State of Decay 2 Reviews
If you can deal with a healthy dose of bugs, State of Decay 2 is an extremely satisfying and unpredictable management sim with a solid action-survival game laid on top. The sequel's improved UI, new multiplayer component, and additional maps help it stand out from its predecessor, even if the moment-to-moment is largely the same.
State of Decay 2 is an improvement over its predecessor, but it's still held back by a number of technical shortcomings.
State of Decay 2's zombie-infested maps are good places to scavenge, fight, and survive in. Combat is satisfyingly brutal and the special zombies inspire some real fear of permanent death, even though the Blood Plague turns out to be more of a sniffle. But the bugs are just as persistent as the zombies, and after a dozen or so hours the repetition of both eventually take their toll, making the appeal of replaying feel more limited than I'd expected for a sandbox RPG.
State of Decay 2 has some fun additions that can keep things interesting. Just not quite interesting enough (especially when contending with a clutch of performance issues).
If you're looking for a compelling and atmospheric take on the zombie genre that's more Walking Dead than Left 4 Dead, State of Decay 2 is an imperfect but enjoyable sequel to the superior original. The gameplay loop of scavenging, crafting and killing can begin to wear thin, but the human element is capable of pulling you back in. Tackling the world with others in tow may decimate the game's carefully constructed atmosphere, but those multiplayer shenanigans will probably be wild enough to distract from the host of technical issues that simply refuse to die.
A solid survival game vastly improved by putting the focus on people, not zombies.
If you loved the original State of Decay thankfully you can still play it, because currently, this sequel is too rough around the edges to recommend.
An improvement on the original, and with far more variety on offer, but State of Decay 2 suffers from repetitive combat and poor player communication throughout. Fans of survival sims will likely appreciate the greater attention to detail and increased demands when it comes to sustaining your communities, but for more casual players the constant need to find dozens of items or resources just to keep everything ticking over will just annoy, the longer you go on.
Although there's a very competent core loop and entertaining resource management sim somewhere within State of Decay 2, it's really, really, broken. Unacceptably so. It frustrated me mightily to see a flash of a game I wanted to play, only to be immediately reminded that it's not ready for release.
Ultimately, State of Decay 2 is a game that's fine to play on your own, but so much better with friends. If you plan to pick up this ghoul gutting game then make sure to bring a friend or two.
For as much fun as I had with the game, I expected a bit more polish.
State of Decay 2 is a "bigger, better and more badass" sequel, with plenty of missions and activity to do. Playing it in co-op is a good addition, but on the long run the game loses part of its charme. The graphics are outdated and very far from the modern games' standards.
Review in Italian | Read full review
For a world that seems to so enthusiastically encourage players to always stay on their toes, it's supremely frustrating to see a game so often bungle it for you.
There's still plenty of fun to be had in State of Decay 2, though, especially if you liked the original.
State of Decay 2 is a perfectly fine game. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, it may be buggy and it might be a step back from the original, but it is nevertheless still a fun game, albeit one that doesn't really motivate you to keep playing. To keep grinding. I imagine it's what a real zombie apocalypse would be like, we just wanted more from a game about it.
State of Decay 2 is a good budget project for fans of games about zombies, now with co-op play. New game has some interesting mechanics and elements, but, sadly, quickly becomes boring. Given that the game is sold at half price, you can try it, especially if you liked the original. But if you are waiting for an interesting story and beautiful graphics, you can safely reduce the score by one point and pass by.
Review in Russian | Read full review
State of Decay 2 is the best State of Decay has ever been.
State of Decay 2 made me sad, but mostly bored
Despite these flaws, State of Decay 2 is incredibly enjoyable
All said and done, State of Decay 2 is a great addition to the library of any Xbox One or Windows 10 PC gamer. It might sound derivative on paper, but multiple elements come together to make a game that's well worth your time.