CES: Hands-on with Dead Rising
Microsoft didn't have many surprises at their Xbox 360 CES booth, but we did get to demo Capcom's upcoming zombie hack n' slash n' blaster, Dead Rising. We were thrust into a zombie-infested shopping mall on the hunt for a "Woman With Secrets," and we only had 27 seconds, yikes! From our early impressions, the game certainly needs some work before its projected May release.
For one, the visuals weren't quite up to par with the screenshots that popped-up last fall. And the sheer terror of being surrounded by hundreds of zombies ended up feeling like utter annoyance. I suppose you can get away with brainless AI when you're dealing with hordes of zombies, but this felt like a step backwards... maybe RE4 just spoiled us (but those weren't zombies, right?). To make matters worse, the player-controlled camera is a hassle when you're in the mix, trying to fend off a dozen walking dead; it ends up being a huge obstacle, as do the slowdown issues.
Combat is as brain-dead as the AI. There's a jump button (A) and an attack button (X), and combining the two acts as a grab move, hoisting a zombie over your head. Oh, and if you're lucky, the weapon you're carrying will have a "special attack" if you hold X--and don't forget, if you hold the R-trigger you can aim over the shoulder, but you can't move. Yes folks, it's a step backwards indeed. There were 8-bit titles that had more depth than this.
On the positive side, there are plenty of items to pick up and bludgeon, blast, and blaze through zombies with, including bats, pipes, boards, knives, pistols, shotguns, and the almighty chainsaw.. Unfortunately, you'll also pick up a number of food and drink items that are carelessly tossed into your inventory, and if you're not careful, you'll end up with an orange in your hand and a bunch of zombies ripping your head off--but perhaps this is part of the challenge. If navigating a hazardous inventory sounds like your idea of a next-gen party then Capcom's got your invitation. But watch out, room-to-room load times might put a damper on your wild orgy.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Duckula @ Jan 6th 2006 7:57AM
Wow what a let down. This was the only game on the 360 that I had a genuine interest in. Looks like it's stubbs the zombie all over again.
bapenguin @ Jan 6th 2006 8:28AM
Damn...very disappointing. This was one title I was really looking forward to.
Shagi @ Jan 6th 2006 2:45PM
With joystiq slamming Kameo for the water boss which they called nearly impossible to defeat due to control and camera issues I'm willing to give dead rising the benefit of the doubt. There was nothing wrong with the water boss in Kameo and here they go again complaining about Camera controls. Joystiq seems to have an unusual 'casual gamer' slant in their reviews, which seems an odd fit when I'd imagine most of us visiting this site are more than just casual gamers.
bubbacrosbysucks @ Jan 6th 2006 2:47PM
looks like a damn good dreamcast title.
Jon @ Jan 7th 2006 4:54AM
Post #3 has it right, imo.
chondro @ Jan 9th 2006 2:50PM
I had a chance to play this at CES this year. I must say it was better than all the games you could play. This game felt like something you could just pick up, play and smile. This is definaly an "Arcade" game.
Sure the zombies were not very smart.. Infact you would have to get in their line of sight and pretty close to them in order for them to attack you. However, if the zombies were smart, the game would be over very quickly as there are just far to many of them and your health bar is not that large.
The loading times were annoying, and i was shocked that they had load times as the rooms you were in were very small. Though the load times were not that long, however i could see how this could get annoying quickly.
The zombies were detailed, but not anything to write home about. The people you would rescue were horrific, however. They looked like they came out of a ps1 game.
The camera... Ok Joystiq, you're a bit to hard on them. I don't think there was any other way you could have done this right. The camera was about as "annoying" as the camera in Mario Sunshine. I had no problems using it. if and if you tapped the R trigger it would spin behind you. In fact, i had a blast switching to third person view with shot gun and giving zombies head shots a-la RE! Not to mention if you use the chain saw, you can start the motor and he starts franticly flailing the chain saw around hacking everything in sight.
I spent a good hour with this game, not many people were intrested in it, so i got to play for a while.
It's fun... Throw all your "next gen, oooh-aahhh" graphics out the window and take this game for what it is - FUN! Just think "Metal Slug" (bad graphics, but just a blast to play). If they get the load times figured out this game is going to be OUSTANDING. I don't currently have a 360 but would definaly pick one up if they got this game right.
Don't listen to joystiq on this one... It has what it takes to be a great game!
Darth Knackers @ Jan 14th 2006 12:49PM
'Throw all your "next gen, oooh-aahhh" graphics out the window and take this game for what it is - FUN' - then why isn't this an X-Box title. I had such high hopes for this game. But now I'm thinking of three words 'State of Emergency'