![]() ![]() It was a real letdown to see that the DLC was a straightforward kill-quest for most of its running time, but what was even more disappointing was that Techland failed to deliver a smooth, flawless product even after the beatings they took in reviews for Dead Island's buggy launch. Unfortunately, Ryder White pulls an about-face and offers a linear, action-heavy theme park ride through major areas from the main game. Rather than being another typical zombie-blasting affair, Techland's vision came closer to a feature-film "survivor" experience than anything I know of, and it was superb. One of the biggest reasons I enjoyed Dead Island was that it combined RPG elements, open world design and zombies in a way that no other game has. Robust multiplayer? It's single player only. Different quests to complete and characters to find? Not here either. Open-world exploration on a tropical island? Nope. Speaking of things that aren't expected, Ryder White caught me off-guard by taking elements that made Dead Island one of 2011's best games and tossing them out the window. However, after stepping into his boots, players might be surprised to find that neither he nor his role in the story are as expected-instead of pulling the strings from a comfortable, secure area, he's in a desperate, grueling struggle from start to finish. Meeting him and getting to his location is what drives most of the story, so getting the chance to see things from his perspective was of great interest. Such a move is unusual, unorthodox, and in my opinion, not particularly successful.Īt the risk of spoilers for those who haven't finished Dead Island, Ryder White is the Australian military commander who's waiting for the survivors at the end of the game. That's the route Techland goes with their new Ryder White Campaign DLC, but instead of retaining Dead Island's core, the gameplay is almost the exact opposite of what made the campaign so enjoyable. If the combat's the star, why not fight some new, tougher enemies?Īnother tack sometimes taken is to put the player in control of a character that was previously off-limits. For example, if the story was great, a new chapter or a "what happened next?" is welcome. Certain elements can be experimented with and formulas can shift, but the game's core identity needs to remain intact. It's a difficult question to answer (and it varies game-by-game) but something largely true is that people want more of what they liked. ![]() So what makes good DLC? What kind of add-ons are the most welcome and satisfying? WTF Repeating ambush points until weapons degrade into useless scrap. LOW Weapons unequipping in the middle of zombie gangbangs. HIGH Clearing out the prison showers with impunity.
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