Dead Island - first look

[Tinman]

First look: Dead Island

Deep Silver releases chilling trailer for first person, sandbox RPG zombie slasher

[ChimeraTheory]

Hope to see some gameplay footage soon.

[sycogrim]

Hhhhhmmmmm... This actually looks like a lot of fun, even without any gameplay footage etc... but the fact that it's FPS, Sandbox and RPG all in one!!!! ZOMG!!! Bring it on!!!

[Sou1Co11ector]

The trailer is epic!
The screens look cool.

Methinks we have a winner - RPG, FPS & Snadbox - Filled with zombies!

[Lycanthrope]

Trailer was definitely emotive and definitely succeeded in getting attention. I see it has already been criticised on the Wikipedia entry:

A trailer featuring the death of a young girl[2] was criticised by Ben Parfitt of MCV, who wrote "It's a video that uses an image of a dead girl and images of her dying to create an emotional bond with a product."[3]

I suppose the criticism is inevitable and a survival-horror willing to tackle the "dead kids in games" taboo by using such a strong image definitely piques my interest and gets my vote. Not for, "Oh look, a dead kid, yay bloodlust!" but for the possibility of using something so stirring in a way that would add to the depth, trauma and shock factor of the survival-horror genre.

I want to know more, I want a game that touches on those feelings inside me and manages to create an overwhelming psychological experience.

The co-op is a huge selling point for me in survival-horror--few things are as romantic as playing a terrifying game with your other half

Definitely keeping an eye out for this one!

[OmegaFenix]

Trailer was definitely emotive and definitely succeeded in getting attention. I see it has already been criticised on the Wikipedia entry:



I suppose the criticism is inevitable and a survival-horror willing to tackle the "dead kids in games" taboo by using such a strong image definitely piques my interest and gets my vote. Not for, "Oh look, a dead kid, yay bloodlust!" but for the possibility of using something so stirring in a way that would add to the depth, trauma and shock factor of the survival-horror genre.

I want to know more, I want a game that touches on those feelings inside me and manages to create an overwhelming psychological experience.

The co-op is a huge selling point for me in survival-horror--few things are as romantic as playing a terrifying game with your other half

Definitely keeping an eye out for this one!

Unfortunately I think it is inevitable that when games try and break for the norm, i.e. away from shooting dudes for the sake of shooting dudes, and into the realm of real emotional connection through techniques such as this that they will be criticized. I am surprised that it came from someone apparently in the industry though. BioShock went through the same sort of thing with the little sisters.

Like you said, I too am glad that it looks like this title may evoke strong emotions. Like with Heavy Rain, a game which I love to pieces for the simple fact that I nearly cried when my actions caused the death of Madison, and In my book anygame which can create such a strong bong with a character is doing something right.

IMO the main reason the "Zombie Apocalypse" genre (Left4Dead, Dead Rising 1 & 2, COD's Zombie Mode) is stagnating is due to not one of those titles treating it seriously. In L4D you mow down scores without batting an eyelid that these where once people, in Dead Rising we are given humorous ways to kill, those two words humorous and kill should never be used together in a single sentence, the Zombie Horde.

I hope that Dead Island can come up with unique scenarios where we will be challenged emotionally.