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Dead Island patch out on Xbox 360; PS3 and PC update coming later
The various and sundry niggling issues that plagued Dead Island upon its highly anticipated launch appear to be on Techland's hit list -- the game recently received another patch on the Xbox 360. According to the game's official Twitter account, updates include "improvements to matchmaking, AI, quest and escort fixes, visual glitch fixes and a ton more." We encountered most of those issues during our time with the game, so we're pleased as punch to hear they've been remedied. If you're rocking the PC or PS3 version of the game, don't get too blinded by jealousy. The Dead Island account also tweeted that PS3 and PC updates are on the way.
Dead Island ships 1 million to NA retail in first week, 2 million worldwide expected by week's end
Dead Island publisher Deep Silver must be stoked, having gone from relative obscurity to successful worldwide game publisher in the span of just one week. It seems that the company's latest release -- the much ballyhoo'd Dead Island -- has already shipped 1 million units to retail in the US, and the publisher expects to have moved 2 million units to retail worldwide by the end of its second week on shelves (that's this Sunday, folks). "The critical 'first week' of game sales has been an enormous sales success for Deep Silver," company COO Geoff Mulligan said in a press release. "We're working quickly with our distribution partner in North America, Square Enix, to restock shelves as quickly as we can." With any luck, Square and Deep Silver can fill those restocking orders before the masses of shambling consumers arrive at retail for a taste of the zombie-filled action game.
You won't find the 'Feminist Wh*re' skill in the final version of Dead Island
When Dead Island arrived on Steam in North America, it wasn't exactly what the game's developer and publisher intended on releasing. Rather, it was a pre-release dev build, meaning many folks encountered bugs or were unable to play the game altogether. Moreover, some PC users have been able to do rather ... interesting things with the early build, and one even spotted a somewhat disturbing skill name that didn't end up in the final game: "Feminist Wh*re". One of Dead Island's playable characters, Purna, was apparently allotted a skill at one point that was dubbed "Feminist Whore", though it only shows up in the source code (in the "default_player_setup" file). It's possible that the skill eventually ended up as "Gender Wars," though that's just us taking an educated guess. Publisher Deep Silver, issued this response: "These unfortunate actions were of one individual at developer company Techland and do not in any way represent the views of publishing company Deep Silver." Further, developer Techland stated: "It obviously violates professional and ethical standards at Techland and should never have happened. We're investigating this right now and we'll issue a statement later. For now, I can only express my sincerest apologies for this incident and assure you that whoever acted so irresponsibly did not represent the views and opinions of Techland. I'm equally sure that aside from the author of that unfortunate line of code, everyone at the office is as disturbed by this as you are." [Thanks, Spencer.]
Dead Island day-one patch detailed; Steam version to be replaced
Techland's Dead Island is supplemented today by a day-one patch, which will fix a huge list of issues with the game, ranging from trivial to catastrophic. The list after the break, transcribed from a note included with our review copy of the game, does not organize the fixes by priority; "Fixed many issues causing game instability" is toward the middle of the list, under "Volume of pickup's engine has been increased." One thing the patch does not fix: the version of the game available on Steam is actually a pre-release development build, including obvious glitches (like the ability to walk through walls) and some undefined variables. "We deeply regret that an incorrect version of Dead Island was inadvertently made available to players on Steam launch in North America," publisher Deep Silver said in a statement to Joystiq. "We are very sorry for any issues you may have experienced while playing the game - the correct, patched version will be made available to North American players ASAP." Other territories will receive the correct, patched version on Friday.
Dead Island review: In need of brains
Dead Island is probably the most realistic depiction of the inevitable and oncoming zombie apocalypse in video game history. It's typified by desperation, sacrifice, frustration, terror and an overbearing sense of hopelessness. But there's a catch. Though the zombie apocalypse may occasionally be grimly satisfying or fleetingly triumphant when you survive another night, there's one thing it almost certainly won't be. Fun. %Gallery-129666%
Dead Island launch trailer brings the piano back
Liberal applications of slow motion and soft music put this zombie murder right back where it should be -- in the fine arts department.
Set the mood with these three songs from Dead Island
When the zombie apocalypse strikes, it will be of utmost importance you set the appropriate mood, and thankfully composer Pawel Blaszczak knows exactly how to do that. Blaszczak wrote the spine-tingling soundtrack to Dead Island, and he's now sharing a few tracks so we can prep our survival kits accordingly. You'll want a melee weapon -- baseball bat, crowbar or frying pan -- for the slow walk down a deserted hallway at the 20-second mark of "Surrounded by Zombies," and a well-stocked crossbow for the panicked rhythms in "Zombie Rising." The "Main Theme" will play when you awake from a coma, exit the shower or begin walking to work to find the world overrun with the undead. Because that's how this stuff works, even on islands.
Dead Island co-op trailer kills zombies with teamwork (also: knives)
There seems to be only one rule when it comes to successfully escaping the dead island of, err, Dead Island: Leave no man behind. Unless, of course, that man has already been turned to the ranks of the shambling dead. Then you leave them behind with something sharp in their brain.
