Dead Rising (PS4) Review

A Zombie Genocide.

 Capcom's zombie-slayer hit game Dead Rising turned 10 years old this year! Originally released way back on August 8, 2006 as an Xbox 360 exclusive, it has been recently remastered for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC with 60 frames-per second and 1080p resolution. The fourth entry in the series, Dead Rising 4, just have been released earlier this month, so I thought what way to celebrate the series' 10th year anniversary that to cover all four games. So without further delay, it's time for some action!

STORY- Photojournalist Frank West is out to look for the hottest scoop. He gets word that something's going on in the town of Willamette, Colorado. Armed with nothing but his trusty camera, he sets out for Willamette in hopes of becoming famous. However, once he got there, he soon discovered that the town is overrun by zombies and takes refuge in the town's mall. With only 72 hours left for help to arrive, Frank must uncover the truth behind the incident and come across a wide cast of colorful characters. While most of the cast are a bit one-dimensional, the story in Dead Rising was neat and does a good job of keeping you interested to see what's going to happen next, especially when things take a turn for the worse. 

Our unlikely hero, Frank West.

GAMEPLAY- Dead Rising is a third-person sandbox game in which you control Frank as he navigates Willamette Parkview Mall. Alone against a mass horde of zombies, Frank will need some weapons to survive. The game has over 250 weapons to use, ranging from devastating to useless. There's a neat selection of weaponry such as swords, guns, chairs, tables, hammers, chainsaws, plastic toys you name it and Frank can probably kill with it. With that said, the weapons won't be there forever. If they are continuously used, their durability will decrease and eventually said weapon will wear out. In regards to guns, the shooting is on the stiff side since you take a stationary position when shooting enemies. For example, let's compare it to a Capcom game such as Resident Evil. The stationary position worked well in Resident Evil games since you had one or two zombies to deal with, but in Dead Rising where they can come from all over, it's a struggle to get a clear shot. 

Nailed it!

 You're on a time limit in Dead Rising, Frank only has three says to find the source of the outbreak, so you'll need yo be fast as hell to complete the game's "Case Files", which advances the story. Frank is tasked to bring any lost survivors he encounters. If he manages to bring them back to safety, he'll be awarded Prestige Points (PP), experience that will increase his attributes such as speed, power, and inventory capacity. Killing bosses,  and a set amount of zombies also net Frank lots of PP. Another way of getting easy PP is by photographing zombies! Frank's not carrying his camera for nothing; photographing zombies will net a decent amount of PP, pics. bosses will earn you more, and pics. of the ladies will probably give you the most. Regarding of bosses, you'll meet the most wackiest, craziest, and weirdest psychos in all of gaming. One thing regarding escorting survivors that's a pain is their AI. You can command them to go a designated location, but often times they'd just ignore commands and get eaten by zombies...

Over 53,594 zombies to kill.

 Alternatively, you can ignore both story and side-missions and just play Dead Rising as a sandbox zombie-slaying game. During the day zombies are weak and slow, but at night, they're much more aggressive and fast. There are lots of content that will keep you occupied for a while. You can enter shops and try different kinds of suits, shirts, and jeans. You can also visit various restaurants and eat food like pies, chips, and so on. You can even throw them at enemies. Collecting books located in various shops will give Frank some neat perks such as increased PP and extra weapon durability. 

PRESENTATION- Now a 10-year-old game, Dead Rising shows its age a bit. Still, as one of Capcom's early HD games, it boasted some decent production values on the Xbox 360 for its time. Cutscenes and character models hold up surprisingly well. A lot of attention and detail have went into Willamette Parkview Mall and it shows. Shops are filled to the brim with items to tinker with and cool accessories to equip. Voice performances were great, with some industry vets such as Steve Blum and Kim Mai Guest lending their voices. Additionally, TJ Rotolo does a fine job as our hero, Frank West. The soundtrack is pretty neat with some soothing mall music and some upbeat, metal tracks accompanying the boss fights. My favorite tracks were "Frank West" and "Justified", which plays after you clear the game.

The production values hold up surprisingly well.

OVERALL- Even after 10 years, Dead Rising is tons of fun. Zombie slaying never got this good. The story will keep you wanting to know more, the gameplay will keep you occupied for hours, and the presentation is solid. That being said, there's definitely room for improvement, especially with the shooting. If you're looking for a zombie beat 'em up fun that will last you a good while, give the Dead Rising a shot.