Dead Rising (Classics)

Dead Rising doesn't like you. It tempts with an utterly wonderful prospect, and for the first hour or so you're left thinking this could be the best game you've ever played. put simply, it can't be understated what a glorious playground the mall is - filled with the shambling undead and every corner is crammed with every weapon imaginable - guns, knives, custard pies, CD's, toy guns, Sledgehammers, lanwmowers, chainsaws, frisbees, pot plants....the list goes on and its never less than hilarious and engaging to find yourself backed into a corner only to emerge triumphant after smashing your way through the hordes using only a football and store dummy.

Great stuff then, and then Dead Rising kicks you right in the chocolates, souring the entire experience. To start with, the save system is awful. one save point, for a game like this is a terrible idea. Combined with hugely difficult and frequent boss characters, its a recipe for disaster. Save points are few and far between and require lengthy diversions to reach, through zombie infested territory - complete a boss character mission (itself something of a chore) and then you'll have to negotiate the horde with little or no health. Its entirely possible to save in an unwinnable situation and thus have to restart the entire game.

If you have a standard definition TV, then beware - text is unreadably small, leading to confusion and ignorance of the games goals and objectives. If you're on Hi Def, then all is well, but responding to a call for help on your phone leaves you unable to defend yourself, often leading to death and lengthy replay to return to where you were. At least you'll be able to read the text scrolling across the bottom as you die.

Its a shame that so much of Dead Rising becomes a chore - its so close to gaming nirvana, to have it all taken away its a real disappointment. Who playtested this I have no idea, but they obviously are complete sadists. Fun for a while, but ultimately hamstrung by terrible design, its a game you should play, but not necessarily strive to complete.

First of all, for those who moan about the games save system, thats complete nonsense.Though like any game theres some flaws, if you can at least be bothered to try, they become irrelevant.

Secondly, this game is something else! Having a constant free roam mission system with a 72 hour countdown is brilliant. Also, everything you do in the game breaks the rules. No running around looking for ammo ; if you wanna kill a zombie, just pick up the nearest thing and start smackin.

The storyyline is very well put together and the ending will torture you if you dont unlock the full storyline.
It even comes away with some very random but challenging opponents and setups ( like the various pshycos )

If you love a challenge, buy this game NOW.

Dead Rising was probably the first Xbox 360 game that could be described as truly 'next generation', because this game simply could not have been created on a previous generation console.

The scale of the game is immense. The playing area is absolutely huge, with plenty of exploring to do and things to find, very much leaving the player with the decision of how to play the game. You can follow the story (which is decent enough, and supported by some good characters), run around chopping up zombies, or just hide in corner for three days.

The gameplay is straightforward and doesn't have a huge amount of variety past chopping up zombies, but the controls are solid enough and the game doesn't lose its appeal through being repetitive.

It's not perfect. It is a very difficult game and can be frustrating at times, and using ranged weaponry such as guns is more trouble than it's worth. However, the game creates and immersive environment that boost replay value by simply offering so much to do. If you finish the game once, chances are you'll do it again and find a completely different experience. There is nothing quite like this out there, and if you've ever fancied starring in your own version of Dawn of the Dead, you shouldn't hesitate in picking this up.

First off, I disagree with anyone claiming this game is a waste of money - it isn't. I've had it for a long time, but only just recently played it properly and I'm completely hooked. I am a big fan of zombie films so I might be a bit prejudiced, but still, I will recommend it to anyone that likes free-roaming games with lots of surprises.

There's a few things about Dead Rising that make it great: the vast size of the mall (it's kinda like playing GTA but in a mall, basically), the number of zombies you get on the screen at once without any sign of lag, the freedom to use just about anything as a weapon, and the characters. The graphics too, even though not revolutionary are crisp and clear.

The boss fights are hilarious, and the psychopaths are excellent, and quite creepy at times too. The 'acting' is brilliant in comparison to a lot of games, and most of the time it really does feel like you're playing in Dawn of the Dead. But of course there are problems, even though I wouldn't say they're too serious.

