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Capcom's been in love for a long time. Oh sure, the company's gone on plenty of dates with some other ideas, but only one's ever held its continual interest. For some reason, the idea of killing zombies can sweep Capcom off its feet with the cheesiest pick-up line, and when the two get together they can conceive some of the most beautiful games you've ever laid eyes on. Dead Rising is the newest offspring to the hit the Capcom family, and rest assured, this isn't the milkman's kid.
On the heels of a hot tip, Frank West (a photo-journalist) hires a chopper pilot to fly him into the town of Willamette, Colorado. The government has all major roads blocked off, there's anarchy in the streets, and a large crowd is massing around the local shopping mall. It seems that even under the most gruesome conditions the citizens of this town can't suppress the urge to go shopping. If there were ever a story to cover in Willamette, this would most certainly be it. Hell-bent on getting his story, Frank decides to go in for a closer look. He has the pilot drop him off on the roof of the mall, and instructs him to return in exactly 72 hours.
Willamette Park View Mall may be the most outstanding mall in the entire country. It's massive. One would be hard-pressed to find another mall that sells heavy firearms, swords, and chainsaws in the same location, but Frank soon learns that to the crowd gathering outside, this mall is nothing but a giant food court. Frank's not the only one on the menu though. After meeting some other unfortunate souls, the zombies eventually make their way in, forcing everyone to retreat to the safety of the mall security room. The security monitors reveal other survivors scattered around the mall, and they're in serious need of rescuing. If Frank's going to get his story, he's going to have to crack a few skulls.
Dead man walkin'!
Fact: Zombies hate having their picture taken. So go wild. Snap as many photos as you can. Not only will it give you a psychological advantage, but you'll be awarded PP (prestige points) as well. The more pissed off zombies and carnage you can mange to capture in one shot, the more points you'll earn. Snapping a shot at just the right moment can earn you an obscene amount of points. You can also earn points in a number of other ways, such as rescuing survivors, or killing zombies. Your points contribute to the PP gauge, which fills up to reward you with a new skill, or a stat increase. This adds a RPG element by creating an incentive for snapping photos, instead of including a useless gimmick. It also adds replay value since your stats carry over to your new game once you've completed 72 hour mode.
Since you have 72 hours to rescue as many survivors as possible, snap the best photos you can, snag as much free stuff as you can fit in your pockets, and find out just what the hell started all this. As you make your way through the mall you'll get regular updates on your transceiver radio, giving you the current survivor locations, and CASE files (main story missions) available. If you don't play this game in HD, you'd better purchase a magnifying glass. The on-screen text is way too small otherwise. You come to expect certain things (like radio voiceovers) from a next-gen game, but Dead Rising falls short in that department. Frank can't attack while talking on the transceiver either, which can be a major problem if he happens to answer it while surrounded by zombies. Apparently swinging a weapon, and talking at the same time is a bit too challenging.
Checking your watch will show you how much time is left to complete each mission. Since the majority of the missions are timed, you may find yourself having to decide between letting a survivor become lunch meat, or completing a CASE file. If you fail to make it to a CASE file marker on time, Frank looses his lead, and there goes his big story. The game can still be played to completion, but with an alternate ending. Escorting survivors to safety can be a difficult task, especially while escorting multiple people. Sometimes you'll have to hold their hand, literally. Other times it's as if they have a death wish, running wildly into the largest crowd of zombies they can find. But let's face it: these are escort missions. They aren't supposed to be kittens and rainbows in the first place.
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