A new reason to be afraid of the dark

Apart from Evolve, Techland's Dying Light is the only "next generation" console game I'm looking forward to the release of. The difference though, is that Dying Light will also be getting a "previous gen." release. While the version for older consoles will no doubt lack all the bells and whistles of the next gen. edition, it still looks to offer an interesting gameplay experience. 

While the developers are endorsing this as the game that will make you want to upgrade to a next gen. console, it's the seamless integration the touch control, and voice recognition features that I'm more than a little sceptical about. To me these still come across as gimmicky extra that Sony and Microsoft added on in order to outdo the opposition. As you may have guessed, neither is particularly appealing to me. 

It would be really disappointing if the overall gameplay experience of this first-person, zombie survival horror story were to be let down due to clumsy implementation of these added next gen. features. However if the team at Techland manage to pull it off, I can see Dying Light becoming a popular title, with the obligatory sequel being developed in a few years time.

In terms of the actual story, I really like the idea of the zombies becoming stronger, faster, and more agile after the sun has set. It'll require the player to be able to adapt their playing style in order to survive various situations, dependent on the number of zombies in the area, as well as the amount of ambient light. Depending on how long the in-game day/ night cycle is, as well as whether or not zombies will actively seek out the player at night, could mean that hiding, and waiting out the night might actually be a viable option when you find yourself outnumbered, and alone in the dark. Oh, and during the day, you'll have to contend with other survivors who may pose just as much of a threat as the undead.

If you want to see some of the actual gameplay with developer commentary, then watch IGN's trailer below. I suggest setting the resolution to a minimum of 720p so that you can get an idea of just how detailed the environments are.