Dead Rising Review by Rich Hojnacki CIS 487 Fall 06

Developed and published by Capcom Action game with elements from several genres –Survival horror –Free-form “Grand Theft Auto” –Classic ‘campy’ zombie flicks –RPG-lite Single player Developed for Xbox 360 platform Requires means for a saved game Requires display capable of 1280 x 720 Price - $59.99

Main character is Frank West, freelance photojournalist Small Colorado town by the name of Willamette is quarantined by the National Guard without any explanation Frank West hires an independent helicopter pilot to scope out the town Willamette appears to be under a riot Frank West is dropped off on a helipad at the Parkview Mall and tells the pilot to pick him up again in exactly 72 hours Main storyline goal is to uncover the nature of the zombie outbreak and then escape

Player must survive their 3 days in Parkview mall (1 real time hour = 1 day in-game). Player must complete ‘case files’ to receive pieces of information about the zombie outbreak A case file must be completed on time, or it disappears and the storyline is broken (‘bad’ ending) Case files occur at certain spots in the mall (not random) Player must be at the predetermined spot, before the time limit runs out Case file usually involves a boss battle (psychopaths which are not zombies) followed by a cut-scene with some info about the outbreak

Frank’s stats are determined by his level –Max health level –Size of inventory –Ability to perform martial arts moves Prestige Points act as the XP –Killing a certain number of zombies (100, 500, 1000, etc) –Leading survivors from various parts of the mall to a safe room Frank didn’t forget his camera! –Earn massive prestige points for capturing interesting photos (survivor getting eaten)

Wide array of weapons –Pipes –Boards –Sledgehammers –Lawnmowers –Chainsaws –CDs –Chairs –Firearms –Cars and trucks –Bowling balls Frank regains health by consuming food (food items can be mixed to produce various effects, example: zombie bait) Frank can wear outfits found in mall stores (yes, you can dress him up in women’s clothing) Free form gameplay; can go anywhere in the mall Funky mall muzak to slaughter zombies by

Strengths –Vast number of zombies (and methods to kill them) –“open ended” –Semi-interesting storyline Weaknesses –Virtually impossible to play in standard definition (480) due to unreadable text –Forcing players to perform case files under a strict time limit is unforgivable Closest genre is Action –Many more enemies than typical action game, more combat –Mostly free form, which is vastly different than most action games

Dead Rising is more enjoyable than the average action game for people that love horror Typically less intense and terrifying than a good survival horror game Audience is definitely 17 and older due to gore and violence One design mistake; total incompatibility with standard definition displays Improvement in several areas would be nice –More ‘side quests’ –Don’t force player with strict time limits Worth the $60