Mmm... Brains

A few days ago, for the few of you who don't already know, Dead Island, which was first announced in 2007, and has since faded from the limelight, has risen again (fittingly) into the public awareness. It's a zombie game, because it's not as if we have enough of them, but I'll be honest:

It looks fantastic.

Apparently, and pretty much all my information is drawn from the hype, it's an open world survival horror game with emphasis on the survival. Your goal seems to be to not be eaten or become one of the shambling masses, and, if it pulls it off well, it could be a really, really tense experience. There's also, apparently, a focus on melee combat, and a feature that lets environmental objects be used as weaponry, like a (terrifying) cousin of Dead Rising. This game seems to be far more grim than many of its contemporaries (Dead Rising's comedy elements, and Left 4 Dead's lack of real horror elements). There's also a focus on story, which could be interesting if implemented properly.

It's also in first person, which can only add to the immersion and underwear-soiling-terror, and there's drop-in, drop-out co-op that seems to be just as popular as the walking dead in gaming nowadays. This will likely lead to hilarity, or terror, depending entirely on who you play with.

It all sounds rather generic, though, doesn't it? But that doesn't worry me, because any concept, no matter how generic, can be great if carried out well, and there are just enough hints in what's being said to indicate that it is, in fact, being carried out well.

Still not convinced? Then have a look at the trailer - it's delightfully horrible, bleak, and arty, in a good way, and, I hope, a good indication of the atmosphere of the game overall.

In short, it's like Oblivion mixed with Dead Rising, mixed with hell. And I'm really looking forward to its release (no specifics, but later this year, hopefully), because one can never have enough brown underwear.