Customer Reviews

Dead Rising 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It's surprising to me to see Dead Rising 2 release as basically the same game as Dead Rising with a few minor changes. Perhaps I was mistaken, but I remember the general reaction to the original game to be something like this: "free roaming zombie killing is fun, but timed missions, escort missions and only saving at certain locations is not!" Well, Dead Rising 2 is out and rather than fix, well, any of that, the game is just... more of the same. More of the same to the point where if the original game were on PC I am not sure who I would suggest this sequel to.

In Dead Rising 2 you play a gameshow contestant straight out of "The Running Man" only with zombies, which makes it (perhaps) morally ethical. Things go bad and you get trapped in the city of Fortune with a skeleton crew of survivors and a daughter with a bad drug habit (Zombrex, to stop her from turning, not heroin). The basic game structure is divided into two halves, one being non-linear exploration and side mission gameplay where you rescue survivors and slaughter zombies for experience points, which enhance your character with new abilities, weapon recipes and stats. The other half is very linear and time-dependent story missions where, upon being in the right place at the right time, you are treated to a mission which furthers the overall plot. In between all this you also need to make sure you get Zombrex for your daughter or else she "dies" and the game is unwinnable, same as if you miss a story mission.

It's a lot of juggling, but the thing to know is this: the best parts of the game and the thing you will most enjoy doing, and perhaps only do, is running around saving people and leveling up. The game allows you to keep your levels and stats and then start the main story over again, so what you want to do (and what the manual even tells you to do) is run around, explore, save some people and level up, then start the mains story when you're a high level badass and run through it in a linear fashion. It works well this way, but there is still frustration to be found. For one thing you can only save at bathrooms, which can be far away from where you are at a critical moment. Another annoying thing is the bosses scattered randomly around the map who force you into tough fights if you enter their general area... these fights are very tough and usually nowhere near a save point, so expect to die and lose progress.

The issues with Dead Rising basicaly come down to its old-school Japanese design, more like a NES or SNES game than a modern one. Save spots, timed missions, escort missions, starting the game over and over again... its not really how we do things anymore and especially on PC I think people will find it aggrivating. I know I find it aggrivating. Yet I keep playing the game, leveling up and playing further and further into the story each time I restart the game. It says a lot that through all the frustration I can still say I enjoy playing and urge those with high tolerance for the flaws to get the game. Still, since the original Dead Rising suffered from much the same frustration, and was popular DESPITE this, not because of it, one really has to wonder why they stuck with exactly the same formula for a sequel. We never got Dead Rising on PC, so it's more forgiveable for us, but for people with an Xbox you already played this exact game 4 years ago.

DRM for this game is Games for Windows Live, which is usually not DRM at all for singleplayer games but Dead Rising 2 uses the new "Release Day Protection" system for GFWL which means, you guessed it, it has to activate on the internet to install and play, regardless of whether you want to play online or have achievements. It's annoying customer bashing for no reason as the game will be pirated anyway, so it knocks a point off the score (I used to not factor DRM into review scores, but I am changing my mind). The game comes in a standard DVD case with a 20 or so page color manual with some nice info, but nothing anywhere near essential. Performance is good on my GTX 480 but I have read that lower end cards have to turn off AA or some other features to get smooth framerates. The game looks nice and vibrant though, with interesting and creative locations and design. There are literally thousands of weapons to use, so it keeps you moving from store to store to see what's new, and most stores have a unique look. One important note is that the game fully supports the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows and I do highly advise you play with that, it is a very controller-focused game. The mouse and keyboard are functional, but not ideal, and there also seems to be a lack of keybinding in the game meaning anyone who does not use WASD is going to flip out.

In the end Dead Rising 2 is a very fun game, but also a very frustrating one. The zombie killing free roam portion is good fun for an hour or two at a time, but the missions themselves can be annoying due to hard bosses, escort missions and a strict time limit. If randomly roaming the mall and killing zombies to level up sounds fun to you then you will likely enjoy Dead Rising 2, but don't come here for the story or missions, and don't expect the ride to be easy. Archaic game design tries to spoil the fun at every turn and thus Dead Rising 2 always feels like it missed its potential glory, especially since they should have learned these things from the almost identical original game.

I played the first Dead Rising, and was blown away a with how fun it was to use whatever was around you to kill things. This is no different, nothing much has changed from the original on the X-box 360, but this is the PC version. Being there is no PC version for the first one, there is really nothing to compare to but game play.

Most noticeable difference is the amount of Zombies. There is so much more in the PC version than any other version. It makes it more of a dire situation than say the X-box 360, or PS3, having both systems and the PC I can see the difference. I didn't buy the X-box version, but my friend did.

