Dead Island Riptide: What We’d Like to See

When the original Dead Island hit store shelves, it was met with a bevy of mixed reviews. Critics praised its take on the zombie combat formula and loved the weapon customization options. Others were disappointed in the amount of bugs in the game at laugh and how the feel and tone of the game were not the same as the awesome announcement trailer. The game still proved a success as gamers around the world headed to the island to decapitate and dismember zombies. After millions of copies have been sold, it is now time for the inevitable sequel to make its way to shore. Here are a few things that we would like to see in Dead Island: Riptide.

No Bugs

When the original Dead Island was released, a same day patch was also released that contained over thirty fixes to the game. While it is not uncommon for a patch to be released the day the game is available to the public, fixing this many issues in a game on the day that it is released is a big deal. Hopefully, Dead Island: Riptide will change that.

With the success of Dead Island, a sequel was imminent. We hope that this inspired the team working on the sequel to leave ample room for testing the final code of the game. The bugs and glitches in the game diluted the experience and the numerous patches that released afterwards were on the borderline of embarrassing. We hope to see a game that is complete at launch where the only patches that occur are the ones that improve upon an already complete and awesome game.

Advanced Weapon Customization

Weapons customization was one of the best parts of the original Dead Island. Being able to craft weapons from the scraps found around the island was a fun experience and led to some particularly brutal deaths. We would like for this awesome mechanic to grow with the release of the sequel.

The mechanics of the weapon customization are great. There were moments where weapons would disappear during gameplay, but we hope that with the above item on our wish list that will not happen. We want to see weapon customization grow to a grander scale. We would like a almost Saint’s Row The Third approach where items that you would never believe could be used as a weapons is turned into a instrument of zombie death.

Scarier Zombies

Zombies have penetrated our popular culture. With television shows like The Walking Dead, the word zombie has become a household name. To us, the scariest thing about a zombie game is not the giant monstrosities but the zombies that still slightly look like you.

We are hard pressed to find something that is more terrifying than another flesh eating human. Knowing that these creatures, which use to have a life just like you, have now been reduced to a flesh-eating monster is disturbing. We would like Dead Island to explore this darker more disturbing side of being a zombie. We want to see the characters exhibit more of a connection to humanity while having it evolve into despair, fear, and terror. We would also like to see random zombie hoards form around us at random moments forcing us to see on the edge of our seats in terror as we are playing.

Engaging Story

We have all played a game where the mechanics were horrible, the gameplay was abysmal, and the graphics were deplorable yet the story made you want to push through to the end. There was nothing about the story from the original that stuck out. We hope that changes.

With the reasons mentioned above, zombies can be used to tell a truly emotional story about love, loss, and survival. We would like to see the zombies in the game to play a larger part in exploring the backstory of the characters within the game. The announcement trailer for the original all but promised us emotion yet the final game under delivered. Once we are able to connect with the characters, the narrative experience in the game will unforgettable.

Dead Island Riptide has a steep hill to climb. What are some things you are looking forward to in the game?