Dead Rising 2 - An example of developers not listening to the community

[AMMO Kid]

1. Here we had this wonderful, fun sandbox and they shove a timer on us so we can't explore it properly.

2. We had to play through the story multiple times applying much trial and error in order to level up enough to get the final missions and ending.

I'm sorry, but if they decided to change the second one it wouldn't be the same. These first two points were the very reason I loved the first game and that set it apart from the other games of it's time. I also made it through the story in my first try so maybe I never experienced the trial and error thing completely, but as a true fan who loved the first one to get all the tough achievements for it, I think that changing it would ruin the game for myself and all the friends I know that loved the first one.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

While I generally enjoyed the first game, I did have a number of complaints.

1) The Save System. Because it was so inconvenient to save, I simply never did it. Most people I know never beat the game for precisely this reason.
2) The time limit. The ticking clock ensured that I could never play the game the way I wanted. It was the equivalent of taking most of the toys from the sandbox. Instead of finding fun ways to dispatch zombies, I instead spent most of my time moving from plot point to plot point in order to ensure I wouldn't miss the next deadline. Basically this results in three options for how one plays the game. They can spend all their time rescuing survivors, they can spend all following deadlines or they can split their time between rescuing survivors and murdering zombies.
3) The combat system. Simply put, it was terrible. The idea that anything was a weapon was irrelevant when most things simply weren't effective as a weapon. Once you realize this, the mall becomes less a series of options and more of an obstacle between an effective weapon and you. Until the last day, the ranged combat system was atrocious and yet you were required to use it at several moments in the game.
4) The game was all but unbeatable in a single try. You simply did not have the inventory space or health to make it through. This forced me to start the game over a half dozen times before I could reasonably expect to survive.
5) The Survivor AI was terrible. They get tied up fighting zombies at every step. They move incredibly slowly. This forces the player to very painfully creep through a zone dispatching zombies the entire way. Worse still, in many cases you were forced to bring surviors through the courtyard at night, which always triggered a group of convicts in a vehicle with a heavy machinegun. Dispatching them didn't help as they simply respawned each time you moved through the zone. Only the intervention of luck would allow the player to kill the convicts before losing one or more survivors. This fact alone ensured I stopped giving a toss about rescuing people.

 

[superbatranger]

Well, when I played Dead Rising, the timer never really bothered me. I was too preoccupied with shoving shower heads into zombie skulls. So, I doubt it will bother me this time around. But, I don't see myself getting it when it comes out. I might rent it first when I get the chance.

 

[Tanner The Monotone]

I'll buy deadrising 2. I do like the fact that they fixed the save system, and yes, I am frustrated with the fact that the Ai survivors don't semm to be any smarter. I see that your frustrated about the fact that you start the campaign over and over and that there is a time limit, but that was just a huge part of the first game and really could not be removed. With the campaign starting over part, it's better to be able to replay the game than to have to start all over once you beat it. And who knows, maybe after you beat the campaign with best ending, you'll unlock a free mode.

P.S. While you are playing Dead rising-case 0, don't have anything downloading, when the pop up that says that whatever is done downloading, it will send you back to the main menu.

 

[specialed324]

i haven't been paying much attention to news on this game, and correct me if i'm wrong, but on Wikipedia it says the time limit is SEVENTY-TWO hours. That is too short of a time limit?

72 in-game hours.

If I recall correctly, one in-game minute is a few seconds.

Edit: It seems as if someone has answered this question already, so back on topic.

I played the first multiple times, and I have this one pre-ordered.

The developers seem to have fixed or have attempted to fix the most universal problems (survivor AI, the aiming system, the save system). So, keeping in mind Case Zero is basically an appetizer, now it seems like once the full game is released, we will find out if the other complaints with the game are addressed.

 

[G-Force]

I've never had problems with the AI in Dead Rising 2: Case 0. Sure they're a little dense, but I've noticed that they don't get grabbed that much, and the seem to be able to barrel through entire crowds of zombies and not get eaten. I've never lost a single survivor as long as I actually got them to follow me. The only time they would die is if I ignored their little rescue side mission.

The first game's survivor AI awas pathetic. They got grabbed by every single zombie, and they could hardly defend themselves. I once walked up the stairs and around the horde of zombies in order to avoid them and keep the survivors safe... instead they ran the opposite direction and got killed... I raged so hard.

Save system never bothered me, although I am glad they updated it so I can have more than 1 stupid save. The only reason I didn't mind Dead Rising's save function was that it made it seem more Survival Horror, and less Action Hero Frank West to the Extreme! You were vulnerable, and if you weren't cautious, and didn't save often enough, the game would slap you.

Also one thing about this:

That doesn't mean you need a timer... do Silent Hill 2 and Resi 4 have timers?
Replayability means getting to play through the game again in different ways, AKA Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3.

