With impressive sales and even a film adaptation on the horizon, Deep Silver and Techland are pretty high on Dead Island, so it’s only fitting that a sequel may be in the works, and now we may be getting our first hint of news.

Techland, the game’s Polish developer has trademarked a new game name, Dead World, which sure sounds like a fitting name for the franchise. I imagine it would be bigger, badder and there would be a lot more deodorant to steal.

Read our review of Dead Island here.

Source

Dead Island is a classic example of art imitating life. By the very definition of the term, Dead Island can easily be considered to be a bit of a  zombie itself. Originally scheduled for release in 2008, the game was repeatedly delayed and assumed killed off until a new emotional trailer featuring a family fighting for their lives against a horde of undead invaders hit the web and instantly went viral. Back from the proverbial dead, Dead Island was set to be an emotional and gripping take on the zombie formula.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

Half a year and a ton of hype later, Dead Island’s final product isn’t what you thought it would be – and that’s not an incredibly terrible thing. With its interesting twist on the growingly stale zombie apocalypse genre, Dead Island has some great ideas, they just don’t feel as well thought out as they could be. At its best moments, it’s a thrilling horror survival game, but at its worst – it’s a dated, limited, lethargic and confusing experience.

The clear strength of Dead Island lies within its setting. The isle of Banoi is lush, tropical and offers picturesque views, an significantly different world than most games dealing with the zombie apocalypse.  The change in setting works wonders for the game’s survival horror feeling as you’re not (well, at least for most of the game) looking around the same corners as you would in most games as the tourist resort is full of small twists and turns that you’re not going to expect. Some of the best moments of the game involve walking past an area dense with hills and trees and you’re suddenly startled by the scream of the undead when you have absolutely no idea where it’s coming from.

Perhaps that’s the genius of Dead Island, rather than focusing on merely wailing on zombies at every turn, the focus is clearly on survival. You’re rarely ever going to run into a horde of undead and have to fight your way through (though, fear not, it does happen), rather the game throws a few zombies at you, but places them in all of the right places. It’s an extremely cool feeling to round a corner and see a ton of bodies, and one of them slowly gets up, looks at you and begins to charge.  It’s a frequent occurrence to hear a growling undead from somewhere and then have to quickly adapt your strategy.

It may have the walking dead featured prominently, but Dead Island feels like no zombie game before it. It’s probably easiest to describe the game as Fallout meets the zombie apocalypse. You choose your character based on skill specialty (one for example is more proficient than the other in throwing weapons, while the other’s specialty is brute weapons) and level up as you progress through the game’s sidequests and finding items. As you level up, you’ll gain access to new weapons and the ability to combine these weapons at workbenches found throughout the island.  While this may sound great, it’s also where the game begins to fall apart. The game puts absurd restrictions on the weapons you can use depending on what level you are. Like an old wrench for example.. You mean I can’t just pick up a rusty wrench from the ground and start wailing on zombies? Nope. You’ll have to unlock certain levels first. I get it, I really do; it’s a way to progress through the game, but it’s a little frustrating when you’re searching for weapons as you’re being chased down by zombies and the only thing you can find is something you’re not able to use.

In games like Dead Rising and its sequel, you were similarly asked to look throughout the environment for weapons and items to help fight off the undead horde. In those games, the question instantly became “Can I do this?” and the answer was mostly yes, but in Dead Island, it’s a frequent no. See that surf board leaning up against the lifeguard tower? Wouldn’t it be swell to take that and beat the hell out of a few zombies? Well…you can’t. That’s just a piece of the scenery, have this canoe oar instead.  Oh, that pool umbrella over there? The one with the pointed end that could impale a zombie? You can’t use that either, can I interest you in this canoe oar instead (yeah, there’s a lot of those in the game).

