Last year,Dead Island 2finally brought the long-awaited sequel to life, bringing an end to a nearly decade-long development cycle. Since then, developer Dambuster Studios has brought some fun post-launch content toDead Island 2. The game harbored two DLCs,SOLA FestivalandHaus, but Dambuster Studios made it clear that the extra content wouldn’t stop with these expansions.
In early August, developers were teasingbig news on the way forDead Island 2. Shortly after the tease, it was announced thatDead Island 2would be getting a big update just in time for Halloween. Next month,Dead Island 2will introduce a New Game Plus mode while also adding a horde mode called Neighborhood Watch. The free update promises even more zombie-filled moments inDead Island 2, but Neighborhood Watch hopefully feels like an actual challenge.
Looking to Another Popular Horde Series For Inspiration
When it comes to horde modes,Call of Duty’s Zombies series is one of the most iconic in gaming. Zombies has developed its own devout following within theCall of Dutycommunity, but it has unfortunately faced some turmoil in recent years. Despite its popularity, Zombies has moved away from the established round-based combat that originally made the mode so fun. Recent iterations of the mode have ignited so much criticism thatBlack Ops 6is bringing round-based Zombies matches backin some maps.
Zombies moving away from round-based matches in favor of simplicity just hasn’t hit the same way as the mode did in its genesis. This is something thatDead Island 2has hopefully taken note of in preparation for Neighborhood Watch. TheDead Islandfranchiseis no stranger to horde modes. That said, manyDead Island 2players have been requesting the addition of the mode since launch. If Neighborhood Watch is going to be successful, it needs to actually present the challenges that round-based matches are able to offer.
Dead Island 2’s New Game Plus and Neighborhood Watch update arrives on October 22.
During the heyday of Zombies, being able to outlast horde after horde was both thrilling and sweat-inducing. That is what horde modes should be all about. The tense and heart-pounding moments a round-based approach allows not only make the experience more exciting but also make it more satisfying to survive through. Now,Call of Dutyboasts many Zombies versionsthat have been part of each new title, but the franchise has yet to recapture the magic of the classic series.
There is a lot of anticipation surrounding thelaunch ofBlack Ops 6, especially since Zombies features some round-based maps. However,Dead Island 2has the advantage of dropping its update just three days beforeBlack Ops 6’s October 25 release date. Between the Neighborhood Watch horde mode andBlack Ops 6’s Zombies maps, it will be fascinating to see how both versions compare to one another.Dead Island 2andCall of Dutyoffer very different takes on the zombie genre, though that doesn’t mean the back-to-back launch doesn’t present some fun competition.
As of now,Dead Island 2andBlack Ops 6’s Zombies are going to be taking over the week leading up to Halloween. Both horde modes aim to bring players a zombie-heavy experience, and one is bound to pull it off better than the other. WhileDead Island 2tends to bring the gore,Call of Dutybrings the action. This is a big update toDead Island 2’s post-launch content, and it will hopefully manage to do a horde mode justice that calls back to the golden age of Zombies.
