Dead Rising 2

 
Dead Rising 2 is the sequel to the generally well-received Dead Rising, which was generally well-received, but there were some general complaints:
- The survivor AI was rather bad, they didnt fend for themselves which made escorting them a hassle.
- There were guns in the game, but since you couldnt move while shooting it made the experience end poorly when doing it in crowded areas or bossfights.
- Save points were far and between which made dying rather frustrating and if you didnt own an HDTV the text on-screen was very hard to read which didn't help either
 
Now the question is undoubtedly: "Did they improve on some of the complaints, and is it still as entertaining as Dead Rising 1 was? (Flaws not withstanding)..

Singleplayer

Plot

Dead Rising 2 follows up sometime after the events of Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, and still features Chuck Greene as the protagonist. We open the game with Chuck getting his motorcycle gear on, getting ready to participate in "Terror is Reality", a game show featuring many, many ways to viciously murder hordes of zombies. Chuck's main reason to keep doing these things is so that he can buy his daughter Zombrex, a controversial drug which staves off zombification after being bitten for 24 hours.
 

However things go wrong after the show, and suddenly the zombie crowds are released from their cages and are now running rampant across the city. Once he reaches the safety bunker along with his daughter, a report on the news claims (with supporting video evidence) that Chuck is responsible for releasing this apocalypse across the city. Chuck now has 72 hours to clear his name before the military shows up, helping survivors along the way AND finding a supply of Zombrex for his daughter every day.
 

Gameplay

 
The Dead Rising series was mostly about survival, through the use of melee and ranged weaponry, along with food items to restore health lost during attacks from zombies. Most of Chuck's weaponry comes from his environment along with the items he finds in the many shops featured in the mall, which he then uses to ensure his survival. First off, there are alot more save points in this game then in Dead Rising 1 and use them often, because at the first few levels you will still be struggling to keep yourself alive in large hordes of zombies.
 
However, - unlike previous protagonist Frank West - Chuck Greene is quite the creative handyman, which comes through in the huge amount of item combinations he can make to more efficiently (and sometimes hilariously) fight his way through. And I have to say, most of the items feel a lot more effective then just uncombined weaponry and are definitely worth the extra effort. Because dude, if nothing about the concept of a Wheelchair with 2 Light Machine Guns strapped to it does not sound appealing at all, there is something WRONG with you.
 
Survivors are a lot more self-reliable this time around, with the ability to order them to a location and give them a variety of weapons to defend themselves with. One thing I did find annoying though is that from going from one area to the next requires them to be near you when you move or they will get left behind and start to slowly lose health until you go to the area you left them in. However in the midst of all this carnage, lots of individuals have snapped and are simply insane, attacking friend and foe alike. Like in Dead Rising, these "Psychopaths" are fought in a boss-like manner, but I found the fights to be more tedious then fun.
 

Multiplayer

 
When it was announced that this game would also have Multiplayer, people were raising their eyebrows. And I'm happy to say that it's implemented nicely.
 
First off there is the competitive multiplayer called "Terror Is Reality", in which 4 players compete against each other in 4 minigames out of a possible 9. Every point you get, even if you're 4th will get turned into money at the end which you can then transfer to a singleplayer safe file which is a nice incentive to at least try the Multiplayer, but I even played just cause it was a funny little spinoff on the normal DR2 formula.
 
Then there's the co-op mode which will allow a second player to enter your version of the story and help you out. In return the player will still get items, cash and Prestige Points (The equivalent of Experience in this game). However only the hosting player will progress in the story, so sadly you cant play start to finish with a friend unless you wanna do it twice.
 
 

Conclusion

 
Dead Rising 2 is a hell of a fun game, but it may not be for everyone. Even if you have experience carried over from Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, you will likely still restart at some point in your first playthrough. But I urge you to keep playing as it gets easier each time you level up. And then all those bad guys that were kicking your ass before will cower before your Claw Gloves / Spike Bat / LMG / Randomly duct taped equipment.
 
So in short, I'd urge you to at least give it a try as it's a unique experience. 
And if you ever wondered what IJIEK on his jacket stands for: ijieK = Keiji , which is the frontname of the Head Producer on this game. You're welcome.
 
Chaossebba out.~