Flesh mince of Bel-Air.
Their design and promotion captured an era in gaming that isn’t entirely bygone.
On the other, Riptide’stawdry zombie bikini modelpre-order collectible.
That’s the kind of journey to shelves you expect to leave obvious scars.
There are also elementally themed zombies who are scare-quotes IMMUNE to the kind of damage they deal.
The melee weapons have distinct cadences, managed by a simple recharging stamina system.
Smack one with a razor-wrapped sledgehammer and cackle as it takes off like a firework full of giblets.
It’s cutting the grass in Zelda, but gristlier.
It all hangs together well enough.
It’s a fine setting for an Arkane-style game, a place of cruelty, possibility and excess.
But all that gradually disappears beneath the looting and upgrading.
At times like these, Dead Island 2’s world becomes something to unlock rather than explore.
It’s certainly got the zombie disassembly part down pat.
Still, at least they spared us the zombie booby merchandise this time.
