One of My All-Time Favorite Action Games Is Free This Week

Okay, so imagine this—you’re just sitting there, minding your own business, when the universe decides it doesn’t want you to be bored today. Bam! Here comes Dead Island 2, and it’s not going to cost you a single dime. It’s free. FOR FREE, people. On the Epic Games Store, that is—if you’re on a PC. If you’re a console diehard, well, tough luck—but hang on, don’t get mad. Maybe still worth getting if you’ve got a PC, just in case, you know?

This wacky offer is part of Epic’s thing where they give out games weekly. Until, uh, May something, 2025, like next Thursday-ish. The specifics are foggy. Anyway, you basically click around on the game’s page in their store and—voilà—zombies on the house. Even if you never actually open it, it’s yours to keep. Like, why not hoard digital zombies?

I remember reviewing this bugger back when it crawled out of the depths in April 2023. Gave it four-and-a-half stars. Why not five? Who knows. Maybe I was in a mood that day. But seriously, it’s a rip-roaring ride of action and horror, especially for those who like to slash away their evenings. Whether solo or banded with mates, it’s a crazy fun zombie-filled circus.

Right, now for the nitty-gritty. You find yourself in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles—zombies everywhere, chaos, the usual grind. Everything’s about melee—big word for hitting stuff with sticks and things. You choose a character, which sorta decides how you’ll go about the zombie bashing. Some characters throw zombies around like it’s a sport, others turn them into puzzles missing a few pieces, and there’s one who prefers sneaky attacks for that dramatic flair.

Oh, and there’s this cool card system. You collect skills like you’re hoarding candy for Halloween, mix and match them, and pretty soon you’re a zombie-whacking Picasso. New weapons keep showing up, so get ready to electrify stuff—or set it on fire with swords. Chaos loves company.

If I had to sum up Dead Island 2… imagine mixing a sandbox, a horror movie, and a loony carnival ride. Animation? Chef’s kiss. Physics? Think comedy sketch gone wrong (or right?). And then there’s this fancy “FLESH” system for making zombie evisceration more… local, if you catch my drift. Despite sounding gross, it’s surprisingly fun!

And, oh, don’t get me started on the narrative—it’s like someone tossed a B-movie script and hit ‘blender.’ Got that kind of goofy charm that makes you chuckle when you’re not supposed to.

But hey, if you’re on consoles, the game costs real cash. Unless you’ve got Xbox Game Pass—then it’s already moved in and paying no rent there. Discounts are floating around for Xbox, PlayStation, and all that jazz, so you don’t have to shell out the full fifty bucks. Still, if you can snag it for zero, why not?

Man, video games, right?