More Articles on Dead Rising
Dead Rising Dispute ContinuesFrank West In Invasion of the Copyright SnatchersDead Rising Notches Up A MillionDead Rising Becomes UK Fastest Selling 360 TitleRaised Marketing Drive Behind Dead Rising
User Reviews
There are currently 2 User Reviews for Dead RisingWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Dead Rising Review
Chris Leyton
08/09/2006
The greatest Xbox 360 title yet... it's certainly up there with the best...
Purveyors of the zombie genre, Capcom make a return to the world of rotting flesh, the splatter of blood and the night of the living dead with their debut next-generation title, Dead Rising. Despite the obvious similarities to a certain series, this is a zombie game quite unlike any other; it's a classic take on the cinematic zombie theme and there's little wonder that the game comes with a disclaimer distancing the title from the works of George A. Romero.
Assuming the role of the overzealous freelance photojournalist, Frank West, who has learnt of suspicious events occurring in Willamette, a small, fictional, town in Colorado. With the town blocked off by the US Army, Frank takes a chopper ride into town and quickly discovers that all is not what it seems. Unashamedly "borrowing" ideas from George A. Romero's seminal 'Dawn of the Dead', Dead Rising takes place in the Willamette Mall as Frank slowly uncovers what has happened and has to make use of whatever he gets his hands upon for survival - whether that's a sledgehammer, shopping cart or sub-machinegun!!!
It's immediately apparent that Dead Rising is a splatter-fest pure and simple; it's a third-person button-bashing blockbuster that throws hundreds upon hundreds of zombies in your way of discovering the truth. Yet despite the underlying simplicity of the game there's a sophisticated blend of open-ended freedom and a strict time dynamic that creates a surprisingly deep gaming experience.
The core gameplay behind Dead Rising is immensely enjoyable and satisfying, and remains that way throughout the entire game - there's just something so very gratifying about killing wave after wave of zombies. Because of the sheer number of makeshift weapons Frank can get his hands on and the uneven odds he finds himself up against, the game rarely begins to grow repetitive or monotonous like many other similar titles. Equally, being a photographer, taking pictures plays a fundamental role in the game and has been suitably integrated into the overall experience. PP points are awarded by killing zombies, taking photos (broken down into genres such as Horror, Drama, Outtake, Erotica, etc...) and a variety of other activities such as discovering what to do with a frying pan and a hot hob. An RPG dynamic of sorts is based around the PP score, increasing Frank's attributes and unlocking new skills as he levels up, which only adds further depth through development and helps to distance the game away from the issues that action titles commonly face. Bringing a sense of light-relief, Frank also has the time to do a spot of shopping, customising his character with various garments of clothing found throughout the Mall, whether that's a Miami-Vice styled suit or a nice flowery dress!
Time is a crucial component of the Dead Rising experience, providing a sense of structure to the otherwise entirely open-ended game. Set during 72 hours, each of which takes five minutes in the real world, the main challenge behind Dead Rising is simply one of survival. Although it's entirely possible to hole yourself up with a steady supply of weapons and food for three days, Frank won't achieve what he set out to do and discover the truth behind the events. To successfully accomplish this, a series of story missions (broken down into 'Cases') across the three days must be completed. In addition, Otis, the ever-helpful Mall Janitor will keep you informed of survivors that need to be rescued throughout the mall. All of these are governed by the incessant march of time, dictated by Frank's watch, opening up new missions at certain times and providing time restrictions to rescue civilians by. There's a fantastic sense of urgency to the game because of the dynamic, but at the same time it doesn't impose on the your choices, the game continues to pan out even if you let characters die or forget about one of the main 'Cases' events.
Perhaps the game's most frustrating and controversial aspect is also the game's saving grace. Insisting on a single save system, similar to Capcom's 'Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter', with checkpoints a rarity, death in Dead Rising means exactly that and often involves backtracking through many areas that you've already completed. It can be a struggle to get through and any other game would likely have you reaching for the off button and another game; however, Dead Rising manages to walk the fine line and comes out successfully. For starters it's all but essential that the developers insisted on this approach as opposed to the liberal supply of checkpoints found in most videogames; with the game set against a 72-hour clock (making a total gameplay time of six hours), it would be far too easy to roll through the game in no time at all if Dead Rising allowed you to save anywhere. Surprisingly the game wraps the experience with enough freedom to never really frustrate, despite playing the same sections over and over again. Kenji Inafune and his team have obviously taken influence from Capcom's publishing duties of the GTA series in Japan; in many ways Dead Rising usurps the level of freedom exhibited in Rockstar's series, and as such, playing through the same sections just provides the scope to try alternative ideas - it never feels as though you're really treading over the same sections, despite the fact that you often are!
Ignoring the save issue Dead Rising is still a tough game and one that will make even hardened gamers feels inadequate at times, it simply refuses to guide you by the hand from the start. There's a wide scope of success, whether that's rescuing as many people as possible or taking photos that range from hundreds of PP to thousands; throughout the game Photo Opportunities become available and it's key knowing when these occur to score the big points and solve the mystery. In addition a further challenge revolves around finding and defeating a cast of "psychopaths", essentially deranged humans with deadly weapons such as a chainsaw juggling clown or a group of escaped prisoners tearing up the turf in the park outside.
Six hours of gameplay may not sound like a lot initially; however, Dead Rising is a game that will last considerably longer then many other 360 titles. For starters its built around replay, you simply won't be able to see everything the game has to offer in one sitting and it's highly likely your first attempt is just about Frank's survival, let alone discovering what has happened and rescuing anybody else. Typically when a game talks about replay it often revolves around still playing through largely the same experience, but, Dead Rising provides the scope for genuinely different experiences every time you play it. Even after completing the game several times there's still long-term appeal in the "Infinite Mode", which challenges players to last as long as possible with a health bar that slowly degenerates over time. Scores can be uploaded to the Xbox Live website, with the current high-score standing at over 16 days - that's 32 hours straight!
Every aspect of Dead Rising feels like a labour of love for Inafune-san and his team, and as such the game is one of those few titles that continuously manages to appeal. The striking contrast between zombies baying for blood, gallons of blood and a dorky protagonist with dubious tastes (wait until you see him in children's clothing!) set against the plings and plucks of elevator music results in a distinctive experience that should be played by everybody - whether you're into zombies or not (but not in that way of course). However at night, when the zombies manifest into more efficient killing beings and the electricity is switched off, the tone changes dramatically and becomes overwhelmingly dark and sinister - the contrast between day and night has been realised with startling effect.
Trying to pick faults with Dead Rising is a tough task, but ultimately it's perhaps the missed opportunities that are easier to criticise. Extending the game even further through Xbox Live multiplayer, a variation of the Infinite Mode whereby a group of survivors have to survive for as long as possible, would have been an excellent addition, if technically feasible. But beyond this it's hard to fault a game that whilst highly frustrating, still manages to keep you coming back for more.
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 3rd Feb 2008 21:35
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 10th Jan 2008 23:17
Anonymous
Date Added:Tue 18th Dec 2007 21:01
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 25th Nov 2007 14:04
Anonymous
Date Added:Wed 13th Jun 2007 03:08
Anonymous
Date Added:Wed 13th Jun 2007 03:03
Anonymous
Date Added:Mon 11th Jun 2007 05:46
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 24th May 2007 17:12
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 15th Apr 2007 04:19
ONLINE PLAY
questionmark
Date Added:Sat 7th Apr 2007 03:34