Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 does a great job of reanimating this dormant zombie-battling series, with the gore-filled combat and excessive weaponry that goes well with the oversaturated LA setting. It’s an enjoyable romp, but at the same time, ironically feels like it's playing it safe.

Dead Island 2 has a clear vision of what it wants to be but sadly loses its way within the countless hordes of zombies.

There’s a lot of fun to be had slaying zombies on the streets and beaches of HELL-A, but if that first bite doesn’t infect you, you might find – like the protagonist – that your experience gets stronger as you play.

Dead Island 2 is a hysterical Los Angeles-infused satire that does most things well enough, but feels like a stroll down the Walk of Fame of celebrated zombie games I’ve already played without adding many new ideas of its own. In fact, aside from the stellar comedy bits, I can think of very few things that Dead Island 2 does better than last year’s Dying Light 2.

Dead Island 2 is a one-note experience with little to offer beyond an open-world playground full of zombies to slay with whatever blunt instrument comes to hand. The thrill of carving up rotten flesh initially appeals, but soon the repetitive missions and obnoxious writing will sap your enthusiasm. This is one island you might want to give a wide berth.

While it suffers from some interesting glitches, Dead Island 2 puts some much-needed fun and mayhem back into the zombie apocalypse sandbox.

It shouldn’t have worked. It should have been a disaster. A decade-long internet joke ending in a comically terrible release. And yet, with Dead Island 2, Dambuster delivers a sequel that hugely improves upon the original, offering raw, no-nonsense chaos, wrapped up in a gaudy wrapper of sun, sand, and slaughter. While the old-school, repetitive gameplay won’t be to everyone’s taste, decadent violence, tastelessly compelling environments, and a surprising amount of heart await those who have the patience to wade through the misery of a paradise lost.

Dead Island 2 is a gory adventure that offers up plenty of mindless mayhem for zombie slayers. The remnants of California make for a great playground to dismember and destroy the walking dead in every conceivable way the game presents. The beautiful, sunny environments provide a stark contrast to the reanimated rotting carcasses.