Dead Island: Riptide Rigor Mortis Edition available for pre-order

Dead Island: Riptide is getting a collector’s edition, dubbed Dead Island: Riptide Rigor Mortis Edition. It is available for pre-order for $79.99, which translates to Rs 4,300 approx.

It includes zombie-themed collectibles and DLC. The DLC is the same as that from the limited edition, and has weapon mods and skins, among other things. The extra goodies in the collector’s edition include a suitcase modelled after an in-game item from the first game, a zombie hula girl figurine, a bottle opener and magnet in the shape of a zombie arm, and a keychain.

Everything is better with zombies involved

More information on the sequel to Dead Island was revealed in early December through PlayStation Magazine’s interview of Creative Producer Anthony Cardahi. One of the newest and biggest features in the game, according to Cardahi, is the new ‘defense hubs areas’. “They introduce something that is a classic zombie trope that you see in a lot of movies, where survivors fortify a location and try to hold on as long as they can,” he explains. This entails building barricades and generally not dying. Teamwork will undoubtedly be important if you plan to play online. “It’s something that makes complete sense in the world of Dead Island,” he says.

Water also has newfound importance in the game, as the monsoon that was mentioned in the first game has finally hit. This means a lot of areas are going to be flooded, which opens up possibilities for new zombie-murdering scenarios on boats. The new weather system also allows the devs to play with the atmosphere of the game, thanks to a new lighting system. Weather will play a huge role, and will sometimes obscure your visibility thanks to torrential rainfall.

Guns are also going to see a change in the game. “The ranged combat in the original was only pushed during the middle and latter stages of the game, and ammo was really sparse," explains Cardahi. “As such, most of the tweaking and balance time was focused on the melee combat and not so much on the shooting." This will be fixed by putting ranged weapons and ammo into the early stages of the next game. This, coupled with the new shooting system, is set to make gunplay a lot more fun and headshots a lot more dangerous.

Cardahi also revealed a new type of zombie that will be showing up in the game. “The first one we’re talking about is called the Grenadier. He’s a lumbering monstrosity who has cancerous growths all over his body and he flings parts of his body at you. He’s a ranged attacker, which brings a freshness and variety into how the zombie combat takes place.”

Dead Island Riptide is set to be released on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 26, 2013.