Is Dead Rising the zombie game that everyone has been waiting for, or is it just another piece of lifeless junk?
Anything and everything in the mall can be used as a weapon. From pots and pans, to lawn mowers and trash cans (whoa I just made a rhyme) everything is zombie killing material. Dead Rising can best be described as a sandbox game. You can choose to complete the main missions, and/or side quests. The side quests usually involve escorting survivors to the security room where they can live another day and avoid becoming zombie meat. As easy as escorting sounds it can be very difficult at times. The survivor's AI is about as bright as a dying light bulb on the verge of going out. Don't be surprised if you notice a survivor running towards a wall, getting stuck behind a zombie, or simply just standing there like a free piece of steak. They also have a tendency to attack you when you're trying to protect them from a zombie swarm. One time I gave my partner AI a katana, and they ended up hacking and slashing me when I went near them. They weren't trying to hurt me they were just trying to defend themselves from the zombies, and every time I was near a zombie they would freakin' hit me like a piñata. Their AI can and will bring death upon you and themselves. Other side quests involve taking down psychos, and when I say psychos I mean complete freaks with no sense of humanity. I found it entertaining fighting these freaks of nature, but at the same time it was a little creepy. There was something that prevented me from enjoying the game down to the last pixel: the real time system. You have 72 hours (in-game time moves faster) to uncover the truth and get your butt out of the mall. It may sound like a lot of time to you, but trust me, it isn't. I'm one of those gamers who love to complete side quests as well as the main missions, but I wasn't able to that in Dead Rising. By the time I finished a side quest another quest would have closed and the only way I would be able to play it would be starting the game over again. This really ticked me off. I wanted to explore the mall, and find new ways to kill the zombies, but instead I spent most of my time running from quest to quest trying to fit everything within 72 hours.
The in-game graphics were absolutely spectacular. I've never seen so many zombies on one screen; it was really overwhelming and sometimes nerve wrecking. Over hundreds of zombies could appear at once. There were times where I felt hopeless and doomed. Running down a long corridor with one life left while zombies breathe down your neck is freakin' terrifying, but it's also an awesome adrenaline rush. You can't get that feeling anywhere else than Dead Rising. The character designs were varied greatly, and each one had their own unique look and feel to them. The mall itself was incredibly detailed inside and out, I could tell Capcom paid close attention to making the mall as interactive as it is beautiful. I would also like to make a note about the in-game text. Those of you who have a standard definition TV will find it extremely difficult to read what's on the screen. Dead Rising was made for high definition TVs, you can still play on a SD TV but expect a lot of squinting and tons of blurry writing.
The sound design was stunning. I felt a shiver down my spine as I heard the pathetic yet delightful moaning of the approaching zombies. Sure you may have heard many zombie moans, but I don't think you've ever heard hundreds and hundreds of zombies moaning at the same time, now that's just creepy. The voice acting was nicely done, but sometimes the in-game dialogue just sounded awkward. The music the mall plays matches each store and area perfectly. I actually thought I was in a real mall, with zombies of course.
Overall: Dead Rising is a GOOD game but the real time system, terrible AI, and ridiculously tiny text prevents it from being a GREAT game. Those of you who can surpass these problems will end up having a bloody zombie fest of a good time. If Dead Rising ever receives a sequel, hopefully Capcom will fix these issues.