Every
console generation always seems to have a title that is misunderstood.
It has all the elements that makes a game great, yet it attempts
something new that many who play just don’t seem to understand. When
Dead Rising was released in 2006, it was praised as a title that tried
to revolutionize the standard formula of open world games, while at the
same time it was also criticized for its unforgiving real-time aspects.
Described by Keiji Inafune, the game’s creator, as a throwback to the
old school arcade cabinets from the 80s, it set out to reward those who
stuck with the game and punish those who expected to have their hands
held through the experience. Is it an enjoyable experience or does it
come down to a frustrating test of patience?
Dead Rising, is
essentially, a videogame companion to Dawn of the Dead. Even though a
disclaimer exists to legally cover Sega from court room retribution,
it’s influenced directly from the George Romero classic in a way that
even the most diehard zombie fan can appreciate. It has hordes of
zombies, it has a mall, and it has enough gore to make anyone squirm in
their seat. What Dead Rising also borrowed from Dawn of the Dead is the
very apparent backdrop of how us humans tend to react in dire
situations. How many cower in fear, while some rise up to fight back,
and how a certain few tend to take advantage of the situation for
personal gain. While at its core it’s still a videogame, it tends to
say many things without really saying anything at all.
The
gameplay in Dead Rising is what many of us have come to expect from an
open world style game. The player is given the ability to explore the
environment, and with that exploration, is rewarded with perks that
eventually will make the game much more enjoyable. When you first boot
up Dead Rising, you may be a little confused. The game utilizes a
levelling system, but doesn’t exactly tell you that in order to
progress through the game it is almost essential to level up. At level
1, the main character Frank, is about as useless as the hostages he’ll
eventually be rescuing. As he gains levels Frank will be rewarded with
more health, more speed, and many maneuvers that will make traversing
the mall much more fun.
Accompanying the levelling system, is
the mechanic that Dead Rising uses in order to progress the game’s main
storyline. From the moment you enter the mall, you have 72 hours of
in-game time in order to accomplish all that you need to do. Whether
that is investigate what caused the zombie outbreak, or rescue
hostages, you will need to make sure that you are being as efficient as
possible. What is frustrating about this mechanic for many is that if
you are not working totally towards your goal, there is a good chance
that you’re going to miss something important. This is where the
multiple play through aspect of Dead Rising comes in. 
At
any point during the game, you can save your game and choose whether or
not you’d like to continue or start a new game at your current level.
The player is given 1 save slot and with that slot you have to go into
each run-through of Dead Rising with a set goal in mind. This, along
with the levelling system is where many players became frustrated with
the game. Instead of being able to accomplish everything in 1 run of
the game, you will have to instead split up your goals into multiple
runs and complete them separately. It’s a new mechanic that works for
those of us who like to get everything out of a title, but a nightmare
for gamers that like to play a game once and be done with it.
Although
it was released 2 years ago, I personally feel the graphics of Dead
Rising are still some of the best on the Xbox 360 to date. The
character models actually look like humans, and even though some of
them can at times move around like robots, they still get around
realistically enough. In a game with so many zombies, you would expect
to see an overlap of zombie models, but thankfully the zombie types are
never repetitive to the point of distraction. What I found to be the
most impressive about the game is how at any given time, you could have
a hundred zombies on the screen without a hint of slowdown or stutter.
Considering there are games that struggle with keeping a dozen on the
screen, it’s a nice change to see framerate optimization done right. 
Dead
Rising also has the advantage of being one of the few Capcom games that
wasn’t completed butchered in terms of voice acting. Although some of
the hostages can be a little over the top, many of the main characters
sound good and deliver their lines in the tone that they’re suppose to
be delivered in. The zombies sound exactly how I would expect zombies
to sound, but be warned, someone in your house is going to become
annoyed with their constant moaning. The soundtrack was also something
that completely surprised me. I wasn’t really expecting anything that
impressive, but every time I finished the game I found myself humming
the theme to myself. There are some songs that seem a little too
westernized to fit the theme of the game, but most of them tend to be
perfect in the context their needed.
Although many complained
about the mechanic of Dead Rising, I found myself having an immensely
enjoyable time with it. The first time I went through the game, I made
it my goal to familiarize myself with the mall and rescue as many
hostages as I could. I thought I had explored the majority of the mall,
but with my second play through I quickly realized I was wrong. I came
across new areas as I played through the games storyline, and once
again, I was surprised as to just how much there is to do within Dead
Rising. Without spoiling anything for those of you who have yet to play
it, there are many rewards waiting for those of you who decide to play
through the cases of the game, and many things that will keep the
player coming back for more. 
If
you want a great single player game and have a love for zombie movies,
there isn’t a better game for you than Dead Rising. While Dead Rising
isn’t perfect due to its very unforgiving way of throwing the player
into an unfamiliar world with little to no guidance, it is exactly what
most hardcore gamers will love. A challenging game that will reward
those who decide to stick with it from beginning to end.
Kim Fidler
