Dead Island is back with haunting debut trailer, Deep Silver to publish

by Griffin McElroy on Feb 16th 2011 2:30PM

It's rare that, with a single trailer, a game goes from "completely off our radar" to "has complete dominion over our minds" -- yet that's what's happened when we caught the debut trailer for Techland's Dead Island. First announced in the summer of 2009, then never heard from again, the game now has a publishing partner in Deep Silver, plus one of the most invigorating trailers we've seen about zombies in a good, long while. Check it out for yourself after the jump.

IGN's preview of the game has turned out some equally savory details: According to Techland, Dead Island is a "first-person zombie-slasher/action-RPG," set in the luxurious Royal Palms Resort in Papua New Guinea. Players are tasked with escaping the island getaway, using all manner of found melee weapons (axes, pipes, etc.) to carve a bath through disturbingly realistic walking cadavers. Sounds like the camp that usually characterizes the zombie genre is going right out the window for this one.

The game is scheduled for a 2011 release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. We've got our fingers crossed that it's as good as the trailer lets on.

Source: IGN

Tags: dead-island, deep-silver, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, techland, xbox, zombies

Reader Comments (114)

The trailer looks incredible! really hope this game turns out to be as great as the trailer makes it look

Somehow, I just don't care about this. The zombie genre is so oversaturated at this point it'll take more than a trailer playing in reverse to hold my attention.

@Tinkus
it isnt just in reverse! it's both! spoooooooooooooky

@Tinkus I know what you mean, maybe we should just stop making video games too.

@Tinkus And it will take more than a snarky comment for people to care what you have to say.

@Tinkus

Zombies persist if they continue to sell.
In other news, space marines continue to shoot the hell out of hordes of aliens and mutant creatures. And sports games appear annually with little difference from previous iterations.

You may be right, I'll give you that. But your comment is so typically cliche', that Griffin kind of pre-emptively deflated it in the article. Sorry.

@Tinkus
Killing zombies can never be over saturated. Same goes for aliens, nazis, and bad-dudes in general. Not all zombies are created equal you know.

@Tinkus
I respectfully disagree. While the arcade run and gun LFD style zombie game is oversaturated, I think we're looking for an authentic (as authentic as could be) zombie apocalypse game.

I'm talking open world AAA quality where you're suppose to try and survive. Think about a game where you're trying to find food, water, shelter while gathering supplies to DEFEND yourself from the dead, not fight the dead. That's where I get frustrated with zombie games, they all pit you as fighting the dead as if you're going to kill them all. I want a survival game. Not one filled with contrived storylines. The world is gone, it isn't coming back. I want a game where I'm trying to survive. THAT would bring the zombie genre back.

@Tinkus Bad thing for you is, some people (like me) will love zombie games for ever and ever.

@Bewoulf
Please make it happen. I Would totally play that game so hard.

@Bewoulf
Better start betting on Class3 and Class4. I really hope they get finished and turn out well, because a true "survival" game would be awesome. I think there has to be some effort to escape, but that needs to be coupled with setting up some sort of base, gathering supplies and other survivors and general preparation. We haven't had a game to include all that.

@Tinkus

Actually, there are maybe three games in the so called zombie genre.

Everything else is DLC based or does not involve real zombies.

@Bewoulf Just wanted to see if you've heard of the game Dead State. It's an isometric RPG game where you gather people back your base and build supplies, etc. Its a lot like X-Com meets Fallout gameplay. Characters interact, you build your team, etc. Sounds like something up your alley.

Wow.

The entire trailer gave me a LOST vibe.

@(Unverified) I think the music added a lot to that LOST vibe.

@(Unverified)
I thought that too, due to the location, music, characters, and style of narrative (even for just the trailer). In all honesty, I love that style of storytelling, it has a depth beyond the surface, and I love it when that's brought to genres like survival horror.

I'm hoping for the best to happen with this game....

@Lucky48 Ha, your girlfriend says the same thing about you!

@(Unverified) I guess you don't watch Lost then!

This trailer gave me goosebumps. I hope the game is as bad-ass as the trailer.

@Across618

Agreed. I can't speak for the gameplay but that trailer was F'n crazy.

@Altairio

yup the people behind this trailer should be really proud of themselves.

