The combat tree allows you to enhance the properties of your character’s main weapon and gives them new techniques along the way. The fury tree enables your character to enter rage mode which can destroy enemies in seconds with devastating attacks. There are three different skill trees for each character – one for fury, combat, and survival. You are then given skill points that can be used to unlock new abilities. Your character gains experience points for nearly everything you do in the game.

The leveling system is as straightforward as it gets. Finding the parts necessary to create these weapons is a bit more difficult than it should be, but that just makes it all the more rewarding. I modded a sledgehammer into a magical wand and it can send enemies flying across the screen after a single blow. You can create nearly anything you want, from flaming bats to electrified axes. The lack of any buildup to the outbreak is simply disappointing it all just happens over the course of a drunken night and you’re expected to believe it. You don’t even get to see the resort before it’s turned into a living nightmare. Once you’ve picked your character you’re thrown straight into the action. As far as the storyline is concerned, it doesn’t matter which character you use. And Purna is a former police officer turned bodyguard that prefers to shoot her victims first and ask questions later. Logan is an egotistical former pro-football player with a knack for throwing things. Sam B is a stereotypical rapper that specializes in using blunt force. Xian Mei, who sounds exactly like Mei Ling from Metal Gear Solid, is an undercover cop that is good with blades. Each character has their own unique skills and basic storyline. There are four characters to choose from in Dead Island Xian Mei, Sam B, Logan, and Purna. This is an example of a game that’s just far too ambitious for its own good.

As awesome as that sounds, the execution is far from perfect. Instead, it’s the gameplay that’s at the forefront, which provides a mixture of elements from Dead Rising, Fallout 3, Borderlands, and Left 4 Dead. In fact, Dead Island barely even touches on the emotional side of a zombie outbreak. That said, it’s not anything like the CG trailer either. Dead Island is not your typical zombie game.

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