So I'm going to be starting DR3 pretty soon and I'm curious as to which mode I should first play on? Do I go for the normal play through with with more freedom in place or the traditional Nightmare mode with all the time constraints that defined the Dead Rising series? I certainly had fun playing through the first two but did find the constant ticking away of the clock a bit oppressive which hindered my enjoyment of the sandbox nature of the games. I'm not opposed to a challenge but which one will provide me with the most enjoyment? Although something called "nightmare" mode may not produce a traditional level of enjoyment but may provide the most satisfaction, ormaybe this isn't really a question with a clear cut answer. So I guess my question is what approach did everyone else take?

@brofaux: I just think Dead Rising ain't Dead Rising without the countdown timer and Frank West with his camera.

I get a feeling DR 3 is just rushed to market.

I'd go with the nightmare mode.

For the other side of the debate:

I think you've answered your own question there. Play in normal mode. If you feel like the countdown in the previous games was a hindered your enjoyment, then take the option to play without it.

There is still a 6-day countdown of some sort, I haven't reached the end yet (about two thirds of the way through) so I am not really sure what happens (maybe it stalls if you don't trigger the last mission?). I know Brad has talked about it, but I didn't want to spoil it too much for myself so I didn't look into it. Also, individual side missions DO have a ticker on them, but I've done every single one without any problems, and they seem to be generally longer than the previous game. Not having to take non-side mission survivors back to the safe house seems to really help out with that too.

Generally, I feel the same as you do - I enjoyed the previous game (I only played DR2 and Case Zero, not the original), but was bummed that the timer kept me from seeing some of the side content and psychopaths. I realized the game was meant to be replayed, and this was fine with the shorter Case Zero which I ran through several times, but I don't have that much time to play a full game over and over. I am having a much better time being able to do every side mission, get every collectible, enjoy the sandbox, etc - without the added pressure.

I would go for normal mode. I've played through it about 4 times, once on nightmare. It isn't fun. You have to rush. Unless you don't want to explore, get weapons, clothes, side missions, survivors and such choose nightmare. Otherwise normal still gives you some time restrictions on the optional missions that make up the majority of the game's content and doesn't make you feel like you can't enjoy the world.

Having played and beat DR3 twice, the game is meatier than you'd think. It's also miles better than DR1 and 2 gameplay-wise. Man those survirors were braindead.

@thiago123: I know it's not an either or situation and that I can tackle both modes but I recall Mr. Shoemaker saying that while you can boot up Nightmare after playing through on normal, playing from the same profile results in a new game plus scenario. He couldn't find a way to start fresh on Nightmare, which going in with all of your upgrades and stats seems to negate the entire point of it. I guess I just need to stop pussyfooting around and play the damn game. I appreciate your input though.

And if that's the case that's fair to consider. But the main point I was trying to make is that you yourself admitted that the timer ultimately hindered (however slightly) your fun with the game. So why play with it? In other words, focus on how YOU enjoy the game vs. someone else's idea of what Dead Rising should be.

PS - I'm only guessing here, but I'm pretty sure there is a 'New Game" option in normal mode - if there isn't one in Nightmare, maybe you'd have to use new game to wipe your save file, and then quit out and start a game in Nightmare mode (again, at the expense of your save file - still not a great solution, that's for sure!).

Without spoiling anything, can anyone say whether that timer will end the game? It's actually been kinda nice to explore and collect recipies for weapons without the main mission ticking down. But if there is still an overall timer I need to beat before the game simply ends I guess ill cut some of that stuff short

I know this is an old post but I'll put the answer here. Yes. Game will end so there is a timer on the normal mode too, its a massive timer though.

However if you want to collect all collectibles you can't just explore, you have to go through all the missions and side-missions as locked areas will open up containing blue prints etc. Quite annoying that.