Dead Rising Reviews

• An exciting new genre for the 360, but plagued with old problems

  
  By AIXKMXT72E7S1 on 2006-08-24
  Although I prefer FPS (first person shooters) to the 3rd person adventure games, I loved the latest installments of the Lara Croft and the Hitman series games. As of this writing, I have completed Dead Rising in the 72 hour mode and am now replaying the game to try to earn all of the achievements.
  
  Dead Rising is a brand-new genre for the Xbox 360. It's closest cousin is Condemned, a first person horror adventure game but Dead Rising has a number of unique features that set it apart. First off, you can pick up just about anything in the area and use it as a weapon. Potted plants, lawnmowers and even an electric guitar are all at your disposal. There are easily hundreds of potential weapons in this game and part of the fun is discovering new ways to fight off zombies with what you have available at hand.
  
  Adding to the distinct style of Dead Rising is the ability to customize your character. As you make your way through the mall, you can try on new clothing available from the various shops. Cool suits, fashionable glasses and, yes, even women's and children's apparel is fair game to put on. Besides wearing it as you battle the zombies, your character will also appear as you have dressed him during the video cut-scenes, which is a nice extra touch I was delighted to see. Food has also been given special "abilities" in the game. For example, you might find a frozen or raw food somewhere in the mall. If you eat it, you earn one or two points of health. But pop it into an oven before you eat it, and it will completely fill your health meter. Likewise, you can mix certain fluids in a blender can make an extra powerful energy drink!
  
  If you can't tell by everything I've already mentioned, this game is deep. I've only touched the surface to avoid revealing any spoilers, but trust me when I say you can get totally wrapped up in this game. The plot, the game and every little thing (be sure to check out the bookstore!) in the vast mall has been developed with so much detail that you'll find yourself enthralled by it.
  
  However, when undertaking such an ambitious project, there have to be some downfalls. The absolutely worst is the save game methodology. The developers have decided that you must find a restroom or a couch to save. While this seemed cute and clever at first, it quickly became frustrating and enraging (when you couldn't find one right before you got forced into a boss fight). Every player on the planet will find this feature problematic, I guarantee.
  
  One thing that other reviewers haven't mentioned is that some of the level bosses (called "Psychopaths") are redundant or unfairly matched. For example, often you'll be faced with enemies with devastating long-range weapons when all you have is a knife or 2x4 to try and knock out your opponent with. In another boss attack, I literally started at a save point and had to go through two full levels to face a boss who would inevitably defeat me and then I'd have to start all over again. These opponents often have a move that will completely incapacitate you in a single swipe, even when you have full health. This, combined with the fact that you will often have to run halfway across the map (where your last game save was) to repeat the battle, makes the game incredibly annoying. If you could ammo up, then save right before the boss battle, the game would be considerably more enjoyable.
  
  Another item, although mentioned by others in a different light, is the text-based mission objectives. Many reviewers have stated that the text is almost unreadable on smaller, standard definition televisions. However, my biggest complaint in this area is that the text is used at all. This game, by its very nature, is immersive. When you're trapped in a mall and having to fight zillions of zombies, you shouldn't have to stop to read the text of another character. I honestly wish Capcom had spent a little extra time and money to change all of the text interactions to spoken instructions. Not only would this have solved their biggest technical problem with the game, it would have also helped keep the suspense.
  
  Finally, there's a lot of "load-screen-itis" in this game. And by that, I mean that you'll be seeing a lot of the loading screen. Granted, the mall is a huge environment, and the load times are a snappy 5-6 seconds, but it gets annoying when you walk into an elevator and wait, walk down a hallway and wait, turn left and wait... You get the picture.
  
  There is no online component to allow multiplayer (which would be awesome!) but Dead Rising does have downloadable content from Xbox Live. It was available just days after the game released and consists of eight "keys" which unlock several new outfits for the main character, available at no charge. As you'd expect, the game also supports Xbox Achievements, with 50 of them to earn, each worth 20 Gamerscore points. You'll have to spend hundreds (if not thousands!) of hours in this game trying to obtain all of these objectives and I don't consider many of them a "walk in the park."
  
  Honestly, it seems like I'm spending a lot of time picking on the problems of this game, but they will plague you as you try to play through the levels. But when it comes right down to it, this game has all 5 "Es" that make it a powerhouse: Exciting plot, Engaging environments, Enlightening characters, 360 Exclusivity and Encredible customization! (OK, that last one wasn't an "E" but you'll have to forgive me, just like you'll have to forgive certain flaws in this game!) In short, you should definitely pick this game up, but love it for everything it accomplishes while forgiving it for the technical problems that it has. I give it a solid 5 stars for fun, but a 3 star rating for the inherent problems.
  
  

• Zombies + Mall + mayhem & carnage = bloody fun time

  
  By A19VMQDCB4HZ9P on 2006-08-16
  Capcom's Dead Rising stands as one of the most fun titles to come out for the Xbox 360 since its initial release in late 2005. From the makers of the Resident Evil series for past console systems, Capcom has taken a new approach in adding to their growing library of zombie titles. Dead Rising is a semi-freeroaming action-horror game which takes the classic premise of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead --- survivors trapped in the mall teeming with flesh-eating zombies --- and makes a fun and exciting game.
  
  The game takes place Willamette, Colorado, population 53,594 where nothing exciting happens in town outside of visiting the local mega-mall which seems to dominate the entire town. Dead Rising uses a time-based mission system and the intro cutscene in the beginning of the game hints at this. You play as freelance photojournalist Frank West, who never fails to mention that he's covered riots, wars, and all sorts of dangerous events, who gets a tip from an unknown source that something big is happening in little old Willamette. The intro both introduces Frank West, flying over the town to bypass the military blockade and cordon of the town, and the controls for the photography mechanics of the gameplay. It's in this hands-on tutorial part of the intro that we see a bird's eye view of the crisis that has befallen Willamette. From there you're dropped onto the roof of the Willamette Mall where you meet one of the few survivors of the town. The rest of the game moves on from there at a very frantic pace.
  
  It's the game itself that shines for Dead Rising. Despite a save system that could've been done much better (more on that later), Dead Rising's gameplay mechanics has quite abit in common with Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games. From the get-go the player as Frank can just go down into the mall and begin killing zombies left and right, and everyway from Monday through Sunday. All manner of items stocked in the mall walkways and stores can be picked up and used either as a weapon, a change in clothing attire, and/or food. This is where Dead Rising will get most of its mention for being fun. When Capcom programmers decided to allow the player to use anything that could be picked up as a weapon they meant it. It's been reported in many sites and gaming publications that there's over 250 useable items to be picked up as a weapon. These items range from the gore-inducing lawnmower (an homage to Peter Jackson's Dead Alive zombie film), chainsaws, and excavators (a garden tool that has one of the bloodiest and funniest killing animation) to the ridiculously funny use for CDs, shower-heads, novelty masks, teddy bears and skateboards. There's also the more traditional weapons such as a pistol, shotgun, submachine gun, machine-gun, swords and axes. Being a game developed by Capcom, Dead Rising has more than a few wink-wink acknowledgement to other Capcom games such as Mega Man and Resident Evil.
  
  One could spend all their time just killing zombies, but the strict time-based missions in the game might make zombie-killing take a backseat to actually solving the mystery of whats caused the zombie outbreak in the town. There's two types of missions Frank could try solving. There's the mandatory Case missions which deal directly with him trying to solve the mystery with-in the 72-hour time limit. Each case mission must be solved in a linear order to open up the next case. The second set of missions are named Scoops and act more as sub-missions that can be taken on and accomplished or ignored. They really don't affect the availability of further case missions. What they do give Frank are prestige points that can go a long way to levelling him up to gain more skills and abilities. Most scoop missions usually entail finding scattered survivors within the mall and leading them back to the safety of the security office near the roof. Some survivors could be armed with extra weapons Frank carries and defend themselves when attacked, and some survivors are so incapacitated that Frank must carry them to safety. While carrying a survivor Frank will be unable to use a weapon so this type of mission usually takes several tries before the player figures out the best path to safety. Like most game AI, the survivors need abit of constant attention from the player to make sure they're actually following you and not stopping every second to fight the closest zombie. It's not a gamebreaker but the survivor AI could've used abit more tweaking to make them follow much better.
  