The save method is annoying, as there's not many places to actually save, but I feel it can be a benefit too. Yes, you can actually save the game at a point that makes it impossible to complete the story, but it's part of the challenge and you just need to plan the game out more, rather than saving without thinking about it. Also, returning survivors to the security room is a real pain, since it takes a lot of time and uses a lot of your weaponry and health, just to get right near your destination and have the survivor swamped by zombies and eaten alive.

But putting small faults aside, Dead Rising is a brilliant free roaming horror fest that covers a lot of ground that Resident Evil hasn't (plus, it has a much better zombie movie feel to it that Resident Evil seems to have almost completely strayed away from). If you like zombies, and survival horror games, but prefer to play seriously, buy Resident Evil 4. If you like the above, but also like to have a lot of fun with your gaming, buy this.

Dead Rising, in a way, is the Mario Kart of the survival horror genre, and a damn good game too.

Awful pun aside, let's get on with the review so I can get back to this superb free-decision zombie killing 72 hour survivathon that i was lucky to get for christmas from my brother.

Any of you who have ever played survive-em-ups like resident evil, cold fear etc., may have loved the premise, but been ever so slightly annoyed by the linearity and being restricted to survive exactly how youre told to. This is where Capcom have apparently taken a turn since Dead rising, since you are dropped in the shopping mall as freelance photographer Frank, attempting to nail the scoop of 53,594 residents of a little town turning into flesh eating zombies.

The first thing that hits you is just how much there is to do, and how little time to do it in. You are given 72 game hours (which appears to be about 6 or 7 real life hours) before the pilot and his helicopter on the mall roof leave you for dead in the mall, during which time you can do whatever you please!

Whether you wish to go on a zombie 'purge', recklessly wandering into the incredibe swarming crowds of flesh eaters (literally 100 or so strong most of the time!) and exterminating them with the hilarious and inventive arsenal at your disposal, or make it your duty to rescue as many of the survivors as you can, or really go for the best scoops possible, taking awesome snaps of incidents, or even if you wish to advance the main quest in actually getting to the root of all of this evil, you are guaranteed to have a fun time exploring the mall and playing the game as you wish!

The graphics and crowd creation are what I would like to first of all refer to as 'awesome'. This game manages huge 100 fold swarms of enemies that converge upon in shambling, bleeding, hungry masses, trapping you in deadly circle and eating you alive if you don't keep on your toes. Whilst evading or fighting this crowd, you will see tons more crowds of zombies scattered around the areas, and it really 'feels' like a population has been zombified, not just the 200 or so zombies in a resi (This game has exactly 53,594 zombies i think!) The draw distance is superb, and the action never slows while you kill (again!?) the brilliantly animated and detailed fiends.

The combat is superb, offering up countless different weapons (including bare fists). Each collision with an undead yields a satisfying crunch, slice, crack, and dismembered limbs, torrents of blood, and disgruntled moans from the victim. If you think you want to use it as a weapon, chances are you can (garden bench, lawnmower, katana, dumbells, etc), and really adds to te feeling of isolation and this being a 'last stand'. The combat is smooth and easy to operate as well without overcomplications in control or level-up mechanics (helping people, taking photos, killin stuff, yields level ups which increase health, attack etc. simple as!)

Overall, the game is just so fun, and to play something which has both an awesome storyline but a high degree of free roaming is a breath of fresh air. It comes highly reccommended to anybody who enjoys their action games, but with a little more freedom to play it their way.
Awesome.

Pros
+ So many ways to play the game, you'll never get bored!
+ Awesome graphics and 'swarm technology'
+ A real zombie holocaust with real survival iniatitive!
+ Satisfying and easy to pick up combat mechanics.
+ Superb voice acting and sound effects.
+ Quality storyline that ends depending on your actions.
+ an actual likeable main character.

Cons:
- You really do have to kill lots of zombies.
- Shooting controls could be a little more fleshed out (rolls, cover mechanics etc.)