It all plays a part in just how dated Dead Island feels. A good majority of the weapons feels remarkably the same, and you’ll end up grinding your way through a good portion of the game.  A lot of my play time went like this: grab weapon, swing wildly, clear area, repeat. You can make the point that this is the point of a game like this, but here, it all feels so uninspired.  On the same note, the island and its sweeping vistas may look impressive, but the characters and their animations look like they’re straight out of the early days of this console generation.  The voice acting is rather well done though.

My final complaint about Dead Island may be a small one, but it’s just as important. Now, I’m the guy who when given the choice, will normally choose the “good guy” route in most games, but even though I wasn’t given the choice in Dead Island, I felt like a douche the entire time. Regardless of what character you choose, you wake up in your hotel room unsure of what’s going on, you know nothing about the undead roaming around; all you really know is that something is going on and it’s probably a good idea to get up. That doesn’t stop you from digging through people’s bags and luggage to find supplies and money, oh, and deodorant. Lots of deodorant.

The Blast Factor: Dead Island is like no other zombie game you’ve played, and that’s both a good thing and a terrible thing. At its best, it’s a zombified take on Fallout, but at its worst – it’s a dated and uninspired action title with little to offer in the end. Regardless, if you’re a fan of zombies or action games, you should at least check out Dead Island, even if it is disappointing.

How’s this for a Halloween gift?

The fine folks over at the Black Ops Blog have broken the first details and screens of the zombie mode in next week’s much anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops — and oh yes, its awesome. According to the blog, the mode takes place in the Pentagon with users controlling JFK, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara and Fidel Castro.

I’ll repeat that. The mode takes place in the Pentagon with users controlling JFK, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara and Fidel Castro.

Like World at War, players will either have to play through the game’s campaign to unlock the zombie mode, or wait until its made available on Xbox Live. Check out the first screens courtesy of The Black Ops Blog! And check back with Blast for our official review of Call of Duty: Black Ops when it releases on November 9.

Capcom makes the Street Fighter games, but they also make a ton of zombie games like Dead Rising and Resident Evil, Ever  wonder what would happen if they mixed the two?

Manuel Augusto Moura, a Brazilian illustrator has, and he’s conjured up these images of some of the Street Fighter cast with a case of the human flesh munchies.

Hey, what do you want? It’s a slow news day.

I started prepping today for Blast’s end of the year game awards. One of the games that made the list for best of the year? Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar’s western opus is one hell of a fun game, but I can’t help but think that it’s missing something. Zombies!

Just in time for Halloween, we get our first glimpse of Red Dead’s latest expansion pack “Undead Nightmare,” which inrtroduces zombies into the fold and oh man, does it look awesome.

Though not many specifics are known as to story or content, it is known that the DLC will add to the game’s already lengthy single player campaign in the form of new weapons, animals and a new location. Expect Undead Nightmare to hit sometime before the end of the month.

Check out the trailer below!

On my desk, I have the following: World War Z, the book about the after effects of the zombie apocalypse, The Zombie Survival Guide, a figurine of the zombie from Plants VS Zombies and even a Zombie translator. Yes, it’s safe to say that I’m a fan of zombie culture and lore. And yes, it’s safe to say that I loved the original Dead Rising. Sure, it had its issues — like a frustrating save system and a few control issues, but damn it was fun to run around a mall using whatever you can find against a never ending horde of zombies.

The game’s sequel, cleverly titled Dead Rising 2 is along the same lines, its issues are clear, but it’s easy to forgive these mistakes when you’re having this much fun. Everything you loved about the first game is back, but this time in a much larger and much more expansive universe. If you’re able to ignore the small design flaws found in the game, Dead Rising 2 is simply a must buy for action gamers, fans of zombies, and those who just enjoy a fun bloody romp.

Dead Rising 2 plays much like the original, you have 72 hours to survive a zombie outbreak, using whatever you can find as a weapon. Here though, you’re in the Las Vegas inspired Fortune City rather than the Dawn of the Dead inspired Williamette Mall and you’re playing as motocross star Chuck Greene rather than photo journalist Frank West (he’s covered wars you know). When Capcom announced Fortune City as the setting for Dead Rising 2, I wasn’t that impressed, but my fears were proven to be null once I got my hands on the title. Not only is Fortune City massive, but it’s also incredibly fun to explore. People call Vegas a "playground for adults," and that’s definitely the case here as there’s plenty to explore and do in the city and each play through of the game led to even more fun discovery.

