You can't go wrong with that much Dead Rising for the price
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero has a bit of an odd tale to tell. Before its release, many accused it of being a paid demo for Capcom's Dead Rising 2. At first glance, that sentiment seems justified as well: for 400 Microsoft points, you can download this sneak peek of sorts at the engine and new gameplay mechanics in that upcoming zombie party game, exclusively for the XBOX 360. It sounds unappealing, but there's a reason this title has been an absolute best-seller on XBOX LIVE: Case Zero is more than just a demo. Rather than give you a piece of the full game, it features a completely stand-alone Dead Rising experience, that slightly fleshes out the story, and holds enough content to make the 5 euros it costs you well worth it.
Much like the game it's attempting to promote, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero has you playing as Chuck Greene, a bike stunt man who has had to bear witness to the populace getting zombified around him, and is thus trying to get away with his little daughter. The girl, called Katey, has unfortunately been bitten by a zombie. At this point, a medicine has been created that slows the turning process, called Zombrex. In order to remain human, Katey must get one of these injections every twelve hours. When Chuck's truck gets stolen in the tiny settlement of Still Creek, he is forced to lay low in a gas station and go out hunting for some more, lest his daughter is lost forever. It's through this tricky predicament that you must guide Mr. Greene, and there's a lot to find on the way for such a small download.
Still Creek is tiny, but still holds a number of stores, zombies and opportunities. Naturally, Dead Rising 2 is poured into a miniature form here, with each aspect getting some attention. There's a boss fight in there, lots of items to go to town with, survivors to rescue and streets bustling with the living impaired. It took me about three and a half hours to fully complete the thing, and I greatly enjoyed it. A major marketing bullet point was the combination of different items to form more creative weapons, and you get to toy with that some here. Approximately 10 “Combo Weapons” can be invented, and they are probably the biggest impulse to buy Dead Rising 2 in full afterwards. Double chainsaws on a paddle, a bucket with drills on it or a simple baseball bat with spikes; if you thought beating up zombies was fun in the first game, these fantasy weapons take that concept just a little bit further. Other than that, the game works as you would expect it to: you run around, picking up stuff to remove zombies with, and dash around looking for Zombrex and something else that I won't spoil, as well as occasionally helping out a survivor or two.
That's pretty much all there is to it, but Capcom managed to get the amount of content exactly right as to not make the 400 points price tag overblown, and wetting the appetite for the full retail game at the same time. The impact on the overall story is minimal, but if Dead Rising held any entertainment for you, Case Zero not only offers you some insight into why you'd want to get its sequel, but also provide you with a good amount of enjoyment. For the low price, I honestly think you should get it.
