Dead Rising

It's really refreshing sometimes to play a game that doesn't take itself too seriously nor does it provide any philosophical, deep, moral messages or even thought-provoking. What it does is entertains and sometimes that's all you want.

Inspired by the likes of the George Romero zombie flicks of yore, Dead Rising tells the tale of Frank West, a no-nonsense photographer who has landed, quite literally, into a living hell of a story. And that hell comes from the mindless hordes of zombies that seek to devour nothing but human flesh as well as generally moaning and groaning. He gets more than what he bargained for as he uncovers a conspiracy that goes far deeper than he has expected.

With that premise in mind, it's easy to see the parallels to past zombie flicks and here it works really well. The Resident Evil games without a doubt are MUCH more intense than this game, but Dead Rising spices things up by game-play variety. Not only do you get to take pictures, but you also must time them right to get the perfect shot which earns you points that level up your character. You can also take on side missions ranging from rescuing civilians and killing bosses. And man, some of the boss fights are really good and inventive with a wide assortment of lunatics to defeat and once you defeat them, you get rewards like key cards and even new weapons. Some of the weapons are really cool; especially the ones that impales zombies and have them spinning around and around are darkly humorous and you can even use a lawn mower!!! Add to the fact that you can drive vehicles to mow down zombies and you have yourself one entertaining game.

The controls are tight and sound effects are top-notch, crisp and clear. Nothing is more pleasing than bashing the living daylights out of zombies with the sound of gushing blood and it helps to have a rocking sound system that adds to the experience. And it looks really good too; with detailed graphics that are so real looking, you'll be left agape with mouth in tow. As for the story, I thought it was pretty good although it doesn't really offer anything new in terms of plot, but the character development got me invested in the proceedings as things went along. There are some hilarious moments, though not in a lighthearted sense. All in all, stellar production values make this one a treat.

However, the biggest flaw in this game is the save system. Simply put, it is not well-developed or though out in any way shape or form. You can't save anywhere nor are there any multiple save slots for saved games; I found myself very frustrated by not being able to save anywhere. There are some moments where the game saves automatically and it lessens the frustration somewhat, but the save system really sucks the life out of this otherwise stellar game. I also found it rather short. I beat it in a couple of hours which is a little disappointing but the amount of variety in zombie disposal makes up for this in some ways than one.

So is Dead Rising the best zombie game? it's quite close but Resident Evil is much better. However, If all you want is a nice, entertaining zombie game that doesn't take itself too seriously, isn't very deep and offers a variety of killing zombies, then get this game. Just don't expect Resident Evil-like quality and you're all good.

When I picked up Dead Rising at the local video game retailer I expected a pure and simple zombie bashing game. As a fan of the zombie genre, that was what I had wanted as well. While the game delivered the buckets of blood and pointless killing that I had craved at the time it also supplied a little more.

There is an actual plot line that involves multiple endings for the player to unlock. Of course the player can ignore the story which constricts them to a strict time track to stay on top of in order to complete each of the missions arrayed. Ignoring the plot line does not detract from the game as it lets the player simply run through the mall killing at will, or having a more noble streak and rescuing survivors.

The mall itself holds plenty of weapons to use, food to regenerate health, and clothes to change into. The graphics are well done, featuring great sound effects (especially the blood splatters), and some great killing moves.

The game also features some small RPG elements which allow your character to upgrade and gain more health, stronger attacks, and some new hand-to-hand attack moves to use against the zombie horde.

The only true gripe I have with the game is with the difficulty one can have with non-zombie enemies, and with the saving system, which requires you to run out of your way in order to find a save point which are scarce and scattered.

The game also only lets one keep one profile, which I believe makes it easier as you really only have one game to worry about, and lets you keep a single character which transfers from game to game so you don't have to start with a wimpy character like you do when you first pick up the game.

