Zombie Hood

Chuck Greene getting ready to beat down some zombie fools.

So here we are about 1 month from the release of Dead Rising 2, a game that is very dear to us here at ZombieHood.com.  If it weren’t for the first Dead Rising, and the countless hours Justin and I spent passing the controller back and forth while talking about web comic ideas ZombieHood would never have been born!  (There’s also some praise and thanks to Shaun of the Dead and of course Resident Evil). 

So September 28th, 2010 is the official Xbox 360 release date of Dead Rising 2, and Capcom decided to do something that could be dubbed as smart… or stupid.  It depends on your thoughts of micro transactions, and if it’s worth to pay for what’s techinically a demo.  Very similar to Microsoft’s Crackdown 2 demo, Capcom released Dead Rising 2: Case Zero which allowed you to earn achievements and items that would transfer over to your release version of the game.   August 31st, 2010, the game was priced at 400MSP (Microsoft Points).  I’m not sure if they plan on raising it, but based on the “Game Spotlight”  on the Xbox 360 Dashboard it was listed as “One day only special pricing”.    Essentially it’s a demo of the game, but it takes place right before the events in the full version of Dead Rising 2.  Will we need to play through Case 0-1 through 0-4 again once the game is released?  The answer is no.  This is a standalone Xbox Live Arcade game that bridges the gap (sort of) between Dead Rising 1 and 2 and introduces Zombrex.  Items you earn within the game, such as Combo Cards, Outfits, and any levels you earned (Max of 5th Level) will carry over to your game save when the full game is released and cramed in your Xbox (or PS3).

Gameplay (SPOILERS)
The gameplay in Dead Rising 2: Case Zero feels a lot like the first game’s.  Which, to me initially didn’t feel right, Chuck was slow, underskilled, and pretty much had a sign on his back saying “Eat me…  Literally, take a chunk out of my skin and devour it!”  I then remembered that the last time I was running around in an infested mall, Frank West was max level, and could bare handedly demolish, punish, and pommel any zombie in his way.  Disembowling anyone?!  So getting used to a low level character again was a bit of a stretch, more reason I paid the 400MSPs and got Chuck to level 5 for a bit of a head start.  The only two moves Chuck unlocks by level 5 is the jump kick move and the ability to throw zombies off that are munching on the back of his neck.  Again, not much, but at least it has you one step ahead of a crowds of undead.

Another thing to keep you ahead of the curve is the introduction of combo weapons.  Seeing as how Chuck isn’t an investigative reporter like Frank, he’s not running around with a camera snapping shots of survivors you were attempting to save but were being devoured because they were too stupid to jump over that potted plant.  Even though it was a small aspect to the first game, I did enjoy the ability to take pictures (something I think that every game should offer – screenshots and video capture) to earn Prestige Points (PP) and level up.  But they decided, that Chuck (who is an Xtreme Sports/Motor Cross nut apparently) needs to earn his ranks differently.  Which involves mixing a bat with nails (why does he need duct tape to do this?) to create a spiked bat.  Using this combo weapon earns you larger amounts of PP, where a normal Zombie kill with a regular bat is around 50PP, using the special move with the spiked bat earns you 200 or 250PP, and ivolves Chuck slamming the bat over an undead’s head and impaling the nails into their soft squishy skull.  There are many other weapons that earn you bonus PP such as the Electric Rake, IED (Propane Tank laced with nails), Bucket Drill (hilarious), and the final preview/demo’s boss’ weapon – Shotgun Pitchfork, which when using its special move (holding X instead of tapping X) earns you 2500PP…  I’ll let you all experience what happens instead of describing it but it’s pretty cool.

Another aspect that makes this a Dead Rising game?  You guessed it, helpless moronic survivors are back!  In the demo there are 10 stragglers that are in need of your help, all of which are easily rescued within the alotted time.  One of the survivors named Dick, truly is a dick.  You save him from becoming zombie snacks, guide him to his shop, only to find out that the supplies he has costs money.  It’s the zombie apocolypse dude, why are you trying to cash in?!  And does cash even have any value anymore?  Well apparently in the Dead Rising 2 universe it does.  For the sake of the game and story, I’m willing to accept that the outbreak only recently happened and people are still hard up for cash.  Also… it’s Vegas – there’s bound to be greedy SOBs all around!  Either way, it’s safe to say that in Case Zero, the survivors weren’t as annoying or is it as much of a struggle as it is in the first game.  But this is just the preview, so we’ll see.  There’s nothing more frustrating than leading a pack of 8 – 10 idiots, sorry, potential meals who are more than willing to be snack-rificed.  But it also wouldn’t be challenging at all if survivors were well equipped, nor would it fit the bill of survival horror…  comedy.

Chuck also gets a taste of dealing with his first Psychopath… a heavy set dude with a southern twain and an inability to comprehend that Chuck’s daughter, who was bit by her zombie mom,  is perfectly fine so long as she takes her dose of Zombrex.  Zombrex is a pharmecuetical drug that allows people suffering from zombie bites, to live on as normal humans as long as they take their shot every 12 hours.  (Side note, I think Zombrex is a fantastic idea and I can’t believe it wasn’t thought up sooner).  Anways, back to the crazy southern heavy set mechanic.  Yep, that’s right, the gas station you were taking safe haven in is owned by a man who likes to tinker with combo weapons just as much as Chuck does.  He threatens to kill your daughter and put her head on a mantle.  As he runs around attempting to find your daughter in hiding (within a small junkyard) you get to take pot shots at him with whatever guns you’ve managed to gather.  A good idea is to find the sniper rifle, assault rifles, and a good stash of beer or whiskey before fighting him.  Try not to get too close to him, as I mentioned above, his weapon is a shotgun pitchfork.  And for being a big guy he’s incredibly fast and loves to stab.  The battle itself has “classic Dead Rising” written all over it as he shouts out to your daughter, insults you, and eggs you on everytime his shotgun blast sends you into the air doing 18 flips like a power ranger.  But it makes his defeat that much more enjoyable.

And finally, the wrist watch is back.  Just like in Dead Rising, you recieve missions that need to be completed before the time is up.  So hit the Back button (on your controller, not your browser!) and set up which mission has the most importance.  In Case Zero, I believe there are only 3 or 4 missions.  But the two main missions are geting your daughter Zombrex and assembling a dirt bike before the government shows up and takes you and your daughter away.  If done within the time frame, you’re treated to a ”chase scene” ending in which you control the dirt bike and escape from the government into the vast Nevada Desert.  When it’s all said and done, it was very depressing to know the preview episode/cases were over.

Conclusion (End Spoilers)
In closing, Dead Rising 2 shows promise of being as good as the first game.  With a balance between story missions, side quests, and the enjoyment of finding new ways to mutilate zombies.  It seems that they changed some things up, but not entirely where it feels like a new game.  And let’s not forget the excitement of having onlin Co-Op mode.  There will be nothing more satisfying than crushing zombies with a friend.  Dead Rising 2 releases on September 28th, 2010 and will release with the normal edition and special edition – made to look like a box of Zombrex and includes a special map, poker chips, and other trinkets that will find their way in the garbage in about 5 years.  The game, however, has us pretty excited.  Stay tuned for the final review at the end of September!

-Ian