The well-loved zombie series Dead Island has a proper sequel in Dead Island 2. Whether you were a long fan of the series or genre, or this is the first of the games you've picked up, there's a lot to bring you into the ghoul-filled streets of Hell-A.

Related: Dead Island 2: Beginner Tips

Dead Island 2 takes the series to all new heights of gore-fueled zombie killing. With a wide array of characters, weapons, and locations to explore, there's plenty to be excited about. But, as is often the case with sequels, it also falls short in a few qualities too.

10 More Varied Quests

There are plenty of ways for developers to approach what quests to give in video games. We all have our favorites, but the variety keeps things interesting as you go from level to level in games.

A variety that really isn't shown as much in Dead Island 2. Most side quests are a combination of 'go here,' 'kill this,' or 'grab this item.' These aren't inherently bad quests; in fact, they're a staple of gaming. But they do get old after a while. It would be nice to get a little bit more variation here and there to break up the monotony.

9 Character Differences

Each character does have qualities that set them aside: skills, stats, backgrounds, favored weapons, etc. More variation in the characters' personalities regarding the world around them would be nice. So far, each character reacts to the world with snide remarks and off-beat humor.

Related: Dead Island 2: Best Weapons, Ranked

Granted, characters like Dani and Bruno are a bit more grim, but still, the one-liners and sarcastic responses to the horrors around them are the majority. It would be nice to see more of their personalities come through in their choices and reactions to the world than to see which joke they like to repeat.

8 Earlier Fast Travel

The streets and neighborhoods of Hell-A are quite expansive, so it would be nicer if the fast-travel option became an option earlier on. This would make harder areas easier to come back to earlier in the game. As well, many locked doors aren't available to open until you progress through the game further, and going back to those to see which are available to you can be a real hassle before fast travel. This would make seeing the world and completing side-quests far easier and make 100 percent completion of the game a bit more realistic too.

7 Open Up The World

The Dead Island franchise has always loved its semi-guided maps. Your playthrough isn't constantly rail-roaded with one path from point A to point B, but it would be cool to see Hell-A in its entirety from the beginning—at least larger chunks of it.

Granted, not every game needs to be open-world. But, for a game like this, with such an interesting concept in setting, it would be so fun to explore the neighborhoods and districts of Hell-A at your own pace instead of going from one objective to the next for most of the game.

6 More Hints On Locked Doors

Locked doors are all too common a sight in Dead Island 2. While it does allow for the character to be able to explore more and find keys to unlock these doors, there are a lot of them that are locked until a later part of the game.

This can be frustrating when you think you are just missing a key or battery to unlock it but actually just aren't far enough along in the story. A hint or somewhat to differentiate locks would be a lot of help for those who really love looting or want to experience the game in its entirety.

5 Time To Beat

Speaking of time, the game does run a little short. The campaign for a usual run takes about 20 hours to complete, and for completionists, this goes up to a little more than 30.

It is a bit shorter than the first Dead Island and almost the same amount as Riptide, but for many, the hopes were to see more of the series since the last installment. This is especially since we had all of LA to explore. It would be nice to see the locale and story continue further and give the players more to accomplish.

4 More Meaningful Boss Battles

Those big bad boss zombies are nothing to take lightly. They mark important parts of the story's progression and the character's growth. Making them feel more important to the story would make them feel a little more relevant.

Related: Dead Island 2: FAQ Guide

As it is, once you kill a boss, which is often a special type of zombie, you then begin to see that same type of zombie everywhere you travel. It sort of takes the feeling of achievement away after nearly dying to a boss and then seeing a dozen of them in the next hour. Reducing the number of special infected or just making the bosses stand out more would be great for these challenging sections of the game.

3 Drop The Health Bars

RPG elements are highly common in games lately, whether they be RPGs or not. This isn't always a bad thing. In Dead Island 2, the health bars that every zombie has sort of take away from the flow of the game at times.

For bosses and even more difficult zombies, it makes some sense to have them. But, for shamblers and other zombies that are basically falling apart as they move, it feels silly to see their health bars hover overhead. It would be interesting to see these RPG elements removed in favor of a version of the game's FLESH gore system where you judge a zombie's health based on how ragged they're looking. It would improve the flow and allow for some more realism. Well, as much as a zombie game can allow.

2 Ways To Upgrade Storage

There are a lot of deadly zombie-killing weapons that you'll want to pick up in your journey through Dead Island 2. So it can be a bit frustrating to constantly see the "inventory full" marker when you go for a new weapon.

That isn't to say your inventory shouldn't be realistic, especially at lower levels, but finding ways to upgrade your equipment storage would be a lot of fun. Plus, it would allow for more variety of play styles, and a variety of potential weapons and add another facet in upgrading your character, which would make the game a bit longer too.

1 More Fluid Movement

The movements of the characters in Dead Island 2 are a bit... awkward at times. It can be hard to get into a solid flow of zombie slaying when it takes some effort to get oriented and move around the space you're in.

This would make more sense with tank-like characters, but for characters like Amy, who was an athlete before the zombie apocalypse and who would be incredibly agile, it feels rather odd. Compared to games like Dying Light, where free-running and movement are the key, it just feels a little sluggish and blocky.

Next: Dead Island 2: Combat Tips