Dead Island Riptide Takes a Cue From Call of Duty

The creators of Dead Island Riptide are adamant that it is not Dead Island 2 -- and that's very clear the moment you see it in action. The development team is extremely proud of Dead Island's success, and rather than expanding on it in surprising new ways, it's simply giving its audience more. You can think of it as an expansion pack if you like -- it's the same loudmouth characters, your saved game skills carry over wholesale, and it picks up the moment after Dead Island's ending. This is definitely a game for Dead Island fans, and the new setting, as well as the interactions you have with the world because of it, is the real draw.

At least there aren't any crocodiles, right?

For unspecified reasons, the four survivors land their helicopter on a new infected island. This place happens to have another problem: It's completely flooded, which presents new opportunities to players. You can explore the open jungle or hop into a boat and drive along the rivers. Exploration and escape options open up because of boats -- you'll carve through zombies in the water, who won't be able to catch you as easily, and you'll be able to get to new places much faster.

Water also has gameplay implications. In a mid-game mission Techland demonstrated, survivors drained a flooded a church in order to get to the catacombs beneath. The very loud pump used to relocate the water attracted nearby zombies, and a lengthy wave-based battle ensued. Riptide introduces a few new mechanics here, including a new weapon in the proximity mine and construction elements, a la Call of Duty's Zombies mode. You can build fences (or use them to trip zombies) to keep your team safe, as well as relocate mounted machine-guns to tear down the masses.

Riptide is a lateral move for Dead Island -- it's not a sequel so much as an expansion pack-like continuation. You won't find innovative new mechanics or a new cast of characters wielding wacky new weapons. Instead, you'll have the same cheesy characters spouting off silly one-liners. You'll use the same UI to swap between custom weapons. You will, however, be able to import your save game and skills to continue leveling up, earning new skills on the higher end of the expanded skill tree.

If you're committed to Dead Island already, you're in for a treat.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com