Dead Island: Riptide - Review and Opinion
Well we knew it was coming; I'll admit it and put my hands up I was looking forward to the sequel to Dead Island, to be honest I was pleased with Riptide, even if it felt like a rehash of the original in 2011. Environments seemed recycled from the original, there were a few improvements made on enemies, weapons and even quests. But since renting it from my local video game store, I feel that nothing truly unique was created with Riptide. It's a game worth buying when it's on sale, or rent it to save the anger you would feel if the game did disappoint you. Anyway, this is my review I did for the game when I rented it. It is also on Gamespot.com but I felt that it was worthwhile putting it on my blog as it is my opinion. Oh and guys I am Jock9 on Gamespot.com so feel free to check out my other reviews for games; they are mainly Xbox 360 centered.
My Review For Xbox 360 Version:
Dead Island: Riptide is the sequel to one of the best games I've ever played on console, I think personally the original beats Borderlands and it's own sequel hands down with game play and the minimal plot to the game. Maybe it's because the story and setting for Dead Island always interested me as a post-apocalypse set RPG due to my fondness for the Fallout series, and dark fantasy games.
Now I acknowledge Dead Island: Riptide is missing some substance that is to be expected from a big-budget sequel, it feels more like an Add-On or a DLC opening onto a new area and map to play in rather than a full sequel package. Riptide opens quite conveniently, and unoriginal in that you escape from the Island of Banoi only to crash land on another Island via a boat. This did annoy me quite a bit, as I expected much more of an opener to the sequel. However I remembered other than some of the plot I enjoyed from the original, even the original lacked a true story line. I remembered the other reason I enjoyed the original, the visceral game play of using blunt, sharp and ranged weapons to beat back the infected zombies that you came across in completing quests and plot-driven missions.
The game play wins me over alone, even with no true additions being made to the game. I felt that not much had changed yes, but that as a fan of the original it didn't effect me as much as fans expecting an overhauled game play and plot felt upon playing it. While the sequel lacked in some areas, I still felt like a new set of quests, weapons and environment made it worth renting or even buying Riptide. I chose the first option, as the price of games to me now seems unjust and I rented Riptide. I have to say I would have been pleased with buying it, had I chosen to spend the money on it, but I was also pleased I made a saving.
After the first hour or two into the game, completing the first initial quests I did feel slightly bored, mainly because I had played the original in the same style. However the next day upon advancing the story line further, and finding some new, powerful weapons to upgrade and modify I found myself immersed for almost four hours the next time. I find this issue with many sequels, particular Borderlands 2 where I bought it, and after only the first two hours I grew bored as nothing much was changed or added.
That is why I cannot understand so much hate from people towards this game, Borderlands 2 was pretty much the same product of it's original, as is Riptide to it's original game. Yet Borderlands 2 received much praise for a game that felt quite recycled, and personally to me I would rather own both Dead Island and Riptide than both Borderlands games, due to their content. Both lack a true story line, and it is it's game play that saves it for the most part. There are a few weapon additions to Riptide, with new blunt, sharp and ranged weapons, yet they had counter-parts in the original game. The island seems larger with smaller settlements, challenges to explore and complete.
The Good:
- Game play is still solid, and strong from the original. Controls are times are smooth, if no improved.
- A few collectibles, and discoveries lay light onto what really caused the virus, and how other survivors tried to survive.
- A good strong selection of weapons, of many types and kinds to use, upgrade
and modify. Some new additions of variants of original weapons.
- Graphics may be dated, but fighting zombies and travelling the length of the new island still look and feel good to experience, particularly city and town environments.
- Solid, and rewarding quests offer a reason to complete even the most mundane, and unnecessary missions of find-and-collect.
- Riptide can for most fans of the original suck you in, and you can lose track of time completing the game, quest by quest.
The Bad:
- Riptide feels recycled, nothing added or truly improved on. For the price of purchasing the game, you can feel ripped off with a clone of the original.
- Controls are not improved upon, and at times can feel heavy and clunky as you try to fight more than one enemy attacking you.
- Graphically nothing has been improved on, considering it has been over a year since the original was released, you would think they would have overhauled the graphics.
- Some of the quests, although rewarding can be quite tiring and boring, traveling from end of the island to the other by foot can take quite some time.
- The costs of upgrading, and repairing can run into the hundreds, even thousands and be quite annoying to go back to dead enemies, to collect low-level weapons to sell to cover the costs.
All in all I don't understand the hatred towards the game, I can understand however how some fans expected much more from Riptide, sadly it's been recycled for the benefit of fans who didn't want much to change. Maybe that was the game's developers mistake, but who knows even with Riptide feeling recycled, it is still a fun game to put on and enjoy a few hours of completing quests in a post-apocalypse world like Fallout 3 and New Vegas is. As a major, loyal fan of Dead Island then it's worth purchasing the game to enjoy it in your own time, and for those expecting changes and overhaul then the fee of renting it would be better suited to you.
My Score: 7.0/10