Graphics of course are much, much, MUCH, better on the PC than any other system. Not to say, that the graphics are amazing, because there not. There good, but not GROUND breaking. On the PC, it's a lot sharper, crisp, and smoother at the same time. The graphics are much better than the first game, but not a hug update. On the bright side, I am playing on a 500 dollar PC with everything turned up (Dual Core Athlon 64x CPU, a 9800GT, 2gigs of DD3 ram, and a cheap mother board that does the job). You don't need a beast of a computer to run this game, just have a good GPU, and at least 2 gigs of ram, and you should be good. I have seen some frame rate issues, but, they have been few and far between.

The game flows well, no real surprises with any controls issues, they controls are fine and easy to get use too. It's the same as the old game as the first, but you must collect cards in order to build new weapons. I believe this is where they squandered a great opportunity to allow creativity. I was waiting for a chance to make my own weapons, only to be disappointed in the fact you need to have the blue prints in order to build ones that are basically pre-built, but you need to find the parts. You can combine two weapons with duck tap (even that is limited), but for the more powerful ones you need the 50 combo cards you can find.:-( Still, every fun game, and the multiplayer is fun. Multiplayer puts you into the "Terror is Reality" game show with three other people, and you compete in American Gladiator style games to "WIN BIG". The money you make can be cashed out into your single player game. It's a fresh Idea, and fun, and the mini games that make up the show are outstanding, and fun to play. I have not yet played Co-Op, but I do know you need to get to a point in the game where you get the radio that a girl will give you, in order to play Co-Op, with your friends.

The voice acting is ok, but not what it could have been. More should have been put into the game, why would I read a message that is being put over a radio, while zombies are all over me? Plus trying to pick up the people that you can save is a pain in the butt as well, because you got to read everything they have to say before they join you. They will sit there, while zombies are all over you, but you got to press the "E" button to read everything they say. It get's annoying, but not frustrating. Could have had more voice work.

The game uses Games for Windows Live, if you have a problem with that you might want to stay away. You will need a profile in order to play the game online, plus if you want to save your game. Which is lame, but I have had no problems with the way it has worked so far. If you have X-box Live, you can use your X-box live account for your Games for Windows Live account, and the achievements goes to your X-box Live account, and you can see your X-box friends online, while your on your PC. Another plus, you don't need to pay 50 bucks a year to play multiplayer. There is no cross platforming, only PC vs. PC, and X-box vs. X-box.

I have had no issues with the game so far, smooth game play, and operation. This game is worth buying for your pc. The PC port has been done well, and for 39.99 it's a steal. Remember, others have to pay 59.99 for this game, you as PC owners get it for 20 dollars less.

Buy the game, and have fun!! Not a big update from the first, but since the first was so much fun, it's no real loss that the 2nd game is the same.

UPDATE

Just thought to tell you, that The game has a problem with "PoP In's". It's not bad, but can be annoying to see something just pop up right in front of your view.

+ Pros:
Weapon combination. You can make a few really powerful weapons.
Same fundamentals as the first game. You have a time limit, if you die your experience carries over, rescue people, ect.
You have 3 save slots. Now I can trail and error more effectively.
Survivors can be drove around in wheel chairs and seem to have overall better AI.
Longer than the 1st game.
Does not require a high end gameing computer to enjoy.
- Cons:
Most weapon combination are for entertainment value only and are very impracticable. They also got rid of blenders so no more mixing drinks, which I find more useful that creating weapons. I miss quick step.
The graphics seems a step down in some areas. Reflections and lighting seems less realistic.
I get 60 FPS 90% of the game, but for some areas it dips down to 30ish. Not even busy areas.
I wish there was more voice acting, I hate reading the radio as I am dodging zombies.
No camera. I really liked the camera.
Learned skills seemed redundant.

Overall this game is a blast, it feels like a reboot version of the 1st game, even though its in Vegas it still feels like a shopping mall. If you liked the first one you will like this one.
If you hated the last one, you wont find anything here to make you like this one.

I enjoyed the first Dead Rising quite a bit on the Xbox 360, and I was really excited to see the sequel available for the PC. For those of your unfamiliar with the Dead Rising series, the tone of the game is far less serious than games like Left 4 Dead. It has a Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland feel to it. The main game can be broken down into four different activities: solving case files, fighting psychopaths, rescuing survivors, and just general messing around.