Silent Hill and Resident Evil are different games than Dead Rising. Also, the timer fits in with the story of the game, because it would be kind of silly if you could just sit in a city or mall for weeks on end killing zombies, while the military, or other forces do nothing.

I do think that they should have a mode that removes the timer, and it's more of a screw around thing. It should only be accessed after you complete the story, and it should allow you to go through the story at your own pace (psychos show up at their original time in the story, but if you miss them the time of the game will eventually roll over, and they'll appear again).

Also I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm hating, but Mas Effect 2 was incredibly linear, and in my honest opinion, it had very little replayability. The side missions were good and all, and the difference between paragon and Renegade can sometimes seem cool. But in the end your main objective is conntected to everything, and once you do every side quest (which I did in my first playthrough), your second feels stale. You've done everything, and now the only option is to go through again, this time while being evil instead of good, or vice versa. Of course I haven't played the DLC (I had the free DLC, and that was it), so I don't know if they add anything new to the game. But from what I played it didn't offer much in terms of replayability (the story was a blast the first time through though).

The first Dead Rising did have an endless mode so it can be safe to guess that such a mode will be included in the sequel.

 

[Judgement101]

1. Isnt it supposed to be a SURVIVAL horror game?
2. Replayability
3. They seem stronger and slighlty less dumb, but as for escort missions, well, what else are you supposed to do with survivors?
4. Really? REALLY? People bitched and now you got 3 saves and a billion plot saves, and you still whine?
I prefered the old way, since...(please see response 1)

DR2 seems to improve most of teh game really.

Agreed

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Sooo... Dead Rising 2.

I enjoyed the first game, but it frustrated me so much. The things that bugged the majority of gamers were:

1. Here we had this wonderful, fun sandbox and they shove a timer on us so we can't explore it properly.

2. We had to play through the story multiple times applying much trial and error in order to level up enough to get the final missions and ending.

3. Awful, shitty, slow escort missions with retarded AI and friendly fire when you try to knock the hordes oF Zombies off them.

4. The save system

A wall of text serving as a retort (beware of plot spoilers for Case Zero):

1: In the original Dead Rising, after beating the story mode you had the option to enter a free mode which allowed you to freely explore the mall. The only limitation was the finite supply of food. Case Zero is (hopefully) a beta or, demo. Once you beat it, you leave Still Water. It would have been cool to continue dicking around but it wouldn't have made much sense. Still Water is also pretty small and, given the amount of time you do have, I found it relatively easy to find just about everything (and I am by no means the world's greatest gamer). The full Dead Rising 2 will likely have a free-roam mode as well.

2: Dead Rising features photography as the primary means by which to level up (unless you want to save people). Dead Rising 2 gives you PP for killing zombies with combo-weapons...or by saving people. I found it much easier and much faster to level up with a paddle-saw than with a camera. As for saving people...

3: ...Nobody likes escort missions but they are necessary if you want the best possibly ending. You can give NPCs weapons in the original and in Case Zero one of them wouldn't follow you if you didn't give him a specific weapon. Friendly Fire is in place to make the game seem slightly more realistic and is also annoying. The escort missions in Case Zero seemed more forgiving than Dead Rising one though. Chuck's speed while carrying a survivor is faster than Franks. I also found that the survivors in Case Zero didn't get overwhelmed as easily as the ones in Dead Rising but, that could have just been luck on my part. Once in the full Dead Rising 2, the escort missions will probably be harder but, for Case Zero, I managed to get an A rating after saving 5 people (half of the available number of savable NPCs). This suggests that the entire escort/rescue system will be more forgiving overall though, as I said, that is just Case Zero and not the full game.

4ead Rising had one save slot which could be accessed from any bathroom. Dead Rising 2 has three save slots which can be accessed from any bathroom. sounds better to me.

There were other problems with Dead Rising like the small text which was fixed, being able to skip through conversation segments which was also fixed. As mentioned above, it was kind of a ***** taking photos sometimes. Combo Weapons is a much quicker and easier method of leveling up. The introduction of money and a pawn shop will also help to keep you well equipped. The thing I dislike is the fact that everyone will likely want Zombrex. That stuff is expensive and you'll need to give your daughter a dose every 12 hours which will keep you smashing registers and looting ambulances. Still, it's better than carrying the child through tides of the living dead.

 

[Vilcus]

The first Dead Rising did have an endless mode so it can be safe to guess that such a mode will be included in the sequel.

Yea, but it sucked, It wasn't really endless. It was more of a survival mode because your health was steadily draining, and that robbed more fun from the game than the timer in the story ever did. Also the random survivors attacking you when you're just trying to have fun really pissed me off (they weren't even really psychos, they were people you would save in the story, but now they apparently hate you... killing Otis was satisfying though).

 

[MiracleOfSound]

3: While the survivors was a pain in the ass in the first game, Case Zero shows that they have mostly fixed that. I had no trouble at all with the AI in DR2:CZ. The video you put up there kinda make me think you want to hate the game without giving it a chance.