  As mentioned above Frank can level up to a level cap of 50 by acquiring prestige points (called PP in the game). Prestige points can be acquired through many different ways within the game. Taking pictures of different nature and quality will give Frank prestige points as high as several tens of thousand. Shots with poses that follow a certain genre gives more points than those that are just generic poses. Such genres that shots can be taken of are shots of burtality, horror, outtakes, drama and erotica. Erotica shots are pretty much just photographs taken of survivors and zombies (abit creepy) in sexually-suggestive poses. Brutality shots are usually pictures where extreme violence and fighting poses are framed and photographed. Horror is pretty much self-explanatory. Drama shots usually involve pictures with survivors and main npc characters in dramatic poses. Outtakes usually entail photographs taken of survivors and zombies involved in any sort of funny situations. Usually them slipping and falling down or wandering around aimlessly with novelty masks over their heads.
  
  Other ways to gain prestige points will be to finish case missions and scoop missions. The PP reward for finishing part or all of each mission usually range from several thousand to as high as 50,000 PP. The high amount of PP reward for taking on and accomplishing these two types of missions go a long way to levelling up Frank. The most fun way of getting PP, though not as much and takes a long time, will be to kill zombies. For every 50 zombies killed Frank gets 500 PP and everytime Frank reaches 1000 zombies killed he gains 20,000 PP. It's a much slower path to gaining PP but it's surely the most fun of the three ways.
  
  The main storyline in Dead Rising was actually a very good one. Like most games outside of the role-playing game genre, storylines were usually the weakest of all the games had to offer. In Dead Rising, Capcom was able to create an intriguing storyline that didn't rip-off the Dawn of the Dead story that the game was usually compared to. There's conspiracies, betrayals and just outright weirdness to help tie together the mystery of why Willamette, Colorado has suddenly gone zombiefied and why the U.S. military and government were quick to quarantine the whole area. There's not much that could be said as scary about Dead Rising. The game itself leans more towards comedic horror than outright horror. There were some cutscenes and plot developments that were downright creepy and scary, but most of the time you'll just laugh in glee at all the carnage you're causing within the mall. The characters of Frank West and those npcs he has to deal with in the context of the case missions were pretty well drawn both in animation and personality. As the game progressed and certain characters were put in danger it was hard not to feel saddened by such tragic events. It helps that the voice-acting in Dead Rising was pretty high quality. The spoken dialogue during the cutscenes were pretty well done and one could sense that Capcom wanted to really capture the cinematic tone they were going for with Dead Rising.
  
  Now to the one glaring negative in Dead Rising. The save system in this game could be called unforgiving and that's saying it lightly. The game only allows for one save per memory unit. This means that you can only save the game once if you only have the 360 HDD as your memory unit. This means that once you save over a previous save then thats it. If you're current save doesn't give you the chance to finish your current case mission then you pretty much have to start the game over. This would sound terrible if not for one saving grace. Dead Rising allows the player to start the game over with all skills, abilities, levels and PP acquired to be transferred over to the new game. This lessens the impact of having to start the game over. It also helps in power-levelling Frank to a level high enough that you can breeze through the case missions. Starting the game over and over with stats and skills included also gives the player a chance to try different methods of solving a case until finding the one thats easiest to do. I know of players who have done nothing but just kill zombies and try on a few case and scoop missions to gain PP to level up then start the game over then repeat the cycle again. This makes the game much easier in the long run, but also takes time.
  
  The graphics in Dead Rising is top-notch and really makes use of the 360's graphical power to put as many zombies on the screen as possible. There's barely any slowdown in frame-rate as the action on the screen gets heavy and crowded. The animation is not on the same level as Bethesda's Oblivion and Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4, but what lacks in near, photorealistic graphics it more than makes up for the high level of figures on-screen. The look of the mall itself was also well done. Each store and utilitarian room has their own unique look with most items rendered with enough detail to be recognized as either weapon, sustenance, etc...Dead Rising looks great when played on a HDTV-capable TV or computer monitor. The game itself utilizes Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and each sound has a distinct quality to them that you can tell the difference between an acoustic guitar smashing noisily a zombies head into pulp to one where you use an electric guitar instead. The sound effects of zombie-killing makes great use of all the squishy, gooey, and splatter noise effects horror movies have been well-known for.
  
  Overall, Capcom has created a great game with their action-horror/comedy Dead Rising. With a choice to either play the game in the free-roaming style of Grand Theft Auto to a more time-based, linear mission-style of an action game this game more than makes up for unforgiving save system its developers decided to give it. With summer time being the dead zone of new game releases, it's been a breath of fresh air to have a game like Dead Rising to play and take up hours of time before the start of the holiday season. Outside of the save system which keeps this game from reaching excellent status, Dead Rising is a great and fun game that should remain fun to pick up long after the player has finished its main mission.
  
  

• Zombies!

  
  By A2NHPCKUWZUFLM on 2006-08-13
  To paraphrase a Marine Corps saying: "Killing zombies is easy and fun". At least, it is when you're playing "Dead Rising", the latest zombie title from Capcom.
  
  But let me clarify the above point a bit. When I say "easy", I'm talking about dealing with individual zombies or small groups of them. As one character tells you in the beginning, "The good news is, zombies are slow and stupid!" The bad news is that what the shuffling undead lack in speed and smarts, they make up for in sheer numbers. Dealing with one zombie is easy, dealing with 20 is a whole other matter.
  
  "Dead Rising" puts you in the shoes of Frank West, a freelance photographer who gets wind of something going down in the secluded Colorado town of Willamette. After bypassing military roadblocks by hiring a helicopter to ferry you in, you touch down at the local mall to investigate.
  
  The early stage of the game is peppered with quite a few cutscenes, but they are surprisingly engaging and set up an intriguing storyline. The character models are alarmingly realistic, right down to those wispy hairs women have on their cheeks, but there are quite a few uncanny valley moments.
  
  As Frank explores the mall, you will discover vast array of zombie-killing implements, each with their own unique effects. In just an hour or so of play last night, I used a lead pipe, a 2x4, a baseball bat, a golf club, a cleaver, a sickle, and a pistol. The sickle was particularly satisfying. After Frank buries it in a zombie's neck, he dislodges it by bracing a foot against its chest and kicking it off, which has the effect of decapitating zombie in a gush of blood. I guess that why they say sickles really satisfy.
  
  But even zombie-hacking would get old after a while, and so it's to Capcom's credit that they've designed a deeper and more engaging game. Frank's real objective is not to mow down endless numbers of zombies, but rather to uncover what the hell has gone so horribly wrong in Willamette. He does this by tracking down survivors and piecing together information from a couple of apparent government agents also trapped in the mall.
  
  Frank also has to document what is happening by taking photos. The game walks you through a tutorial that instructs you on how to compose pictures with horrific, dramatic or erotic compositions. The more of those elements you can squeeze into a photo, the more "player points" you earn and the faster your skills improve.
  
  There are also plenty of side missions, from checking out mysterious developments to rescuing other characters and leading them to safety.
  
  I do, however, have two complaints. One is about the camera. Instead of staying right behind Frank all the time, he can rotate in your field of view so that what he's looking at isn't necessarily what you're looking. Sure, you can reorient the camera behind him with a click of the thumbstick, but it's still annoying, especialy when you're beset by a dozen zombies coming from all sides. It also makes it hard to use aimed weapons like the pistol.
  
  The other complaint is about the save system. Basically, you have one save slot, and you can only save at your "home base" of the security room, or in the mall's bathrooms. Unfortunately, you can find yourself quite a ways away from those places while carrying out a mission, and if you die, you've just lost a good chunk of progress. Also, from some of the reviews, the single save slot can also be problematic because many of the missions are timed, and if you save at the wrong point, you may not have enough time to complete the mission, requiring a total restart.
  
  Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to some good old-fashioned zombie bashing, with a bit o' "X-Files"-style conspiracy thrown in to boot. If you're antsy for some good 360 action during the summer lull, it'd be worth your time to check out "Dead Rising".
  
  
  
  
  

• Great game, even with a few bumps...

  
  By AB3GQ74L3TKHH on 2006-08-15
  Well, I have been enjoying Dead Rising for a week now and I can't honestly think of a game out there that is more fun than this one. While I do agree with everone else that the small font puts a damper on the mood, I have just learned to move on with it. I can read it but it is tough on the old eyes. I have a standard def 36" WEGA and while it is small, it is legible. I will try it on my parents 61" Hidef this weekend to see any difference. I can only imagine what the graphics look like if they look this great on my standard def TV.
  
  This game is very deep. The save feature is disappointing and you will find that you will learn to constantly bring up the map to check for save points. After you play for a hour or more and die and have to replay through it, you quickly learn. Another thing I don't care for is having to restart the game if you miss a "scoop" and it throws the rest of the game out. You can still play and do the missions, atleast for a while but you can no longer find the truth. This happened to me twice. The first time, I just plain didn't realize that it would happen and did not do the scoop missions in a timely manner. The second time I played through it, I thought I was doing great time and kept checking the watch (another feature you learn to do quite often) and when it said my next mission would begin at 3:00, I noticed that when it turned to 4:00, the missions ended and once again I lost the remainder of the scoop missions. Learn to watch the scoop timelines. They will slowly count down and turn colors to warn you. I guess I just had too much fun whacking zombies and lost track of the in game time.
  
  The depth of this game comes from the many ways in which to dispose of zombies. You can pretty much use ANYTHING in the game to take them out. One spot had me pick up a power auger, which is used to dig post holes. I stuck a zombie and cranked the gas and watched him spin around. Then, I proceeded to walk through the crowd of zombies and take them out. In the process of this, the zombie spinning on my auger started to break apart. This was a great laugh. Again, you can use pretty much everything in the game and while most do eventually tear up, you can always find something else. Another fun part was walking to the other end of the mall through the Leisure Park and seeing a push mower/brushhog and mowing down the crowd of zombies.
  
  I was completely impressed with the graphics of this game. While the zombies do tend to look a lot alike, the environment is just gorgeous. Capcom did a great job to put so many of the zombies onscreen at once. Later through the game, you will encounter bosses that can be difficult to beat. Just be sure to save before you fight a boss, although the first time around it is hard because you don't know when you will fight a boss. You enter a store and then wham, you have a boss fight. As you play through the game, you are encouraged to take pictures and help escort people to the security room, which is basically your home base. You will see that if you can capture pictures that pick up on drama or horror or even erotica, among others, will get you more points and these points along with the points for saving people will get you to level up which will help you increase your life or the amount of things you can carry or unlock special moves.
  
  This is definitely not a game for the younger crowd as it is very gory. I think Capcom has a hit on their hands and hopefully they can work it into a sequel in some way with improvements to the aforementioned bumps but hopefully they will get a patch over Live to help correct the text problems. Most of the time during the normal text there is not much voice over work. During the cutscenes, which are nicely animated, there is no problem as their is good voice over acting, incredible good when compared to the Resident Evil series. You won't go wrong with this game. It is a great game to enjoy so long as you are old enough to understand that things that you can do in the game can't be done in real life. As dumb as that sounds, there are those out there who might want to recreate something they did in the game.
  
  Enjoy this game and know that you will die often and have to repeat things over again but for the majority, it isn't a problem as things aren't often the same way the second time around, except for cutscenes of course. That is another great thing about this game, the repayability is incredibly deep. Forgive the text, the dumb AI and the lousy save functions and enjoy the game for what it got right.
  
  

• Unplayable on most TVs and sucks anyway.

  
  By A139RGON786TGU on 2006-08-27
  First off, as many other reviews have noted, the game text is unreadable due to its small size unless you have an HDTV. Perhaps Capcom will offer a patch via Live, but until then the game is largely unplayable.
  
  And, even though it's a lot of fun to kill zombies with random stuff, the game sucks anyway. The save system is worse than Resident Evil, the time constraints pretty much kill off your ability to explore what would otherwise be an interesting environment and the gameplay is lousy.
  
  I'd advise most people to just rent the game, have fun killing zombies until that gets old, and save about $50. If you really must buy it, you can probably just wait a few weeks and it'll be $25 for a used copy at EB/Gamestop since so many people bought it and can't play it.
  
  UPDATE: Capcom will not be patching this game (9/13/2006).
  
  
• Seriously flawed
  By A15MX8YJMBNDB0 on 2006-08-23
  I have a FORTY-EIGHT inch television and I CANNOT SEE THE WRITING on the screen because it is too small!! Did Capcom expect people to play this in a movie theatre? They know better than this!
  The controls are pitiful. I can't figure out what does what because an entire sentance of text is less than a half-inch long. Using a gun is near impossible as you have to stop and then aim, which takes about 15 seconds.
  Plus its plain boring after the first 30 minutes. The game was advertised as being free-form, but you cannot do what you want to or go where you want to. It stinks.
  
  
• Great Horror Fun for a Mature Gamer
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2006-10-06
  If you're a fan of horror movies, Dead Rising is probably right up your alley. You play a photojournalists trapped for 3 days in a suburban mall full of zombies.
  
  This game is a mixed blessing. Let's start with all the good aspects. The game is FUN. We've all seen the movies with zombies staggering around, and we've all hung out in malls, feeling bored. Put the two together, and voila! You can walk into any store and grab things to bash the zombies with. Run them over with a lawnmower! Pick up a piece of wood and start swinging! Or, my personal favorite, grab an electric guitar at the music store, whip it around like a fast-moving samurai sword, and hear the TWANG when you make contact!
  
  The food system actually makes sense here. You go into food court shops! If you find the food in its base form, it's mildly healthy. If you take the time to cook it, it's even better for you.
  
  There's an interesting plot to go with it too. I love that the various humans have names and that you actually learn about them, see their interactions and connect with them. You really care (or at least I do!) when you screw up and they get killed. It gives you a lot of incentive to replay the game to try to get everybody out. If you save a husband and his wife, they have a joyful reunion! It really draws you into the game.
  
  So there is definitely a lot going for this game. However, there are a few signs that the game could have used a few more months in testing before it was released. First, we have a large high def TV, so we don't have a problem "seeing things". However, I've heard from many of my site visitors that on smaller TVs it's nearly impossible to read words or to understand the text messages. That's just unfair. They should have made the game easily playable even on non-high-def or smaller TVs.
  
  Plus, why have to read dialogue at all in a horror game? That really interferes with the immersive quality. If you're knee deep in zombie fighting, you don't want to have to puzzle out what a victim is saying to you. They should just yell it out to you in real time so you can keep swinging while you listen.
  
  The real killer here, though, is the loading screen. You take 5 steps. LOADING. You turn around. LOADING. You go up the stairs. LOADING. Good God!! With all the other HUGE map games out on the market that load seamlessly, there is no reason that a mall-based game could not do the same. It might have taken a month of coding time to work that in but it would have been WELL worth it.
  
  Also, the save system is questionable. Only one save? One save at all? What if a friend comes over and wants to play forward for the weekend, but you want to be able to have your save spot for your own play after he leaves? You can't? Having just one save spot, in a world with a massive hard drive of storage, is nonsensical.
  
  Still, you can deal with those issues, and the game really is a lot of fun. Remember though that it is a MATURE game with zombies with exploding heads and a lot of gore. So if you're a mature gamer who enjoys horror, definitely pick this one up!
  
