Review

And then there are the boss battles. While the bosses aren't the worst I've ever seen, they do pale in comparison to the rest of the game. Instead of going up against giant bosses that look cool and push the power of the Xbox 360, Dead Rising makes you fight real people that are about the same height as you. Most of these characters (referred to in the game as "psychopaths") are annoying at best, they have only a few types of attacks and just aren't a lot of fun to take down. Some of them (such as Adam the clown) are just plain stupid, completely out of place in a game full of zombies.

 

To be fair to Adam, you aren't always fighting psychopaths and zombies. Around the half-way point the game will introduce you to a whole new group of baddies, a gang of crazy cult members with knives and explosives. And that's just the beginning of your troubles. By the end of the game you will yearn for a time when all you were doing was avoiding slow-witted zombies.

 

When you aren't avoiding zombies, cult members and even the U.S. military, you are free to investigate the mall and see what it's all about. While the combat is fast and fun, it's the mall that is the main character of this story. It's fun to just explore the various pun-friendly stores and see what they have to offer. The mall has everything you would expect, including an Old West-inspired food court, a supermarket, a theater, a hardware store and even a gym. If it weren't for those pesky zombies I could see myself getting lost looking at all of the window displays and sales items.

 

And you don't have to stay in the mall, either. The middle of the mall is a giant park area, complete with trees, water and a giant clock tower. You are also able to head into the mall's parking lot, which gives you control of several vehicles (such as a truck, a car and a motorcycle). While I have some minor complaints about the way the vehicles handle, there is nothing better than running over hundreds of zombies at once. If gas-powered weapons aren't your thing then be on the look out for bicycles and skateboards, all of which make your travels faster and easier.

 

By now it should be clear that you're free to do just about anything you want in this zombie infested mall. Unfortunately this open-ended game play doesn't always lead to a great story. The main quest has you trying to figure out who this mysterious man named Carlito is and what he has to do with these zombies. Along the way you will meet up with his sister and a number of other survivors that will do their best to help you solve the mystery (and net a good story for whatever newspaper/magazine you sell it to). But don't expect a big plot, outside of a few cut scenes and a couple of shocking twists, Dead Rising isn't much on the narrative. The plot is mostly there for you to get into the mall and kill a bunch of zombies.

 

This is the type of game the Xbox 360 was born to run. Even with hundreds of zombies on screen at once the game moves along at a consistent frame rate. The detail of the mall is breathtaking, from the grotesque designs of the zombies to the products each store sells. The game's beauty is subtle; you won't really notice how good the game looks until you visit some of the mall's more interesting stores (such as the supermarket). The only real disappointment in the graphic department comes from the shoddy boss design, but even then it's hard to be too disappointed with a game that looks this good.

 

Despite a few design quirks (like stupid computer-controlled survivors, non-stop harassments from Otis and a save system that teeters on being broken) Dead Rising manages to become one of the best new franchises on the Xbox 360. This is the type of game that will have you heading back into the mall long after you've been rescued. This may not be Capcom's first foray into the land of zombies, but this is certainly a fresh take that deserves a look from just about anybody who is not offended by copious amounts of blood.

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