Dead Rising features a grand scale of zombie genocide. While Capcom's Resident Evil series has concentrated on horror and shock, the focus of Dead Rising is the positive side of the zombie apocalypse: the chance to beat the absolute crap out of the undead with whatever you can lay your hands upon. Repetitive side missions, frustrating save system, and occasionally awkward control scheme aside, Dead Rising is as much fun as it can possibly be with a mall overrun by shambling, and brain hungry zombies.
Despite the profanity inducing save system and survivor rescuing, Dead Rising proves to be a lot of fun. While the concept of killing hundreds and hundreds of zombies has the potential to get boring or repetitive very quickly, the story line and real time structure keep the game moving forward at a brisk pace. Dead Rising is far from perfect with a few very questionable design choices, but the sense of style, strong presentation and the sheer variety of potential fatal items scattered around the mall save the day. What other game lets you use a lawnmower, cream pie or parasol as a weapon? The cartoon-like levels of violence, twisted setting, and the guffaw factor of the available weaponry make Dead Rising stand out. If you can forgive major flaws, Dead Rising is one of the best hardcore experiences you can have on the 360.
