“Xian Mei”, by Hel999.

The tap handles at the bars in Dead Island recently caught my eye, so I decided to get a closer look. Nope, they’re not Heineken, they’re DeadIslander.

You know, between that and the DE4D 1574ND license plates on all the cars, you think these people would have seen it coming.

Some screen shots from the upcoming Dead Island DLC Ryder White, due February 1.

Dead Island DLC lives on, this time with a story based chapter that puts a fresh spin on an old foe. This new episode puts you in the shoes of the main title’s antagonist and titular character Ryder White as he makes the difficult decisions leading up to the final showdown during the game’s end. In addition to this new playable character, there are also two new weapons and modification blueprints for your enjoyment. See the island through Ryder’s eyes when the DLC drops on February 1 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Self explanatory post! The Bloodbath Arena DLC is now available for download on PC. Sign into Steam and the handy little pop-up will guide you the rest of the way. Screen shots to come later—it’ll be a showdown between Skyrim, Portal 2, and Dead Island DLC during my playing time today.

From the Dead Island DLC Bloodbath Arena, due November 22 for 800 MP or $9.99.

Dead Island DLC is finally on its way, with Techland setting a November 22 release date on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 for “Bloodbath Arena”. Adding four new areas for singe and multiplayer arena-based combat, players will battle it out against waves of zombies, with all items and experience carrying over to the standard campaign. The DLC is free to those who pre-ordered, and $9.99 or 800 MP for those who didn’t.

Stay tuned for the screen shots.

Could Techland be working on a Dead Island sequel already?

We’ve yet to receive Dead Island DLC, thanks in part to a buggy release day, and reports have indicated a Dead Island movie is on the way. Despite how full that dance card may seem, however, Techland seems to be moving forward with even bigger plans, registering the “Dead World” trademark filing in the United States.

Could this be a name or theme for an upcoming sequel? Or are they just establishing a brand name for Dead Island IP? I hope it’s the latter…Dead World would really suck as a game title.

[Official Xbox Magazine]

After a myriad of launch issues (including multiple glitches and an “old” version of the game released to Steam on day 1), the Dead Island DLC finally has a release date. Bloodbath Arena, which adds four new areas, and the “Brain Bomb” weapon, will cost $10 upon its “mid-November” debut. No word on what the renewed hours poured into the game will cost your personal life.

The special zombies of Dead Island.

From a Dead Island event in France.

The inevitability of Alan Wake 2 is pretty much a given, anyone who played the game and DLC (or read the developer comments/artist resume leak) can tell you. But a new piece of information may now give us a clue on the “when”. According to Xbox World magazine, a number of titles are already in development for the next gen Xbox, including the sequel to Alan Wake:

“We hear a number of Microsoft-friendly developers are hard at work on prepping next gen games as we speak. Could this be the reason why Remedy are so quiet about Alan Wake 2? (Yes),” the magazine responded to itself. “Rare, Lionhead and Turn 10 all have teams in place too. Rare, we hear, are even prototyping ideas for a new ‘mature title,’” the mag adds.

Lionhead, as you may know, is responsible for Fable, another installment of which would make perfect sense. Turn 10 likely means more Forza. As for Rare…who knows…their only mature franchises are Perfect Dark and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Whatever the case, Xbox 720’s 2013-2015 release window is a ways off yet, meaning we’ll be waiting for Wake for some time.

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”

As so begins a review, not just of a game, but of the last two weeks of my life. Cobbling together some of the most successful pieces of entertainment to date, Dead Island is undoubtedly one of the most addictive games of 2011. The thrill of Borderland’s Diablo-inspired item hunting combined with Left 4 Dead’s multi-player zombie elements, garnished with a dash of Fallout’s “Holy shit make it stop” mission style, Dead Island is addicting enough. Add to it a rapid fire pacing induced by a constant rotation of weapons and an unending barrage of side missions, and responsible adult life as you know it may be over.

Dead Island is like video game junk food, if you will. Some things, despite or perhaps because of the ingredients, are just good even if you feel disgusting and bloated while eating them. While lacking in substance, the synthetic additives only enhance their longevity, like ageless Twinkies on a bodega shelf. Judged in context, Twinkies can be the most delicious food item in the world. Yes, they are pure garbage in sponge cake form. Most of the time, I really don’t care.

