Dead Rising is one of, if not my most, favorite game of all time. It was an ambitious project of creating a compelling zombie game full of many things to do. The game is packed with a perfect mix of seriousness and silliness to balance the player's interest in both the story and environment.

You are Frank West, a freelance photojournalist heading to the fictional remote town of Willamette, Colorado to get the scoop of a big uncovered event happening there. After noticing the National Guard roping off the exits to the town and witnessing "riots", you realize something's not entirely right here. After having being dropped off on top of the Willamette Parkview Mall by a hired helicopter pilot, it's up to you to solve the mystery and break the story. Along the way, you'll meet an interesting cast of characters that will help alongside you in solving the case of the incident.

Dead Rising's gameplay is certainly unique compared to most other sandbox games. The world is immersive in the environment that it sets you in with the clashing tones between the happy and colorful mall to the hordes of undead roaming it. As mentioned before, practically anything you can find can be used as a weapon; from sledgehammers and chainsaws, to skateboards and giant lipstick props, to even throwing pies in the faces of zombies, Dead Rising provides a captivating way of combating your foes in any way you desire with whatever you can find. The controls may feel clunky to beginners, but if you continue playing and keep at it, it's not that bad. Frank levels up through PP (prestige points) given by certain actions such as killing zombies, taking pictures, or saving survivors. With these level-ups, Frank gains various enhancements such as stat increases and new useful skills to fight with.

This game is very heavily based around strategy and time management. You should always keep extra food items on you in case you need to heal if you're in a pinch or keep an extra weapon on hand when things get frisky or if one breaks. On the topic of time, the main game is based around a 72 hour time limit, with each minute on the clock lasting 5 real seconds. You have this amount of time to do as you wish in the mall by either solving cases, helping survivors to the security room, or simply fooling around. Time is key in this game, as doing more challenging tasks requires a lot of planning and preparation, so always keep your eye on the clock! If you fail/miss a scoop, it will simply disappear for the rest of the playthrough and will need to be started over to go back to it, this counts for main story cases as well. Fortunately, the game will not directly reprimand you for letting the truth vanish into darkness by failing the story, and you can continue playing as normal.

My one gripe with this game is that the survivor AI is probably one of the absolute worst I have ever seen in a video game. Survivors you save are very idiotic in this game and will constantly cause trouble for you, others around you, or themselves. Their pathfinding is abysmal, having to constantly spam the call button to refresh it, along with constantly getting stuck or running into things. Survivors don't mesh well with the zombies and will constantly get surrounded and die or will attack any zombies anywhere near them, no matter if they're a current threat or not. You will have a very hard time saving them and attempting to save them all will make you rip your hair out, but it is very much doable if you can stomach it. On the topic of the actual survivors, they can be found at various times and places around the mall, each being fleshed out with their own personality and story.

The many bosses in this game are referred to as "psychopaths", with many of them becoming mentally unhinged due to the zombie outbreak. Each is also fleshed out with their own personality and story, much like the regular survivors, with one even being able to be saved as a regular survivor after defeating them. Each has their own theme, weapon, and combat style, so be careful when facing them and learn how they work.

The game has many different endings you can achieve based on your actions, Endings A through F. I will obviously not spoil these for you, but keep in mind that Ending A is canon and the best possible ending, having completed all case files and making it to the helipad on time.

A couple modes are available to you after completing certain parts of the story. Overtime Mode is unlocked after completing 72 Hour Mode with Ending A, continuing the story. Infinity Mode is unlocked after completing Overtime Mode, being a survival-type mode where Frank must survive as long as possible by scavenging for food to eat from around the mall and from hostile survivors as his health slowly drains over time.

These challenges are what gives Dead Rising a lot of replay value; with 50 achievements to complete, and many of them pushing your skills to the test. Many of these achievements provide rewards for completing them, such as special clothing or special weapons. Note that practically all of these achievements need to be completed in one single playthrough so your progress on them doesn't carry over, so you'll only have one shot in your current playthrough to do it; good luck.

While Dead Rising is very fun and engaging when you get the hang of it, keep in mind that it has quite a learning curve with its difficulty and mechanics and isn't for everyone. With the somewhat clunky controls, awful AI, and strategy and time management, it can prove to be a bit hard for some. If you can manage to adapt to the game's rules, you are guaranteed a fantastic zombie-slaying title.