Call of Juarez The Cartel review: Bound in bluh
Woe to the franchise that starts on the wrong footing. When a debut is shaky, it's rare that a follow-up ferrets out the faulty strands of its progenitor's DNA and highlights the worthwhile ones. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is one of those rare exceptions that managed to pull it off. The Western FPS refined the shooting mechanics of its predecessor while layering on a mature, well-told story of two brothers at odds and some neat gameplay tricks. So with the series' third iteration, you'd hope for something even closer to perfection, something that masterfully realizes the full potential of the world, mechanics and characters. And if it weren't a cheap, sloppy, misguided failure on practically every level, Call of Juarez: The Cartel just might have pulled it off. %Gallery-127519%
Pre-purchase Dead Island on Steam, get free DLC and weapon
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the Ripper (no relation). As our more astute readers have no doubt already noticed, the Ripper is a baseball bat combined with a rotary saw. It's available for free to those who pre-purchase Dead Island on Steam. The Bloodbath Arena DLC is another pre-order bonus, and pits players against multiple waves of zombies. Players earn cash and XP in Bloodbath Arena, all of which is carried over into the main campaign. The arena also includes a new weapon, the Sonic Pulse Grenade. Dead Island is asking a $50 entry fee on Steam -- or, if you've got three reliable friends, a four-pack will set you back $150, essentially knocking the individual price down to $37.50. But can you really put a price on a baseball-bat slash power-saw thing?
Call of Juarez: The Cartel quietly delayed on PC
Call of Juarez: The Cartel was expected on consoles and PC this week, though the latter version seems to have succumbed to a delay. Valve's Steam service, online retailer Amazon and Ubisoft's release schedule have shifted the game's PC launch date to September 13 in North America. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners can get involved in drug fueled "co-opetition" this week. We've contacted Ubisoft for additional confirmation of the latest PC launch date. Update: Ubisoft has confirmed the delay. %Gallery-127519%
Call of Juarez: The Cartel screens have a few dozen tickets to the gun show
Here's a fun little game: Every screenshot for Call of Juarez: The Cartel has a gun hidden in it. Think you can find them all? Here's a helpful hint: In 95 percent of the screenshots, the gun is gigantic, and in your character's (sometimes fingernail-less?) hands.
Dead Island trailer wins Gold award at Cannes ... advertising festival
Remember that excellent Dead Island teaser that spawned a nontroversy over its lack of gameplay footage? Well, it just won an award in Cannes. But in the interest of clarity, we should note: This Cannes award isn't for the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival; rather, it's for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a "global meeting place for creative professionals in the communications industry." Yeah, it's an advertising award, not a film award, but that's okay – it is an ad, after all, and the Cannes event is a major focal point in the ad world. The Axis Animation-developed short won a Gold prize for Internet Film, alongside massive brands like Google and Skittles. Not bad for a zombie game by an unsung Polish developer, Techland, and a relatively unknown publisher, Deep Silver.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel trailer invents words, kills everyone
William Shakespeare wrote "The attempt and not the deed confounds us." We're confounded by both in this Call of Juarez: The Cartel trailer -- the attempt to coin a new word to explain a game mechanic and the unfair fight. What chance does a guy who doesn't even own a shirt have in a gun fight?
Dead Island preview: Surviving together is three quarters of the fun
If you ain't plannin' on dying together, you'd best get learnin' to fight together. We got our first bite of Dead Island's co-op at E3, which adds a lot more dimension to the overall game than the single-player experience we had before. Getting the zombified elephant out of the room first, though, publisher Deep Silver says the game's animations and combat feel aren't yet finalized yet. A good thing, since many of the melee weapons still aren't satisfying. For a game that has three of its four core characters focused on beating the infected stuffing out of the undead, the melee looks like chaotic slashing and feels incongruent with the effort put into the rest of the game. That's not to say all the melee weapons feel awkward, which makes the whole situation even more bizarre to explain. The baseball bats actually seem to have a heft to them, so when you're attacking a zombie there's a reaction. You'd expect the same kind of look from a heavy metal rod, but it just doesn't seem to jive. Whether it's the animations, zombie reactions or something I'm just not pinpointing, the melee combat still needs work. I didn't have an opportunity to try out a gun, but Dead Island if very focused on melee combat being core to the overall experience. As for the co-op of Dead Island, now that's something worth possibly getting stuck on an island of the undead for. %Gallery-125726%
Dead Island box art needs longer incubation
Dead Island nailed its first cinematic trailer, and followed up with an amazing preview. Comparatively, the box art looks a bit lifeless. A fresher concept that took us two minutes to create can be found after the break, along with official box images.
Pre-order Call of Juarez: The Cartel on Steam, get Bound in Blood free
Valve has announced that if you pre-order the upcoming Call of Juarez: The Cartel on Steam, you'll get a copy of 2009's Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood for free. Just like a few other previous Steam pre-order deals (Portal 2's granted a copy of the first game ), you'll be able to give the game away to someone else if you already happen to have a copy of Bound in Blood of your own. That's not all: a Steam pre-order will also get you two exclusive in-game weapons, though it's not yet been revealed exactly what those are. Hey -- maybe a chicken cannon. Because, y'know, it's ... a chicken cannon.
Dead Island gameplay tour trailer
Be sure to watch this audio-visual version of our Dead Island preview experience for a deeper look at the zombie survival RPG's gameplay.
Dead Island trailer piles on the sadness
The latest trailer for Dead Island is just as sappy and pianoed as the first. It's as pretty and poignant as the game's startling debut, but we're worried it might not match the tone of the actual title. For instance, if there's not a "cry over your dead family" button, we'll be sorely disappointed.
Dead Island preview: Reality bites
Following our initial look at Dead Island back at GDC, I recently got our first chance to play the game for real. And "real" is the appropriate word here. Despite the zombies, wacky weapon combinations and a creepy Lost vibe, Dead Island does a lot to emphasize the reality of your admittedly unbelievable situation. It starts right away in the demo, with an opening first-person cinematic that has my character living it up at one of the island's clubs, as signs of the big Z start to appear at the corners of my blurred, drunken vision. Is that woman just resting in the booth over there or is that blood near her head? Wait -- did that man just bite his date? Eventually, I'm too drunk to tell or even care, passing out in a nearby corner. This is when the game proper starts. %Gallery-123630%