  
• a wasted idea
  By A2GVVAO242EK1D on 2006-08-10
  I waited for months to play this game, I played to demo to death and picked it up as soon as it came out on the 8th. And was severely disappointed. This game had so much possibility but its execution was terrible. Originally you were to be given three days in a zombie filled mall to play as you please, take missions if you want, save people or let them die, etc. You could just sit on the roof and wait for the helicopter to come get you three days later. I wish ever so much that they would have left it like that. Instead they replaced a three day stay in a zombie filled mall, with unlimited potential, with a linear and annoying story. But even that could have been salvage, what ruined the game for me were the insane time limits. Instead of getting your necrocide on in the middle of the mall with any weapon imaginable, you are running from one idiotic boss battle to the next and watching the clock the entire time. Because if you miss completing a mission in the required time limit its game over. Add to that the ridicules save system that only allows you to save one game and what could have been the greatest zombie escapade ever became an annoying and repetitive kill joy. This game does have some really neat qualities to be sure. Almost anything can be used as a weapon, which is great because they last all of ten seconds or so. So when you are in the middle of a hundred zombies (also very impressive) you end up going through every weapon you can carry in your limited inventory. Of course you have to carry you health regenerators in the same inventory. So one second you are swinging a lead pipe into a zombie head and the next you are sipping some OJ as the horde closes in and devours you. I bought this game in the hopes of a Grand Theft Auto style mall adventure with zombies and ended up with a very difficult, unfun and annoying waste of sixty dollars. I should have just bought the Dawn of the Dead DVD and spend the rest on beer instead of wasting my hard earned money on this miserable buzz kill.
  
  
• A slightly different zombie game from Capcom
  By A22Z1KC7QDS8IS on 2006-08-13
  Dead Rising does a lot right, and has a lot of unique things going for it. Yet, at the same time, it seems to do so many easy and fundamental things wrong that, at times, they make the game hair-pullingly annoying. While these problems don't kill Dead Rising, they do severely hinder what could have potentially been the game of the year.
  
  The graphics and sound in Dead Rising are both fantastic, even on an old CRT and 2.1 speakers. The characters look amazingly life-like, and the texturing on their clothing/hands etc. is absolutely fantastic. Light and shadows look very nice, and the game -- thankfully -- does not use over the top bloom effects. The sheer number of zombies on screen is a feat in and of itself, and they all look fantastic as well. Killing them makes them erupt in geysers of blood that are also quite nice looking (if that's at all possible). Occasionally, there are some problems with the frame rate -- usually with the baseball bat connecting with a large number of zombies at once -- and some clipping on a few costumes, but the game is pretty much glitch free. Oh, and the Havok physics make for some interesting zombie deaths. Naturally, the physics engine isn't that realistic, but it's still really neat to watch a zombie fly 15 feet after you nail him in the face with your Louisville Slugger.
  
  I won't ruin the story for anyone, but I can say that I throughly enjoyed it. It is serious, yet remains "tongue in cheek," never getting too melodramatic or anything of the sort, meaning it's quite entertaining. The voice acting is excellent across the board, which really adds to the game's story a lot. Some dialogue isn't voice acted, and instead pops up on screen as text, which is awful, since the font size is tiny, making it almost unreadable on non-HDTVs. Bad move by Capcom.
  
  The gameplay is refreshing, which is a surprise, considering that Dead Rising is essentially a beat 'em up. The main reason for this is because of the sheer number of items you can kill zombies with. Nothing says business more than a katana slicing three undead in half. Or shotgunning five zombies in the face, blowing off their heads. The list could go on nearly ad naseum, but needless to say, there's a lot of cool ways to kill zombies. Controls are mostly good, but the aiming system is kind of wonky for guns. It's fine if you aim using the right trigger, but if you don't, Frank seems to just fire in a random direction. I've also seen shotgun and handgun blasts go through zombies that were standing right next to me, which is a frustrating problem when you're trying to clear a path for yourself. These are minor gripes, however, and the number of different ways to kill your enemies ensures that the game remains entertaining throughout.
  
  So far, so good...right? Unfortunately, the design of Dead Rising is severely flawed. Interestingly enough, the problem is not so much the save system, which has been the bane of many a reviewer's existence. Rather, the problem is with the 72 hour mode. Capcom pushes the player from mission to mission, rarely giving them the chance to go and do anything else. For a game touted as having so many possibilities/things to do, it's ridiculous that you can't do even a quarter of them in a playthrough. There simply isn't time to go and save more than 15 (maybe 20, if you're really good or lucky) survivors, or track down and kill all of the psychopaths. Especially towards the end of the game (third day), the game is brutally unforgiving. In a way, this adds to the game's atmosphere, making it more tense and exciting. But all of that excitement dies hard when you fail a mission simply because you don't have enough time to make your way across the mall within the time limit the game bestows upon you. It makes for a frustrating trial and error experience.
  
  The other major problem stems with the surivor escort missions. These make up the bulk of the side missions (probably about 90%, the other 10% or so being "defeat the psychopath (boss)" affairs). The survivor AI is, in a word, broken. They will stop in the middle of a pack of zombies and try to punch them. They won't follow you when you call them with the Y button. Sometimes they won't move at all, and simply just stand still as they are eaten alive. Even if you make it to the zombie free rooftop, you're not homefree. To get into the security room (which is the destination point), you must climb over a ledge. The survivors oftentimes will not climb the ledge, instead choosing to run back and forth in front of it. Now, remember, you're on a strict time limit, so spending a minute or two trying to coax them up is just impossible. And if you leave them on the roof (which has no zombies on it), they'll die. I had to leave two people I had brought from the opposite end of the mall, simply because they couldn't get on the ledge. The AI is completely and utterly busted, with not one iota of intelligence.
  
  The boss fights range from cool to mind-bendingly cheap. Oftentimes, they [virtually] require you to have a firearm, which is not always possible, given the time limit in the game. A lot of boss fights devolve into trying to find a place where the AI cannot hit you, and then cheaply taking pot shots at them with a ranged weapon. It's too bad, since the bosses are pretty interesting characters in themselves -- it's a shame that they aren't more fun to fight. Once you level up enough, the boss fights become a lot easier and less long-winded, which is a big plus.
  
  The game becomes significantly more fun after you hit level 20 or so. At this point, you can kill zombies in one or two hits from most melee weapons, and you have enough health to make it across the map and back without dying. You also have some useful hand to hand moves, which can mow down lots of zombies at once. These are especially helpful, since items break waaaaay too easily. You can only kill 20 or so zombies with a katana (and most any other melee weapon) before it snaps, leaving you with whatever other weapons you have.
  
  Dead Rising features some other novel gameplay elements, most notable of which are the food and photography. You can mix together drinks to form super smoothies of sorts, which give you various abilities, including upping your running speed, temporary invincibilty and more. The photography is more of a gimmick than anything else, but you can take some really cool pictures, and get experience points for them to boot.
  
  If Capcom had made an untimed story mode, with the 72 hour mode an unlockable challenge, Zombie Revenge would easily be one of the best games of the year. Hell, even if they had been more forgiving in the 72 hour mode, allowing players to explore et al., the game would be close to being the game of the year. Unfortunately, Dead Rising stands as a prime example of getting all of the little things wrong. Great graphics, great gameplay, great sound, great story, great level design, great characters...and an absolutely horrible mode that makes the game much more difficult, annoying and exasperating than it needs to be. Overall, while Dead Rising remains fun to play -- a testament to how GOOD much of the game is -- it is nearly undone by how excrutiatingly bad the time limit makes the game.
  
  7.5/10
  
  
• Deadrising
  By A1WOJD4YETT7F1 on 2006-09-02
  If you are thinking about buying this game DON'T!!!
  Its not even interestign or the least bit fun. The reviewers who give it 5 stars are probably working for the developers and tryign to sell more games. Don't fall for it, this ones a 65 dollar turd! 99 things wrong with it, but ill give you 10.
  Text, where is it, i got a huge 1080p tv and can't see it.
  Graphix suk, everything is square and right angles.
  Weapons are weak and hard to aim.
  Controlls are slow which is unforgivable in this system.
  Bosses are impossible and you fight them over and over and over.
  You can be attacked while the game is loading screens, but can't fight back.
  Health and saves are spaced way too sparcely.
  Aim system is cluncky, no, just done very poorly.
  Camera works so poorly why bother puting it in the game.
  Shut off the fricking Phone!!! Of the few repetitive sounds that are actually in the game the most prevelent is an obnoxious phone that won't stop ringing until you answer it which keeps you from being able to do anything but run around like zombie bait.
  One Star is too many, capcom should be ashamed, and havok studios will never sell me another game as long as i live, and i hope this pile of a game sinks them like the titanic
  
  
• Buy eye drops...
  By A1Q1QLPAPBHBRQ on 2006-08-15
  Capcom,
  
  You really blew it. The unreadable font is an absolute show stopper. ALL text that appears on the bottom of my screen is a blurry and unreadable blob. I have no idea what's going on or what I'm supposed to be doing. Is my only option to buy a $1200.00 TV? Maybe you should do QA on older TVs, too. Not all of us have HDTVs. What a disappointment. I will definately rent your games from now on.
  