The case files are the main plot of the game, and involve you, Chuck Greene, solving the mystery behind the zombie outbreak in Fortune City. Psychopaths are the human "boss" characters in the game, and are people who have been driven insane by the stress of seeing everyone die around them. Many of them are very difficult to defeat, especially if you're new to the game and low level, and I suspect many new players will be frustrated. Throughout the game, you'll also encounter human survivors you have to escort back to your shelter. Each of them is unique and often have interesting or amusing back stories. The survivor AI is vastly improved over the first game, and if you arm survivors with guns, they can be a formidable force against zombies and psychopaths alike. Finally, the game takes place inside a huge area with malls, hotels, casinos, and plazas, and you have the freedom to go where you want and do what you want. Activities range from gambling at slots, blackjack, and video poker, which give you money to spend on equipment. You can also try out the many clothing options in the game (including cross dressing!), ride around a skateboard, drive cars, literally mow down zombies with a lawn mower, and much more. The only downside is that everything else in the game runs on a timer, and you always feel rushed to get from one place to another.

The combat in the game is visceral, bloody, and satisfying. Chuck has a number of hand-to-hand moves that you gain over the game. In addition, almost everything that's not nailed down can be picked up and used as a weapon, ranging from standard knives and guns to umbrellas and giant poker chips. However, the real treat in this game are the combo weapons -- weapons you cobble together from two everyday items scattered around the place. Most of the weapons you make are ridiculously impractical and unrealistic, but are powerful and lots of fun to use. There are tons of them to discover -- either via "combo cards" you find or just through trial and error.

From a technical perspective, the game is good, but not fantastic. The graphics looks good, and it runs very smoothly even with hundreds of zombies on-screen if you turn off Blur. My wired 360 controller worked flawlessly for me. However, many users have reported that wireless controllers aren't working for them, and you will either have to wait for a patch, or try one of the many DIY solutions. In addition, it seems that the developers forgot to put in a key remapping UI into the game, though you can edit a text file outside the game. Finally, the game uses Games for Windows Live, which may be good or bad depending on your views.

All in all, Dead Rising 2 is a great game at a great price. You'll have lots of fun chopping up zombies either alone or with a friend (the game has 2 player co-op), and it's definitely one of the more unique games out there for the PC.

Dead Rising is a very unique series, for all it's glitz and glam and polish, it's actually somewhat of a pretty smart Rogue-like in execution. It puts a lot of emphasis on PC-RPG like stats and crafting and time management, letting you restart and carry over character progression.

Capcom did this once before in Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, and that turned out to be one of their best products.

Dead Rising 2 is fairly sameish to the original fare, but with some great concessions. The time limitations are much more lienant, saving is much more lienant, but both are loosened up in ways that don't detract from the impact they want to have on the gameplay systems.

Full co-op is present, and done in a very tasteful way, it doesn't effect the single player at all, but still offers a full rich experience even with some unique mechanics. If you don't want it, you'll never notice it, if you do want it, well there you go!

The crafting system has proven to be quite a major boon, it's very fun, encourages a lot of experimentation and yields great rewards as you can synth together a lot of really potent general use items and even quite a lot of very situational items. It's very fun, and very rewarding as it also provides a giant boost to EXP gains.

Capcom did a solid job on the PC port here. Despite my disdain for Games For Windows Live, the game itself runs very well, on an i5 750 and a GTX 460, I got it running at 1080p @ 60 FPS maxed out, which is a far cry from the low-res, 20 FPS PS3 version.

This game isn't for everyone, it's a very experimenty, almost B-tier like title in that it focuses more on meat and gameplay before handholding and smoothness, but I've found it to be a really great title. My only qualm is, if Capcom (hopefully) decides to fund a third, please allow for some clothing and item storage. :)

I picked up Dead Rising 2 for the PC having never played the first one for XBOX360. I figured being trapped in a mall with 1000's of zombies a'la Dawn of the Dead would be a blast. While the aforementioned zombie bashing and story actually turn out to be pretty good, the game is HARD.

The timer between missions to make sure you get zombrex for your daughter takes away from the ability to free roam throughout the game. The mission timer itself means you can't do every mission the game in one play through, for you completionists out there. The gradual increase in difficulty is very welcome, however the boss fights border on absurd. You will unexpectedly run into a boss while exploring and die numerous times, only to realize that you saved the game 20 minutes before that and will have to grind your way back there only to die again.

The controls for the game work great but the gun feel a little underpowered considering that a headshot is supposed to kill a zombie in one squeeze of the trigger. The game runs fine on my 2 year old PC, so lag shouldn't be an issue, even with hundreds of zombies in the area at a time.

Prepare for some fun zombie bashing using some very awesome custom weapons. Overall a fun game with a great premise but with a few flaws that can be overlooked, but bring this game down a peg or two.

Had to deal with windows live gaming install on top of game. It was actually not that bad but definitely slower than Xbox Live. Why can't they make it as quick as xbl? Oddly enough I used the same login for xbl on the pc game. All my credits on the xbl account transferred over.

