Dead Rising was one of the early hits on the Xbox 360, it was one of the first games to really push the number of characters on screen at any given time, where zombie games before it maybe had a dozen or so enemies at once Dead Rising threw hundreds at you. The game gave players a truly new zombie experience, now Dead Rising 2 tries to push everything even more than the original.
One of the first things players will notice about Dead Rising 2 is that it stays very close to the original, the game takes place in a mall where the hero has to wait til rescue comes, during that time you’ll fight you’re way through hordes of zombies while you go complete missions. Dead Rising 2 does change things up a little but probably could have done more considering when the original was released. However the changes that sequel adds are definitely good ones so the title is still an improvement over what was already a solid game.
The story of Dead Rising 2 follows Chuck, a man who finds himself in fortune city, it’s here that he takes part in a reality show type game involving killing zombies, without getting too much into story Chuck gets framed and has to clear himself and at the same time figure out the mystery of the events not only involving the events in Fortune City but about the whole zombie outbreak. The story is enough to keep the game going and actually has several well done parts to it, for a game that’s all about killing zombies.
One of the biggest gameplay changes in Dead Rising 2 is the ability to combine weapons create new ones. Almost any item can be put together with another item to make a new creative weapon, this adds a whole new level of possibilities in the game and just trying out new weapons alone is sometimes fun on it’s own. The missions seem a little less frustrating than the original, failing a mission were fairly common in the original but they seem a lot more easier in the sequel.
The graphics haven’t changed much since part 1 but that’s good for the most part. The original was definitely one of the nicer looking games on the Xbox 360 at the time and the graphics still hold up. There are a few times where you’ll notice some not so good looking textures but for a game that has hundreds of characters in a single area at the same that’s understandable. The audio is also similar to the first game, character voices are done well and sound effects are good as well. The music is a nice mix, the typical calm music playing through the game adds to effect of being in a mall.
Co-op is also a new big addition to the series, players can join someone’s game anytime and also leave when they want. Playing through the game with two players is as expected even more fun than being by yourself, although the game doesn’t really change much as a two player experience it’s still a nice addition that adds more replay value to the game. There are also extra modes that players can try out, the games are from the reality show that takes place in fortune city, most of them as expected involving zombies. The extra games themselves aren’t anything ground breaking but is still a nice addition and only adds more the experience.
Overall Dead Rising 2 is a solid game, the original was an early hit on the Xbox 360 and sequel adds enough to the gameplay to keep things interesting. It stays a little too close the original’s formula but it was good one to being with, and with some of the frustrating parts of the game now fixed it becomes a fairly enjoyable game. If you were a fan of the original you’ll like Dead Rising 2 and if you missed it you can still pick up this game without needing to know what happened in the original. For those who haven’t played the original it’s recommended that you take a look at Dead Rising 2.
[starreviewmulti id=2]
Overall = 8.5