Dead Rising

So, we're in a Zombie infested mall and have a bunch of items at our disposal. First instinct would be to kill them all, but it's not that simple. Dead Rising turns a lot of people off because of the tedious nature of the game, because sure, killing zombies for hours on end is fun for a while, but it gets real old real fast. That's why if you're planning to get this game to just spend hours bashing in zombies heads with every object you can, you won't get much out of this great title. If you delve into the story and help survivors though, it can be one of the best games you've ever played.

You begin the game as Frank West, a stereotypical American journalist, just dieing to get a fresh bite of the scoop (Pardon the awful pun). He arrives in Willamette to find it infested with flesh hungry zombies, something I doubt he was hoping for. Frank is dropped off at the shopping mall, not a really an idle place to be for something like this. Though, being the hardcore freelance he is, he decides this is the perfect scoop to take home to the press. So begins your adventures in the luxurious Willamette shopping mall!

The game's main innovation is not really the sandbox style gameplay, but rather the set-up of how missions are done. Missions, or "Scoops" are scripted events that are triggered by what time and day it is in the mall. Frank's got exactly 72 hours to find his goods and make it out of there alive. The only problem is, you're not the only one in the mall! So, many of the "Scoops" are compromised of running around taking the mall dwellers back to the security room, the only non-infested portion of the mall. This can eventually get tedious, but the thrill of racing the clock to get to the next scoop in time while a survivor is being ganked by a huge group of zombies makes up for it. Missions that move the story along are called Case Files, but are spaced out well enough to allow you time to save survivors while you're waiting for the next case. The thing is, Scoops and Case Files will time out if you let them sit for too long, usually ending with the death of a survivor or the loss of vital info, which is basically a game over. The main problem with this mechanic is that if you mess up and find yourself will too little time, you'll have to start the game over completely. It even has an option to save your status and start the game over with all your statistics intact (I.E. Health, special attacks). The fact it needs this option is actually kind of crazy, but it's something that defines the game as it's own.

The Graphics in Dead Rising could be argued of being below average, but when you take into account the literal hundreds of zombies on the screen at one time makes up for it. The sound in the game also compliments the atmosphere very well with the weapons sounding like they actually would if you were tearing down mobs of zombies (don't ask how I would know what that sounds like.) It really gives you an immersive feeling that's great while playing late at night with the room lit only by your TV screen. Speaking of TV screens, if you're TV isn't and HD one, or doesn't support widescreen, you're screwed. The text will be so small you'll be straining your eyes to even attempt to read it. It's so bad that some kind people even put up scripts on the internet for this major problem. Capcom's work around didn't work around anything for most, and it just made the experience a big let down for SDTV users.

Overall, Dead Rising is a must-play title, even with it's small defects.