DEAD RISING
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Systems: XBOX 360
INTRODUCTION:
Ever wanted to re-enact zombie destruction scenes from DAWN OF THE DEAD, but
RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAKwouldn’t do it for you? Capcom has the answer to that and their foremost survival-horror series with
DEAD RISING. Taking on hordes of the undead in a mall will remind a lot of people of Romero’s classic.
And true, while the game borrows a lot from DAWN, don’t think that Capcom went on autopilot and just stuck the player in a mall with waves of zombies to blow away. Or worse yet, just rehashed RESIDENT EVIL with a new coat of paint. Fortunately, there’s more to this game than that. Still, there are a few problems with the game itself that prevent it from being the perfect companion piece to RESIDENT EVIL, but it’s still pretty damn close.
GAMEPLAY:
The game casts you as Frank West, a photojournalist who’s caught in the midst of a little crisis (and then some). Looking for his Pulitzer Prize story, on a tip Frank ends up chartering a helicopter to Willamette, Colorado, where military personnel have arrived to confront the town’s sudden explosion of living dead. After snapping a few shots from the air, Frank instructs the pilot to drop him off on the roof of the local mall, and asks to be picked up three days later.
During the game Frank must choose between taking pictures, fighting zombies, helping innocent people trapped inside the mall or managing all three, with each choice affecting the game. If Frank takes some sweet-looking pictures, he may later win a Pulitzer, but it may also make surviving more difficult. Frank can also either help other people being attacked by zombies or let them be zombie snacks, taking pictures of their demise. Depending on the actions a player chooses, the ending will vary. The game takes place in real-time from September 19th to 22nd, 2006, meaning that in 72 hours from the time you start a game, the game will end, forcing players to stick to a
schedule of sorts.
If a player runs around the mall too long, it becomes impossible to finish the primary objectives and resolve the plot. However, if the player fails an objective early in the game they will be given the option to resume the game from the beginning with all their unlocked goodies intact. This will allow them to freely explore the mall and do as they seem fit.
There’s also an “Infinite Mode” one can unlock by completing the game and fulfilling the objectives, which would be the sandbox-style game that the
GRAND THEFT AUTO-types are looking for. But, during “Infinite Mode” your life drains slowly, so standing around gawking isn’t the smartest idea. Scarfing food items from the various restaurants act as health power ups in the game, and can also yield interesting effects when combined with other foods (think of the red, green and blue herbs from RESIDENT EVIL).
The biggest problem the game has is its save system. DEAD RISING uses an annoying save feature in that only one game in progress can be saved, leaving those gamers who want to start another game but don’t want to delete their old save are out of luck. The only way to secure additional save slots in the game is with XBOX 360 memory cards, or by creating another XBOX Live Gamertag.
With this system, it is possible to save a game far away from a critical objective with little time remaining, making it impossible to reach the next objective in time, therefore making it impossible to complete the plot and get the best ending. Capcom sort of remedies this by allowing players to save their current level and status, and restart the game from the beginning as a more powerful player. Even still, the lack of a fair save system handcuffs the player and forces them to adhere to the ‘schedule’ the first time playing.
Gameplay: 8/10
While some folks may find the load times and some small AI hiccups annoying, the biggest fault is the archaic save system, which is no excuse with a game of this magnitude. Quibbles aside, the game is sheer joy to play if you’re up for GRAND THEFT ZOMBIE, with lots of stuff to see and do, and an insane number of weapons/clothes for you to use and unlock.
GRAPHICS:
Although DEAD RISING isn’t the best-looking game on the XBOX 360, it’s certainly not the worst, either. The mall is beautifully rendered with bright
colors and the like, effectively contrasting the carnage within. Characters look realistic and move very fluidly, however here’s where the problem lies for the graphics.
Main characters like Frank and a few others in the central storyline are nicely detailed and look good during cutscenes. But the zombies and secondary characters aren’t as nice looking and take a little hit in overall quality. But given the fact that you can have (and see) literally a hundred zombies stumbling their way towards you, with just a small dip in framerate, do you really want to complain about not having super-detailed zombies? Probably not, especially when you’re too busy slicing ’em up with a katana.
Graphics: 8.5/10
Beautiful and fluid animations all around, with awesome motion blurring from weapons
outweigh the small quirks like framerate drops and clipping. While you’d be hard-pressed on first glance to determine if this was next-gen stuff or not, it looks good regardless.
AUDIO:
Capcom does it again with sounds of carnage and mayhem. Zombie groans and moans sound just like they should (if zombies existed). Voice acting from Frank and company does the job, while carrying a bit of that infamous cheesiness that accompanies RESIDENT EVIL games. Though you won’t find an Emmy winner in this crowd, it’s a lot better than RE’s Barry and his quips about not opening the door (or Jill sandwiches, for that matter). Weapons from the chainsaw to the sledgehammer sound dead accurate, making you think you were standing right next to them.
Snaps, cracks and gushing are right up there, too. In a nicely twisted moment, you can actually hear the arterial sprays hitting the floor of the mall, impressing and horrifying at the same time. The in-game music fits the game perfectly, with the typical mall jingles to the hard-rock songs that pop up ever so often. Specific locations in the mall do carry their own music, which fits the environment but isn’t something you’ll be remembering. Boss battles also carry their own tunes, and like the locales in the mall, some are more memorable than others.
Audio: 8.5/10
Some cheese makes its way into the voice acting, but given the tone of the game and the context, it fits the bill. Bloodsprays, chainsaw hits and more sounds of destruction are the main attention grabbers this time around. In-game music suits the action perfectly, but tends to get overlooked during the mayhem.
FINAL VERDICT:
So, after all that’s said and done, is DEAD RISING worth the purchase? Definitely. Is it the best game of the year? Unfortunately no, but close. The weak save system aside, there’s a helluva lot to this game. If you were looking for GRAND THEFT AUTO with a bunch of zombies to play with, then this is for you.
The
replay ability (both forced and otherwise) will keep you busy for quite a while, and despite the save system’s inadequacies that put a damper on what you can and can’t do with the game, the depth and variety within the game helps to overlook it. Those looking for a way to kill three days and then some are in luck. Given the response that the game has received, there’s a good chance that Capcom will visit the idea of a sequel should the opportunity arise.
FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10