Dead Rising

Dead Rising
Game: Dead Rising
Platform: Xbox 360
Studio: Capcom
Rating: 8.5/10

GAME DESCRIPTION: Dead Rising follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, a freelance photojournalist after the scoop of a lifetime. In a small suburban town that’s overrun by zombies, he escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be safe. Now it’s a standoff, with zombies unable to get Frank, but him unable to get out & escape. Fortunately, he’s got an entire mall at his disposal. Utilize everything you can find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic.

* Real-time gameplay – Time marches on whether Frank is actively engaged or simply stationary
* Dynamic enemies – Record numbers of zombies will come at you & react to their environment — each has unique behaviors and appearances
* The variety of stores will give you weapons aplenty – an endless supply of vehicles, makeshift weapons, and food are waiting for you
* Encounter other survivors along the way — helping them will give you more clues as to what has happened and what you need to do to stop it
* Visual clarity – Playing in native 720p resolution allows for unprecedented detail and clarity in gameplay

PLAY: Zombies, zombies everywhere. The opening scene gives you only a small taste of the horror to come. The opening scene is reminiscent of two George Romero movies—Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead. The overall feel of the game borrows liberally from Dawn of the Dead and the mall setting—even though there is a disclaimer that reads “this game was not developed, approved or licensed by the owners or creators of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.”

The opening sequence finds Frank West, freelance photography, taking pictures as he flies into Willamette, Colorado via a helicopter. Soon you land on the top of the Willamette Park View Mall and quickly realize that all hell is literally breaking loose. Your last warning from the helicopter pilot is that he will be back in 72 hours and if you aren’t there you’re on your own.

Much of the game is set up in a sequence of events although you are never restricted to move in any certain way and have free reign of the mall. With that said, you have goals that need to be complete if you hope to advance in the game—such as helping injured people and get them back to the safe area. The more goals, or case files, you complete the more you learn about the zombies. The goal is for Frank West to understand what is happening and to get the truth behind the zombies.

Dead Rising is no walk in the park. There were times when it seemed that butchering zombies and cruise right through Dead Rising—it’s not nearly that simple. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed but the sheer number of zombies makes it extremely hard to fight your way out. And if you think a simple pistol is going to help than you couldn’t be more wrong. The minute you run out of ammo you are dead—actually you’re lucky if there is enough time to point and shoot and not get attacked from some other angle.

There are plenty of other weapons. It’s actually quite amazing how strong our photo journalist is as he picks up a huge garbage bin or park bench. Anything you can find laying around you can pick up and use as a weapon. The HDTV works surprisingly well in combat but our favorite is swinging mannequins. The further you go the better Frank gets with various hand-to-hand combat.

At first glance, Dead Rising would appear to be nothing but a game about killing zombies—but there is more. Frank can make food—he must eat and drink to gain life. It’s fun to take food and toss it in the microwave and nuke it. You can also read books and gain knowledge and skills. The depth goes even further than other free wheeling games like Grand Theft Auto.

It’s not all a love fest. The saving in Dead Rising is a nightmare. You have to either go back to the safe area or find a bathroom in order to save your game. It’s way too easy to forget and I can’t tell you how many times we would get deep into the game and realize in the middle of dying that we hadn’t saved in a while. An automatic saving feature—or the ability to save at any time—would have made this game so much better and more user-friendly.

GRAPHICS: Capcom didn’t go with their franchise Resident Evil and give us a dark and spooky zombie game. Instead it is very much like Dawn of the Dead where the zombies are creepy but not set in dark nooks and crannies. The entire look and feel of the game is set in a regular mall that looks like your neighborhood mall. The mall is very detailed as are the plants, trees, water, and every other thing that is in the promenade or park that is in the middle of the mall.

The animated cutscenes are a thing of beauty. During the opening sequence it’s easy to imagine this as a movie. Even more amazing is are how few hiccups interrupt the game even with fifty zombies on screen and Frank swinging weapons, Dead Rising’s graphic engine works like a charm.

SOUND: The only thing better than the graphics are the sound effects. The groans and the smashing of zombie bones are all audible. Chainsaws roar and each weapon makes a disgustingly wonderful sound. The soundtrack is good for what it is—elevator muzak.

FRANKLY: The beauty of Dead Rising is that zombie killing isn’t about racking up big kill numbers. The game has a storyline and plots—and zombies—but it all combines together as in one enjoyable narrative. There is a goal and the zombies are the mangled train wreck that keeps you from succeeding. The vast quantities of zombies are like a monster wall that you have to fight your way through in order to fulfill your mission. And anyone that enjoys zombie movies will find killing zombies supremely enjoyable. Dead Rising is a winner—but please Capcom… when you release Dead Rising 2—and we hope you do—please fix the saving feature! Dead Rising is an essential Xbox 360 game!

+ Richie Wright


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