The recent release ofDead Island 2marks the end of a decade-long wait for long-term fans of the franchise, who at times may have lost hope of ever seeing the game be made a reality. Fans are now understandably overjoyed and are becoming familiar with the layered and engaging gameplay that the game fosters.
While it can be said thatDead Island 2smartly maintains a lot of the core gameplay beats of its 2011 mainline predecessor, the game also boldly stands on its own two feet for many important aspects of its offered experience. For example,Dead Island 2does away with the purely fictional setting of the original game, trading the factious island of Banoi for a dystopian portrayal of some of California’s most iconic and influential cities. Of course, this offers a way for player to relate to the environment that fictional settings cannot foster, andDead Island 2has painstakingly re-created some of California’s most iconic real-life landmarks within its game world.
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One of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks is the Santa Monica Pier, a sprawling boardwalk of eccentric entertainment nestled in the city’s alluring white sand. WithDead Island 2taking place in LA, it is no wonder that the game features the real-world pier, albeit in a predictably dilapidated dystopian state.
Players can extensively explore the pier withinDead Island 2, with this particular location also being a landmark shown inGrand Theft Auto 5’sLos Santos, which itself is based very closely on Los Angeles. With the Santa Monica pier being the jewel of one of the most popular parts of L.A, players will become deeply familiar with this particular area over the course of their playthrough.
Another prominent real-world location that features within the non-stopworld ofDead Island 2is Venice Beach, which itself is not far from the aforementioned Santa Monica pier. Unlike the pier, Venice Beach encompasses a much wider area, including the beach as well as an upscale neighborhood with a large commercial presence.
InDead Island 2, the bustling streets of Venice are populated by hordes of infected, with exact streets and even artwork looking near identical in-game to their real-world counterparts. Due to the size of the area, Venice is home to many different collectibles and a plethora ofside-content inDead Island 2, meaning players will likely be spending a lot of time in this location as well.
Another one of Los Angeles' most iconic locations is present inDead Island 2within its portrayal of Hollywood Boulevard. As one of the most recognizable streets in all of Los Angeles, it is no wonder that Hollywood Boulevard takes center stage as the perfect representation of the city’s theatrical eccentricity prior to the apocalypse, and is the perfect location to give the game’s world the kind of uneasy sparkle that has aided greatly inDead Island 2’ssuccess.
Dead Island 2’sportrayal of Hollywood Boulevard is befitted with the same kind of iconic theaters and hotels that litter the real-world location, even including the area’s synonymous Walk of Fame. While Hollywood Boulevard may not be as detailed in-game as the aforementioned locations, it is clear thatDead Island 2has done a fantastic job of curating its own impressively curated take on some of California’s most famous locations.
Dead Island 2is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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