Dead Rising
From the arcade smash hit House Of The Dead to the quintessential gaming experience of the Resident Evil series, zombies have successfully embraced the videogames world and provided gamers with a level of violence that is totally acceptable. Zombies aren't human after all, and thanks to the fantasy world created we can tear these 'walking dead' from limb to limb without much hassle from the censors, and get away with such blood curdling activities as implanting a scythe into someone's skull, whilst sitting back and marvelling at the grotesque, but highly entertaining, animations.
Capcom's Dead Rising is the latest zombie bashing game that will be released in the UK totally un-cut . It follows the disturbing tale of Frank West, a freelance journalist looking for the scoop of a life-time in a small town where his life becomes at risk of ending prematurely due to the threat of hundreds of invading zombies. The 'walking dead' are determined to devour you and rip you apart from ear to ear as you search for the truth behind the epidemic and use every item within reach to keep them at bay.
The game begins with Frank being dropped by helicopter onto the roof of the Willamette Park View Mall from where he begins the adventure. He's told that he has only 72 virtual hours to get the bottom of the invading zombie hordes.
Click for larger imageIn Dead Rising, time is an important factor. Each of the pulse-racing missions need to be completed before the timer reaches zero. Capcom have used 'Swarm technology' that allows for an unprecedented amount of enemies on screen at once and meaning that you'll have to batter through dozens of hungry zombies in order to reach your goal. Although combat is fairly basic, it's this mixture of wading through unrelenting enemies coupled with the time restrictions imposed that help to make Dead Rising a fast-paced and exciting adventure that never fails to amuse.
Click for larger imageBut how can kiling zombies be amusing..I hear you ask? Dead Rising allows you to pick up a variety of weapons and items that will aid you in disposing of the enemy in a variety of entertaining ways. Every time I've booted the game up I've found a new weapon that introduces a brand new way of exterminating the threat, such as an umbrella, a CD from the record store, a frying pan or a golf club. The variety of weapons available ensures that the game never becomes too stale or repetitive.
Click for larger imageDespite the army of zombies on screen at any one time, they are fairly easy to kill apart from at night when they become faster and stronger. For the majority of the time they are extremely slow as you'd expect, but provide little threat as long as you have a weapon in hand. As you run past them they'll lunge at you and attempt to grapple you to the floor to satisfy their cannabilistic needs, but the main threat is being caught surrounded by these vile monsters. At a distance using a gun to pick them out is the safest bet, but you won't always have one to hand. Luckily you can pick up large objects such as plant pots or benches to take out several zombies in one hit and be able to clear a safe path to your next objective.