Dead Rising 2 Review

By Shane Willoughby of thegamingliberty.com

What the hell is going on with the whole zombie craze at the moment? Seriously? A few years ago zombies were a cool novelty, a refreshing faceless enemy that would moan and groan its way down corridors in infected mansions just waiting for the salute of a shotgun to the face.

Those were the days, eh? But now that Resident Evil has abandoned the corridor-lurking zombie, it seems that everyone else has embraced them. Call of Duty has zombies. Hell, Red Dead Redemption is getting zombie-themed DLC later this month.

Although the Dead Rising franchise can’t exactly claim to have introduced the zombie to the modern day videogame, it can regard itself as one of the first games this generation to make zombies cool again. Zombies want brains. Gamers, it would seem, want zombies.

This is not going to end well for Officer Zombie

Dead Rising 2 arrives at a time when dedicated zombie games are few and far between, with most of the un-dead appearing in some kind of tagged-on feature or afterthought DLC. Dead Rising 2 is all about the zombies and it’s probably the most entertaining zombie-em-up you’ll ever play on any console.

If you played the original game then you know exactly what to expect with this sequel. If you didn’t then it’s like this: Dead Rising 2 requires you to kill hordes of zombies in the most gruesome, imaginative and downright humorous means possible. Simple as.

You play Chuck Greene, a motocross rider. His daughter has been bitten by a zombie and must take Zombrex medication every 24 hours to stop her from turning into one herself. At the same time, Chuck is wrongly accused of unleashing swarms of mindless un-dead himself and will spend much of this adventure trying to uncover the truth behind the lies and the finger pointing. Chuck is a good guy and certainly more human and likable that the original’s Frank West.

Despite the serious undertones, the game doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest and this is what makes Dead Rising 2 such an accessible and fun game. Killing zombies has never been this fun. You have so much reign over how you kill in this title and crafting weapons is an engaging and instantly rewarding experience. Sure, you can pick up a baseball bat, a swordfish or a chainsaw and start dishing out the punishment, but why don’t you tape a stretch of 2×4 to a lawn mower, fix two chainsaws to a motorbike or slam a stack of nails through that baseball bat and see what’s more fun?

Everything is customisable and really adds an extra layer to the carnage. The more you kill, the more you rank up. By the time you reach the maximum rank 50 you will be so well versed in killing that seemingly anything is possible.

 

Oh come on – that weapon is RIDICULOUS

Even though the Rising 2 is essentially an open world title, the game is such that there is a loose structure to follow. Sure, you can just roam around creatively killing the brainless minions you meet but dipping into the games actual story line and taking on objectives is simple and enjoyable. Boss battles with psychopaths add another layer to the already personal plot.

In all, you will want to play through the main story several times to reap the full benefits of what Dead Rising 2 has to offer. There are just so many off beat Easter eggs and secrets to find, so many weapons to fashion and costumes to try on. It’s frightfully addictive.

Thus, it’s a shame that the competitive online and co-op modes underwhelm. They are not nearly as fun as the single player experience. Competitive modes are modelled on an American Gladiator-style idea that just doesn’t work – it’s not that fun and just seems rushed and tagged on.

The co-op doesn’t fare much better. Don’t get me wrong, its fun to bash brains with your best mate but it feels limited and doesn’t allow nearly enough freedom as the single player campaign. The game also suffers from ridiculously tedious loading times that manage to bring to a halt the smash and bash gameplay that makes the game so much fun to begin with.

These frustrations aside, Dead Rising 2 is a game that really shouldn’t be left behind. If zombie genocide is your idea of a good night in, then Dead Rising 2 is what you’ve been waiting for. It’s unashamedly fun, ridiculously over the top and you’ll love every moment of it.

 

Format: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC; Developer: Capcom, Blue Castle

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