Review By

Brad Gallaway

Dead Rising was a game that I had high hopes for from the very first time I saw it, and I'm glad to say that it didn't disappoint. However, although it scores hits in most of the major areas (Zombies, check. Mall, check. Carnage, check.), I was taken aback by how rough and unpolished it feels in certain areas, not to mention that the game's tight, structured and restrictive demeanor was not at all what appearances had suggested. Instead of an open, free-roaming Grand Theft Auto-inspired exercise in retail consumption and zombie-killing, Frank West's time at the mall is all about keeping on schedule.

Dead Rising's "Case File" structure meant that I had to be in a certain place by a certain time, or else it would be impossible to uncover the story behind the hordes of undead and the game's real ending. Although there are small windows of opportunity to mess around and get crazy, it's easy to save at the wrong place or wrong time and eliminate any possibility of continuing with the main plot. Capcom clearly made this choice on purpose, and implemented the "restart" system (keeping experience and skills but starting the adventure over) to keep players going upon just such an occasion. It's a system they last used in the underrated Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, and I was quite shocked to see them dust it off here.

If nothing else, it's a very interesting choice. What better way to get players experimenting with the environment and attempting some of the wackier achievements than by telling them they might as well, since they can't see the ending. Personally, I only had to restart one time before completing the storyline, but I can see how a player might have to go back to square one a handful of times or more. Some might argue that keeping stats and abilities makes subsequent playthroughs quicker and easier, but I'm sure that many will find the experience tedious and defeating, especially given the modern climate of forgiving games, generous save points, and difficulty that can often adjust itself on-the-fly.

Although I'm neither criticizing nor praising Dead Rising's restart philosophy, I do have criticism of other aspects, as I mentioned earlier. For example, for a game that places so much emphasis on punctuality, I was shocked that there was no way to speed up the clock or pass time when waiting for the next important event to occur. There were several occasions when I wanted to move forward, but couldn't do anything except let Frank cool his heels and stare at zombies passing by—it was often too risky to go for a sidequest and gamble that I'd make it back in time. Yu Suzuki's amazing Shenmue II solved this particular problem by letting players advance the clock at will, and I was surprised to see that Capcom didn't employ a similar shortcut.

Other parts of Dead Rising also lack Capcom's typical finesse. I found the controls to be clunky, and trying to take snapshots was always more trouble than it was worth. (Don't forget that Frank is a photojournalist, a fact that the game almost never seems to reinforce through gameplay.) The handling of gunfire was as bad as the camera work, and considering that many of the boss fights are quite difficult and rely on guns for success, such a pathetic aiming/targeting system is not acceptable.

As Hias mentioned, trying to rescue survivors was an exercise in futility, my mostly fruitless efforts failing miserably due to their brainless artificial intelligence (AI). Escort missions are generally the worst part of any game, and Dead Rising is no exception. I'm glad that Capcom decided to give Frank some experience just for meeting survivors because I didn't bring very many back to my hideout in one piece. The AI was so bad, in fact, that I rarely even tried.

Finally, I couldn't write this review without mentioning my extreme frustration with the game's subtitles. Nearly impossible to read on a standard television, it's unforgivable that there was no option to enlarge the font or to go back and read communications through the pause menu, at the very least. In a recent interview, one of the game's developers stated that players should have HDTVs before getting a 360, but I found that answer to be quite arrogant, especially considering how easy it would have been for the developers to tweak the text.

However, although there are many things to needle the game for, I do want to give Capcom points for trying an experimental, non-franchise project. I can appreciate something that breaks out of the standard genre molds, even if it takes a lot of very strange (and seemingly avoidable) missteps. I don't think that Dead Rising quite cleared the bar like we all expected it to, but I do admit to being drawn into Frank's adventure as both a game player and zombie aficionado. If nothing else, I'll always remember the feeling of escaping from a sea of rotten chaos to the safety of the mall's security room, seeing the few survivors huddled next door, and biding our time until rescue.

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