***WARNING: This review features spoilers for both the original title and the plot of the new installment. Read at your own caution!***
Every now and then, the standard gamer will get the itch to bash in a Zombie's head or simply rip him
While it's common knowledge that Riptide was meant as an add on and simply got too large, to the eventuation of this game, that doesn't mean that Riptide itself wouldn't be counted as such, much like Brotherhood and Revelation in the Assassin's Creed series. However I can say with a clear conscious that Riptide almost spits on the predecessor. Gameplay, while updated to feature the new side missions, is still relatively as slow with the added annoyance that developers have made every action to push down stamina, right down to kicking. While this does make the gameplay more realistic, finding yourself surrounded with enemies is definitely a sure way to die, especially with the new enemy types.
They add much needed spice to the fighting but quickly become frustrating and repetitive in a fight. Even with the new weapons and enemies, the most efficient way to kill a zombie is with a vehicle: with the slightest tap from a car or a revved up boat equals splats-ville. What is truly frustrating is enemies' respawn places and timing. Despite after death or leaving areas or even after saving, enemies will respawn in the same place and as the same type (Spitter, Brute, Drowner ect), even if you clear the area completely or only slightly beforehand. This makes the game challenging but going from one area to the next and back again only to repeat (Which happens more than you think in the first few chapters of the game) can tend to lead to some raging.
Side missions are also quite annoying and useless, especially with the less than stellar acting. Civilians screaming for help is an annoyance to the point of helping the zombies get their meal or just leaving them be, especially when it comes to stranded people in the middle of water.
As I barely touched on it, the acting abilities are just as dull as ever. While I was excited to return to the shoes of Sam B and even more so that other immune characters can be heard outside cutscenes this time around, the stereotypical voice of Purna (Peta Johnson) is not only slightly racist but extremely dull. Sam B (Phil LaMarr) and Xian Mei (Kim Mai Guest) are the only two who actually sound like genuine people amongst the "Aw struth!" and other unnecessary banter from NPCs throughout the game. The three main points that I truly enjoyed was the musical score, sound effects and updated graphics - a bittersweet music with the roars of charging zombies truly amplifies the beautiful scenery of the beach to the dark horrors of the jungle. The storyline this time around was much more believable but yet still seemed to fall within the limits of the original; betrayal, mistrust and escape for the sake of escaping only to have the ending shaded in mystery.
But even so, both the previous title and Riptide have always promoted co-op heavily and yet in my first experience of Riptide's co-op, my entire console froze completely not once, but twice upon the attempt with thirty seconds of joining a game. Even despite trying to play with other people on multiple occasions - some being within a five minute drive to people overseas - I still experienced this issue from the gameplay stopping and starting to a complete console freeze.
Despite all its faults, I was a big supporter of the original game and very much enjoyed not only the gameplay but a good look back at the classic modes of Zombie games brought back into the modern era. But Riptide has utterly destroyed my enjoyment of the series in a whole. With the buggish co-op, stale gameplay and overpowered enemies straight from the get-go, I highly suggest beginners and veterans to play the original before hopping back into the boat. Even before that, I'd wait for this game to be put in the bargain bin, for even the game's successes don't overpower the failures.
Out of 10, I give Dead Island Riptide a 3 out of 10
+ Improved storyline
+ Graphics can be jaw-dropping
+ Sound effects/musical score are tasteful
+ New enemies make the "Survival" mode fun
- Broken/unattractive co-op
- Voice acting, in a whole, is a disgrace
- Side Missions are pointless and dull
- Overpowered enemies, even when starting a fresh character
- Navigation is utterly useless
- Weapons useless compared to a slight tap of a car/boat
- Even if too big, better off as a DLC than its own game
Dead Island Riptide is out now for $60
No comments:
Post a Comment