Overall I believe Dead Rising was an enjoyable zombie romp for those who enjoy the zombie genre. However if you are completely impatient, loath difficulty, and feel the developers must make a game comfortably around your own little mold that you have in your head, don't pick it up because you will merely get frustrated and annoyed.

Capcom is one of the best, if not most popular 3rd party developers of all time. They've developed a lot of popular series and have created some interesting game characters, including the ones from street fighter, and resident evil.

But then comes Dead rising, which puts you in the shoes of a young freelance photographer looking for his big scoop to put his name into history. What he doesn't know is that for 3 days, from September 19th, to the 22nd in the year 2006, He's in for a blood-soaked, fear-inducing, adventure filled with excitement.

Frank West is tipped off about something big happening in Williamette, Colorado, a fictional town of about 50,000 people. He hires a low budget chopper pilot to fly him in so he can snap some pictures of the town. it's not long before the national guard come and chase the chopper away, but not before Frank is able to land on the mall's roof, and get in. He soon discovers that it's not a civil disturbance, but a zombie apocalypse. And for the next 72 hours, it's him, a few survivors, and nearly 50,000 blood-thirsty, flesh-starved zombies.

I got this one very late in the Xbox 360's lifespan, and i'm still not sure why I waited so long to pick this one up. It's a lot of fun and worth whatever you pay for it.

The main idea of Dead rising is to collect as many Prestige points (PP) as you can, while helping 2 particular people discover why the zombies have risen up in the first place. You collect prestige points by using your camera to take photographs of people, zombies, anything that's happening in the disaster zone of Williamette. You also collect points by killing zombies with whatever is at your disposal, including knives, sporting goods, tools, Electronics, and my personal favorite so far, the Chainsaw. You get the biggest PP boost by rescuing survivors and guiding them to the only sanctuary left - The security room.

The best part of the game, is the fact that you have a lot of freedom. for 72 hours, you can do whatever you please. Want to be a zombie-killing machine with whatever is at your disposal? You can. Do you want to rescue survivors? you can. Do you want to take pictures for your big story? do it. And are you sure you want to know why the zombie apocalypse is happening in the first place? stay close to 2 particular people, stay alive, and you might just learn exactly why there is a zombie apocalypse in the first place.

For anyone who hasn't picked up a copy of Dead rising yet, I strongly suggest you do so. The replay value is great.

9/10

Dead rising is by far the best Xbox 360 game to be released yet. Dead Rising is a fresh and creative game that finally brings a zombie game to life in a entirely interactive mall. I highly suggest buying this game if you own a 360. You are Frank West, Photojournalist, the place? Willmete Colorado, the mall. Your mall, your actions, you decide the way the story goes, each action has a consequence.

As Frank West your goal is to stay alive three days until the chopper gets back and get a story. Use virtually anything to kill zombies, including but not limited to: televisions, two by fours, guns, chainsaws, propane tanks, saw blades, baseball bats, soccer balls, cardboard boxes, Shower heads and many many more.

Wear anything from suits, to children's clothes, dresses, Teddy bear masks, Horse heads, and sports clothes. Use other weapons for pure fun, such as: Light up swords, make up displays such as lipstick, and anything that you can find that you know wouldn't kill anyone.

Drive vehicles such as a red car and a motorcycle resembling a Harley Davidson Fat Boy.

Overall this game is fresh, creative, and excels expectations.

Overall this game was rather fun and had a lot of great and memorable moments. Each time you play through it you are very likely to come across a cut scene or new character you haven't seen before. The graphics, music, and voice acting were all top notch and added to the feeling of actually being in a real living environment with real characters, rather than just a couple of areas and people thrown together. Killing the same zombies over and over again, however, does tend to get alittle old after a few times, which leads to the one main gripe of this game...the game saving. Saving can only be done in certain specific areas of the mall with only one slot for saving, which guarantees you will have to start from the beginning at least a few times. On the plus side, you are able to keep the skills and experience you accumulated during the way making it that much easier the next time around. Definitely worth the money.