It’s worth a note that I came to dead rising 2 with 2 things. The first was a massive love for dead rising. Like many with the early 360s I bought my console for dead rising. Everything about it appealed to me, the classic arcade friendly play style, the massive playground sandpit play and the many zombies.
The second was a save from dead rising case 0, giving me access to items I would either have to earn, or that wouldn’t appear at all. Also making my chuck level 5 from the off.
To get this out of the way, anything you get from case 0 is available in the main game anyway and if its not its not really something you’ll miss (like costumes for example) also the extra boost to your starting level is very small. You will still struggle about as much at level 5 as you would at level 1.
This something you need to be aware of, something that will turn you away from the off unless your really looking to stick with the game. It’s hard, repetitive and you are likely to die within your first try unless you’re very prepared or experienced at dead rising. This is because the zombie hoard will likely overwhelm you if your not and the time based structure of the game can be punishing first time in.
Completing story missions, while also looking to save survivors playing as a lower level chuck is hard. Time will likely run out on you or one of the people you’re attempting to save will die on the way back to your safe room.
Chuck, story protagonist, has found himself in the fictional city of fortune, with his daughter Katie. He’s entered the TV show terror is reality in order to earn money to pay for Katie’s Zombrex medication. Katie was bitten by a zombie in an outbreak a few years past and now requires Zombrex injections every 24 hours to stave off infection. During the TIR show an outbreak occurs and chuck must save his daughter and find his way to the local government bunker.
This is your HQ, where a large selection of story takes place and where you bring survivors. Your time is taken up with looking for Zombrex for Katie and trying to uncover the story behind this zombie outbreak. Survivors are on the whole an added bonus to the game, saving them not being vital to the story, but being a worth while exorcise when it comes to leveling up. Transporting survivors is a much more pleasant experience then the last game. Most are more then capable of protecting themselves and often it’s actually a good idea to collect a number of people, arming them with different guns and tagging them along with you to assist with side missions and just general play in the environment. This is of course what dead rising is about. Play. Even more so in dead rising 2, now chuck has the ability to create weapons and items by mixing two other items together. From electric wheelchairs to teddy bear sentries the sheer vast amount of experimental play available is boggling and refreshing.
Dead rising has always had its tong firmly in its cheek, and never more so then in dead rising 2. Its story is as melodramatic and straight as possible, but the sheer amount of fun that’s hidden in the fine art of dressing chuck up in a random assortment of clothes and laughing at the eventual results during cut scenes is UN measurable. During the games boss battles (or psycho battles), the developers and writers have gone all out to create a cast of both crazy and funny characters. The battles themselves are the one of the main games weak points, boiling down normally to very basic melee based fights. There are a couple of interesting experiments in the boss battles but not enough.
The environment of fortune city is vast and is a bigger example of sandbox play. Vehicles are available to punt about in slot machines to play on and lots of hidden items to use or that just rise a smile. Leveling up does hold rewards, a larger move set, and the normal health and speed boosts assisting in later playthroughs but also the unlocking of combo cards for the creation of new more varied combo weapons.
The game sadly dogged with terrible load times on the whole you’re so invested in all that’s going on you doesn’t notice them, but when you do they seem endless. Constantly interrupting as you go from one area to the next, or even between different parts of cut scenes.
The games multiplayer options are one the co-op story side brilliant, allowing a friend to join as another chuck assisting with story and leveling up their chuck or just playing along side you in this vast playground, helping or hindering the other player. Co-op rarely leaves you bored with a whole other person’s gleeful imagination at hand.
On the competitive multiplayer side of things though the game is less impressive. This is mostly due to many technical and connection based issues. Games are dogged with bugs and glitches and it takes an age to get a match going. Every time multiplayer is started your faced with the same loading cut scene, un skip-able until a game is found, which often one isn’t, meaning having to restart again and sit through the exact same cut scene again. The bugs in game also can leave play less then fun, characters not actually connection with vehicles they are apparently supposed to be riding, and players not scoring at all when they are supposed to. This would be fine on the odd occasion but factor in the long wait to even play the multiplayer and the whole experience is less appealing. This reviewer already seeing the numbers of players dropping by quite large numbers after the first week.
The multiplayer game itself isn’t actually bad in concept and the games it involves can often be quite fun when everything is actually working. Based on the terror is reality game show you are charged with playing a range of randomly selected games, all involving a mix between gladiators and zombie killing. When working they can be fun, and when you can skip past the cut scenes the presentation is actually quite fun, with a pair of comical announcers thrown in for extra experience.
The multiplayer’s flaws are an extra problem because not only are some of the achievements only available on multiplayer, but the money earned in multiplayer go over to your save in the main game, making playing multiplayer vital for unlocking more of the expensive items.
This is a large dampener on what is still an addictive and fun game. It’s built for many playthroughs and there’s always something more to find or people to save.
The awkward fight mechanics still do make the game a little fiddly and its firm time structure and individual save system might still put newcomers off. But its still an immensely fun and playful experience.