Dead Rising 3 review
Zombies. They're a nuisance, right? When they're not trying to nibble away at your limbs they're probably blocking your pathway to an exit and sweet, sweet salvation. The zombie problem is exacerbated in Dead Rising games, where hundreds of the undead can waddle towards you at any one time for a bite of some tasty flesh. Now with the power of the Xbox One, that number has been increased to thousands, meaning even more chaos, destruction and - more importantly - fun than ever before.
Some dedicated fans were worried after watching the reveal trailer for Dead Rising 3 last year, which appeared to show a more grown-up, darker installment than its predecessors. Luckily those fears appear unfounded when you get your hands on the game and discover that it's just as wacky and insane as ever, boasting crazy weapons, larger-than-life characters and vehicles made for some good old fashioned zombie hunting.
Set ten years after the events of Dead Rising 2, players control Nick Ramos, a mechanic who has been caught up in some rather unfortunate events. Basically, there's been another zombie outbreak and the fictional city of Los Perdidos has been overrun. Nick meets up with a handful of survivors and finds out that the government is planning on firebombing the city in a matter of days to wipe it off the map. Like previous games there's a countdown timer pushing you along, but it's so long that you can comfortably complete the main story and all the side missions with days to spare.
Which is a good thing, because this is easily the most interesting and varied Dead Rising location so far and you'll want to spend a lot of time just exploring. Los Perdidos is larger than the worlds of Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2 combined, which equals a hell of a lot of zombies roaming around. Three times as many on screen at any one time, in fact. And that's with no load times and an impressive level of depth to the environment, including plenty of different buildings to bundle your way into and loot or simply hideout for a while.
With protagonist Nick being a mechanic, he's obviously good with his hands. Fortunately for players, that means he can create a massive amount of deadly, chaotic weapons by combining two items together. Unlike previous Dead Rising games, you don't need to find a workbench to be able to combine weapons, you can just do it on the fly as you find what you need. When you find weapon blueprints you unlock the ability to create something new. There are few things more satisfying than struggling for survival before building an awesome weapon at the last second to scythe your way through a group of zombies. There are over 100 weapon combinations in all, each one more insane than the last (the less said about the Super Massager - a leaf blower that fires dildos at zombies - the better).
A welcome addition to Dead Rising 3 is the power to combine vehicles, meaning that you can take to the streets in all kinds of wacky machines intended for destruction. What's the good in having a massive open world if you can't steamroll zombies and turn them into ash with a flamethrower? You've probably heard of the Rollerhawg by now, a motorbike/steamroller combination that is just too damn amazing for words. Squishing hundreds of zombies in a matter of seconds never loses its appeal, and even after hours spent in Los Perdidos you'll still be eager to get back on your Rollerhawg to up your kill count a bit more.
For all the fun to be had in creating weapons, driving vehicles and just generally messing around, Dead Rising 3 lets itself down slightly when it comes to the actual story. Missions in the main campaign are mainly fetch quests which involve you heading across the city to a marked location on the map and bringing something back again. There's hardly any variation and it can get tiresome before too long. Cutscenes are also quite bland and often fail to inspire, it's likely that you'll be waiting for them to end just so that you can take to the streets and do your own thing again. Side missions are much the same, and you'll often pass up the opportunity to save random survivors as it takes too much time for little reward.
Another problem with Dead Rising 3 is the boss fights. They're simple enough; avoid being hit for a certain amount of time then strike when your enemy is weak. But they're often so frustrating that they detract from any enjoyment you might have been having. The whole process of repeating the same strategy four or five times to progress grows tiresome before long, and the small room for error doesn't help either - a couple mistakes and you'll have to restart the battle all over again. You get the feeling boss fights could have been scrapped completely and Dead Rising 3 wouldn't be any worse off for it.
Throughout the game you'll be earning prestige points and gaining levels, in turn earning attribute points that you can use to boost your character's ability. The whole leveling up system is pretty solid and there are several different areas which you can choose to improve, including inventory slots, life, melee skills, ranged weapon skills and more. Choosing the areas to level up requires some thought and you can build up your character to suit your play style. There's also a range of different outfits scattered around the city that you can change into for hilarious effect, such as the skin-tight latex suit. Nick also continues to wear whatever outfits you've chosen in cutscenes, which is a nice touch and can lead to some childish giggles.
Hardcore fans of the Dead Rising franchise will be pleased to know that even though this installment is far easier than previous ones, there is a Nightmare Mode which they will find far more familiar. It adds a tighter time limit and restricts your ability to save the game until you manage to come across a toilet - just like the good old days!
If you're someone who prefers to play with a friend instead of going solo then you're in luck here, as there's the option to play through the madness cooperatively. Random players can also join your game at any time to give you a helping hand or just watch you struggle to survive in a zombie cluster. Some of our best experiences were had during these moments and sharing them with a complete stranger didn't feel any less rewarding than experiencing them with someone you actually know.
As Dead Rising 3 is a launch title for the Xbox One, you can bet the guys at Microsoft wanted it to incorporate the new Kinect technology into proceedings somehow. It appears as though Capcom Vancouver was happy to oblige, and this is probably the game that makes the most use of the new console's features so far. Should a zombie latch onto you at any point you can shove them off by flicking the controller forward. You can also shout out loud to alert zombies to your position if you want to distract them for whatever reason. They're simple mechanics but they do well to remind you that Kinect is there and functioning when you need it, and you also have the option to turn off the features at any time if you wish.
It might not be the technical showcase to lift the curtain on a new generation of gaming like some had hoped, but Dead Rising 3 is a fine launch title that will give you hours of enjoyment. If the storyline doesn't grab you then the chance to mow down thousands of hideous zombies using whatever new vehicle you've built surely will. It's not quite the must-buy that we hoped for, but it's definitely worth a go if you're craving some unapologetic, zombie-slaughtering fun.