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Dead Island's Ryder White DLC Packs Punch, Lacks Polish

Dead Island greeted gamers with an unexpected surprise months before the flood of holiday releases overcame us. You may still be struggling for breath amidst last holiday’s games, but Deep Silver has gone ahead and released a DLC add-on for Dead Island in an attempt to rekindle those good times you had with the game. The streamlined new single-player chapter packs a lot of fast-paced, firearm-focused fun, but it also serves as a reminder to the small nuisances that held back the original experience.

Right off the bat, you should ignore the Ryder White DLC if you enjoy Dead Island solely for its co-op or skill progression; This doesn’t have it. Given that the DLC can be completed in about six hours, there isn’t a lot of time to spend beefing up a character. I missed the addictive cycle of leveling up my character with friends at first, but there are enough guns, explosives, and decent melee weapons around to keep you gleefully gibbing zombies. I only ever felt truly underpowered when the game would throw massive waves of undead at me without mercy.

Speaking of tons of zombies, if you're wondering why the original Dead Island experience didn’t overwhelm you with seemingly endless waves of undead, this DLC is your answer. The insane rush of facing off against dozens of zombies is exciting at first, but you’ll be rolling your eyes after your tenth checkpoint reload. At one point you’re tasked with securing a helicopter landing zone, a pretty standard procedure in a zombie game. The problem is when zombies can quickly climb anything, you end up getting pulverized by hundreds of knuckles in no time. Making matters worse, there’s scant time to strategically set up explosives around the perimeter or gain good position. The result is a sloppy game of cat and mouse as you run, reload, turn around, unload, and repeat. The Ryder White DLC shines brightest when it isn’t trying to be Left 4 Dead and sticks to the manageable zombie encounters that make the game so balanced and fun.

Lackluster crescendo moments aside, I enjoyed stepping into the boots of Commander White as he embarks on a quest to save Banoi Island and his wife. The story in this add-on puts the main plot to shame, but that doesn’t stop it from being moan-inducing at times. The storytelling is held back by stilted animations, mediocre voice acting, and odd narrative decisions. Despite my criticism of how Techland went about telling its tale, I really enjoyed the interesting way the DLC fills holes in the main story. If you were even a little interested in Dead Island’s story, or want a hint at how a potential sequel would be possible, be sure to pay attention to this story.



Commander White’s quest takes you across locations both old and new. Mercifully, none of the settings are rehashes of the all too familiar beach. I frantically fought for control of a bridge set for detonations, navigated electrified waters in the sewers, and cleared out a prison teeming with zombies. While some of the areas look like exactly how I remember them, Techland has done a great job of rearranging props and scenery, so you won’t suffer from nonstop deja vu while on White’s linear journey.

Another departure from the original game is the heavy emphasis on guns. If you groaned over Dead Island’s focus on melee weapons, you’re welcome to go trigger happy here. I had a blast watching droves of flesh-eaters crumple under the fire of my automatic weapons. Finally getting to lay into the infected pests of Banoi Island without the guilt of ammo conservation is a treat. Be warned, however; A fast gun isn’t always as effective as a sharp machete.

Speaking of weapons, Dead Island’s inventory management is still a clunky mess. Sometimes a weapon will disappear or be inexplicably teleported to your inventory, leaving you with empty weapon wheel slots that can only be filled by navigating the plodding back end. In my short time with the Ryder White DLC, I probably had as many inventory-management issues as I did in the whole of the original game.

The Ryder White DLC is a good option for fans of the original looking to relive the highlights of the game by themselves, sans the fantastic progression system. Not having to worry about quest management, ammo, or teammates is liberating practice in survival, but doesn’t emphasize Dead Island’s best traits. Only consider this DLC is you’re a diehard fan of the original or all your friends are too busy playing other games to join you for some standard co-op. You can snag it now on PSN and Steam for $9.99 and XBLA for 800 MS points.

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Comments
  • Actually that doesn't sound too bad for me. Going gun crazy and no co-op is fine by me. The no skill progression does bother me a bit but if there are plenty of weapons to go around... I think it's worth a try for 10 bucks.
  • Lacks Polish? Well they better hurry up and add a patch with Polish language!
  • Hmm, I own Dead Island but it's on backlog. Trying to convince a friend to play through with me, but no such luck. Might have to buy this.

  • The game is still broken how can you release dlc for a broken game even with the updates.

  • I haven't finished Dead Island but it's a pretty boring game. Def not dropping $10 for no co-op

  • Hmm, I'll probably get it eventually. It's free from the pre-order, but I've got a lot of other games to play. Also, the game's gunplay wasn't that great... so I'm hesitant in that regard as well.
  • Sounds solid enough to me plus 6 hurs is an amazing amount of content for $10.

  • " if you're wondering why the original Dead Island experience didn’t overwhelm you with seemingly endless waves of undead, this DLC is your answer" WHAT!!! the game is so hard with just 5 zombies by yourself. on another note my friend downloaded the DLC yesterday when today was the release day because it was put on the marketplace by accident

  • Hmm I actually love the game but this description does not inspire confidence. I think I'd rather replay the game with friends (how 'bout it, mojo or Noob?).

  • No co-op = no go for me

    I still need to play the Bloodbath Arena, by the time it came out my friend and I were done with the game already.

  • this game was okay...

  • Well i can't say i'm surprized. I hope they go under

  • Eeh...guess I'll be getting this one later. Still need to beat the game itself.

  • 6 ours of playtime is great!... this game was fun........but sorry....House Party games are coming...just preordered Reckoning....if this would have come out sooner after it came out I probably would have bought it...

  • No achievements with the Ryder White DLC? Would it be too nerdy to ask for my 800MS points back because of this?

    Honestly, if I had known this before I purchased the DLC, then I would've waited for it to go on sale.

  • Lack of polish, and cheap deaths were my main complaint about Dead Island. So, not too excited for this.
  • I hope it is better than your portraying this, i kept my game way too long for some half baked dlc.

  • That stinks I was expecting it to be pretty good

  • I agree with Tommy. Although it doesn't include any new achievements or online play, I think it would be a fun fix to the people that actually enjoyed the story (me).

  • I still haven't completed Dead Island, partly because none of my friends are playing and as a single player experience it's a bit bland. I might try this out though, once I've cleared out some of my backlog.

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