I've had this idea for a while, but have no ability with level designing aside from sim city, I believe that Dead Rising 2 will do something along the lines of this but not to such a scale; my idea is that there is a city, closed off from the rest of the outside world where "contestants" be them convicts or voluntary participants attempt to retrieve money or a means of escape at the center of the city. For example, a TV network (much like Death Race) sets up to have death row convicts participate in a fight from the entrance to the city, and make its focal (center) to escape, or as a time limit before they are killed via an explosive choler. This would allow for some good pacing as well as weapons being given via 'Power-ups' of some sort, and a final fight they are not supposed to survive. Perhaps the ending being their gaining entrance to a train or subway that proceeds to travel into a furnace or just detonate as the end video, something humorous or shocking.