If you had told me about a Canadian version of a Japanese take on a popular American genre, I would have cynically assumed that such a product would result in a sloppy mess of too many cultures clashing with each other over the same idea. Yet, this combination actually works in Dead Rising 2. While the first Dead Rising was a fresh "Groundhog Day of the Dead" type experience, it also was a deeply flawed one. Sure, it was cool to fight lots of zombies, and mess with a system that lets you restart the story repeatedly while preserving your character's levels, experience points, and stats. Yet that experience was hampered by several factors: It was an early Xbox 360 title with crude graphics and cruder-looking characters (the main protagonist, Frank West, looked positively Cro-Magnon at times). It featured a save system that added both tension and sheer frustration. It used a counterintuitive control scheme where Right trigger aimed instead of shot. Much of the game consisted of infuriating escort missions where your escortees got lost or killed way too easily. In short, it was a mishmash that couldn't decide whether it was a Japanese or an American game. So while it would be easy to assume that having a Canadian studio develop the sequel would result in another culture clash, it ends up creating the very game that we should have had in the first place.
The two easiest ways to describe Dead Rising 2 would be either, "a
bigger Dead
Rising 2: Case Zero" or "a better Dead Rising." Many things that
were just cited above as flaws in the previous title get smoothed over
by Capcom Vancouver (see Blue Castle Games). You still need to find
restrooms to save your progress, but now there are three save slots
instead of just one, and you're automatically prompted to save whenever a
main event happens. Like a traditional Western game, you now aim with
the Left-Trigger and shoot with the Right-Trigger. The visuals now look
like they're from a proper high-definition game. Escortees will actually
live -- their improved health and A.I. means that it takes a concerted
effort for one to die rather than the frustrating and frequent deaths in
the first game.
But Dead Rising 2 isn't just a polished version of its predecessor.
While it shares the same overall structure and gameplay mechanics, it
also features its own distinct feel -- from plot to presentation to
moment-to-moment gameplay. It takes place years after the first game,
and features a wholly different protagonist with a different motivation.
Instead of being photojournalist Frank West investigating a mysterious
outbreak, you play gameshow contestant/motocross champion Chuck Greene
investigating whoever has framed him. After participating in an episode
of "Terror is Reality" (an American Gladiators type of show, but
with zombies), Chuck gets momentarily knocked out and wakes up to find
that the formerly caged zombies have been let loose all over Fortune
City. After grabbing his infected daughter Katey and arriving at a
nearby safehouse, he learns that he's been accused of freeing the
zombies. So while waiting for the military to arrive in 72 in-game hours
(which translates to about six real-world hours), Chuck can attempt to
figure out what's really going on while keeping Katey alive (by
injecting her with Zombrex, a sort of zombification inhibitor) and
rescuing other survivors who are trapped within the Las Vegas
Strip-wannabe called Fortune City.
Or not, if you so choose. Dead Rising 2 still features a
zombie-filled open-world location with loads to do, and multiple endings
that factor in how you play. You can try to finish every story case and
administer Zombrex to Katey when needed for the best ending. Or you can
instead try to save every optional survivor. Or maybe take on every
psychopath (boss battles against crazed humans that reinforce the zombie
movie trope of "man, not zombie, is the real monster"). Even if you
don't find or administer Zombrex, you can continue playing the game
(just don't expect a good ending when you can't save your own daughter).
Dead Rising 2 still encourages multiple playthroughs, since you don't
have enough time to do everything your first time through. Time,
not zombies or psychopaths, remains your ultimate foe, and you can still
carry over Chuck's stats and experience in each playthrough.
