In many ways Dead Island has been an interesting game long before it shipped. Re-announced (after being announced in 2006) earlier this year, Dead Island was first shown with a trailer that defied all conventions of what a typical game trailer is made up of. It went in reverse and it was very 'artsy'. In fact, it was such a good advertisement for the game that the publisher, Deep Silver managed to win an award for it at the famous Cannes festival. But now the game is out, does it live up to the admittedly crazy hype? The answer is yes and no, and with a little bit more polish, it could have been a big yes.

Dead Island is set on a pacific island near Australia and the Solomon islands. You play as one of four characters, each who have different sets of skills which affect how the character improves and progresses through the story. The character is saved by a bunch of people, also stuck on the island when the zombie outbreak occurs and it is quickly discovered that your character can resist the zombie gene for at least a period of time. From there it's up to you to find how to get off the island and ensure it happens.