  
• Loading...
  By A2YNNR6BENQT1P on 2006-09-12
  I thought I'd love coming face to face with an army of flesheating zombies. But sadly I was severely disappointed with this game.
  
  Loading...
  
  The premise and glowing reviews lead me to conclude that the game would be a lot of fun - but after spending several hours with it I was left bored and irritated.
  
  Loading...
  
  Clumsy controls, out-of-date graphics, stupid save system, unreadable text (and I have an HDTV), that cell phone that kept grating on my very being, uninteresting storyline, unlikable protagonist -
  
  Loading...
  
  and did i mention the frequent loading screens? By the end I wanted the zombies to win. I then promptly sold the game to someone so it can claim another victim.
  
  
• Expectations... Be aware of what to expect in Dead Rising
  By A2NNNAUZZIIVC6 on 2006-08-11
  Expectations can basically make or break this game. The problem I had w/ it and I think most others do is the fact we wanted to freely roam the mall while killing off as many zombies as we wanted with all the cool weapons avaliable. There would be a story to follow, but not in the annoying way it was implemented.
  
  What CAPCOM delivered is slighly different from what most expected. The game takes place over 3 days, and within those 3 days you have to follow the game's main storyline within set time limits. Let clarify on that... you MUST get to certain story events within a certain time or you will loose out on the main story of the game. Side quests are avaliable, but you must pick and choose a few to do here and there because if you spend too much time on them, you will end up missing the main story. The game is made in such a way to MAKE you replay it two or three times atleast if you want to explore all the side quests and try to find all the cool weapons and things to see.
  
  The issue with saving the game goes right along with the above... the developer didnt want you to be able to have multisaves and say take a different path or what not... they limited you to ONE save per XBOX360 profile. Everytime you save, you overwrite the last save. No other option. You can only save at the bathrooms and the safehouse. There is usually one save spot near each area, but it makes it a pain to save your progress.
  
  Escort missings are a pain aswell as the people you try to save are extremly stupid. They try to fight zombies (and usually loose) and take forever to get where you call them to. You have to call for them over and over to try to direct them to safety.. again not so much fun.
  
  The above reasons make you feel like the game is somewhat "job" like as it forces you to adhere to these requirements it has forcefully. It takes the edge off what could have been a five star game.
  
  Why is the game still great? Well, it's extremly fun to go around killing zombies w/ just about everything you find along the mall stores (hedge clippers, chainsaws, bats, purses, etc..) and the game runs fast and smooth w/ nice looking visuals. Going around killing batches after batches of zombies just doesn't get old! Facial expressions look great and the zombie/weapon/voice sounds are perfect for the game. The voice acting great too IMO... its a shame that the few people you see in the game dont talk, you simply recieve subtitles for them.
  
  I think the demo of the game also lead people to believe the game would be more free roaming that it actually is (fooled me) and that also plays a part in the initial dissapointment many are experiencing. Once you get over the fact that the you tied down by the clock and the subpar save system, you will enjoy the game though! Recommended!
  
  
• frustrating bosses almost destroy an amazing experience
  By A2OR09N5HH20PY on 2007-07-14
  From the time you start a new game on Dead Rising, you see the cinematic camera angles and great voice acting, you know they put some time into this one. the game controls like any third person action game. the left stick is for character movement, and the right controls your camera. i just wish jumping and attacks weren't so sluggish. im not sure if its supposed to be realistic or what, but its annoying when you're being surrounded by hourdes of zombies, only to take to long to knock them back, resulting in being eaten alive. everything is very solid and controls well other than that. as you explore the mall, so many things can be used as a weapon, its unreal. i have used anything from sledge hammers and lawn mowers to shotguns and soccer balls to a shopping cart and a pair of hedge clippers. every character you encounter has a unique and relatively memorable personality. you can find countless hours of fun just exploring the mall and hacking away at the undead, especially because you gain experiance which causes you to level up RPG style similar to Crackdown. and believe me, to finish this game, most of you will need to start over a few times and build up your level before farther in the story (your stats carry over to a new game) The photography section adds some more variety to the game, given the countless things to take pictures of, which also adds to your level building. This game was designed for multiple playthroughs (i have started a new game 4 times now without ever finishing the story) its near impossible, if not completely impossible, to do everything in this game in one playthrough.
  
  but while all this is great fun, this game can be very frustrating at the same time. trying to help navigate survivors to the safety areas can be a pain as they are quite stupid. they tend to stand there and try to fight off zombies instead of running with you're character as you call out. which to me is frustration due to some bad game design and stupid AI, and not extremely difficult gameplay. The bosses, on the other hand, are some of the most annoying and unforgiving things ive ever seen in a game. you thought the bosses in Devil May Cry 3 were tough? you havent seen anything yet. dont get me wrong, this game is really fun, its a game everyone should experience, but its deffinitely no walk in the park.
  
  
• Great concept ruined by terrible programing.
  By A30EWJCVP9P6ZG on 2006-08-12
  Like most others here I bought the game in the hopes of a GTA-esque style zombie game but was sorely dissapointed. It was a great concept with lots of potential ruined by whatever moron programmed it.
  
  First the good
  
  Graphics are stunning and as close as realistic as I have seen. This is a good show of what the 360 has to offer graphically.
  
  Gameplay is awesome using everything as a weapon is really fun.
  
  And thats really it. Kinda sad huh?
  
  The bad
  
  The save feature. I don't care what some people are saying, it's broken. I got this game and played for 4 hours and got pretty far. I got to a boss battle and died and decided to rest and try again later. when i came back I had no continue point. Instead I had to start from the begining. Not the begining of the stage the begining of the entire game. Oh but I got to keep all my stats from before (sarcasm here). Like that makes up for 4 hours of gameplay I can't get back.
  
  Another issue is when you do get guns you have to stop to aim. There is no reticle for running and gunning so to speak. So in a game where you have to constantly be on the move so zombies don't kill you you have to stop to actually aim.
  
  Along with ridiculous time limits and a very linear story this game falls ridiculously short of expectaitons and is only worth a rent or borrow.
  
  The odd
  
  I wonder why unless it is a cut scene they didn't put in voice acting. When I went up to talk to some one there was a subtitle screen.
  
  You can't store ammo, only guns, so in order to carry 60 handgun bullets I need 2 handguns which takes up valuable space in my inventory that could be used for other items.
  
  The walkie talkie goes off way too much and never has useful info like "zombies ahead of you" only more tedious missions. Plus when you answer it you can't fight any zombies you're left vulnerable.
  
  So that's my review. A great premise with extremely poor execution. If you're a huge fan of the zombie genre you may like this if you're looking for a GTA meet Dawn of the Dead (to steal a fellow reviewers phrase)look elsewhere or play GTA cause this ain't it.
  
  
• Dead Rising is DOA.
  By AVCY2Z0IWH2Q5 on 2006-08-14
  I can't understand how such a cool concept for a game, with such great graphics, and from a first rate game developer by the name of Capcom is so utterly bland, and frustrating.
  
  When I first learned you could help survivors in the mall escape the zombies, I thought it would be cool. I was wrong. The survivors you help escort from one area to the next are completely useless, and do everything in their power to get themselves killed. If anyone has ever played the Resident Evil Outbreak games(single player not online) and remembers the horrible AI of the group your in....well Dead Rising is like that, only worse.
  