They could have simply done a video with a bunch of zombies being killed and pleased everyone

But this is something more...

DAMMNNN, what kinda game is this going to be?

@troxnor A zombie game, I'm pretty sure

@holysocks

Thank you , Captain Obvious!!

@troxnor

First person melee kinda gives the vibes of Condemned: Criminal Origins. RPG elements could be like Dead Rising, so think of a mix like that.

Wow that was the best trailer i have ever seen, hopefully the game will be like that.

@bxgt
I don't know... it must be pretty hard to play a whole game backwards...

I don't believe for a second that the game itself will match the level of epicness that is the trailer, but it was a might fine trailer nonetheless. I was truly captivated from the moment the little girl went back up through the air into the window. Amazingly done.

@FrenchFryGuy it's been in development for quite some time now. Won't necessary mean it's a good game, but it's it helps.

Well, I'll be dipped in shit.

I went into that trailer a skeptic and came out a believer. That was incredibly well done.

After The Walking Dead, Dead Rising 2, Dead Nation, BlOps Zombies, and everything in between, I'm currently suffering from zombie burnout (oh, shit, did I say that too loud? Please, EA, don't make a zombie Burnout game...).

But that trailer intrigues me, regardless.

@Urethra Alfredo

Can't be as bad as the zombie mode in Dirt 3. Dirt 3= first zombie driving game. Wonder how that'll turn out.

Oh I remember wanting to see this at E3....years ago.

Awesome trailer, but really sad too. Looks like maybe they are going for a more serious tone compared to L4D? We'll see.

@sammo21

Left 4 Dead (and L4D2) felt like pretty serious games to me. I mean, they even went so far as to create "The Sacrifice" DLC, which certainly gave the whole story a bit more realism and emotional attachment.

Awwww I was so certain the last shot would be the girls eyes opening, zombie-mode.

@Pure Black World Tendency
Me too, wouldve been really nice. the end they presented was mighty fine though.

It's funny. I was just thinking about this game last week. Definately never dropped from my radar.

Words cannot describe how terrible this video made me feel. We can prevent that happening to the little girl, right? RIGHT?!

@Robborboy

oh my god thats the same way i felt, i wanted to cry. im sittin there hoping that that never actually happens in the game

@Robborboy I've always had a problem with kids being killed, being portrayed as demonic creatures and all the nasty works in entertainment. I can tolerate anything else but that. So while watching the trailer all I could really register was disgust.

Afterward though when it passed, I do have to compliment the amazing amount of detail they put in and the direction they went with in showing you what was happening and what had happened leading up to then.

Still wish they tried taking a different impacting route though. The kid turned me off from the game.

That trailer was amazing. I hope the game matches it but if they put that much effort into the trailer I'm optimistic for the final product.

Looks amazing! Got a Lost/Walking Dead feel to it. More about Survival, Story, and character development. I hope so anyway. Definitely on my Game Radar now!

That trailer was almost mind blowing, I really hope this game turns out as well as this trailer looks. But it seems hard to believe that this game could be as amazing as this trailer. haha But I am extremely intrigued now!

OMG that trailer sold the game to already.

Well... well dang... that does look interesting as heck. And yes, I agree, I hope it's as good as the trailer looks.

Thanks for taking all the happiness out of my day...

... I just noticed that, at the beginning, she's back to being "human-colored", and gets progressively more pale / red-eyed as she rises back up towards the window.

Easily the best trailer I've seen in forever.

Well that's one of the best trailers I've ever seen.

That was .... AWESOME. Can't wait to see some actual gameplay :D

Shit!! that was great, very well done and with nice graphics, the facial expresions on the characters looks great too, if they can put the Heavy Rain - Lost - The Walking Dead feeling i got with the video in the game you can count me in.

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Dead Island

Dead Island is back with haunting debut trailer, Deep Silver to publish

Reader Comments (114)

Posted: Feb 16th 2011 2:32PM electricfuture said

Posted: Feb 16th 2011 2:32PM Tinkus said

Posted: Feb 16th 2011 2:37PM troxnor said

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Posted: Feb 23rd 2011 11:23AM Jakkc said

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Posted: Feb 16th 2011 10:11PM Altairio said

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Posted: Feb 16th 2011 2:42PM Urethra Alfredo said

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