I was at Gamestop the other day and they had it preowned for like $17 which, I figure even if the game isn't all that good it's still a great price. I made it up to the Chuck Greene boss but he of course kicked my unprepared ass so I restarted and have been trying to level up some. The game is wacky in a good way. Who wouldn't love skateboarding over zombies or escorting puking strippers to a safe house? Some of the controls are, in my opinion, a little clunky. In some ways I wish actions happened a little faster than they currently do. I'm constantly forgetting what buttons it is to throw your weapon or which button it is to take a picture but I figure I'll learn them eventually. The map was a little overwhelming at first glance but I got use to it pretty quick. Overall it's pretty fun so far.

I've heard a lot of great things about the other entries especially the original one on the 360. Are they worth checking out as well?

@PokeIkzai: It's one of my favorite franchises there is, but then again I'm a sucker for Zombie games. The first game is good, but quite dated by today's standards. Especially the AI is absolutely horrendous in that game when you're escorting survivors. And since you already have Off the Record there's really not a huge point in getting the second game, unless you find it cheap or absolutely must have everything Dead Rising. Case Zero was great for its price, while Case West is somewhat mediocre.

I really hope they continue the franchise, even if Inafune is no longer involved.

@PokeIkzai said:

I've heard a lot of great things about the other entries especially the original one on the 360. Are they worth checking out as well?

Certainly not the first one.

@Video_Game_King said:

@PokeIkzai said:

I've heard a lot of great things about the other entries especially the original one on the 360. Are they worth checking out as well?

Certainly not the first one.

I agree. The survivor AI is outright broken, and besides the story (which is surprisingly entertaining and even a little poignant during the Overtime mode) there's no reason to play the original. Dead Rising 2 built upon the foundation and improved in just about every respect. Then there's Off The Record which, while around 90% of it is shamelessly recycled from DR2, is the best Dead Rising game out there thanks to all of the additional improvements mixed in.

It's a shame, though, because like Brad said, this entire situation basically cuts Chuck Greene out of the loop since Off The Record is the exact same game, just better and with a different protagonist. It should have been DLC since I would have loved to play through again as Chuck with all of extra combo weapons, costumes and stuff. I know that you still play as Chuck in coop, but eh... It would have been more efficient if they just gave you the choice to choose between them from the start.

What? Y'all are crazy. Dead Rising one is a fucking classic. Best zombie game ever made. Sure, it's more hardcore than the newer games, but some people prefer it that way.

@Green_Incarnate: I don't really see how Hardcore translates to having to escort survivors who are dumber than the zombies. It's ironic how I always preferred the survivors who limped or were otherwise incapacitated, because that meant you could at least just carry them yourself. I still believe that the game still plays well otherwise mind you, but the survivor mechanic is such a core feature of the franchise, and after playing DR2, it's hard to go back.

@Yummylee: Yeah, they were dumb, but that was the point. A lot of people are dumb in Zombie movies also, so it fits the theme perfectly.

I do feel the story Off the Record looses something with the removal of Chuck and Katey, though. Frank West out for a scoop doesn't have quite the same emotional pull, and the story is non-canon (even if that doesn't mean that much in this franchise.)

@Green_Incarnate: But it was annoying, frustrating even, to fight with the AI as they flutter about constantly getting grabbed by zombies and continually shouting ''FRAAAAANK'' over and over. If you preferred that way then so be it, but I would imagine most people would agree that the survivor AI was a significant improvement in Dead Rising 2. Hell, give them all an assault rifle and you had yourself your own posse! Could tear right through some of the bosses at that if you decided to keep them with you.

@Yummylee: Yeah, I do prefer it that way. Making it on your own was easy enough, and the survivors just added an extra challenge if you wanted. The game didn't require you to save any of them, if I remember correctly. I think a much better criticism would be some of the boss fights were pretty cheap, but even then the game gave you some cheap ways to fight back.

@PokeIkzai said: I think Off the Record would be the definitive collection of the Dead Rising 2 franchise. You're playing as Frank West and you have that Zombie Mode sandbox added in for fun. Only reason I'd suggest grabbing the first Dead Rising and the original sequel with Chuck Greene is if you are really into the Dead Rising storyline, since Off the Record is a "what if" scenario and is considered non-canonical to the Dead Rising storyline. If you still wanna see that stuff but don't wanna fork over the money just search online they probably have most of the cuts scenes uploaded somewhere online.