The game itself has mediocre graphics. Cranking up the details doesn't make a huge difference. Also while the game looks ok it runs slow for what it does show. I don't know if this is due to drm but the Downloaded version of Dead Space 2 looks many years ahead of DR2 and runs FASTER. I had to turn off anti aliasing to get the game running decently on a Xeon 5160 3.0 GHz with 9800GT 512 MB, 4 Gig of FBDIMM RAM.

Game play is decent but after a while it gets old. The same rescue or fight a boss missions. The fighting mechanics are awful. The character animations are slower than your reflexes and leveling up does speed things up but that's just a way to keep you grinding on the same game which to me is a pointless game developing gimmick. Oddly enough the DLC for this game DR2 Case West was more fun since you start already highly leveled up and you can move a lot faster with a little playtime.

The other huge disappointment is that they give you a lot to discover and it would be fun to discover the DR2 world but there's always a clock making sure you can't enjoy your time and have to rush to meet deadlines.

I had no idea how much of a chore this game turned out to be until I fired up and played Dead Space 2 which was a blast to play.

This issue keeps on repeating and repeating itself- Phenomenal Idea, Unpolished Product. Darkest of Days is a great example.
But, let us not stray too far from the topic itself, which is killing zombies. Yeah!
Dead Rising 2 features a former motorcross champion, Chuck Greene (who lost his wife during the first game, or outbreak), traversing a Vegas-Like mall, Fortune City, trying to clear his name, save his daughter, and of course, kill thousands of zombies.
The first thing that hit me were the number of zombies on the screen. I mean, Dead Rising 2 doesn't gradually increase (well, it does, later on, but...no spoilers!) the difficulty by presenting you with one zombie...then two...No! It thrusts you straight into the action, with nothing but your enviroment to help you survive a crowd of a 100+ zombies!
Speaking of enviroment, it is worthy to note that almost anything in the enviroment can be used as a weapon. See that handbag lying on the floor? Swing away! Bench? Sure! Uh...Toy Dinosaur Head?
Yeah! Machetes, Pistols, Newspapers, Ketchup, Baseball Bats...you name it!
Having fun? This is the section about why I take away one star.
Your daughter (in-game) was bitten by a zombie in the first game, and now you have to give her 24-hour doses of a drug named 'Zombrex' to stop her from turning.
This is where the fun ends.
While you're having the time of your life chopping up a poor zombie with a lawn mower, you need to remember to get Zombrex. It's hard to find and even though you can buy it, it is very, very expensive. The more time you spend looking for Zombrex, the less time you have to chop up zombies. It adds to the realism and suspense, yes, but if you're going to have a sandbox zombie-killing game... make it real sandbox. Maybe add another mode? Don't take away from the only time you're gonna have to kill zombies.
One other minor flaw is humans being able to take a insane amount of blows and shots. But that's very minor. Trivial, if you will.
Everything else is top-notch. Humor is successfully incorperated into Dead Rising 2, and it actually supplements the game, and aids to your survival. Weapons are 'average', being the everyday objects you see around you, and, not suprisingly, some would be 'better' than others, and vice-versa. I say 'better' because there is no 'worst' weapon in the game. Every weapon has it's strengths and weaknesses, such as how commonly found, or just pure, awesome power.
So, if you are looking for a fun game...not so serious, get Dead Rising 2.
And may the chainsaw stay with you. :)

The game is really really fun. i enjoy it thoroughly. i have several problems, however. First off, the movement of chuck seems a bit jerky and sudden. so climbing and running along narrow catwalks becomes a pain. secondly, im not sure but i dont think he runs either. so his slow movement speed is also a pain especially when you are running out of time. to compensate for this i try to find a bin or a wheel chair as it seems those are among the only items that permits chuck to run. thirdly is the storyline. the storyline itself isnt bad but its a very demanding storyline. you have to always look for zombrex for katey. and the primary obj of the storyline demand your attention as well so it becomes very hard to do other things in the game like saving people or attending a secondary obj. This is all for the first time through anyway. still.. its a fun game

whats more to say? i have had the game for about almost 2 months and i have had a really great time killing zombies and saving fortune city.
the added 3 save slot is a plus and the weapon combo system. alot of people were saying there is no more blenders, but they are there:) in the bars at the casinos...
i havnt experienced the lags or crashes or any graphical let downs as far as performance goes. nor technical.
i am still enjoying the game there is so much to do like getting one of the hardest achievments of killing 72,000 zombies or the coveted hockey mask i have acquired or even the late ghosts and goblins armor i just unlocked 2 days agoXD!!!!!!
really fun game and very replayable ive been through it already about 9 playthroughs not all story mode though
mainly to unlock achievments.
i cant really say anything bad about this game i love zombies, horror,and really grotesque art.
but what i can say if you are not a patient person you will be frustrated it is a slow paced game that spans over 72 hours with a possoble overtime mode if you do the right things... 4 seconds realtime is 1minute in game just remember....