They're not very similar. Personally, I think a person's taste in this issue will veer towards their own creativity. Within the context of the storyline, Saints Row can get rather boring. However, if you're creative enough to devise a personality (which in-game clothing happily facilitates), then you can easily gather fun going through the most mundane tasks.

On the other hand, if you are either irked by the thought that you might have to create something in your mind to play a game rather than the creators developing a solid idea ahead of time, then you might like the relatively more straightforward narrative of Dead Rising. Also, if you're obnoxiously obsessed with the idea of killing people in as many ways as possible, then it might be a good choice. For myself, I find it bizarre that the variety of ways you can kill something would equate to enjoyment. But, then again, people like movies like Saw, so eh.

From what I've seen, they're both good games. Ignore the people who say Saints Row is a lame rip off of GTA. There's a logical fallacy with the statement. When therehas beenonly one game in the genre, any new game in the genre will look like it. Calling foul on that concern is similar to complaining that a noir movie is centered around a crime.

I don't recall any complaints about Dead Rising that need to be addressed. I don't care about online gaming, so I won't bother acknowledging the lack thereof. Between the two, I enjoyed Saints Row more. I like being able to personalize a character and come up with my own motives for going through the storyline.

You may have already made your decision by now, but if so then this might be helpful to someone else.