  I played Dead Rising on my 27" Sony Vega TV which is not High definition. The text that comes up when you talk to people in the game is simply unreadable. I was able to decipher some of the words by squinting and getting real close to my tv to read it, but if I play the game from 4 feet away, the words are so small it causes serious eyestrain to try to make the words out. The words are so small in the game I almost laughed, until I realized this isn't a joke, and you can't change the text size in the options. This alone is a great reason to avoid the game like the plauge.
  
  The sad thing is, this game will probably sell may units, just because it's a new 360 title, and it doesn't deserve a purchase, IMO it's not even worth renting.
  I was really looking forward to this release, and I have to say I have never been this disappointed with a video game. I will trade this title in soon to get the most credit for it, and find a video game that is worth my time.
  
  
• Saving & Aiming Problems make a great game below average
  By A10LUS0UM4TKU5 on 2006-08-28
  This could have been a great game. It fails because the makers did not include even a standard save system and because the aiming system is very awkward and difficult to use. You will find youself playing large sections of the game over and over again because the game does not allow you to timely save at key points in the game. The aiming system is impossible to use in a fast and effective manner. It is slow and cumbersome. You will find youself facing one direction and when you attempt to use your weapon, you will inexplicably be facing 90 to 180 degrees from where you were previously pointed. Additionally, it is extreemly difficult to read instructions and communications on the tv because the print is so small.
  
  These issues seem like such easy things to fix and are standard on most games. It was very disappointing they were not included in Dead Rising. As a result, rather than a 5, which clearly this game could have been, it is a 2.
  
  
  
• Just what the XBOX 360 needed
  By A3TS9IDXZMTOWW on 2006-08-10
  Disclaimer: I must admit this review may be a little bias, I absolutely love this genre, and third person action adventure games are my first love (RPG and 1st person shooters, 2nd/3rd). With that said lets get into the review:
  
  Dead rising is the story of a photojournalist dropped off in a mall full of zombies trying to get the story of his life, but gets way more than he bargain for.
  
  I will admit I started not to buy this game because I thought it was a mindless run around and beat'em up kind of game, until I played the demo, which in turn prompted me to purchase this game.
  
  Genre/Gameplay - 9.5/10 if you like third person action adventure/RPG games you will love this game. It has a GTA type mission factor complete with side quests; you also get to level up RPG style so the more ZOMBIES you kill the more you level up. There are also side quest and picture taking that can earn you more points towards your next level. Gameplay smooth, easy learning curve, and extremely fun. A thing that wouldn't allow me to give the game play a straight 10 was the saving feature, while it is original isn't very user friendly. You can only save the game in bathrooms and on Couches (yep a sofa) that is it, no auto saving before going into a boss battle, you had just better find a bathroom close to your objective and save there. This wasn't too much of a problem though. Also the weapons (just guns) used are a little difficult to aim, in first person (by holding the R Trigger) it works but with out going to first person aiming and hitting your target can be frustrating. Also not much of a problem since using guns in this game is extremely boring. Being able to pick up absolutely anything (I mean anything) you see and kill a zombie with it is this games defining charm. Absolutely fun game!!!
  
  Graphics - 8/10 I play all my 360 games on a Samsung 32 inch HD TV and the graphics in this game are definitely not Next Gen (not like say fight night) until of course you see 100's of zombies on the screen at once then you see the 360 power but character models and scenery are only slightly better than that of the original XBOX. The graphics are good enough though and in NO WAY hamper the playing experience.
  
  Sounds - 9.7/10 Sounds to me are pretty much as good as it gets, scary zombie noises and screams accompanied by great background music. The Voiceovers are great!
  
  Overall I would give this game a 9.5/10 (not an average) it's replay value seems like it would be pretty good, but since I haven't beaten the game yet, only 95% done, I cant really tell yet.. But it does seem as though there will be other modes once you beat it and I am very anxious to see what they are.
  
  Bottom line: Go get this game!!! The 360 doesn't have many games like this out, (3rd person action) with the exception of Tomb Raider which is more of a plat former. So whether you like this genre or not you WILL enjoy this game.
  
  
  
• Repetitive, SMALL text, bad game design.
  By A2VBJ2YDQM7UTI on 2006-08-30
  This game is fun at first but gets VERY repetitive over time, plus the save system dont help. If you die you have three options, load, save character status and restart from the start, or turn off the console and put the DVD in the microwave oven so you dont have to play it ever again.
  
  The text is VERY small so you can barely read it on a SDTV (Standard TV), in other words, if you have a SDTV stay AWAY from this game.
  
  
• Seriously broken.
  By A1KJTBUUDD52I5 on 2006-09-04
  "The reviewers who give it 5 stars are probably working for the developers and trying to sell more games. Don't fall for it, this ones a 65 dollar turd! 99 things wrong with it"
  
  I totally agree.
  
  Yea I read many positive reviews here. I'm sure they were PAID!
  I have an enhanced Def TV and you can't read the text.
  Or maybe you just need a $3000 TV to read the directions.
  Will the XBOX be able to download a fix for this please? ITs UNPLAYABLE at the moment.
  Terrible save system can bump you right back to the beginning after playing for HOURS!
  
  Another thing I noticed is that reviews that state the truth are rated bad, so I know the PAID pushers are at work here.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!!!
  By A3AV56KHWOMEFQ on 2006-08-31
  Great premise, terrible execution. Text in game is WAY too small to read. Sucks all of the enjoyment out of playing. Avoid this game and save your money!
  
  
• killing zombies with a bunch of stuff.. how could you screw that up, right?
  By A4BA2SSCQ2W56 on 2007-03-04
  oh boy. dead rising.... this game looks so fun, doesn't it? going around in a mall killing a bunch of zombies, it's a no-brainer. the problem is in the execution. the game starts off great, with you flying into a city that's been overtaken by zombies. you're a photojournalist and just want to cover the story. but you wind up having to fight off the zombies. very cool, and the way they do objects here is a great idea. you can pick up, say, a soccer ball which awesomely bounces off multiple zombies, injuring them. or break a potted plant over that zombie's head. the problem is, as fun as it sounds, it just isn't fun when you actually do it. for one thing, you have to go into an aim mode to use a gun or throw something. this would be OK except instead of fluidly going into aim mode in the direction you're facing (like a good game would have you do), you seem to move slightly to the left and then have to move your controller around to find the enemy again. unforgivable!!!
  
  as far as the graphics, they're very nice. however, the text on the screen is very small. this might not be a problem if you have a newer TV with good clarity. mine is older and i had to get close to the TV to read the text. which brings me to the next issue with dead rising... it has a bunch of stories and quests and stuff. to me, this doesn't make much sense. if i wanted stories and quests, i could have played Oblivion. it's obvious they should have done quests in a simplified manner, by pointing out where to go on the map with an arrow and having you fight through zombies to get there. that would have provided simple honest fun. instead, they give you like a quest journal and a freakin' map!! i don't want to press an extra button to follow a map around in a game like this. they should leave the maps to silent hill or world of warcraft.
  
  another thing - they have voice acting in the cutscenes, and then when you start playing, the characters only talk in text. HUH?! this is 2007, this is the powerful 360, and you're telling me we're still using TEXT instead of VOICE?! it screams "this was a rushed game."
  
  there are too many complications to getting into the zombie-killing fun. if they had simplified this game and improved the controls, i would have liked it. but i got bored before 30 minutes of gameplay.
  
  oh yeah, how could i forget the save system!!! as you can see, everyone hates the save system, and for good reason. i'm not the kind of person who has to save whenever i want, but in place of that i at least want a good checkpoint auto-saving feature. instead, when you die here, you have to go way back before the part you were playing, to the dialogue etc. before it. that is really annoying to me. every other game out there has a good checkpoint auto-save system but this one. again, it screams "this game was rushed."
  
