Dead Rising 2
Preview
Zombie-survival 101 is now in session
by Josh Jensen
previewed on PC
Rule #18: Limber up
Ever since I saw the movie Zombieland, I have wanted to play Dead Rising. Unfortunately, I lack the resources, as it is an Xbox 360 exclusive. I recall playing it a few times at various friends’ houses and becoming addicted. There is nothing like a good ol’ zombie-killer to alleviate some stress. Sure, Left 4 Dead has its moments, but there was something strangely – I don’t know, “patriotic” – about picking up a Fender Strat and cracking it across the face of the undead.
The sequel is finally coming along, just about 4 years after its predecessor. After experiencing a lengthy delay, Dead Rising 2 will hit the shelves in just a few months on the entire gaming “trifecta”: the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the PC (sorry Wii – you’re fun, but you’re not in the trifecta).
Rule #17: Don’t be a hero
Dead Rising 2 is set in the fictional town of Fortune City, a video game version of Las Vegas. You play as motocross champion Chuck Greene, who finds himself and a group of survivors in the middle of the zombie epidemic, which has now spread across the nation. Your job is to protect your daughter and rescue other survivors, all while thwarting the attempts of the smelly, rotting undead to turn you into dinner. You know how it goes – kill or be killed, eaten, resurrected and eternally hungry. There’s not much to the story, just as in the original.
Rule #1: Cardio
Just as with the first instalment of the series, time management play an important role. You will be required to undergo all sorts of missions with a time limit at your back. Your ability to move quickly will most definitely be paramount, which adds a level of difficulty to the game.
You will also be required to keep moving, even more so than in the first game, due to the amount of zombies you’ll encounter. The original game could handle a whopping 800 zombies on the screen at one time. That is a number that doesn’t sound as though it could endure much of an expansion. Capcom, however, is about to blow your mind. Try 6,000. You heard me – six thousand. I honestly don’t even know how this would be pulled off, unless it’s a wide, panoramic shot. It’s hard enough for my imagination to conceive 800 at once. Not even the movies have given us that many to soil ourselves over.
Rule #8: Get a kickass partner
In Dead Rising 2, multiplayer will play part to the game’s overall enjoyment. There will be co-op in the jump-in/jump-out way, such as in Resident Evil 5. Eschewing any semblance of reality, both players will play the part of Greene. However, just as in the first game, many costumes will be available so that you can easily discern the two players.
However, another addition to the multiplayer will pit you against other players, in the form of a fictional reality show, titled “Terror is Reality.” I am interested to see how this fits into the storyline, if it is meant to at all. It may be completely separate, and just for fun and achievements (or trophies, if you own a PS3).
In this show, you will play against other living humans in various zombie-killing mini-games, including rolling around in life-size hamster balls to barrel over the slow-moving zombies. There will also be a game in which you’ll ride a motorcycle armed with chainsaws through a sea of undead, racking up the kills. Come on – you knew, at some point, you’d have to find out just what the motocross champ could do with his most familiar weapon!
Rule #2: Double tap
One of my favourite things about Dead Rising was that just about anything could be used as a weapon. This will undoubtedly hold true, and then some, in part 2. There will be plenty of new weapons/inanimate objects to swing/hurl at your foes. There is also a weapon customization feature, which allows all kinds of ideas to spring forth in one’s arsenal. Purchasable cards, which show the blueprints to various weapons, may be available through in-game points, as prizes in the games show or as DLC with your actual money. It’s all speculation as of right now, but my guess is that it will be a little bit of everything mentioned.
Rule #32: Enjoy the little things
One great thing that Dead Rising 2 has going for it is its multi-platform release. As a PlayStation owner, I was most pleased by the news. More than the missions themselves, I am looking forward to the free-roaming, sandbox aspect of the game. Much like a GTA game, I love the option to run around aimlessly, just mowing down any who get in my way. A factor that makes this sandbox better, however, is the simple fact that you’re mowing down zombies.
As I stated previously: there’s not much hidden context to this game. You get your mission and you accomplish it. As long as the missions involve some gory zombie-killin’, count me in. Dead Rising 2 is currently slated for an August 31st, 2010 release, as stated, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC. Just remember the one rule that I couldn’t cleverly fit in as a paragraph heading – Rule #3: Beware of bathrooms.
