Dead Effect 2

Dead Effect 2 is a game with big aspirations that simply doesn’t reach the heights for which it shoots. Every neat premise is compromised by shoddy balancing, uninspired combat or strange design decisions. While there is a ton of content with 20 story missions and a bunch of additional game modes, none of it is as fun as it could have been.

It's an old school shooter that reminds me very much of Quake 3 Arena for some reason, the difference being it has a reasonable single player mode. Now, don't get me wrong - visually it's nothing too special, even for 2016 when it was released. It certainly looks and feels very dated in 2025. The voice acting is atrocious. All zombies sound the same. There is no strategy, no tactics. There is only a small variety of enemies, and the story is super generic and unremarkable. But, despite all this.... The pace is great, the carnage is exquisite, overall it's super fun to play. Unsophisticated, easy (in a good way, even on hard and nightmare difficulty) and enjoyable. Kill zombies, get better gear, rinse and repeat. If You like fun, old school shooters like the original Quake, Quake II, Q3A or the original UT this will be right up Your alley. If not, then still worth giving a try - especially if You've never played the oldies - as it can often be purchased for close to nothing (80% off at under £2 as of writing). It's a superb stress relief tool if nothing else.

I think it expands more on the first. haven't experienced any bugs. better graphics and sound design than the first. better weapon models and reload animations and runs better than the first. personally I don't get the negative reviews. It's a good little budget shooter series.

Having to talk to an NPC to activate a new mission is a ridiculous feature, especially when the dialogue and story is so lackluster. I can't play the DLC past the second mission because the NPC you have to speak to is bugged. I hope this is patched out eventually.

4/5 star