Another Dead Island Trailer That Isn’t the Teaser

Dear Reader,

There has never been a more potent reminder that ad agencies and game developers are not one and the same than “Dead Island.” After a jaw-dropping teaser that had nothing to do with the final game set the world on fire, the actual product now emerges shakily from behind the curtain into a blazing-hot spotlight, taps the microphone, and asks in a timid voice if “this thing is on.” Based on my limited time with it at E3 and the trailers I’m seeing now, nothing’s blowing my skirt up. I could, in theory, be down for an open-world, RPG-infused version of “Left 4 Dead,” but whether Techland has the balls to pee on Valve’s marked tree has yet to be seen. You don’t want to compete with Gabe Newell and his people if you can help it.

–AA

and now the kingdom comes