When zombie is mentioned, people usually think about Capcom. For years, this company has been famous with the series Resident Evil which have numerous of customers and will never reach the end. However, Dead Rising is another product of Capcom, but has no relation to the Resident Evil series.
While Resident Evil is more like a set of dreadful moments, strained situation, Dead Rising using the Xbox 360’s excellent graphic, going for another way. Game’s content leads the player through the facing with zombies, those are week but with huge, huge amount. However, it can’t be said that the game is full of repetitive fighting scene, one after another. There are lots more interesting things, waiting to be discovered in the game.
Main character of this terrible nightmare is Frank West, a photography reporter who have a successful career because brave, going to the battlefield or some hot points. In a small town named Willamette in Colorado (U.S.), some unexplained phenomenal happened and it became more and more serious with higher frequency. Army force has blocked all the ways to the town centre, no communication with the outside world. Leave behind all the dangerous warning about the scary mysterious, Frank rented a helicopter himself and then dropped on the town; he wants to have the best report of his life. In the town, all he saw are just piles and piles of dead body. After taking some pictures of them, he told the pilot to drop him on the roof of a big supermarket and come back to take him after 3 days. From now, his frightful adventure in Willamette begins.
In 72 hours, Frank has to discover about what is going on around him and survive in order to get out of this hell-like town. From the moment that he met some scarce survivors, he felt like being pushed to find out more about this mysterious town. The story leads him to find some documents in different places in a particular day (depend on the arrangement of player). Besides, there are also some small missions, although are not so important but necessary for Frank to get more information and cash (??!?, may be afterward…).
The method using real time of Dead Rising is very effective but distance between save points are usually too far and not well- organised. Because of all the missions are arranged to fit the time so if you don’t complete it on time, you’ll be in big trouble. Not only you can’t save the previous play but you also have to play it through it again (which might make you angry sometimes). However, this doesn’t make the game boring because, Dead Rising were designed to have a mission with different solutions.
From the very first mission, in the Willamette Park View Mall, the game brings you many interesting things. This mall is really a playground for…consumers. The area includes the huge real estate site with large amount of products and services which is the dream of every big city on the world… However, with the appearance of zombie, the mall looks dead, just like a battlefield. Everything can be Frank’s weapon, normally gun, knife, pipe or a baseball baton. But when you’re on emergency (actually, always…) anything like a mannequin, a pot, a pan, a CD, a can, a chainsaw, a scale, a bench... would all be helpful to prevent the ‘flow’ of dead bodies.
Obviously, the way you interact with object also brings interesting detail. For example, when you have a big mask from a toy store, instead of using it to hit enemy, you can wrap it on zombie’s head, then watch the zombie ‘dances’ on the floor ^^. Another is when you got a bottle of cooking oil, spill it on the ground and throw a hand you found somewhere in the middle, all the zombies will fall on each other in order to get the food( Zombie’s food is really… fresh man-meat…eek). In fighting one on one, Frank can fight very nice but there is absolutely no special moves or some kind like that, it’s purely martial art. Combat scene is still strong with using weapon that you’ve just picked up to smash, stab or shot.
Items in game are divided into 2 kinds: strength and skill. Strength’s items are food and drink all around the mall. Mostly are kind of fast foods, that you can eat right away but some you have to throw in the microwave, in order to make a better nutrition source. Sometimes, Frank has to become a chef to make special dish giving him the great strength to become immortal for a while or the only prey in zombie’s eyes, lure them away so other character can go to the safer place. Despite, skill’s items are books that you pick up somewhere in the game, teach Frank new technique, for fighting as well as using means of transport. Dead Rising allows you to run away by skateboards, bikes, cars in some special scene. In addition, having these books, the time using a knife is increased, before it’s broken. In other mission, the reporter-guy has to look out for Japanese gospel in order to persuade the Japanese couple who are on holiday and stuck in here. Begin the game, Frank- your character is nothing but a weakling, very slow and useless in combat, therefore, you must complete many parts to increase his ability which normally are achieve the objective, persuade other people to go with you, kill as many zombies as possible or even take some photograph.
As a photographer, Frank can save many precious scariest or strangest moments anywhere, anytime in his adventure. This is not compelled but if you do, you’ll get some deserving presents. Dead Rising concentrates on rescuing hostage or persuading people who are in danger, and bring them to the safe place. Not only that, Frank will also have to cope with bosses, who are not ghost or devil, nor zombie. Simply, they are human!! Who have been going crazy by the dreadful situation and become very dangerous. Luckily, zombies are only faster and stronger at night and not all of them are far more intelligent than others( if yes just very few). However, as mentioned above, zombies in Dead Rising are not scary because of their strength but because of their quantity. Sometimes, to pass the missions, you need to kill thousands of them. To prevent the repeat, as the game go on, you will have more people on your side and can help you in fighting. Moreover, in a particular mission, Frank plays as a nurse, keeps the person alive while running.
Dead Rising is not the aim for any criticism. Objects and backgrounds are very detailed although the game play area is not small. Zombies don’t look good may be because there are a lot of them but the characters, targets or bosses are very smooth. The best thing is good graphic doesn’t affect to the speed or cause any monitor’s problems.
Sound effects are used reasonably. Each weapon in game has its own unique sound and so real. Shooting sound can make FPS fans satisfied while the sound of sword slashing enemy is just like samurai’s fighting. High dubbing quality but the music is the only disadvantage in game.
zombies, cordoned off by the army. Now you're locked in with thousands of shambling corpses for the next 72 hours. To survive three days of shopping and chop...
very helpful
