For those who polished off Resident Evil 4 for the umpteenth time, and are hungry for more zombie-bashing action, Capcom has another treat for you.
At a press conference on the weekend, Capcom unveiled a new trailer and a couple new screenshots for their upcoming DAWN OF THE DEAD look-alike called Dead Rising. The game has been in development for some time (obviously, since it’s for the XBOX 360), and has already experienced a release date shift from May to summer 2006. The game puts you in the role of Frank, an unlucky photojournalist who is trapped in a mall that’s got a zombie infestation. Help is on the way for Frank, though it won’t arrive for another 72 hours (typical). As such, you have a couple of opportunities to pass the time. You can continue to investigate the lead that brought you to the mall in the first place, or you can choose to bond with the assorted NPCs who have managed to survive the undead menace by helping said people with their assorted problems (the NPCs, not the zombies). Or, you can pull a Bruce Campbell and bust out you boomstick and clean house. Keep in mind that this is 72 hours game time, and you’ll experience both night and day cycles: Zombies are more sluggish during the day, and more active during the night (who’d a thunk it?).
While you can do whatever you want while playing, there will be cause-and-effect instances for your actions. Every choice you make will have some effect on your experience in the game, ranging from NPCs turning on you for your lack of help, to attracting the zombies themselves. The experience will come to reflect how you play. More importantly, the game will feature a unique leveling system that lets Frank evolve as you play (Frank himself has evolved from the original concept, which was a cartoony-looking guy to a more rugged one). As for weapons, you’ll probably lose count, as Frank used everything from a sword to a frying pan to kill, so hey, that’s a good thing. Another amazing aspect of the game is the sheer number of zombies on the screen at once. You want to see what the next-gen consoles can do? Fire this puppy up and you’ll see for yourself. Better yet, head here for the screenshots, and here for the trailer (it’s a biggie, so have a snack while waiting). You’ll see.
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