If you're a zombie, what's not to love about a remote tropical getaway? You've got a smorgasbord of yummy brains provided by vacationers who are too relaxed to understand the danger they're in until delicious gray matter is leaking out of their cracked-open brainpans. That's the sort of fun the walking dead will be having in "Dead Island"... before you chop them to pieces with your handy axe that is, like the one pictured in one of the upcoming game's latest crop of screens.
"Dead Island" is an open-world zombie survival game played from a first-person perspective. Since none of the new images are captured from that viewpoint, it's a safe bet that it's not gameplay we're looking at here. Does it really matter though? Some of these pics are reminiscent of "Resident Evil," particularly the fourth and fifth games, though that's hardly a negative comparison.
The game is set at the fictional Royal Palms Resort in Papua New Guinea. The story opens on the morning after a long night of hard partying, with your character waking up -- presumably after passing out in a non-obvious location -- to discover there's been a zombie outbreak. There are four playable characters in all: hotel staffer Xian Mei, surfer Logan, former rapper Sam B and Purna. All are immune to the effects of the zombie virus.
In addition to the open world, "Dead Island" also features character and weapon customization. There is an experience system, complete with an unlockable skill tree. The game is also said to feature a particular focus on doing battle with the zombies up close. Guns will be available, but handheld objects that can be swung with force will be easier to obtain.
You can see some of the aforementioned weapon customization in the below image, which features what appears to be an electrically charged machete. Chuck Greene would be proud. Combo weapons are always fun. Really though, they had me at "open-world zombie survival game."
