'killing zombies again, again and again'
 Developer: Capcom Japan
Publisher: in-house
Category: : hack 'n slash
Official Site
Platform: X-Box 360
Might look like: /
Date posted: 16 November 2006
Written By: Josh
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Chop till you drop
Zombies, zombies, zombies!
They are everywhere in "Dead Rising", in fact they are everywhere in a lot of Capcom's games.
Few publishers have so much
experience with zombies like Capcom does. Capcom has scored big with it's "Resident Evil" series and it doesn't show any signs of it slowing down.
Right when you boot up the game you just feel as if somehow this game is different. It doesn't feel like a typical Capcom zombie game. That's because it's not, this game has a lot more humor then what I thought it would have.
The game offers huge replay value. It never gets old and for that this game is probably a success.
Lets chop a little deeper
Dead Rising follows the amazing tale of freelance photojournalist Frank West.
Frank has been giving a huge tip that something big is happening in a
little town of Willamette, Colorado.
So Frank hires a helicopter pilot to bring him in for a closer look and this is where your crazy zombie adventure begins. Right as you enter Willamette, Colorado, Frank notices the Army has
blocked the roads to the town off, and the town is dead silent.
But being in the air just isn't good enough for Frank, he must get on the ground to get more pictures. So he jumps out of the helicopter, on to
the roof of the mall.
He then instructs the pilot to pick him up in three days. Thus being on his own, so he thinks.
Now here's where the game starts getting good.
Frank West the name, taking photos the game
Dead Rising's campaign is set up in 72 hour mode. This is how long you have to complete its main story while also taking some sweet photographs.
Now that you are finally in the Willamette Park View Mall, it is time to do your job.
While you are there to take photos you run into strangers
in the mall that sets up something called "case files". These are a set of
missions or tasks that you have to do to better unravel the truth behind this
(zombie)mystery.
  
Taking pictures is a big part of the game. You actually get points based upon several key factors in the picture. For instance, if a zombie is attacking you, you shall recieve more points for your picture then if he wasn't.
Now these points range on many different other things as well such as the number of zombies on screen, attacking you, if zombies are killing other people, nudity (that's messed up). Yes, that's right nude pictures. You actually get points for taking pictures of half naked zombies, or billboards with lovely ladies on them. When you take pictures, a sort of a ring will be around the item or zombie. Now depending how many points you get for that picture depends on the color of the ring.
Here is a quick rundown.
- Blue - Horror - The most common one in the game, just take a picture of a bunch of zombies
- Red - Brutality - When a zombie lunges at you or tries to attack you
- Green - Outtake - Put a mask over a zombie, throw a pie at a zombie's face, something silly
- Pink - Nude - Well, nude zombies
- Orange - Drama - Something heart-wrenching or keeps the viewer on the edge
- Grey - No Genre - When you take a picture of, well, nothing ...
Dead or Rising Gameplay ?
This is one of many areas that this game shines on. The hordes of zombies on screen to the insane amount of weapons you can find makes this game sheer fun.
It is so easy to forget all about the campaign with all these zombies to kill. I often found myself seeing a huge horde of zombies and trying to
take as many as I could out at once. This never gets old.
During the day the zombies are more sluggish, but at night they become more active and deadly.
The weapons that you can use to kill the zombies are equally fun. They range from a bowling ball, all the way to a lawnmower. No weapons, no problem. If you find yourself with no weapons in your inventory you can use your kill moves. These are moves that you learn during the game from reading books. The moves you can learn are highly satisfying once you see them in motion. There are a couple main boss fights that these moves come in handy for. So it's a good idea to learn them.
However, the main problem with "Dead Rising" is its the save system. You actually have to find a bathroom or a couch to save your game. No more can you just hit start and save game.
I found this to be very frustrating not knowing this, being 2 hours into the
game then die, and have to repeat the game all over. Since the mall is so big, it often becomes a big hassle to find a bathroom to save your game.
Capcom could have seriously made the save system so much better if they would have
just autosaved like a lot of people are used too.
Another thing that makes this game fun is its ending. The ending is really up to you on how you play the game. So considering on how you decide to play the game, the ending will vary.
Zombie Controls ?
Not really. "Dead Rising's" controls are pretty standard. Especially if you played "Resident Evil 4" before, you'll feel right at home.
If not, it may take some time getting use to. There is actually no cross-hair in the game, so it's all on focusing to the item or zombie that you want to smash.
The layout is pretty solid. The only thing I wish they would add is a cross-hair. But you'll get used to it. Over time it just begins to feel natural.
  
Weapons
The several different (around 250 !) weapons that you can use to kill, attack or injure the hundreds of zombies are endless. Ranging from a golf club, microwaves, CD cases, sunglasses, lightsabers, frying pan, etc, "Dead Rising" offers weapons that you simply can't find in any other game.
Go into a shop and take something simple such as a skateboard
and start smashing it onto the zombies. It works and it's fun !
Damage differs from weapon to weapon and of course with firearms you'll do most damage.
Conclusion
Overall I would say this game is a good buy, with 50 achievements, good gameplay, solid controls, a lot of humor, and a good story.
This game will keep you busy until the next big game, probably "Gears of War" or "COD3". Of course after a while, you might find the game too repetitive since the only thing you do is killing zombies and taking pictures to upgrade your score.
Also too bad that Capcom didn't chose a different save system. At times it will be frustrating to start over again and again.
But by no means would that hold me back from purchasing this triple A title. This is truely what zombie fans have been waiting for.
-Josh
Ratings
Manual:
82 % |
Graphics:
92% |
Music & Sfx:
87% |
GamePlay:
84% |
|
This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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