Dead Rising is one of, if not my most, favorite game of all time. It was an ambitious project of creating a compelling zombie game full of many things to do. The game is packed with a perfect mix of seriousness and silliness to balance the player's interest in both the story and environment. [h1]The Story[/h1] You are Frank West, a freelance photojournalist heading to the fictional remote town of Willamette, Colorado to get the scoop of a big uncovered event happening there. After noticing the National Guard roping off the exits to the town and witnessing "riots", you realize something's not entirely right here. After having being dropped off on top of the Willamette Parkview Mall by a hired helicopter pilot, it's up to you to solve the mystery and break the story. Along the way, you'll meet an interesting cast of characters that will help alongside you in solving the case of the incident. [h1]The Gameplay[/h1] Dead Rising's gameplay is certainly unique compared to most other sandbox games. The world is immersive in the environment that it sets you in with the clashing tones between the happy and colorful mall to the hordes of undead roaming it. As mentioned before, practically anything you can find can be used as a weapon; from sledgehammers and chainsaws, to skateboards and giant lipstick props, to even throwing pies in the faces of zombies, Dead Rising provides a captivating way of combating your foes in any way you desire with whatever you can find. The controls may feel clunky to beginners, but if you continue playing and keep at it, it's not that bad. Frank levels up through PP (prestige points) given by certain actions such as killing zombies, taking pictures, or saving survivors. With these level-ups, Frank gains various enhancements such as stat increases and new useful skills to fight with. [h1]The Mechanics[/h1] This game is very heavily based around strategy and time management. You should always keep extra food items on you in case you need to heal if you're in a pinch or keep an extra weapon on hand when things get frisky or if one breaks. On the topic of time, the main game is based around a 72 hour time limit, with each minute on the clock lasting 5 real seconds. You have this amount of time to do as you wish in the mall by either solving cases, helping survivors to the security room, or simply fooling around. Time is key in this game, as doing more challenging tasks requires a lot of planning and preparation, so always keep your eye on the clock! If you fail/miss a scoop, it will simply disappear for the rest of the playthrough and will need to be started over to go back to it, this counts for main story cases as well. Fortunately, the game will not directly reprimand you for letting the truth vanish into darkness by failing the story, and you can continue playing as normal. [h1]The Survivors[/h1] My one gripe with this game is that the survivor AI is probably one of the absolute worst I have ever seen in a video game. Survivors you save are very idiotic in this game and will constantly cause trouble for you, others around you, or themselves. Their pathfinding is abysmal, having to constantly spam the call button to refresh it, along with constantly getting stuck or running into things. Survivors don't mesh well with the zombies and will constantly get surrounded and die or will attack any zombies anywhere near them, no matter if they're a current threat or not. You will have a very hard time saving them and attempting to save them all will make you rip your hair out, but it is very much doable if you can stomach it. On the topic of the actual survivors, they can be found at various times and places around the mall, each being fleshed out with their own personality and story. [h1]The Psychopaths[/h1] The many bosses in this game are referred to as "psychopaths", with many of them becoming mentally unhinged due to the zombie outbreak. Each is also fleshed out with their own personality and story, much like the regular survivors, with one even being able to be saved as a regular survivor after defeating them. Each has their own theme, weapon, and combat style, so be careful when facing them and learn how they work. [h1]The Endings[/h1] The game has many different endings you can achieve based on your actions, Endings A through F. I will obviously not spoil these for you, but keep in mind that Ending A is canon and the best possible ending, having completed all case files and making it to the helipad on time. [h1]The Modes[/h1] A couple modes are available to you after completing certain parts of the story. Overtime Mode is unlocked after completing 72 Hour Mode with Ending A, continuing the story. Infinity Mode is unlocked after completing Overtime Mode, being a survival-type mode where Frank must survive as long as possible by scavenging for food to eat from around the mall and from hostile survivors as his health slowly drains over time. [h1]The Achievements[/h1] These challenges are what gives Dead Rising a lot of replay value; with 50 achievements to complete, and many of them pushing your skills to the test. Many of these achievements provide rewards for completing them, such as special clothing or special weapons. Note that practically all of these achievements need to be completed in one single playthrough so your progress on them doesn't carry over, so you'll only have one shot in your current playthrough to do it; good luck. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] While Dead Rising is very fun and engaging when you get the hang of it, keep in mind that it has quite a learning curve with its difficulty and mechanics and isn't for everyone. With the somewhat clunky controls, awful AI, and strategy and time management, it can prove to be a bit hard for some. If you can manage to adapt to the game's rules, you are guaranteed a fantastic zombie-slaying title.