Dead Island Riptide Proves Entertaining Despite Bugs

Dead Island Riptide, the follow up to the popular 2011 role playing zombie slasher Dead Island, follows pretty close in the footsteps of its predecessor, in both the good and the bad. Developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver, Riptide will appeal to fans of visceral zombie-killing games who also enjoy a good first person RPG, but unfortunately, it is marred by many bugs and technical flaws.

Riptide was recently released for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and is believed to work on Wii U as well. The game generally received lower scores than the first installment of the franchise. The negative reviews complain not only about the bugs, but also about the fact the new game does not actually bring anything new in terms of gameplay or content.

The story picks off where Dead Island left off: the four surviving characters destroy an aircraft carrier that risks spreading the infection and end up seeking shelter on another island. The population of that island, however, has also been infected and the survivors, joined by new character John Morgan, are forced to go on another zombie brain-bashing rampage in order to stay alive.

Gamers who played the original Dead Island should know that they can import their characters, if they are using the same profile. The characters are transferred with only their skills and level. In multiplayer mode you can still pair characters who are at different levels, as each will battle enemies fit for their skills.

The combat methods remain largely unchanged from Dead Island, which can be exhilarating for some players and very frustrating for others. Just like in the original game, Riptide focuses on melee weapons and combat, from blunt objects to various bladed weapons, which can be upgraded with the help of items you can scavenge from the island. Blunt weapons can make for some slow and inaccurate zombie kills, but those who enjoy going go one-on-one against a brain-eating monster and come out on top will surely be satisfied.

Flaws aside, Dead Island Riptide still promises hours of entertaining gameplay, zombie gore, rewarding melee combat and co-op fun. It’s definitely worth a shot!

[Image via WiiUDaily]