Capcom seem to be very indecisive about what direction to take their renown Dead Rising “zombie killing” series in terms of distribution. Despite having roots on the Xbox 360, the company decided to go multiplatform with Dead Rising 2 and its non-canon alternate retelling, but now in 2013 have decided to revert the series into once again being an Xbox exclusive franchise with Dead Rising 3 as an Xbox One exclusive launch title. Now this is not mean’t to attack Microsoft in any way, and in fact I must give them props for securing such a franchise for their launch range. But was this a worthwhile exclusive title considering Microsoft Studios themselves are handling publishing? Would it be a missed title for those who choose to exclusively go with another console? Read on to find out in this review of Dead Rising 3!
Storyline
Ten years have passed since the zombie outbreak events of Fortune City during Dead Rising 2 and even more have passed since the incidences in Willamette, Colorado. Times have changed and laws passed by the United States government mandates that all residents are given a Zombrex chip which in the case of an outbreak, is supposed to prevent them from turning. While all was mean’t to be well with this chip, an outbreak still occurs in the city of Los Perdidos, California and new protagonist Nick Ramos finds himself in the center of the outbreak.
As with earlier protagonists, Nick is left to rally with other survivors of the outbreak plaguing the community in order to survive infection and escape before their inevitable death at the hands of a bombing in several days time. While I was skeptical about this storyline at first given promotional material highlighting the “Gotta Kill ’em’ All” vibe of the game, the plot is actually pretty good and ties in well with earlier games despite the considerable time-lapse, including the return of a few familiar faces later on. Given that you don’t need to search for Zombrex and the generous amount of time you have been allocated to complete the game, there is a greater opportunity for the game to branch out a bit more and deliver a structured storyline without worrying about the lack of time.
While as a long-time follower of the series I thought the plot was more than satisfactory, unfortunately it was the side-missions that I thought were a bit disappointing when put up against the previous installments. As with all earlier installments you are given access to a radio receiver which you can use to communicate with Jamie Flynt from the Zombie Defense and Control (ZDC) center who will occasionally give you access to side-missions. While these missions are enjoyable by themselves and some do potentially offer you up to 26 potential partners, there are other survivor rescues that spontaneously pop up which have no benefit other than distracting you at the task at hand, and vanish the moment you save them (Rather than something more challenging like having to take them to a safe house).
There is also the random assortment of “Psychos” that appear throughout your journey – some optional and some required to complete the game. While the events are portrayed as being over the top and the characters shown to quite literally be psychopaths, none of them really stood out in comparison to those present in Dead Rising 1 / 2 – and even in battles didn’t offer the same degree of challenge.
With a considerable amount of time to do everything in, plenty of zombies to kill and multiple endings (Including the obligatory Overtime chapter), there is still a lot to enjoy in terms of storyline when it comes to Dead Rising 3.
Design
I think I am repeating a comment shared by most video game reviewers on this title, but the one element of Dead Rising 3 that shows off the capabilities of the next-generation consoles is just how many zombies they cram on screen at any one time without any (or more than minimal) visual lag. When you think back to the ill-fated Dead Rising 1 port for the Nintendo Wii which could only handle a handful of zombies at any one time, it is amazing what consoles have been able to achieve in just a few years. Tens of Zombies? Dozens of Zombies? Try hundreds of zombies at any one time!
The game itself is also really well designed, offering well detailed characters and environments and a well-sized open world environment to navigate through (Albeit with more than a few roadblocks and hindrances to stop you from plowing through the game world). While containing a number of returning and new weapon designs, they also throw in the most expansive set of custom weapons yet – and a number of uniquely designed combo vehicles. At the same time don’t go in NOT expecting a few visual glitches here as the system isn’t flawless. These glitches can vary and range from simple disappearing items to this Youtube video showing someone who has fallen underneath the world map with raining zombies from the world above.
