Capcom’s franchise “Dead Rising” has reached its 10-year anniversary. In light of the 10-year anniversary, “Dead Rising,” “Dead Rising 2” and “Dead Rising 2: Off the Record” are being rereleased on Xbox One and PS4 and for the first time the original “Dead Rising” will be available on Steam.
With zombie slaying being introduced to a new generation it is a great time to look again at “Dead Rising 2.” The story takes place roughly six years after the first zombie outbreak portrayed in “Dead Rising.” Again the animated dead linger, but this time in the fictional Las Vegas casino town Fortune City.
Enter Chuck Greene, motocross champion competing in games to make ends meet. After being falsely framed into causing a zombie outbreak, Greene rides for the dead horde of Fortune City to clear his name and find the truth of the outbreak.
The general gameplay in “Dead Rising 2” is the same as its predecessor. The player has free range in the open environment to tackle storyline missions, rescue survivors or just ignore it all and slaughter zombies in colorful and creative ways. The novel and ambitious feature remains where you can pick up any item you see in the fictional world, from cards to hatchets to wood planks and use it as a weapon against the unrelenting zombie force.
A feature first introduced in “Dead Rising 2” is the advent of combo weapons. Greene can combine items he comes across in his escapades in Fortune City and, thanks to his mechanic prowess, create a super weapon to chaotically kill the undead. Taking a gas tank and a watergun leads to a flamethrower or procuring gems and a flashlight creates a laser sword. These are just two of the 50 possible and outrageous combo weapons in the game. They add even more flourish to the zombie maiming.
Impromptu slaughter, like finding a stray bowling ball and bashing a zombie’s head, still exists and is encouraged in “Dead Rising 2.” However, the deliberate creation of sophisticated zombie weapons adds a new layer to the “Dead Rising” formula that a sequel would warrant.
However, “Dead Rising 2”’s similarity to “Dead Rising”’s gameplay may be its greatest pitfall. The original “Dead Rising”’s reception was polarizing. Crowds either loved the sandbox style gameplay where gamers could freely run around coming up with creative ways to kill zombies, while others were miffed by the generally unconcentrated atmosphere of the game. There is a storyline to follow, if the player chooses, but the missions of the story take a sidestep to the real feature of the “Dead Rising” series, which is copious zombie killing.
If players did not like “Dead Rising” they will probably not find much in its sequel. Conversely, if players found “Dead Rising” to be charming will be delighted that “Dead Rising 2” builds off of original and adds new weapons to the mix.
“Dead Rising 2” still holds its charm today and is worth a try to any curious zombie fan who missed its initial release on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Those who have the copy from the 2010 release of the game will not be missing out on much if they do not buy the rerelease on new consoles. The only new features are updated graphics that run at 1080p at 60 frames per second with all DLC from the 20110release included.
The price tag is $19.99, so if updated graphics and costumes alone are enticing, then it would be a treat to be reacquainted with this undead debauchery.
