Something to look forward to: It's been eight years since Dead Island 2's announcement and first trailer. Nearly an entire decade later, a second trailer has landed, and with it comes confirmation of the release date. It'll also be the first game to feature Alexa Game Control, which allows players to use voice commands to accomplish in-game actions.
Dead Island 2 has had quite a turbulent development. When it was first unveiled at Gamescom 2014, the Zombie-killing action RPG was the work of Spec Ops: The Line creator Yager. But "mutual differences" with publisher Deep Silver saw Dead Island 2 move to Sumo Digital in 2015. That relationship ended after four years when the game moved developer once again, this time to British company Dambuster Studios.
You might remember that the first Dead Island was as famous for its incredible reverse-time trailer as the game itself. Two of the sequel's videos were unveiled at Gamescom, one showing gameplay (top) and the cinematic one below.
As with the previous Dead Island, it's easy to make comparisons with that other first-person zombie-basher, Dying Light. The action this time switches to LA, and it looks like there will be plenty of gore and humor.
Dead Island 2 will also be the first game to feature Alexa Game Control, a new tool from Amazon that lets players complete actions in games using natural voice commands via a microphone or headset. An Alexa device isn't required for this optional feature, though you will need an Amazon account. Some examples of its functionality include switching weapons, showing the nearest quest or location points, and manipulating zombie hoards---and you don't have to say "Alexa" first.
Dead Island 2 arrives on February 3, 2023. PC owners will be able to grab it from the Epic Games Store.
Among the many other Gamescom announcements was a particularly impressive trailer for a Lords of the Fallen reboot. The original game is one of the earliest examples of a Souls-like, and while it had its problems, this writer enjoyed the chunky combat and pretty (for the time) visuals.
Now called The Lords of the Fallen, this Unreal Engine 5-powered game promises to be better, prettier, and five times bigger than its predecessor. It should also win an award in the---admittedly small---category of 'best use of a Danzig song in a game trailer.' If that isn't metal enough for you, it's also narrated by Stranger Things' Metallica-loving Eddie Munson: actor Joseph Quinn.
A full gameplay trailer for The Lords of the Fallen is due later this year. Hopefully, the reboot will find a bigger audience than the first game when it's released sometime in 2023.