HoC experiences Dead Island: three days in

I am wearing pants. Let's get that out of the way.

So I find myself 10% through the main quest of Dead Island and I find myself constantly drawn back to it. I want to load it up and play it. This is good thing. I also find myself frustrated by a couple of basic game processes. This is a bad thing. So let's talk about the Official Dead Island Map App.

I did download and install the Official Dead Island Map App and it is interesting. It is not a walk through. It just shows you the five maps within the game: Resort, Moresby, Jungle, Lab and Prison. I have no idea about the last four but Resort is a huge map. It shows you the location of every collectible in the game: ID Cards, Facts and Tapes as well as Location. Location mark sub maps within the larger areas, like an underground parking areas. The maps have icons marking all the collectibles on the map. Click on the icons and it brings up a picture of the location, a brief description and the option to mark it as collected which turns the icon red.

I have found a lot of the collectibles by myself but sometimes I go to a marked icon on the map even though I have no need to. Just to see what else is there, exploring without a quest or without a reason. Sometimes you can not get to the collectible until later on in the game after a specific quest. Usually this is noted in the description. ID Card No. 021 seemed to leave out that little detail.

The app has two flaws. One – it doesn't turn itself off. It has no sleep mode. If you forget to shut it down it runs down battery life. Maybe not a big problem but it is frustrating when you come back after two hours away and find it has been running the entire time. Two - it doesn't remember your preferences for sounds effects and music. I have to turn them off every time I load the app. You can only do this from inside a map not from the main menu.

Is it worth the $2.99? Probably not. Unless you are desperate to collect everything the first time through. I haven't been worrying too much about it and as such I am probably not getting my money's worth.

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Now about Dead Island itself.

As I said I am finding myself drawn back to it constantly and I look forward to playing it. I like this aspect of it. I am 10% through the main quest and I have played it a decent amount. I have covered about half of the first map, Resort, probably slightly more than that. I think I just started Chapter 3. I am Level 10 (achievement unlocked!) and can now carry five active weapons. My inventory is still locked at twelve weapons/items however. Components and collectibles don't count against your inventory so you can carry as many weapons parts or as much duct tape as you want. This is a good thing as the buying/selling system sucks. Well, mainly the selling. Want to sell two of your duct tapes? Well you can only sell one at a time and it doesn't default back to duct tape so you have to find it again in a fairly long list. I just gave up selling components unless I really need money. Really need.

Remember how I said there were a couple of things that frustrate me about the game play? Well selling items wasn't one of them so technically there are three.

One:

killing zombies. Okay so this sounds weird for a zombie killing game but when you have already cleared an area and you have been sent clear across the map again it is frustrating to have to work your way through yet another horde of zombies. Now I like killing zombies as much as the next guy (more) but it seems that the zombies are put in there intentionally to delay you. And they keep getting stronger based on your level so sometimes it is more work to clear an area the second, or third, time than it is the first. I know but...

Did I mention that your weapons deteriorate as you use them? It's frustrating to go through two of your weapons before you have even managed to reach a new area. They did put in a fast travel system to get you from safe area to safe area which helps. And there are drivable vehicles available which make it faster to travel through some areas. You get less experience points when driving over zombies but it's still fun.

Two:

searching everything. You can search everything. Luggage usually and cupboards and closets and boxes. On button press to search and one button press to grab the item. And you character does a little curtsey move for each button press. I thing it is supposed to be a screen bob or your character ducking down but trust me, once you see it, it's a curtsey. Fine for my female character I guess but annoying as hell. If I was playing a male character I would have doubts about his sexuality. Well, actually, no I wouldn't. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Oh, when you reload the game re-enter an area everything respawns so you have to search it all over again. Next to the main entrance of the hotel there are two buses with luggage and luggage carts everywhere. Over fifty items each time I go near. Coxxorz would be in his element. Me? I just don't go there any more. There is a Main Quest coming up in that area soon so I think I will stop progressing at that point and just stick with killing zombies. Oh look, more spawned.

I am stopping now before I make you think that I don't like Dead Island as I do still want to try the game in co-op mode.

I like Dead Island which I think makes the frustrations stand out more.