Plot: The characters thought they had escaped the terrors of Banoi and survived the apocalypse on a corrupted paradise. Their fate took a turn for the worse. The Dead Island heroes escaped in a helicopter to the safety of a military ship, but when a furious storm hits and the virus suddenly spreads throughout the crew, the nightmare starts all over again, leaving hope drowning in the rising tides.
As someone who has played the first Dead Island, I can say that I also enjoyed Riptide just as much. Nothing much really seems to have changed and that's just fine with me. The graphics are still beautiful like before, but this time it's more focused on jungles instead of indoor locations and cities.
The jungle itself is quite a nice place to explore. Tropical trees and plants give sway to the wind, giving life to the environment. The weather changes from time to time as well, so it's pretty common to have it raining for a while before slowly going back to the bright and sunny atmosphere of the place.
Don't let the beautiful scenery fool you, it's not as safe as it seems! Zombies and monsters litter the island and will rip you apart the moment you idle around too long. The usual cast of zombies have returned, along with a few new variations to keep things interesting. There's now a "drowner", which can be found in areas with waist level water. These guys would wake up and go after you, especially if you're riding a noisy boat. The "screamer" will just scream, while "grenaiders" will throw what seems to be exploding meat at you.
For the story, it continues from where it left off. The heroes just escaped the prison on a helicopter and lands on a ship. Unfortunately, they are held against their will because of the people who want to use their immunity to infection as part of a cure. Most of the story's exposition are done via quests that you can do, and there are twists and turns that make things a little more interesting.
Combat is still the same. You can use melee weapons or firearms to battle the undead. You can still find blueprints to give special effects to your weapons and upgrade them some.
For an improved Riptide experience, go download the latest George Romero Survival Horror Edition mod for the PC version. It offers a totally new and configurable experience that users will find enjoyable.