Review: Dead Rising 2

[SonicWaffle]

Why is everyone calling it a tricycle?

Well, because in the game it's too small to see properly, and usually when you're riding around on it there are zombies everywhere to keep you distracted?

Also re-playability to me means that once you complete the game there is still stuff to see and do that makes you replay it again.

Well, if your first playthrough focuses entirely on zombie killing, then you can restart and explore or rescue survivors or whatever. Different stuff to see and do, see?

If you love the game then fair play to you.

Meh, it's OK. I can't really play for more than a few hours at a time, though. The fun comes from wacky weapons and zombie killing, which gets repetitive pretty fast.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

Im pretty put off by the timer system. Is it really that restrictive??

At first, you'll be really busy but you'll have plenty of time to explore later on. Hell, if you want to, you can let the story kill itself and have 6 hours worth of exploration.

So you can just let the daughter die and continue regardless?

 

[Rogun11]

Im pretty put off by the timer system. Is it really that restrictive??

At first, you'll be really busy but you'll have plenty of time to explore later on. Hell, if you want to, you can let the story kill itself and have 6 hours worth of exploration.

So you can just let the daughter die and continue regardless?

Yup just let katey die and in 72 hours game ends. You can save your levels and then play the story with all ya little goodies!

 

[Lazarus Long]

The loading screen business must just be the PS3, unless I'm just particularly forgiving when it comes to zombie mayhem. The only time it ever bothered me was when I got in a hurry and left a survivor or two behind and had to sit through 3 in a row.
I also think the "restrictive" timer aspect actually adds replayability in that you can't do everything your first time through.

 

[Nevyrmoore]

Have I played it? I've beaten the main storyline 3 times now, not to mention the HOURS I've spent just killing shit until day 3. Don't know what platform you're playing on, but it only takes me 5-10 seconds to save my game and around 15-20 to load it. Opening screen ALSO only lasted 10-15 seconds EACH TIME I've loaded the game up.

I'm playing it on the 360. This review, which agrees about the aggravatingly long load times, was based on the PS3 version. It's the main complaint I've heard from other people who have played it, that the game freezes for so long people think it has glitched and stopped working. What magical system are you playing on where saving/loading only takes 15 seconds?!

Possibly the PC, I've heard that the loading times are better for that system.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Possibly the PC, I've heard that the loading times are better for that system.

Huh, I didn't even realise it was coming out for the PC. Well, that would explain it.

 

[DanHibiki]

I hated how frustrating the first game was and it's a real shame that this one did not fix any of that.

I'm downgrading this to rental.

 

[Xyphon]

Have I played it? I've beaten the main storyline 3 times now, not to mention the HOURS I've spent just killing shit until day 3. Don't know what platform you're playing on, but it only takes me 5-10 seconds to save my game and around 15-20 to load it. Opening screen ALSO only lasted 10-15 seconds EACH TIME I've loaded the game up.

What magical system are you playing on where saving/loading only takes 15 seconds?!

Playing it on the PS3, bud.

 

[Lionsfan]

I thought the game also auto saved between plot points. At least with Case Zero that was the case. Also I would have liked to hear a bit more about the multiplayer and whether or not survival mode was kept in.

Survival Mode wasn't kept in. They replaced it with multiplayer (which I haven't been able to try due to connection issues)

The bosses are interesting characters, it's just the mechanics wofk against you for the most part, which is a shame, because they could have easily been the game's show-stealers. But on co-op, they all get extremely easy. Except the hippie in the bathroom. I swear, the 3 story bosses are pathetic compared to him.

I hate that guy. The story bosses have taken me no more than twice to beat each of them. I beat the 72 hour boss with only one bar of health after I figured out how to knock them down. Meanwhile, that damn hippie is like Cliff on steroids.....

 

[Azaraxzealot]

...if you don't feel like shelling out exorbitant prices at the makeshift pawnshops or can't find a survivor with a spare dose...

In the game's defense (and I love this game, but agree with most of your criticisms), if you go online and perform well in one episode(?) of Terror is Reality, you can easily net yourself ~$65k, enough to purchase two doses of Zombrex and start you on your way to a third.

I don't normally condone forcing SP gamers to use the MP modes in games, but I felt like the four-for-all matches counted on new game content, moreso than the feel of competition against others.

Edit: Played some more last night. Turns out the price of Zombrex goes up after each purchase. TiR is still a good way to make in-game cash, though.

and even if you lose, you still get around 30k per playthrough as long as you got SOME points at SOME point in the game

EDIT: I wonder why SOME games get bad reviews (not saying this game got bad reviews) when there is nothing else to compare them to, what other game allows you to wander in an "open" environment... use anything you can pick up as a weapon, and kill tens of thousands of zombies?

can't wait for the undead nightmare pack from Red Dead Redemption

 

[Danpascooch]

I like how they say this game takes place in a city as opposed to last games mall

As if keeping everything around the same size (relatively) and renaming all of the mall wings to things like "______ strip" and "__________ hotel" makes it different.

Here's a general rule Capcom:

IF IT HAS A FOOD COURT IT IS A MALL!

How many cities do you know of that have CENTRAL FOOD COURTS!?

 

[Kelethor]

Im having a lot of fun with the game. on my second playthough I plan to tell Katey and the gang to find their own Damn Zombrex and then proceed to murder Zombies.

 

[TOGSolid]

snip

Your review states that the game needs a pure sandbox mode but it already has one. You don't HAVE to do any of the objectives, that includes giving Katie any Zombrex. I'm having a ball just fucking around in the mall and not doing anything productive and at any time I can restart the story and then go actually play it. The main story is failed and Katie died, meanwhile I'm running around looking like a baller in my leisure suit and exploring.

 

[The Random One]

Freedom bear fuck yeah.

I'm glad to hear it's an improved Dead Rising and not a dumbed down Dead Rising. Not that Dead Rising wasn't eat your own shorts difficult, but that was a big part of what gave it its quirky, almost oldschool feel. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Speaking of which, I still need to do the 'save everyone' quest on Dead Rising... I need to do it when I'm on vacation, though. The saving system is evil :-(

 

[mParadox]

Killing zombies third person in a mall?

Sign me UP!!!

 

[Distorted Stu]

Shit game is shit. I sold it to my sister thinking she would liek it, she then sold it to a friend, who then sold it to a friend, who THEN sold it to GAME.

NEVER BUY THIS. EVER. The game is so broken, frustrating and unfair.

 

[Biscuitus Maximus]

I am a huge fan of zombie stuff and something of a Romero purist. L4D was fun in a twitchy kind of way but the "boss" type zombies irritated me. I understand why they were there, but irritated none the less. So DR comes out and it looks like it is exactly the game for me. I was so excited when the first one came out that when I finally had a chance to play it, it was like someone kicked my puppy. I didn't mind the photog stuff, but the timers and paste eating AI drove me nuts. I know I didn't have to save the survivors, but this is a zombie survival game, is it not? Then as a survivor it was my job to help when ever I could. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the escaped prisoners in the hmmwv. They get a .50 cal BMG and I get a skateboard? Eff that.

Looks like more of the same and that's a pity, this title could have been a truly interactive zombie movie.

 

[cainx10a]

On my first playthrough I aimed to get the best ending possible, that means saving Katey, completing the Case missions, going in Overtime and winning big. But on my second playthrough, I ignored the Case missions, hence the chance to prove Chuck's innocence, and gets 72 hours just for zombrex and zombie hunting as well as spending all of my 'free' time exploring