That may sound harsh, but I mean it as a compliment. Dead Island is spliced together from a number of blockbuster IPs, like a geeky Frankenstein cobbled from video games and prime time TV. The zombie classes are an interesting mix of this phenomena, part plagiarism, part innovation. Suiciders take cues from Left 4 Dead’s Smokers and Boomers while Rams and Walkers borrow from Chargers and Smokers, respectively. A delightfully thematic and original addition is the Thug, a thundering, beach-dwelling oaf only slightly more intelligent than its meat headed, pre-zombie self. Butchers, with their hand-less bloody stumps and receding hairlines, up the ante on undead terror.

The strong Left 4 Dead influences continue throughout, with a short cinematic opening sequence played each time you start the game, a refreshingly diverse cast of four, and a range of breakable melee weapons. Even the crouch icon has its similarities. A kick move replaces L4D’s elbow thrust, an acceptable if transparent exchange.

The “borrowing”, while masterfully executed, does have its problems. By generously lifting from so many blockbuster IPs, Dead Island risks not having a identity of its own. It is unsurprising that there is so little solid character development: a sympathetic, well written character isn’t something you can easily steal. Techland’s prime opportunity to compensate, the cut scenes between each chapter, is sadly underutilized. A combat based game needs strong, timely placed drama sequences to keep the story and characters tangibly attached and present in the player’s mind. Unfortunately, Dead Island’s do little to remind you of the plot’s progress, utterly destroying any sense of immersion as you struggle to process each barrage of new information. The disparity between the voice acting and character animations only magnifies the problem. Jin gives dramatic speeches while barely raising a brow, alternately, Logan swaggers with drunken bravado, yet his boasts sound remarkably slur-free. Purna has one expression: bulgy, wide-eyed disbelief.

Examining the plot itself, it may have been just as well. Cannibalism, military suppression, secret experiments gone awry; there isn’t much here that hasn’t been explored in zombie cannon before. Other elements, including hatches bunkers and a dramatic plane crash, seem to be inspired by Lost.

The combat is pretty solid, albeit a bit weak on the firearms. While I mainly play as the guns-proficient Purna, almost all my weapons are melee. The elemental aspects, likely inspired by Borderlands, need more emphasis, an improvement ripe for a sequel. The color coded weapon class system, a remnant from Diablo, is fun but could use better variety in their prefixes and suffixes.

On the technical level, Dead Island is good as gold. Sound effects are used immaculately. The piercing cry of gulls on the beach, the roar of coastal winds as you climb bungalow stairs, the echoing groans of Thugs and Suiciders: every effect is crisp, impeccably chosen, and well placed in its environment. The music has touches of inspiration as well, most notably a sad piano theme (again reminiscent of Lost) at the Lifeguard tower, and a haunting but lovely medley played in the Church. My only beef is the misleading sound effects while you’re beheading a zombie, as they can often sound like another zombie approaching from the rear or the side. The controls are adequate, and despite my initial wariness of the quick weapon menu (requiring me to press down on my mouse’s scroll wheel), I soon came to depend on it. The general menu is easily navigated, if a bit slow.

While I feel dishonest praising the engine, as it wasn’t created originally for Dead Island and therefore is a tool (and not the heart) of the game, it cannot go unmentioned how beautiful the Chrome Engine 5 is. The essence of natural sunlight is captured to perfection. The textures are so varied and detailed that traversing the jungles and ghettos brings the Uncharted series to mind. And don’t get me started on those shadows. Or the water, which sets the bar pole-vault-high in terms of realism.

I wouldn’t take my opening statement as a defense of lazy writing. Clearly, Techland set out to make a hit, and borrowed from other people’s success to build their own. And they did it well. What I’d really like to see though is a title from Techland that features a story and characters they actually care about. I have a feeling it’d be amazing.

In terms of pure entertainment value, Dead Island deserves a solid 8.5. The ratio of hours played versus price paid is just about perfect. With four different characters to choose from and easy multi-player matching, the replay value is astronomical, while the visuals make for an enjoyable, if a bit shallow, cinematic experience. Easily picked up but not easily put down, a trip to Dead Island is one bloody vacation I highly recommend.

“Welcome To Dead Island” by OSKUNK!

For fun I decided to get together all the Lost references I can find so far in Dead Island. An Oceanic flight splitting in half on desert isles, hatches bunkers hidden in the jungle, the book “Dead Island: A True Story” (a meta reference to Bad Twin, the supplemental tie-in book of Lost lore?), and of course, a lighthouse. Send me a message if you can think of any others.