Dead Rising 4 concerns

Dead Rising is my favorite series, so I'll buy the game regardless. I must say though, I'm apprehensive. It truly seems like they've stripped out all the things I've loved about DR in the past. And since they released the old games on the X1 and PS4, I've just recently replayed the best games (to me) in Dead Rising & Dead Rising 2.

One thing for which Capcom Game Studios Vancouver (or Blue Castle or whatever they're called this week) deserved to be praised was their willingness to have a new protagonist with each game. Using Frank West over and over seems like the easy route since he's a fan favorite. So when they introduced Chuck Greene I thought it was a ballsy move. When they repeatedly defied expectations in Dead Rising 3 with Nick Ramos, I also thought it was the right way to go. Another story, another hero; without relying on fan attachment to the former champion. Here though, it seems like they are literally whoring out Frank. We'll give you this beloved character (sort of) but everything else has to go and also he looks and sounds almost completely different (I guess he got a nose job when his voice broke?). I can almost understand everything else, but the reason for leaving out T.J. Rotolo make no sense. He's an actor, pretty sure he can adjust to give them the older "grizzled" thing they were going for and fans would have loved to see him return. I know I would have anyway. This reminds me a bit of the original reveal of inFamous 2. Wherein they changed so much about the character he just wasn't "Cole MacGrath" anymore. But whatever, it's too late to fix it now even if Capcom agreed with the fans and they clearly do not.

It's concerning, but as I said they've already got my money so it's hard to have much credibility as I sit here complaining while also existing in a state of "being their pawn". That may make me part of the problem and if so I'll own up to it. I'm kinda the pinnacle of impotent rage if I keep whining so I guess I'll end this diatribe here. One last point though: I do hope whatever Dead Rising 4 is, that it turns out to be good. I can handle changes that work, I just hope they've retained the spirit of Dead Rising and I think folks who are worried that its changed too much are justified (heh, call back to DR1), but try to keep an open mind. What we all want is good games and if it's good, I'll be happy to say this worry was for nothing.

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I spent a while writing a forum post about DR4, and then decided not to post it. It was sounding more angry than I wanted it to and I didn't want to put that anger out there. But I also put a bit of work into and wanted to keep it so I'm adding it to the bottom of this blog as an edit.

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This is a _Dead Rising_ game that more people can like, but I can't imagine anyone loving it. I can still sit down with DR1 and enjoy trying to get my "perfect run". Meanwhile _DR4_ thinks I'm so stupid I can't manage save files on my own so I have to wait for it to give me a checkpoint. It thinks I'm too stupid to manage my own inventory, so I get slots for each kind of toy and there's a gun every three feet (they should have set this one in Texas). And for this, people cheer? Man, why does every game have to be "for everyone". I'm not averse to change when it adds, but all DR4 has done is take away.

And before anyone says "The timers were stupid and we're better off without them" or something, here is the list of things that made Dead Rising a game I enjoyed and elements that have been removed only to be replaced with... nothing:

* Multiple endings (unless you count the DLC pitch at the end as "multiple")

* Saving survivors and leading them to safety (you know, BEING A HERO)

* Limited resources making you manage your inventory wisely

* Special moves learned through leveling. No more "Disemboweler" or even "Zombie Walk"

* Boss Fights with interesting characters

* Cut scenes for those interesting characters to help establish their motivations

* The ability to restart as I see fit and start over with my leveled character

Dead Rising 4 asks nothing of you. It expects nothing of you. And it's gameplay loop is about as deep as your average smartphone game. If you dig it, then you dig it. Good for you. Of course if you do dig it there were already a dozen zombie games that do the exact same thing elsewhere. I don't know why I had to give up my favorite franchise so people who hated _Dead Rising_ can now have a _Dead Rising_ that they might like, but whatever. Seems like we could have gone the way of 3 where there were options, nightmare mode for those who want the challenge and the regular mode for those who don't.

The one good thing that came from this is that I was a bit short of cash on the day I bought Dead Rising 4 so I decided to skip the DLC pass until later. Thank God for that because otherwise I would have wasted even more money on this stinker. Ah well, one more log for the fire that is my waning interest in the current state of gaming. _C'est La Vie_ I suppose.

The point is, for those of us who loved what Dead Rising was and don't care for this new direction, is that this game has removed choice. And while you may have hated the timers or leading the survivors to the safe house, many (most) of those things were never required of you in the old games, they were choices. And now choice has been taken away. I just don't see how that's a good thing and I never will. In purely pragmatic terms, you're paying the same money for much less game! Plus it's not a very good looking game. It's ugly and feels like there are less zombies than DR3, but I could be wrong on that one.