Hell-A Woman: Dead Island 2

Call me basic, call me boring, call me whatever you like, but I can't get enough of zombies... from the kitschy 'Night of the Living Dead' to the supremely unserious 'Shaun of the Dead' (let's not talk about the genuine terror of Rec, please) there's something about this horror genre staple that keeps reeling me back in.With that said, its all been done before; you really have to work hard to make a zombie game, story, or movie fresh and interesting these days. The ones that do it well, in my humble opinion, focus more on the where's and who's rather than the monsters themselves. Enter Dead Island 2.

The Dead Island franchise is pretty iconic; juxtaposing the glamorous climes of a holiday resort was pretty out of the ordinary at the time and while I griped that Dead Island 2 being set in LA was weird because it wasn't an island... that ceased to matter when I started to play.

Eat (or Get Eaten by) the Rich

Painted in broad strokes on the larger than life canvas that Los Angeles offers, Dead Island 2 is irreverent, quirky, and bombastic. No creeping around counting handgun bullets in a world of browns and greys; this is the apocalypse in stunning technicolour. Despite the grim undertones and blood-soaked scenery, it manages to stay light-hearted and offers a cast of characters that feel real.

I'm not ashamed to admit I've played it through three times, with Carla, then Danni, and now with Amy. Each 'Slayer' has their own benefits and weaknesses, but more importantly they have their own personalities and the NPCs react to this in interesting if somewhat limited ways.

From the moment you arrive at Emma Jaunt's plush Bel Air mansion you can see hints of the ties that bind the supporting characters together and it's like that everywhere you go; the characters seem to have lives of their own that go on even when you're not looking. Undead celebrities, influencers, and wannabe's abound and can be incredibly challenging (watch out for the muscle bros on Venice Beach if you play a light, agile character), but there's a lived in feel to most of the areas that's really charming.

The game mechanics are pretty straightforward, making it easy to pick up and put down for casual gamers, but once you know the ropes you can use the world and items in it to support the unique skill set that each playable character offers. In short, there's a lot of replay value here.

After-Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Beyond the nuts and bolts, however, Dead Island 2 is joyous in the carnage that it offers. It's over-the top, glossy, and plasticky in a way that many creators avoid in all areas of entertainment now - who wants to live in grim reality, it asks, why not blow an undead famous TV personalities head off with a rocket propelled baseball bat? Why can't you lure sixteen zoms into a parking lot, douse them in water and hurl car batteries at them? Who says?

Maybe I'm just sick of grimdark thrillers and film-grain laden realism; I get it, show the seedy side of life, give he real world its dues... but I play video games to escape from real life and if there's going to be a zombie apocalypse I'd like to think there's a Rockabilly star out there somewhere taping deodorant and a zippo to a ceremonial katana so they can make it across town to get to their next show.

Hollywood's all about the razzle dazzle, after all, and Dead Island 2, while short on genuine scares, embodies that with flair and panache... no-one ever seems to think about what happens to the movie sets and theme parks when the end of the world rolls on by.

You have to give it points for that at least.

Solid 8/10 for stunning graphics, a compelling storyline, and great in-game mechanics, but if I was rating on spirit alone it'd get a perfect score.