In 2006, the original “Dead Rising” was released exclusively for the Xbox 360. At the time, it wowed gamers, displaying hundreds of shuffling undead on screen at a time. “Dead Rising” eventually went on to be a bestseller, becoming part of the Xbox 360’s line of Platinum Hits, but was hounded by a few nagging flaws. Have those flaws been fixed in the intervening four years?
“Dead Rising 2” does bring improvements. The much-maligned “single save slot” system from the original has been replaced with a more traditional set of three save slots. It’s easier to guide new protagonist Chuck Greene than it was to control Dead Rising’s limping, lumbering Frank West. Shooting has been improved by the addition of strafing, making run and gun attacks against zombies more viable.
The biggest enhancement to gameplay, however, is the addition of a basic crafting system. Greene can, in his own words, “fix anything,” and applies this skill toward combining his surroundings’ various odds and ends into a variety of entertaining and deadly weaponry, from the practical (a nailbat) to the over-the-top (a head-exploding guitar). The homemade weaponry fits so naturally into the setting that you wonder why there wasn’t a similar system in the first game.
The setting is one of the series’ greatest strengths. It manages to find a balance between horror and comedy. It’s the juxtaposition of the horrific (the living dead) and the absurd (running them over with a lawnmower) that gives the games a style unlike anything else on the market, something that has remained despite “Dead Rising 2” being developed by a different studio.
In a more direct sense, the setting matches that of its predecessor and surpasses it in many ways. Although Fortune City lacks the focus of the original game’s Willamette Parkview Mall, it exchanges this for both variety in environments and weaponry. However, it may be the new enemies in Fortune City that deserve the most praise.
The numerous, difficult-to-defeat cult members from the original “Dead Rising” have been replaced by looters looking through the fallen body of Fortune City. Beyond that, the psychos and survivors have been tailored to fit the sequel’s Vegas-like setting, from psychotic mascots to washed-up singers.
The trademark absurdity of the series extends into its multiplayer offerings. Competitive multiplayer consists of Terror is Reality, a pay-per-view sporting event that exists within the “Dead Rising” universe. A match consists of a series of small events focused on killing zombies in unique ways, which awards players points. Points are tallied at the end of the game to determine a final winner, and money is paid out accordingly.
As a bonus, any winnings received can be transferred into Chuck’s wallet in the main game. Cooperative multiplayer’s absurdity, however, stems from the fact that both players control their own Chuck Greenes when playing together. Only one player can make progress in co-op, but both get to use their character stats, which grow via experience acquired from zombie killing, psycho fighting and survivor rescuing.
“Dead Rising 2” is not without problems, however, and unfortunately, most of those problems are holdovers from the original game. The entire game still operates on a timer, with the added wrinkle that Chuck’s daughter requires rare medicine every 24 hours.
Despite the storyline quests (called Cases) being optional, some may still be annoyed by the timer. Load times, while not long, are very frequent. Boss fights can be frustrating. Controls optimized for fighting off a horde of dumb, slow zombies can fall apart against a quick, nimble opponent.
Finally, exacerbating the problem is the game’s save system, which is still brutal despite its new structure. Getting killed by a boss doesn’t present a retry screen; instead, one must reload the last save, at the cost of any progress made since then.
“Dead Rising 2” is a quintessential sequel. It builds on the accomplishments of its predecessor in ways that fans of “Dead Rising” will appreciate. However, it maintains so many of its predecessor’s quirks that it’s not going to make a convert of anyone who disliked the first. Those unfamiliar with the series, however, should feel free to jump into “Dead Rising 2.” The setting and characters are disconnected enough from the first that only a few bits of story would be a mystery, and those are mostly references to dialogue in the first game.
