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Dead Rising - Hands On Preview
Chris Leyton
06/10/2005
Don't expect dogs jumping through windows in Capcom's latest zombie fest...
The appearance of a playable build of Capcomās Dead Rising was a welcoming sight at this weekās Xā05 event. From the creators of the survival/horror genre comes a new type of zombie game; one that takes heavy inspiration from George A Romeroās Dawn of the Dead trilogy and relies on sheer numbers instead of the shock factor alone.
Players take the role of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance photographer/journalist caught up in a town overrun by zombies whilst on the hunt for the scoop of a lifetime ā“ boy has he found it. Holed up inside the local shopping mall itās up to Frank to discover whatās happened to the town, help out the few remaining survivors and more importantly survive.
Although the demonstration was brief it provided the chance to better understand why Dead Rising is much more then the mindless violence that it initially appears to be centred around. Time is a crucial component within the game, relentlessly marching onwards regardless of what the player is currently doing; tied into this the demonstration featured a handful of objectives that largely revolved around finding and rescuing certain characters within a strict time limit. Death within the game doesnāt necessarily mean Game Over, but instead brings a heavy time penalty making the objectives laid down that little bit harder. Tied into the concept of time, youāll find that the zombies themselves become much more aggressive during the night hours, providing the opportunity for some highly atmospheric and dramatic gameplay.
Capcom also suggest that the various different zombies have a back story and some sort of memory from their previous lives. Although it was hard to tell just how far this goes from the brief demonstration, the fact that each of the zombies looks distinctly different certainly lends an air of disparity compared to the usual clones that typically feature in games of this nature.
Away from the multitude of smart touches, Dead Risingās core gameplay is unbelievably satisfying. To the critical eye it could be labelled as merely mindless violence, with the emphasis on button-bashing over anything else; the moment you pick up the pad however youāll find these notions put safely to bed. Itās all about the sheer number of zombies that Dead Rising throws at you, coupled with the fact that virtually anything can be used as a weapon. During the demonstration we managed to get our hands on baseball bats, steel poles, shotguns and chainsaws to mention but a few; the game provides a number of options when it comes to using these, from a simple whack of the baseball bat, to charging it up for a more powerful attack or just throwing it towards the zombies general direction ā“ ideal for skewering zombies when youāve got your hands on a steel pole!
Thereās just something so unbelievably satisfying about this game and the relentless odds it stacks against you. Away from the main combat Frank also has a number of options, from vaulting over the back of an unsuspecting zombie or grabbing hold of them to do some severe damage. Although we were unable to see any during the demo, Capcom also suggests that vehicles will make an appearance within the game with the likes of forklift trucks becoming effective alternative weapons.
Itās the sheer numbers that Dead Rising throws at you which looks likely to become its strongest element, both from a visual and gameplay point of perspective. Weāve yet to see anything quite like it and in many ways itās the first zombie themed videogame that manages to replicate the same feeling as Romeroās classics. That said Capcom have packed an immense amount of detail and variety into the game; individual items stacked on a shop shelf even feature barcodes, whilst the splatter of blood never fails to satisfy especially when youāre running amok with a chainsaw! Zombies will huddle along lurching towards Frank as soon as he steps close, whilst thereās a comical touch to the exaggerated expressions on characters faces ā“ especially after unloading a shotgun on a fellow survivor by accident!
One area that detracted from the overall enjoyment is the noticeable load sequence when entering a shop. Although you can see whatās happening through the shop window and are free to shoot them or chuck objects at them from afar, the moment you step inside the door pops up a brief but distractible load sequence; it just doesnāt feel quite right but thereās every opportunity this could change before the game arrives in Europe during 2006.
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