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TGS 2009: Hands-on: Dead Rising 2's 'Terror is Reality'

Terror. Is. Reality. Don't believe us? Check out the new trailer, which we just witnessed (and caught on camera) at Capcom's Dead Rising 2 event in Tokyo. You don't want to miss Keiji Inafune's posh yellow jacket as he introduces the clip.

The event is a junket unlike any other at Tokyo Game Show this year. Capcom (with the help of Microsoft) took over a restaurant/bar in Ebisu, promising free food and drinks to all attendees -- with the promise of a two-of-a-kind yellow jacket at stake for the person who wins tonight's Dead Rising 2 mutliplayer tournament.

Yeah, multiplayer. Long hinted at, we finally had a chance to play the game's competitive multiplayer mode. It certainly wasn't what we were expecting. You take control of one of four participants in a zombie-ridden game show called "Terror Is Reality." Players will compete in four different minigames, each of which takes a different spin on Dead Rising's zombie-smashing gameplay.

Gallery: Dead Rising 2

Continued →

Capcom exec expects western acquisition in next 2 years

With titles like Dead Rising and Lost Planet, it seems that Capcom has developed a taste for western cuisine, at least in how it applies to game development. This observation was echoed by Capcom exec Christian Svensson, who in a recent interview noted belief that the Osaka, Japan-based company could look to add an established Western dev to its portfolio in the near future. Confessed Svensson, "I would be sort of surprised if we didn't acquire a western studio in the next two years."

But Capcom knows that it has the pick of the litter, and it isn't about to let just anyone into its ivory tower. "We're not going to acquire anyone that we haven't done a game with," noted Svensson. The exec also stressed that chemistry would play a "critical" role in any future match, leaving just 28 other dimensions of happier, healthier relationships to be sorted out.

Capcom sued over Dead Rising


We heard the rumblings of this coming earlier this month, but now it seems like it's official: MKR Group, which owns the rights to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, has sued Capcom for similarities between the zombie flick and Capcom's Dead Rising, both of which feature zombies in a shopping mall. In part, the suit states, "In both, the recreational activities of the zombies and absurdly grotesque 'kill scenes' provide unexpected comedic relief."

Personally, we think this whole thing is a little silly. Zombies in a shopping mall are like polar bears on South Pacific islands or cheetahs in Ludwig's den. It's their natural habitat, what do you want them to do, make an unrealistic zombie game?

Rumor: Dead Rising 2 being handled by western developer


The latest issue of EGM is imparting some spicy rumors upon us. Perhaps most shocking is word that Capcom may be passing the buck on Dead Rising 2, leaving the sequel in the hopefully-capable hands of a North American developer.

The rumor doesn't state which studio would be working on the Dead Rising followup, although it does suggest that the developer is based in Los Angeles -- ruling out our guess of Texas-based Gearbox Studios, who only recently announced a "really big" project in pre-production.

Of course, they wouldn't call it a rumor if it were necessarily true. We'd like to see Capcom remain involved with the Dead Rising franchise, but if it does in fact pass on to a western studio we can only hope it falls into the right hands.

Capcom (finally) casts loving gaze at PS3


While Capcom's love affair with the PlayStation 3 has had all the warmth of a vacation to E.D.N III, the upcoming year will see the company begin to move away from PS2 development in favor of creating games for Sony's latest console. The announcement, made by Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto, is sure to usher a sigh of relief from PS3 owners, who in lieu of Dead Rising and Lost Planet have been forced to roam shopping malls and suck on ice cubes as they pine for better days.

Tsujimoto also remarked that Capcom will also begin to embrace projects that can be developed for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in order to 'maximize profits,' rather than look to platform exclusives, marking the second such time we've heard Capcom officials make this stand. We've already seen Devil May Cry 4, once believed to be Sony's alone, become monogamously challenged, with Capcom set to release the forthcoming title on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 in simultaneous fashion early next year and Resident Evil 5 likewise coming to both consoles someday.

Interestingly, no mention of the Wii was made in the company's cross platform plans, though it seems likely that the console's nature will continue to spark more unique efforts like the dismally boring Umbrella Chronicles and the smart adventure/puzzler Zack & Wiki. One thing's for certain -- the coming year is going to be very interesting for Capcom.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Dead Rising 2 not in the works, being considered


Considered by many to be one of the best games available on the Xbox 360, most of us thought a sequel to Dead Rising was a certainty. It may then come as a surprise to fans to learn that the game is currently not in production at all. In a recent interview, Keiji Inafune told Game Informer that he'd like to produce a potential sequel, but it's not in the works right now. Inafune adds that the game is being considered in Japan, and that it's the one project being considered that he'd like to produce the most, but there are still many technical and financial issues to be considered. X3F readers will know that both Dead Rising and Lost Planet were very successful in the west, but not so much in Capcom's native land of Japan. Anyone want to take odds odds on seeing Resident Evil 5 before Dead Rising 2?

Inafune says Dead Rising 2 not in production

Mmmmm, angry brains. Despite what we've been told, apparently Dead Rising 2 is not in production according to a Game Informer interview with producer Keiji Inafune. Inafune says that it is something he would "love" to make, but his responsibilities at the moment don't allow for that kind of time. He says Dead Rising 2 is a title being considered by Capcom Japan and if they announce it, he would want to produce, but he doesn't clearly state that the game is on hold because he wants to be the one to do it.

Sad news for Dead Rising fans who were probably expecting an announcement that the sequel would be around sometime late next year. Despite being successful in the States and Europe, Inafune's Dead Rising and Lost Planet didn't do so well in Japan. Maybe it's time for Microsoft to apply a little pressure with Capcom on behalf of those who don't really care about Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and want a little more Frank West in their life ... we know MS knows how to spend money for what they want.