Music / Voice Acting
Dead Rising 3 boasts a satisfactory soundtrack comprising of mostly intense tracks which are unfortunately often drowned out by cries from the swarms of zombies that are looking to convert Nick and the other survivors. The psychopaths are also treated to unique themes which stand out from your standard zombie mobs. The English dub provided in this game is solid overall, with a suitable voice cast lined up for each of the characters.
Gameplay
Considering that the third installment in the series is not a good place to start in terms of understanding the plot, assuming that you are a returning player you will be glad to know that Dead Rising 3 is set up to pretty much be “Pick up and Play”. The developers haven’t set you down with the half-hour “pre-killing” session where you get acquainted with the safe house and its residents but rather put you right into the action and then provide you with the opportunity to listen in to the story once you have escaped the sizable swarm of zombies that are more than what the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 were able to provide.
While initially you are provided with lackluster weapons to face zombies against such as suitcases and spanners, within the first half an hour you will be introduced to the combo weapon system and allowed to go from there. Once again the combo system allows you to collect blueprints which can be used with the respective materials to produce some elaborate weapons, with more being made available to you as the game progresses. Featuring more than 200 weapons you shouldn’t be short of ideas on unique ways to face off against zombies. However be warned that unlike Dead Rising 2 which provided you with decent materials (From memory… to make Spiked Bats) close by to the safe-house and a plentiful supply of swords in the neighbouring casino, you are left to scavenge and risk your life to make these items.
I know what you may be thinking, that the combo system is nothing new as it was heavily prominent in all Dead Rising 2 titles. Given the size of Los Perdidos this time around, you can also combine different vehicles to give them some impact when steamrolling over crowds of zombies blocking your path. As with all other vehicles and weapons they have a limited effectiveness so you can’t rely on them for too long, but they can be very satisfying when raking up the “zombie kill” count and provide the peace of mind that you have a much greater chance of reaching your destination without being sent back to your last checkpoint.
Oh… and don’t like having to run to a workbench to create a combo weapon or vehicle? Nick Ramos is able to do it on-demand from any safe location. However if you are like me and get sick of running around for materials, there is still a sizable collection of weaponry around the environment which is free for you to use.
Just as the combat system hasn’t changed over the years, Dead Rising 3 once again features its standard levelling system where every action you make from killing a zombie to completing one of the timed quests that litter the world map will earn you PP. These can be traded in for stat boosts, inventory slots, skills or (If you are someone who wants Nick to be a “Boy with his killer toys”) trade them in for blueprint sets. It provides a good variety to adapt Nick to your own play style.
This title also emphasizes Nick working alongside partner characters which can be unlocked and then used anytime during sidequests, and can provide ample firepower in the missions you are struggling on. They are optional for the most part aside from when the storyline necessitates certain characters, and is a feature you will either use or quickly forget about. Just be warned that they can still find themselves trapped and will spontaneously reappear in the safe house. For those with Xbox Live Gold membership, you can also use online co-op which allows a second player under the guise of “Dick the Trucker” to join Nick in his quest to survive.
The standard game mode is set to be easier than earlier Dead Rising games with a less prominent time restraint to the point you can complete most if not all achievements on a single save file, save anywhere and receive frequent checkpoints. There is also a Nightmare Mode for series veterans which provide a more traditional Dead Rising experience – including the requirement to save in restrooms, a strict time-limit to complete everything in and no checkpoints to revive from if you die.
Final Words on Dead Rising 3
Dead Rising 3 should be considered one of the stars from the Xbox One launch and certainly made the consoles launch line-up seem more appealing then their competitor at this point in time. While it isn’t flawless by any means with visual and gameplay bugs littered throughout, the experience is classic Dead Rising in style with several new mechanics to keep it fresh while also drawing from its strengths as a solid zombie killing, survival horror game. I will be interested to see where the series progresses from here given how the storyline ended, and more interested to see if Capcom will maintain exclusivity to Microsoft consoles.