The story of Dead Rising 2 deals with Greene and his search for Zombrex — a new wonder drug that slows down the zombiefication of victims — in order to save his daughter who was bitten by her infected mother. It’s an interesting enough tale, but Dead Rising 2 works best when you treat it like it is — 72 hours in a zombie filled playground. Call me sadistic if you want, but it’s incredibly fun and rewarding to grab a chainsaw and take it to a group of the undead. It’s even more fun to hit them with a donkey lamp or clay pot. The core experience of Dead Rising 2 is filled with "can I do this?…Yes I can" moments.

These moments are made even cooler by the new combo weapon system which lets you combine certain weapons and objects into even cooler weapons. Find a baseball bat and a box of nails? Take them to a workbench and combine them. You can make everything from makeshift Molotov cocktails ( newspaper and a bottle) and a flamethrower (gasoline and a super soaker) to some more creative weapons like the boom stick (a combination of a pitch fork and shotgun that literally blows a zombie’s limbs off one by one) and a paddlesaw, which combines a boating paddle with a chainsaw at each end. The little cinematic and rock song that play each time you combine weapons can get old quick, but it’s a minor complaint when there’s so much fun destruction to be had.

Even more so than the original, Dead Rising 2 is a game that’s meant to be played through numerous times. It may sound clich©, but there’s no way to experience all that Fortune City has to offer. From the weapons to the costume changes and all of the little things in between, the game is just too large for one playthrough. Luckily, much like the original game, you’re going to be able to bring your level and moves from your previous playthroughs into your new game. It’s a genius system really, as you’ll be able to explore much easier and therefore find much more each time you play.

New to the Dead Rising franchise is the addition of multiplayer. The heart of Dead Rising 2′s online experience is the co-op gameplay, which lets you and a buddy take on the zombie horde together. It’s not without its quirks, like the fact that you can’t stray from your teammate, but it’s still tons of fun to dress in ridiculous costumes and bat around (quite literally) a few zombies. There’s also the competitive mode which puts you in American Gladiators-esque challenges with zombies. It’s really a lackluster mode and though you’ll want to experience it once or twice, it’s unlikely that you’re going to want to go back much after.

Dead Rising 2 isn’t a perfect game though, there’s a few design quirks that are sure to irritate a few, like the horrid vehicle controls and the fact that the game still uses the timer and that it’s very easy to miss a mission that would have kept the story going. Really though, these complaints are minor, and most will be able to look past them.

The Blast Factor: There’s no doubt about it, Dead Rising 2 is not only the natural progression from the original, it’s a damn fun experience. There’s tons to explore and if you want the entire Dead Rising 2 experience, you’re sure to enjoy multiple playthroughs. If you’re looking for a fun game that you’re going to be able to invest a lot of time in, you can’t go wrong with Capcom’s zombie slashing simulator.

Busting the brains out of Nazi Zombies was so very fun in “Call of Duty: World at War,” but “Modern Warfare 2″ developer Infinity Ward today said gamers should not expect zombies to come to the modern day shooter.

Can't have it. Says Infinity Ward.

Robert “FourZeroTwo” Bowling, speaking with IGN, said when this Spring’s “Modern Warfare 2″ downloadable content rolls out, zombies will not be included.

“There will be no Nazis or zombies in any piece of Modern Warfare 2 downloadable content,” Bowling adamantly stated at a “Modern Warfare 2″ tournament last weekend.

So guys and girls, let’s put those Zombie inklings to rest and gear up for whatever Infinity Ward decides to offer as DLC this spring. What do you want? More maps? More unlockables? I want both.

