Dead Rising 2 Review

Dead Rising 2 follows the antics of Chuck Greene, former motocross champion turned wandering survivor after the death of his wife in the Willamette incident. Set five years after the events of the original Dead Rising, Chuck takes part in Terror Is Reality, a controversial Smash TV like game show where contestants are thrust into gladiatorial combat to kill captured zombies in multiple ways for the chance to win large cash prizes.

The latest of these shows, TIR XVII: Payback, is held in the fictional location of Fortune City, Nevada, based upon the Las Vegas strip, the area is full of casino hotels. However three years prior to the start of this title Fortune City was ravaged by a zombie outbreak. Chuck is currently participating in the latest Terror Is Reality show purely to raise funds to obtain Zombrex, the wonder drug which is able to suppress these zombie tendencies in bite victims for 24 hours.

Those of you who have played Case Zero on the Xbox 360 will already be aware that Chuck's daughter, Katey, suffers from zombie-itis and requires regular treatments of Zombrex.

The game starts you off preparing for this game show and allows you a chance to win the top prize of $10,000 which is a huge boost to your Zombrex fund, however not all is lost as all places receive a monetary reward though this diminishes the lower you place. After the show has ended you retire to the locker rooms before heading to the ‘Green Room' to gather Katey, unfortunately disaster strikes as someone posing as Chuck sabotages the arena by setting off explosives on the zombie cages allowing them to overrun Fortune City. This sets the theme of Dead Rising 2, with Chuck Greene framed for the outbreak he must overcome overwhelming odds, not just to survive with his daughter but also to clear his name.

Retaining the same sandbox-esque feel of Dead Rising, the game will have you running rampant annihilating zombies with a variety of weapons, from spiked bats, explosive lawn darts, machine gun wielding wheelchairs to shotgun rakes and Wolverine inspired bowie knife boxing gloves. Though ticking at the back of your mind is Katey and her 24 hour Zombrex applications so you really can't abandon the main story line much to slate your thirst for zombie blood as your daughters welfare is at stake. Additionally all missions carry a timer in which they need to be completed otherwise the person whom you need to find will probably die to the zombie hordes. Also the now obligatory 72 hour time until the military arrive is in effect after you complete the first couple of missions, so there is not really any time for some Top Gear patented "cocking about".

Those coming from the original Dead Rising should notice that Fortune City is a more rich and immersive area to play in compared to the now restrictive shopping mall which housed Frank West. Also players will notice a huge increase in the overall zombie population which has risen from around 800 possible living impaired citizens on screen to well over 7000, this offers the potential of some extra ordinary fun in culling these numbers, especially in co-op play though you're still under pressure from your missions.

With the ability to construct bizarre weapon combinations utilising the worlds greatest invention, duct tape, players can earn extra PP, the games version of experience points, so combinations such as strapping machine guns on a wheelchair or a car battery to a rake are entirely within the realms of reality. Maintenance rooms are scattered around within Fortune City so be sure to check them out as some special weapon parts may already be waiting inside for you to combine into something crazy.

Almost every item you see laying around can also be used as some form of rudimentary weapon; serving trays, trash cans, toy helicopters, stuffed bears, chairs, handbags, all-sorts can be utilised in repelling the zombie threat, though a personal favourite is the boomstick, a combination of a pitch fork and shotgun which yields very satisfying results.

The visuals in Dead Rising 2 perform an admirable job in creating the Las Vegas inspired Fortune City, the glitzy casino's, themed hotels, the dazzling lights which adorn the front of all the gambling establishments really do give you a sense of bewilderment like you experience in your first visit to Las Vegas. While you encounter sheer numbers of zombies on the screen and for the most part you're more than likely hacking away at them, at times you just have to stand back and admire how each zombie seems to have its own personality as they are all wonderfully animated, just watching a group of them shamble aimlessly is a thing of beauty.

The single player campaign will span across a 72 hour time period, however that's 72 hours game time which should give you about 10 hours of gaming for your money. Dead Rising 2 also includes an overtime function which adds a further 24 hours to your virtual clock, expanding the storyline slightly for even more zombie eradication hi-jinx. As I touched on earlier, Dead Rising 2 also contains co-op play allowing a friend to join in the single player storyline, however it's slightly unnerving having two Chuck Greene's causing havoc around Fortune City, though as the classic Nelson song goes (as seen on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) "Two heads are better than one, it's double the pleasure baby, it's triple the fun"

Up to four players may jump into the title's multiplayer mode which is an online tournament based upon ‘Terror is Reality' the fictional TV show in which Chuck performed in at the beginning of the single player game. Players can battle it out for prize money in this mode which transfers to their single player game save which is quite useful if you're desperate for Zombrex and have no time to search for a vital syringe to administer to Katey.

However, no game is perfect and Dead Rising 2 is not exempt from this rule though the games' faults are minor annoyances which do not really impact on the overall enjoyment of this game. Firstly due to the number of zombies on screen increasing, your overall explorable area has decreased with Fortune City being split into multiple segments which require a spot of loading between area's but we can be thankful that these loading screens are brief and not as excruciating as they were in the first Resident Evil. 

Also the blood effects on the zombies, as well as your own clothing isn't exactly up to scratch, again we're thankful that this isn't Chris's blood.

Finally the time limited mission structure within the game constantly tapping away at the back of your mind really did detract from our first instinct when dealing with a game like this, which is to just tool up with weapons and go on a complete apocalyptic zombie eradication spree. While the constantly ticking clock does pile on the pressure when you realise you have an hour left until the military arrive or to administer Zombrex to Katey, at times we wished we could just stop the clock and go bonkers, to really take in the masterpiece Capcom have created.

Overall Dead Rising 2 is a more than worthy addition to the quickly expanding Dead Rising franchise, one that will expand your mind and enrich your sou..... oh who am I kidding you'll be squealing with glee as you cleave zombies in half with a broadsword and even play strip poker with the ladies you've managed to rescue. Remember, you can't have zombie slaughter without laughter.