many different levels connected by a loading screen. While these areas themselves are big and fun to explore, they aren’t as immersive as an actual open world. Many paths are closed off completely, making the game feel more focused and linear.
9Gore - FLESH System
Hit a zombie with a bat and you can see shards of its skull fly off. Use a sword on the midriff, and you may get to see the zombie’s guts. Slash at their arm, and they can suddenly be literally “disarmed.” Or if you want to dissolve the skin off zombies, you may love the new acid-based elemental attacks.
The new gore system is fully fleshed out and is coincidentally called the FLESH system. It works and it does so beautifully.
8Visuals - Improved Looks
The first thing returning players will notice is how beautiful the game looks. The character models look detailed, the textures are of high quality, and the light is crisp. The particle effects are made well and look stunning, even though they are running at a lower frame rate.
Related:Best Characters In Dead Island 2
Dambuster Studios have done a great job with how pretty the game looks and runs. Each level also has day and night variants, and both look visually stunning in their own way.
7Slayers And Skills - The Roster
Dead Island 2 features six slayers you can play as. Each one of them has a unique character model, personality, voice lines, and dialogues. The game also has skill cards this time, letting you further customize your slayer according to your playstyle.
Want to be nimble and dodge zombie attacks? You can. Want to be a tank that blocks all attacks? You can do that too. This brings another layer of replayability to the game.
6Throws - Not As Effective
If you played the first game by throwing sharp objects at zombies, Dead Island 2 doesn’t encourage you to do that. Weapon throws aren’t as effective here; a zombie doesn’t go down in one throw like it used to. Even when you throw a katana at them, or use the Slayer that specializes in throws, it’s just not fun.
Thankfully, the guns are all powerful and can get critical shots on legs and arms as well as heads.
5No Cheating - Duplication Not Allowed
Yes, weapon Duplication was a big deal in the first Dead Island. Make a super weapon and duplicate it to all slots in your inventory, now you have plenty of throwable swords to kill enemies with. This method is completely gone in the sequel.
While you can potentially duplicate weapons with a co-op partner, this method takes too long and is tiresome. Fortunately, theguns are pretty powerfulso you don’t need to cheat. Just find the weapon you want and start the slaughter.
4Mods - Creative Customization
There are more mod slots and more ways to customize your weapons this time around. Apart from the main mod that dictates what kind of damage a weapon does, there are perks that further supplement the customization.
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For example, add a perk that makes your weapon swing faster, and you have a rapid-attack dagger in your hands. Or add a perk that makes headshots explode, and suddenly you are taking down crowds with your gun.
3Curveballs - Throwables
Curveballs are throwables in Dead Island 2. You no longer have the ability to spam them like you used to in the previous games. The Curveballs are all interesting though, from standard grenades and Molotov cocktails to fancy Bait bombs and electrified shurikens. They are on a small cooldown as well, so you don’t need to carry any with you to battle.
Select two Curveballs and throw them at zombies without the worry of them running out. There are plenty ofinteresting options, so pick the best ones for zombie slaying.
2Legendaries - Very Special
The Legendary weapons in Dead Island 2 are rare, you won’t find them in any container or as world’s drops. They are handed out after key missions, both main and side. To add to the complications, they are all given after you’ve already ended the story or are at least close to finishing it.
The Legendaries are legendary though; they are unique weapons that have different slots and perks already attached. Chasing them all down is worth it in the end.
1New Variants - Zombie Cousins
Remember the Siren in the original Dead Island? She is now a Screamer and can come in an electric variant. Remember the Thug? He is now a Crusher and has a flaming hot cousin (he sets you on fire).
Almost all zombies have seen an upgrade and come in at least one elemental variant. The game has a good explanation for whysome enemies are chunky. However, the Butcher is the same deadly spike-for-arms guy we loved though. Never change Butcher, never change.