Source: IGN

If shooting the limbs off undead Nazi zombies is something you aren’t completely sold on (though we don’t know why!), a Lite version of Call of Duty: World At War Zombies released today and lets you try before you buy.

How could you not want this?!

The lite version of the very popular iPhone/iPod Touch game, allows headshot-enthusiasts to lay waste to three rounds of undead and two waves in a multiplayer match before you have to actually pay to continue.

It may be short, but it’s also free and the zombies aren’t going to kill themselves!

Clicking this link will open iTunes (if you have it installed) and bring you to the game’s page.

I know your type. You’re the kind of person who salivates over the thought of the flesh and blood of mindless undead hordes caking the walls of claustrophobic locations after you’ve pumped round after round of hot lead into their skulls.

You’re a Left 4 Dead gamer, aren’t you?

If so, you should be happy to know a demo for Valve’s zombie-slaughter sequel Left 4 Dead 2, hit Xbox Live today for all to enjoy prior to the game’s release in two weeks.

Try your hand, literally, at Left 4 Dead 2 today, and see if you can stomach the unholy carnage.

I raise my glass to you, Mr. Face-destroying-zombie-crippling-soldier!

Start your demo right now, even if you’re at school or work, through the Xbox Live Web Marketplace

Fallen Earth LLC, the team behind the MMO of the same name (sans LLC), today announced a special and limited All Hallows’ Eve event going down in the expanses of the FPS/MMO hybrid.

The “Days of the Dead” event began last Friday, runs through Halloween, and lets gamers slay zombies to receive special weapons including a signature shotgun, sawed-off shotgun and a cricket bat.

If you’re not a subscriber to the game and want to try it out, signing up for the 15-day free trial will not exclude you from participating in the zombie hunt. Thank goodness!

“We wanted to give fans some fun, seasonal activities,” said Jessica Orr, marketing manager for Fallen Earth. “Halloween is a perfect time to give our players a chance to be creative as they make costumes and knock-off a population of zombies.”

Venture to the Fallen Earth official site for more on this event and the game in general.

What should you expect when you’re going to see a movie called “Zombieland?” Obviously, expect some zombies. And in this new comedy starring veteran actor Woody Harrelson and veritable newcomer Jesse Eisenberg, expect to laugh the whole way through.

When Mad Cow Disease becomes Mad Human Disease (after a long series of unfortunate events occur that the movie never takes time to explain), a zombie apocalypse occurs and we join Tallahassee (Harrelson), Columbus (Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) as they make their way to Pacific Playland and kick some zombie ass along the way.

My primary fear before viewing this film, among all the excitement and anticipation, was that “Zombieland” was going to make the classic mistake of waxing too sentimental in what should rightfully be a straight, no-tears-allowed comedy. If Lloyd Christmas had any real reason to fall in love with Mary Swanson in “Dumb and Dumber,” the movie just wouldn’t have been as funny. “Zombieland” avoided that landmine. While we have enough pathos included to connect us to the characters, the director leaves the rest of the time to laugh till our sides hurt. As he should.

The film succeeds by relying on its lovable characters and its delightfully gory slow-motion scenes. Tallahassee (none of the characters reveal their real names for fear of getting “too personal”) provides the majority of laughs as an outrageous, gun-toting, whiskey-drinking, zombie-killing, Twinkie-seeking cowboy. The whole time, you’ll probably be rooting for Columbus, the loner and a lovable geek, who has survived the apocalypse thus far by living by a solid set of rules. (Examples: Don’t be a hero, and always check the back seat.) Eisenberg does an excellent job of delivering his dry sarcasm with a knowing smile without making you think that perhaps Michael Cera turned this role down first. If he keeps on turning out comedies like this one and “Adventureland,” he’ll go far.

Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin) are two conniving sisters with trust issues who dupe Columbus and Tallahassee time and again, but end up joining them in their travels. Stone plays the perfect teenage bad girl with a soft side (I predict her being the next Bond girl) in leather boots and heavy eyeliner, who has an extra gun in her boot and would give her life for her little sister. Breslin is hilarious and adorable, as usual.