I assure you that's not the case man, I really want to like DR2, I mean despite all the annoyances I really enjoyed many aspects of the first game. I just don't know if I could deal with all the niggles twice.

I'm sorry, but if they decided to change the second one it wouldn't be the same. These first two points were the very reason I loved the first game and that set it apart from the other games of it's time. I also made it through the story in my first try so maybe I never experienced the trial and error thing completely, but as a true fan who loved the first one to get all the tough achievements for it, I think that changing it would ruin the game for myself and all the friends I know that loved the first one.

It seems to be more divisive than I originally thought. I was under the impressions that the majority of gamers didn't like those features.

 

[OceanRunner]

In the second half of this vid (from the Case Zero 'prequel') we see this gamer get pretty frustrated and bored trying to Escort the stupid, painfully slow bot to the safe-house without her getting herself killed.

When I saw this I knew that Capcom would not be getting my money again. Sorry Dead Rising 2, you suck.


What do you think? Will you be buying this? Are you one of the few who relishes the parts most people hate?

First, with regards to the woman in the quarantine area, she's hurt. You have to carry her to the garage, which isn't too hard as long as you keep moving.

Second, I disagree with your comment on DR2. Case Zero is a taster of what's to come in the proper game and I enjoy carving through the zombie crowds, and it's going to get so much better in Fortune City with a ton more custom weapons and vehicles.

 

[Delock]

I honestly can say I don't understand why this sequel is such a big deal. I got the first game when it hit the greatest hits price range and never really liked it that much. Ok, the combat had to be one of the greatest around in terms of improvised weaponary, and a few items were very rewarding to use, and the bosses were all interesting and had some EXCELLENT music, but that was about it.

The survivors were idiots, especially in cutscenes. The timelimit was annoying for a sandbox game (especially one where to beat it properly, you have to have been at one place exactly and have somehow managed to do every task available. In addition, the difficulty curve was a solid wall on fire polished to a smooth finish with no hand holds. Best example of this: the convicts. The game encouraged you to die in order to proceed. And then you have Otis, where if the game would have allowed me, I would have chopped up and used as bait to get around the mall easier. Sure, moments of it were fun, but it was nothing extraordinary.

However, to be fair there have been games with rocky starts that the sequel took to new heights (Assassin's Creed is my best example here), so I guess it could turn out ok.

*looks up at first post*

Not looking too good. I'm going to let this get reviewed first.

In other news: RUN FASTER! I HEAR CONVICT MUSIC!

 

[Cheesebob]

The game would get hideously boring if there was no time limit, its not like the super market was the size of Liberty City or that detailed. It would also be far too easy.

It also (as previously mentioned) adds a smidgen of realism. When there is the zombie apocalypse, people tend not to survive too long.

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[AMMO Kid]

3: While the survivors was a pain in the ass in the first game, Case Zero shows that they have mostly fixed that. I had no trouble at all with the AI in DR2:CZ. The video you put up there kinda make me think you want to hate the game without giving it a chance.

I assure you that's not the case man, I really want to like DR2, I mean despite all the annoyances I really enjoyed many aspects of the first game. I just don't know if I could deal with all the niggles twice.

I'm sorry, but if they decided to change the second one it wouldn't be the same. These first two points were the very reason I loved the first game and that set it apart from the other games of it's time. I also made it through the story in my first try so maybe I never experienced the trial and error thing completely, but as a true fan who loved the first one to get all the tough achievements for it, I think that changing it would ruin the game for myself and all the friends I know that loved the first one.

It seems to be more divisive than I originally thought. I was under the impressions that the majority of gamers didn't like those features.

I actually just bought and finished the Case 0 game and I loved it. But yes, a majority of the gamers like the things that you don't like and that's why they brought them back. I don't know if you've played the Case 0 prologue yet, but it wouldn't even work if you didn't have a time limit to go by. It's really an essential part of gameplay to have the time limit. You can play without the time limit in infinity mode on the first one if you like.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I actually just bought and finished the Case 0 game and I loved it. But yes, a majority of the gamers like the things that you don't like and that's why they brought them back. I don't know if you've played the Case 0 prologue yet, but it wouldn't even work if you didn't have a time limit to go by. It's really an essential part of gameplay to have the time limit. You can play without the time limit in infinity mode on the first one if you like.

Hmm perhaps I'll give it a rent? From what people are saying it all works together. If I'm proven wrong I'll be happy

 

[The_Puppy_Prince]

Why~!?
Why must everything have a damn timer
Dosnt make it fun
Dosnt make it intense
Just annoying

 

[taltamir]

The game started out fun, but it turned out to be one big never ending series of escort missions, with a timer, with retarded AI!

And why the hell does my steel crowbar break after 20 whacks? They made a game which has the ingredients of a winner and made it into fail.

I can't believe Yahtzee gave such a turn second place on best game of 2010.