Dead Rising Two: Off the Record (or as i'm going to refer to it DR2OR) was originally released October 11th 2011. It is a version of Dead Rising 2 with the main character, Chuck Greene, replaced with the main character of the first game, Frank West. the reason I'm reviewing this version over the original is because it's got little changes throughout that make me like it more. The original Dead Rising 2 was another revolutionary game and is actually my favorite of the series (which also means it's my favorite game of all time).
Enjoyment: Yet again DR2OT has remained timeless and a product of the times. It definitely suffers a lot less than the first one and the original DR2 but it still has some problems. DR2OT has fully embraced the wacky side of the Dead Rising and focuses more on crazy characters and zombie killing. This means that one second you could be rescuing a karate master in an ice cream truck and the next you'll be fighting an insane version of the protagonist from the original Dead Rising 2. The addition of combination weapons makes this game non-stop fun. Even the most tedious quests can be loads of fun. This is a definite step up from the first game. With twice the story, side quests, weapons, map size, and zombies, the game is one of the most re-playable games I've ever played. Considering the game's low price and amount of content, I would suggest this game to pretty much everybody. Narrative: DR2OT is technically non-canonical, but I appreciate the attempt to tie it to the first game anyways. Since it's non-canonical the story is so ridiculous I laughed at pretty much every cutscene. But it's shift to a more comedic tone lost some of the relatable characters the first and second game had. I feel like that's a loss but that's probably just my love for the other games. Gameplay: The gameplay in DR2OT is the most refined of the entire series. The AI (artificial intelligence) is much smarter and companions and enemies are now competent and highly responsive. The map is more interactable than pretty much every game I've played. The restrictive time limits, although still prominent, are much less limiting. My biggest complaint is that controlling your character is pretty clunky. The game has become easier for newcomers and still integrated enough challenge to be fun. Visual: This game looks pretty good for when it came out. Objects and enemies (other than the zombies) manage to stand out in an already bright and colorful environment. Character design is much more interesting than Dead Rising and actually gives you an idea of what the characters can do. The whole environment looks explorable and easy to comprehend. These changes fit right in with the change in tone. Compared to the dark and sometimes boring designs of Dead Rising this is certainly an improvement. My too complaints are that, to fit the the clunkiness of the controls, your character moves awkwardly. Also, the game has a hard time showing zombies in far away locations, meaning you could encounter a horde where you'd previously only seen two or three zombies. Audio: I don't have a lot to say about the games audio. It had helpful in game sounds, good voice acting, and very good music. Interface: The menus were very organised and easily readable. The controls were massively improved from the first game and completely customizable. The inventory is clear and helpful. The audio and visuals were changeable and accommodating. There are very few hints, but the ones that appear are cryptic and more so there for comedic affect than actual usefulness. My one complaint is that the game mixed the map and watch mechanic, which is actually more useful, but as a Dead Rising fan it seems like an unnecessary addition. Accessibility: There were no accessibility issues throughout the game. Everything was customizable, text was legible and professional, and the game was much easier than it's predecessors. Technical: I had quite a few problems with this game. For one, everytime I open the game from my desktop shortcut it crashes, but I think that's a problem with my computer. The game lagged a few times and had some minor glitches. although again it could be a problem with my computer. These were annoying, but not game breaking. Conclusion: The game is great, but has some off-putting problems that make the experience annoying.
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Dead Rising was a game originally released in 2006 for Xbox 360 but re-released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 1 in 2016. I played the game on PC which had some known frame rate problems. Dead Rising was revolutionary at the time for its high character count and environment interactibility. As a quick disclaimer, Dead Rising is one of my favorite video games, so my views may be a little biased.
Enjoyment: Dead Rising is a game that's both stood the test of time and aged rather poorly. The game is intensely fun when you head into a horde of zombies with any ridiculous weapon you want and bash away. However, the rest of the game play is based around varying story missions or side quests that always end in an escort back to a set location. I "enjoyed" these, but I'll get more into that in the narrative, accessibility, and technical sections. These quests are surprisingly varied without feeling gimmicky or tacked on to stall the player. The game is fairly cheap now and highly replayable due to its carry over character level and secret quests. In fact, it's extremely hard not to replay in the middle of a game due to being soft locked. I would only recommend this to people who are ready for a challenge. Narrative: Dead Rising's strong point is and isn't its story. Dead Rising has interesting, multilevel characters with realistic motivations. The main story though was simply there to carry you from one mission to the next. But if you really want to enjoy it, think of it as a corny B movie. The voice acting and over the top animations make the game, whether intentionally or unintentionally, hilarious. Gameplay: The gameplay of Dead Rising was and continues to be one of the more original ideas in the game market. The enemies of the game aren't actually the zombies or the boss fights; it's the clock. Dead Rising works on a strict time limit on which all main and side quests operate. This leads to intense gameplay and surprising role-playing elements as the player tries to decide who or what they have time for. As I've said before each side quest (and some main quests) include a section at the end in which you must escort the character to the safe house. This is where the game has its largest gameplay stutter. The escorts, despite making up most of the game, certainly slow down the pace and require a lot of attention which leads to frustrating moments. If you've experienced the game long enough though you'll know about certain exploits and shortcuts that greatly reduce problems but don't entirely eradicate them. Visual: It's rather hard to talk about this game's graphics since it's an old game and I haven't played a game from around that time. The graphics are certainly dated but the style fits the gameplay and story. The models that have aged the worst are the human characters, looking harsh and kind of ugly. It has a harsh gray overtone to match the slight horror and brightly colored quirky stores to show how at its base it's a game of character. Audio: The game's music and sounds mostly comes from the ambient setting and the interactions of characters and zombies. They make a few exceptions with the boss fights and mission stories to give them more of an individual feel. These are smart choices that make it easier to pinpoint important sounds like a survivor's cries for help or if a zombie is creeping up behind you. One thing I find odd however is that the main character seems to make random noises with no relation to environment or circumstance. Interface: Dead Rising's interface is approachable for the most part. The menus are easy to understand and an almost calming break to the gameplay. All tutorials and pause menus are related to the story and can be viewed at any time. The controls are good for movement and other basic commands but the "special moves" are extremely difficult to pull off, especially on PC. They are customizable but it doesn't help very much since combinations are required to contain a certain amount of button inputs. Accessibility: Dead Rising's largest problem is it's inaccessibility. New players will find it very hard to play since at low levels the player can't take on many of the game's challenges. Not to mention the many techniques and tricks that make the game easier to play but require many play-throughs to master. Technical: As I mentioned before the PC version of Dead Rising has some frame rate issues. I only ever noticed these however if I was using certain weapons which wasn't a huge problem. There was a huge problem however; the absolutely horrendous character AI. Characters would get stuck on walls, items, and even each other. They have the ability to hurt each other and the main character and manage to get themselves killed in spectacularly stupid ways. As I mentioned above experienced players have become more adept at managing the non-player characters. Conclusion: Game rating: Four stars A game that's extremely fun to experience and replay for experienced players but hard for beginners to pick up and learn. |
Cole ThomasInto video games and the likes. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Archives
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