In effect, when you go see “Zombieland” (and I think you should) just follow Columbus’ rule number two: Buckle your seat belt.

For a few years, LucasArts has been receiving numerous requests for the SNES and Mega Drive game Zombies Ate My Neighbors to be added to the Virtual Console. The game focuses on a pair of teenagers attempting to rescue their neighbors from zombies, mummies, aliens, vampires, and numerous other movie monsters. The game has over 55 levels, a great soundtrack and is HIGHLY addictive. The weapons you can use range from squirt guns to flamethrowers (not to mention some crazy items like Pandora’s Box)! So be on the look out for the release on the Virtual Console. Nintendo updates the Virtual Console every Monday, so we’ll be sure to let you know the day it’s released in our Nintendo Download segment. Since LucasArts recently released their Super Star Wars series on the Virtual Console, Zombies Ate My Neighbors will most likely be the SNES version.

Comment below with your thoughts!

I’m running down an open street littered with broken cars and flames. ‚ Behind me is a horde of hungry zombies. ‚ To my left and right are three other people, exactly like me, with weapons and a goal – ‚ escape. ‚ A boat is on its way to pick the four of us up at the end of this road.

A tongue flies from the woods and grabs a hold of a scruffy biker running next to me. ‚ Like clockwork, the rest of us aim our weapons at the tongue and free our friend. The battle isn’t over.‚ In the background I spot an agile zombie leaping obstacles in an attempt to catch up to us.‚ The number of undead creatures chasing us is growing, and our weapons don’t have enough bullets to stop them all. ‚ 
At least not right now.

Suddenly I’m splashed with blinding green slime. While I panic, my comrades try their best to keep us moving while fighting off the now exponentially more aggressive zombies who’ve got a craving for someone covered in slime and running for dear life. ‚ I take too much damage. ‚ I’m at my last stand, on my back with a pistol taking as many shots as I can at the relentless horde, when a booming howl echoes over the rest of the noise.‚ That can’t be good.

Taking care not to disappoint, within a matter of seconds everyone, excluding my crippled self, is split up in a desperate attempt to avoid that howl.‚ The noise is coming from an oversized monster that travels two times as fast as everything else my teammates and I have seen and it catches my eye as it launches a large slab of pavement in my direction. I die. The other three with me split up, attempting to find safety, but are killed within’ a matter of minutes.

Welcome to Valve’s Left 4 Dead, the four player zombie survival game that runs on the Source engine, (made famous by Half-Life and Counterstrike) with polished gusto and rests its motto on the idea that no one should travel alone. Teamwork is everything.

Ever since the introduction of zombie video games like Resident Evil, fans of Zombie Apocalypse scenarios have been hankering for a co-operative experience. However, if you like the slow paced horror feel of a game like Resident Evil, where the camera angles, lighting, music and sound effects all create this eerie, “I’m unprepared,” feeling that delivers a sense of accomplishment when you complete the game, you’ll probably detest Left 4 Dead initially.

L4D takes a different approach.‚ Four characters are equipped with minimal weapons (Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Uzi, Auto-Shotgun, Hunting Rifle, or Pistol) and grenades in what some people would call, “zombie mayhem.” ‚ L4D differs due to the fact that the game itself rips strategy and control out of the player’s hands and instead puts the control in the hands of the zombies themselves.

This means that, while four people can control their characters and how well they can kill zombies, they cannot predict how many zombies will be attacking them at once, nor can they control when boss zombies appear. ‚ Valve has prided themselves on the idea that the enemies in the game spawn randomly every time. By doing this, each level is different each time you play it.

When learning the game, Call of Duty: World at War, was being developed by Treyarch (who previously produced the laughably stale, unbelievable mediocre Call of Duty 3), I thought it had to be more of the same. With the Call of Duty series being co-developed by Infinity Ward (the brilliant minds behind games like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault), and Treyarch, switching off every other game in theory sounded like a breath of fresh air, but in reality, it meant every other Call of Duty game would be good from this point on. In short — Infinity War made good games, Treyarch made bad ones.