  
• Zombies dead in the first ten minutes:228
  By A3L51TJ5BFKJ59 on 2007-09-02
  This might be the best video game I've ever played. Within the first ten minutes my zombie kill count was 228 (they actually keep the zombie kiil count in the bottom of the screen, awesome), and was using bat's, guns, poles, benches, and anything else I could find to slaughter hordes of zombies.
  I actually found a lawnmower and was cutting zombies up like grass, a la Dead Alive, you can even use decapitated limbs as weapons. If your a old zombie movie fan, this game will appeal to you even more. The obvious comparison is to Dawn of the Dead, considering that your in a mall with thousands of zombies. Even has the creepy mall music playing the whole time.
  If you like open world environment games and zombies, this is a must have.
  
  
• HI-DEF HORROR HITS A HIGH
  By AHZHS71OAH2WV on 2006-08-13
  I tend not to be easily impressed - I have only written a few reviews and only when I felt I really had something to say (or in this case, something to defend). With the release of Dead Rising, the time has once again re-surfaced and the dead has been resurrected - meaning this reviewer (so to speak!). For the two of you out there who do not know the plot: A photojournalist finds himself in a mall swarming with the undead. He has three days to get his story, take some cool pictures and, if he desires, save a few stranded shoppers - all the while trying to keep himself from becoming zombie chow! Now, let's get the one negative out of the way first: the save system is seriously lacking - both in implementation and frequency. Not only does the game allow for only one save (!!!???) - but the bathrooms in which to save (clever - pee and save at the same time) - are few and far between...and very hard to locate - especially when it is (too) dark. While I applaud the decision to make saves somewhat limited - which I believe adds to the heightened tension of the game...the makers of Dead Rising have gone too far in the other direction. The tension is now merely frustrating!
  
  On to the positive - which are many (and contrary to the less than glowing reports below!). The free-roaming is exceptional - and allows you to make up your own missions should you decide not to go with the "cases". The sheer number of the on-screen undead is awesome - and reminds one of some movies that will go unnamed. The mall layout, design and graphics are nothing short of amazing - as are the myriad of items found within the shops that can be used as weapons: potted plants, cd's, signs, knives, chainsaws, lawnmowers, bowling balls, frisbees, mannequins, stuffed animals, dishes, benches, just to name a few!!!). Go to the food courts and hamburger stands and theatre concession to find food items to regain health (again, clever)! And just for fun, the gamemakers have allowed our hero, Frank - the aforementioned hot-shot photojournalist seeking the story of a lifetime, to change his wardrobe within the various clothing stores (from designer suits, to too-tight kid's clothes, to sports gear!) You can even satisfy the closeted transvestite within and give Frank a nice dress to wear for the zombie slaughter!!! While this has no impact on the gameplay, it is a nice and amusing touch. The environments are somewhat destructible (nothing more satisfying than smashing through a plate-glass window to escape - although more destructibility would have been even better!). The sound is outstanding as is the voice acting (I was unable to find any actors' credits, though) and character models (contrary to another reviewer's comments). Overall, an amazing (and gory) game - with high replayability! Dead Rising rises to the top of the horror games (alongside Condemned, Suffering and Resident Evil 4). Do not allow the haters to disuade you from this game!
  
  
• Don't let the haters hold you back
  By A1NE7Q6QCDFRKR on 2006-08-15
  Dead Rising is an amazing game. Bottom line. Smashing in heads, chopping in half, pan frying, blowing up, and running over zombies...whats not to like. There are so many weapons and countless things to do while in the mall. Discovering everything is part of the fun of Dead Rising. I highly recommend this game to anyone with a 360. Don't let the haters who BITC* about TEXT in a game hold you back from this awesome game. seriously who complains about TEXT in a video game. Do you play the text? NO.
  
  Dead rising is the 1st game besides Oblivion that I feel has real replayabilty and is actually worth the $$$
  
  and if you doubt just go download the demo
  
  
• Killing Zombies was never so much fun
  By AY3Y9ROK6LRPI on 2006-12-11
  Dead Rising - Circa 2006
  
  
  GOOD:
  - Use anything as a weapon, never before has this been truly done or done right in a video game, and when I say use anything as a weapon I truly mean it, from Frying Pans to Chainsaws and Hangers to Battleaxes you really have anything in the entire mall as a weapon, there are thousands of items you can use and that is not including your regular video game type of weapons like guns and swords.
  - Zombies, lots of Zombies and their all as dumb/deadly as you might hope for, although there more like the Night of the Living dead slow moving type of Zombies and not the 28 Days Later running at you screaming type of Zombies. Also note there are a bunch of crazies/terrorist running around causing havoc as well.
  - Lot's enemy's on screen with no real slowdown, wait till you get to the underground parking garage and you can literally run over hundreds and hundreds of Zombies with a car with no slowdown.
  - Lots of costume/clothing options, so you can make the main character (Frank) look like whatever you like, also note you can download even more costume/clothing options from Xbox Live.
  - This game also has a pretty good/original story and even multiple endings.
  - The voice acting is also pretty good.
  
  
  BAD:
  - Replaying the main game a few times just to level up and beat it is really not for everyone, and in order to complete the main game your more then likely to have save your stats and restart the game a few times.
  - Some might consider the plot underwhelming.
  - Shooting and aiming is bad I mean you can aim your shots, but your aim is soooo slow you will more then likely get eaten before you shoot anyone correctly. Now you can shoot without aiming (using the auto-aim), which is like throwing down, a pair of dice and hoping you gets 12 every time, needless to say your better off using one of the thousand of non shooting type of weapons. Also note that once you get the machine gun shooting and aiming is not as bad since you can throw-up a wall of lead and not worry about your target(s).
  - No online play, or any multiplayer, this is a single player game only.
  - Game should be considered short, unless you factor in the amount of times you have to replay it.
  - Most of the main game is spent saving survivors, which can be annoying because most of the survivors are as dumb as the Zombies they are trying to escape, luckily you can carry/pull-along most of them and if not you can always give them a weapon (to defend themselves) or even food (to heal them).
  - Text is almost impossible to read without an HDTV, which really sucks because most of the missions are giving to you in a text format.
  
  IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
  - For people who really like replaying their games and getting the most out of there gaming experience.
  - This game is not really meant for kids or the immature, this game is pretty gory/bloody/violent and even has a few foul words.
  - Game has an oddball sense of humor, like the movie Sean of the Dead.
  - Game plays mostly like a non-liner version of a beat-em-up type of game (see Streets of Rage or Fighting Force).
  - The Mall of Dead Rising is pretty big which is good because, you never really get to leave it.
  - Killing lots of Zombies with countless weapons (fun!) and playing escort to dumb as dirt survivors (not so fun).
  
  GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
  - Resident Evil (for the Zombie action)
  - Power Stone (For using almost anything as a weapon)
  
  ADDITIONAL NOTES:
  - Beating the main game (and getting the best ending) will unlock Overtime mode and beating that (with the best ending) will unlock a free play type of mode called Infinite mode.
  - When playing the game you can find the costume parts and also unlock the "buster/arm cannon" so you can make your character (Frank) look and shoot like Mega Man.
  - Right now there is talk about a Platinum Edition of this game coming for Xbox 360 that will come with a "NEW" Co-op mode, people who own the original copy of the game could also then download this new mode in XBL Marketplace, when the Platinum Edition is out.
  
  
• FROM TALIEN'S ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE JOURNAL
  By A3PPXVR5J6U2JD on 2008-01-22
  DAY -35: Just saw an ad for Dead Rising. So jazzed! The main character kills shambling zombies in a mall with baseball bats, an umbrella, and a chainsaw. Chainsawing zombie goodness, baby! WOOHOO!
  
  DAY 0: Just got the game. YES! Popped it in and started playing. The main character reminds me of Andrew Dice Clay from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, only sized like a linebacker.
  
  DAY 1: What the...the text is so small! I can't read anything!
  
  DAY 2: Oh for the love of...Dead Rising is for HD televisions only. I can't read what Otis keeps calling me about, so I can't play the game. Sigh.
  
  DAY 32: My brother was over for dinner and when he looked at my flat screen television in the basement, he pointed out that it's actually a high def television. Yes, I'm an idiot. Back to Dead Rising!
  
