So much of what made the original Dead Island appealing was the subversive concept of a zombie apocalypse in a bright, tropical island setting. Where most zombie fiction put the protagonist into urban cities and wastelands, Dead Island turned the sunshine up to eleven and let you go to town. It was a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse scenario, something that it sorely needed at the time. But even so, the island began to feel rather monotonous after a while. Even as you made your way to other locations, it was still clearly a tropical island and didn't quite escape that vibe. There were valiant attempts with a sewer location and a visit to a prison in the climax, but it still just felt like Banoi with new paint. With Dead Island 2 being set on the sunny streets of California, you can certainly put that little issue to rest. Tangling with zombies inside shopping malls, schools - even the the Golden Gate Bridge - anything to make the different locations stand out. Heck, imagine the pure thrill of escaping a zombie horde by fleeing to the mountain ranges in the Sierra Nevada. All of it needs to work together to create a vibe of constant evolution.