Until devoting a good half week to plowing through CoD: WaW, I was sure that this would be the case. It would be more of the, “I take myself way too serious. Games are an art form and this is art,” type of nonsense, where the dialogue is far too cheesy and far too serious for me to do anything but scoff at the interactions between the blatantly unoriginal protagonist and his stock crew of rag tag warriors. But after busting through the single player and enjoying the fact that Nazi Zombies, a game mode involving four players in a two story building who must fend off wave after wave of progressively stronger zombies, as well as logging plenty of hours into the solid multiplayer mode, I was proven wrong.

CoD: WaW does take itself too seriously. That hasn’t changed; the single player campaign involves two different perspectives during World War II, one from the perspective of a Russian soldier who unbelievably survives multiple near death experiences, and the other perspective is from one of the most generic American soldiers in his trek through Japan. Both characters are surrounded by stock dialogue and characters. The only exception to the monotony that is dialogue in most war games, and especially any war game created by Treyarch, is the inclusion of Kiefer Sutherland as a voice actor for a sergeant in the American campaigns platoon. He offers a little bit of variety in terms of expectations but that is all, his lines are still boring

The campaign only lasts a few hours, ending with the Russian soldier planting a flag, and hardly does anything in terms of changing the structure of a Call of Duty game. That doesn’t mean it’s all bad necessarily, the levels are varied and the environments are fleshed out, but that isn’t a good thing either. Playing it safe behind the Call of Duty games that came before it, WaW’s campaign is as satisfying as a McDonald’s happy meal. Everything looks great, but it doesn’t fill you up, and it sure as hell doesn’t do anything new.

The ending is not very exciting and once the credits started to roll, I felt empty. After the last of the credits though, a new game mode was introduced. Nazi Zombies. I couldn’t have thought of a better idea, a better twist, on the World War II shooter than the inclusion of a four player, co-operative game that involves a variety of ways to destroy zombies. Getting a bunch of friends together to play this game mode is a well spent use of your time. Not only is it fun to shoot zombies with rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers and flame throwers from the 1930s & 40s, but the difficulty gets progressively harder. While the first wave of zombies is a synch, by wave ten, if you haven’t devised a strategy, you’ll most assuredly be overrun. Able to play online, as well as offline, this game mode gives CoD: WaW a much needed boost in terms of separating it from the plethora of other first person shooters to date. And with Valve’s, Left 4 Dead, right on its heels, Treyarch did a miraculous job of stealing some of that games thunder before its release with this game mode.

The multiplayer modes don’t very much in terms of what Call of Duty 4 did, by revolutionizing the way multiplayer first person shooters should be, and instead incorporates every facet of that, juxtaposing World War II guns for Modern guns. They’ve also replaced the helicopter, the boost you get from a seven kill streak in CoD4, with dogs. While this is annoying, more annoying than the helicopter, it is a valid inclusion to the game. The dogs are difficult to shoot at and prove nearly as effective as the helicopter. One major plus, and the only reason I continue to go back to WaW’s multiplayer instead of CoD4′s is the map design. Almost every map is very huge and very detailed, with numerous buildings and angles to shoot at enemies.

This offers a wide variety of confrontations due to the fact that nearly every time there is gunfire it is in a different location. The one thing I would remove completely is the inclusion of vehicles in the online modes. CoD is about intimate, skillful, combat where players actually have to excel at one thing or another to succeed in any aspect the game, not about unbelievably ridiculous carnage brought about by amateurs in a tank.

While Call of Duty: World at War is a solid game, it still lacks in its ability to innovate. It instead acts more like a modification of Call of Duty 4, and at $60, you’d have to be a dedicated fan of the series, or of first person shooters in general to fork that over. Or you just have a lot of money.