  DAY 33: Woohoo, this rocks! So many zombies to kill! And not just zombies; the game is full of psychopaths too. I killed a clown with chainsaws, some big fat cop who looks like Kathy Kinney (from The Drew Carey Show), a pyromaniac who looks like Weird Al, and a weird raincoat/green mask-wearing cult that totally freaks me out. I'm a little behind on the main missions but the game hasn't ended yet so I figure I'm good.
  
  DAY 34: I hate this game so much. I spent hours playing it and when I got back to the security office, the game ended and said I had missed a deadline. Information that would have been useful YESTERDAY! Maybe I'll sell it.
  
  DAY 37: Okay, back on track. It's really upsetting that I don't have time to save all the survivors. So I of course only save the hot chicks. And this one old lady because I love my grandma (God rest her soul). A couple of times I accidentally killed one of the survivors with a sledgehammer when I was trying to kill a zombie. Mental note: people and sledgehammers don't mix.
  
  DAY 38: OH. MY. GOD. The game just crashes at random times. It says the disc is dirty. Only the disc isn't dirty. My theory is that the game uses a huge amount of processor speed, and since I have a refurbished 360, they dialed back the processing power so the Xbox doesn't overheat anymore. Which means Dead Rising crashes it every few times. I am so selling this game, screw this!
  
  DAY 40: It seems like there's some sort of plot to produce cattle...that led to creating zombies in a little town outside the U.S. The main psychopath decided to reveal the U.S. government's illegal experiments by unleashing the zombie plague at a mall to make a statement. It doesn't really make too much sense. Worse, there are multiple endings and I missed the chopper pick-up time on the roof of the mall. I'm going to start over from my last save point (which is few and far between). I'm starting to really hate this game.
  
  DAY 42: I did it! Almost. Now the U.S. military is "cleaning up" the operation by killing everyone. Gee, glad I went through all the trouble to save all the hot chicks. Oh well, a few katana slices takes care of them nicely. But then there's this long battle with a tank and then some military guy who is impossible to beat. I think I'll just sell this game.
  
  DAY 43: My wife said, "After all this complaining about the game, you BETTER finish it." So okay, I'm gonna finish it.
  
  DAY 44: I did it! I beat the main bad guy by spinning around like a top, backslapping the bad guy with what has to be the stupidest move in gaming combat history. But I beat Dead Rising! Take that, only-one-save slot! Take that, crashing-all-the-time processor! Take that, stupid forced story-timeline! I did it! I did it! Did I mention I love this game?
  
  I'll sell it tomorrow.
  
  
  
• Mediocre Zombie Killing
  By A4BK54P0D1GOS on 2006-08-14
  I was very excited when this game came out. I was waiting for over a year for this game because I heard about it being developed. Then I saw the screenshots and knew I had to grab this once I picked up the 360.
  
  Sidenote: The game was released 8/8/06 but most places didn't even have it yet. Wal-Mart was still waiting for the shipment to come in. I was angry because I wanted my game that day but I digress.
  
  Once I got the game and had some friends over I started this epic hoping for Dawn of the Dead but with a lot more to do. Well first this that got me was the insanely small typing. For us non-hdtv plasma 80" tv's its almost unreadable. I found this is a common problem. What I don't get is why they didnt figure out that this would be a problem?? Through testing they must be on huge hdtvs. It's not fair to us that dont feel we need to upgrade for 1000's of dollars.
  
  Once I got into the game play it was fun. Then I found out about the saving system. It is seriously flawed. I went through the board leveled up a couple times but because I didn't get to a save point I had the option of starting all over again from my save point from the beginning or starting the game over again with the same levels. Im like are you serious?? How can you have fun with a game that you have to run half across the game with 100's of zombies especially after 7pm when they get more agressive. That flaw alone made me want to scream.
  
  Then down to gameplay itself. Beating zombies with various weapons is fun. It never seems to get old because there is so much to discover and kill them with. Plates, Cd's, katana, chainsaw, etc. The list goes on and on. But the weapons break too easily. And it always seems they break when your in a pack of zombies. I understand its to make you use your surroundings more then picking up the katana and killing all the zombies in the game. I just wanted to use it more then about 20 zombies. And whats the point of a gun when you have to stop to use it?? Theres hundreds of zombies coming at you and you cant check behind you when you have a gun aiming so chances of getting eaten are high. Should have been Syphon Filteresque.
  
  Piecing together the story is insanely difficult. You cant save all the escorts AND get the story. Its not possible. And they give you like 5 minutes to get from one end of the mall to the other, so then once your on your way to that one, they die or the scoop is lost, then you walk to the next one but its already almost gone. Its too much pressure. And the survivors are retarded. They shoot badly, they run around and get lost, and the one even pushed me down instead of a zombie which resulted in me getting hurt.
  
  There is positives though. Good story and well done graphics. I like the idea of the story piecing together through contacts. You can literally do anything you want then get on the helicopter and leave. I like a lot of the cool moves to kill zombies with also. The leveling up is a great idea and adds some fun to the game although I dont know how taking pictures makes you stronger but I'll go with it.
  
  Overall I think it wasnt a waste but it is REALLY flawed. If they fixed the big problems like saving and the very limited time you have to complete scoops and escorts then I would say this game is amazing. But with all the problems it has I'm just disappointed that they could get it SO wrong. I guess I'll just wait for Halo 3. You can't mess up Halo. Hopefully.....
  
  
• Save your money!!!
  By A1LPSUPW0A0PYH on 2006-09-03
  Don't get me wrong...I love the thought of a zombie game for XBOX 360 but I have to say that I was disappointed with this one. The graphics are outdated and you can't read the text in the game itself. I couldn't believe it. Trust me ya'll skip this one and keep your money in your pocket. I suppose I give more power to those that love it...old schoolers! LOL!
  
  
• capcom doesn't throw a bone to the masses
  By A188ZYOYCZHJ7R on 2006-09-07
  i honestly don't know what capcom was thinking. this game is basically made to be played on HDTVs. if you don't have one, you might as well rent this game, kill some zombies and return it.
  
  i basically bought a 360 for this game only to realize i just wasted $500. in order to actually be able to play this game the way it was meant to be played, i'd have to drop another $1,000 on an HDTV.
  
  i understand things are being geared more towards the high definition, but we're years away from living in a society where the MAJORITY owns one. they're still way too expensive. with that being said, it blows my mind that capcom made a game that could only truly be played by a small minority of people.
  
  plain and simple: the text can't be read. not even on my brand new 36 inch sony flat screen.
  
  the fact that text is included in this game is crap anyway. it really takes away from the story line... not to mention squinting at a speach bubble for two minutes is incredibally hard when you've got 500 zombies walking around you.
  
  as mentioned countless other times, the save system sucks as well. there's nothing more infuriating than dying after a solid two hours of playing only to have to replay everything just to get back to where you were when you died. i frequently found myself turning the game off at this point.
  
  because of the way saves are set up (single slot only), and because this "free-roam" game actually follows a very strict timed series of events, it's very easy to "save" yourself in to a corner, forcing you to start over from the beginning if you don't give yourself enough time.
  
  there's nothing worse than being 2/3 of the way through a video game before you realize you haven't given yourself enough time to get to your next mission.
  
  then there's the frequently mentioned AI. it's terrible. the people you are suppose to save have IQs in the single digits. they get caught up on chairs and walk in to large groupings of zombies... only to call for your help.
  
  there's also your walkie talkie. when you get a message, it will ring every few seconds until you answer it. this is highly annoying as there are very few places in the game where you have enough privacy to actual use it. what's worse is that when on your walkie talkie, you can't do anything else. you're basically zombait.
  
  the way your inventory is stored is equally as frustrating. your health is stored along side your weaponry and when weapons break, they automatically switch to the next item in your inventory. hence, you're fighting a dozen zombies and your baseball bat breaks... the next thing you know, you're drinking a gallon of orange juice (health).
  
  firing weapons are also too few and far between... especially when taking boss fights in to consideration. i can't count the number of times i had to go in to a psychopath battle armed with only a shower head and a 2x4.
  
  ahhh!!!!
  
  this game can be quite enjoyable, but it's overshadowed but some pretty major flaws.
  
  

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