Just in time for the sequel, I would like to make a confession to all you gaming priests out there. I don't like the original "Dead Rising." I'm weird like this, because I have often defended games that some would argue weren't worth defending -- "Damnation" springs to mind. And yet I've never met anyone who would dare say that Capcom's attempt at George Romero, complete with a mall setting, was, in fact, a bad game. And you know, maybe calling it a "bad game" is me being overly critical in an attempt to offer a contrary opinion when much of the gaming press leapt on the "'Dead Rising' is great" bandwagon. But I have to go with my gut, and my gut is quite blunt about one thing -- I just don't like this game.
The opening sequence starts off with a bang as you, or rather you in the guise of freelance photographer Frank West, snap photos of the carnage that is taking place beneath your chopper as you fly over a zombie-infected Colorado town. The beginning is unique, immersive, and even a little chilling. You can't help but feel a little grimy as you snap shots of zombies trying to invade a school bus without trying to lend a hand and possibly save the kids inside. A doomed woman on a rooftop even gestures your way in much-deserved disgust as zombies swarm around her, eventually causing her to plunge to her doom. As far as intros go, it's killer.
In my opinion, it's all downhill from there. From the crap storyline with its goofy characters on down to the ticking clock that ultimately ruins the entire experience for me, I just don't share the opinions of so many that this game is actually, well, good. I'm a rabid zombie fan and love George Romero's original trilogy of films, and the mall setting really captures the mood and feel of the original "Dawn of the Dead," so believe me when I say I truly wanted to like this game. So much so that I actually purchased it twice, the second time to give it another chance at winning me over. But no dice.
The worst part about it is, were it not for the save system and the real-time countdown, there's a hell of a promising zombie-slaying sandbox in here somewhere. The fact that you can make dead the undead in so many gory, ridiculous, and over-the-top ways is great (and again pays homage to the biker gang's gleeful zombie slayings in "Dawn"). But the sense of urgency you feel is not a good thing in this case. You can't just cut loose and play around with the threat of the game's end looming when time runs out, and this kills the sense of fun that game tries so hard to create. Why bash those walking corpses to death with a shopping cart when I should run past them and get to my destination as soon as humanly possible? This damn game makes me feel like that frickin' bunny in "Alice in Wonderland." Although, the one good thing about time running out for Frank West is that he's a dispicable protagonist, and he deserves to die in that mall.
I also loathe the game's brain-dead escort missions and, in particular, its human boss battles. How can it be easier to kill the undead than it is to kill one human being? Realism is not normally a concern of mine in gaming, but this just nags at me. These living bullet sponges take the focus away from where it belongs -- killing zombies. And killing zombies is already thwarted somewhat by that damn countdown and limited save function.
So yes, I admit it. I don't like "Dead Rising." I truly hope that "Dead Rising 2" addresses my problems with the first game, because I would love another badass zombie game this side of the unbelievably awesome "Left 4 Dead" series, and even the first one offers hints of what the game could be... But time will tell if it's more of the same, or a refinement on what should have been the first time around.
As a friend of mine and fellow hardcore gamer is known to say, I end this retrospective quoting him... "Fuckin' Capcom."
Final Score: N/A
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