Monday, October 25, 2010

Played Lately: Dead Rising 2: Case 0

  • I've held a weird soft spot in my gamer's heart for Dead Rising ever since it came out in 2006. There was something unique and maddening about the experience that got under my skin. I never got very far in it. And then I loaned it to my brother and I haven't seen the disk in years. So when Dead Rising 2 was announced, I was interested to see where the massive zombie game would go four years later.

  • Better yet there was Dead Rising 2: Case 0, a small preview game that tells a prequel story to the main game. Set in its own town with its own feel and character, it's a full fledged downloadable game. Slaughtering zombies feels just as fun as before, this time with the opportunity to build your own weapon arsenal.

  • However it plays very much like the first game, only with the rough edges filed down. Not off, just down. The survivors handle themselves much better. You get bonus points by killing zombies with combo weapons instead of taking pictures of them. And quest indicators help keep you from getting lost too bad.

  • On my first play through, I felt like I was doing pretty well, at least up until the point where I ran out of time and didn't get the Zombrex to Katie before she expired. Oops. So I did what DR2 expects you to do: I restarted with my higher level and tried again. And sure enough, I was able to cruise through the game, save all the survivors, and escape from town with just enough time to spare. It was a lot of fun and I liked the story. Only I think that was enough to sate my appetite for zombie killing. I don't feel the need to rush out and buy the full game. At least, not yet.

  • If you haven't played a Dead Rising game before and are curious, Case 0 is a steal for five dollars. And if you're concerned that Capcom is making you pay for a demo, I understand. But I feel that this is a small scale, but full featured game and it is well worth the price.


© 2010 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.

4 comments:

  1. That does sound about right for five bucks to me. Not the kind of game i can see wanting to play all the way through, but one scenario would be a nice change of pace from my normal fare.

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  2. If I didn't have so many games on my plate right now I would give this a try. I have the first Dead Rising, and never finished it either. Coincidentally, I too also loaned it to someone before I could complete it, and never saw it again :P

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  3. Believe me you want to get Dead Rising 2, cause it's awesome. But I get the feeling you are going to be getting it on that Xbox thingy of your ain't ya?!?

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  4. @ Yeebo - I think they hit the right price point for the content. It was a perfect appetizer.

    @ MMOGC - How funny. We are in the crazy season again. Maybe when the rush calms down next March, there will be time to play.

    @ Jayedub - I would probably go 360 on this one. If only to carry over my level 5 character. :)

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