Dead Island Member Review for the PC

I desperately wanted to enjoy this game. The premise is appealing, the combat is enjoyable, the weapons are satisfying, the open world is beautiful and expansive. Why isn't it as great as the sum of its parts?

NOTE: I never had a problem with the waypoint system. The game would display a little dotted line on the minimap to show me EXACTLY which path to take or which hill to climb. It actually worked a LOT better than most open world games. Maybe the GR reviewer had a review copy?

The aiming system tries too hard to help you, but just ends up getting in the way. While newcomers might find the autoaim system welcome (the reticule moves to the nearest limb or target), more adroit players will find it annoying. I know how to aim at a zombie's head, thanks!

If you're into co-op: it's a great buy. If you're into single player (which I am): it's too damn HARD. Most games ratchet up the difficulty from the single-player mode when multiple people are occupying the game world. Not this one. The difficulty, even in single player, is set for multiple people. I like to take my time poking and looting and enjoying the view, so I don't like to play with multiple people rushing me into the next battle. Get about a third of the way through the campaign, though, and you'll either be forced to find online assistance or just give up. It's that hard.

I completely agree with the reviewer: "I've never played a game where I've progressively cared less and less about the plot." Not only is the character development incredibly sparse, when there is a cut scene the dialogue is so wince-inducing that it's best just to mute the TV/computer screen.

A brilliant idea. I'd love to recommend it. Just don't miss the caveats above.