Lost Planet and Dead Rising haven't broken 100K in Japan

This info is definitely not lost in translation with the universal language of numbers. According to Capcom's own sales records (chart after the break), neither Lost Planet nor Dead Rising broke 100K units sold in Japan. This isn't really the most shocking of news given the sales of the Xbox 360 in Japan, but it does show the game resonated with North American and European audiences more. Despite tepid sales in Japan, both titles sold outside the Land of the Rising Sun to the tune of 1.4 million copies each, signs of Capcom's growing global focus.

Now, before you go pointing at cultural differences -- highlighted by Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for the PSP selling 1.2 million units, while the PS2 versions of RE4 also couldn't break 100K -- here's some fun info: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was published by Capcom in Japan, sold 430K units. So, frozen tundras don't resonate with Japanese gamers, neither does a mall full of zombies, but playing a gang-banger bent on ghetto domination sells 200% more than Dead Rising and Lost Planet combined. Ah, good times.

Continued →

Japan shuns Lost Planet and Dead Rising

As part of their 2006 fiscal year reporting, Capcom released sales numbers that prove that Japan hasn't been feeling Lost Planet or Dead Rising. According to their numbers, both games sold pretty well in North America and Europe, Dead Rising selling 730,000 and Lost Planet selling 810,000 copies in North America alone. But Japan is another story all together as both games have yet to sell even 100,000 copies, which makes up for less than 10% of each games' total sales. We understand that both Lost Planet and Dead Rising were geared towards Western audiences, so less than fantastic Japanese sales were a given. But we didn't think Japanese gamers would avoid these gems like the black plague. Don't worry though, Lost Planet or Dead Rising, we still love you and you can crash on our couch anytime you want.

Dead Rising: Frank gets free clothes again

If you're thinking Frank West's wardrobe is getting a tad stale, then we've got a couple of free clothing options for you. Up on the Marketplace you can download three new locker keys for Dead Rising that'll unlock three outfits including a pure white suit, stripe outfit, and an accountant look. Old Frank will feel like a new man! All three outfits are free and ready for download, so plop in Dead Rising and be sure to have Frank try on the white suit. It may get blood stained really fast, but killing zombies will have never looked so good!

Dead Rising's Frank West gets change of clothes

Sure, Capcom can't fix the tiny-text or give us that delicious co-op rumor, but they sure can give us more outfits for Frank West in Dead Rising. Major Nelson tells us that Capcom released some free goodies and some micro-pain-ment things.

The free stuff is a Pure White Suit, Stripe Suit and Accountant Suit. The stuff they'll charge you for is "to celebrate Dead Rising and Lost Planet reaching a million" units sold. There are four theme packs being sold for 150 MS points ($1.87) each. Yup, that's a way to show gratitude, celebrate people purchasing your game by charging them more. We're just going to ignore that slap in the face by saying we'll be happy when we get some information on Dead Rising 2.

Getting deep on Dead Rising

GameCareerGuide.com gives Dead Rising a New Yorker Magazine-style treatment and goes all highbrow in reminiscing about the title. Dead Rising occupies a very strange place in gaming. It was obviously a hit and talks of a sequel were already in the works a week after the game premiered. But, putting aside the tiny-text and the punishing save system, those horrors were eclipsed by Otis and that walkie-talkie.

There's plenty of "drinks at the Palm" moments in the piece. Like you'll have to read all three pages to understand what this quote actually means, "Dead Rising has, as you might put it, a profoundly 'old-school' sensibility -- a pre-Miyamoto one, even. Its goal is to recapture what once made video games entertaining, by getting rid of many of the institutionalized assumptions that have made them boring, or frustrating, or arbitrary."

Highbrow analysis aside, Dead Rising certainly was a game where the concept was in the right place, along with the writing, the heart, the brains -- mmmm, brains. It was the structure of the game that hurt, especially the menacing way you failed for missing one of those picky, picky case files. The GCG piece actually explains that one should think of Dead Rising as a classic game where you should expect to play it through on one life. Fail? Well, then you should start over. Yeah, the piece gets weird, but that's because you have "institutionalized assumptions" about what to expect from a game. Read the piece and then come back to let us know what you think -- we know you will.

Dead Rising and Lost Planet staying exclusive


Capcom's director of strategic planning Christian Svensson commented on their official forums to whether or not Dead Rising or Lost Planet would be appearing on the PS3 or Wii in the future. Bluntly put, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Svensson says that both games are "not slated to appear on Wii or PS3 as far as current plans go" going on to say that he is "bound by NDAs on these matters so I can't divulge why this is the situation". We guess that with the Playstation 3 losing exclusives left and right, it's fair to question whether any of our previously thought Xbox 360 exclusives may be headed for multi-platform. But, in this case, we're happy to report that both Dead Rising and Lost Planet are pretty much locked up to stay 360 exclusives for the long haul.

[Via Joystiq]

Dead Rising and Lost Planet to remain Xbox 360 exclusives

At least "as far as current plans go." So says Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, posting on the official Capcom forums in the midst of a Devil May Cry outcry. When asked by fans whether the company's new mulitplatform strategy would extend to their pair of successful Xbox 360 titles, Svensson explains that "Dead Rising and Lost Planet are not slated to appear on Wii or PS3," noting that the reasons for the continued exclusivity "are quite convoluted" and are bound by a slew of suspicious non-disclosure agreements.

He goes on to say that Capcom's current approach -- which sees Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 coming to both PS3 and Xbox 360 -- is for future titles and isn't meant to be applied in a "retroactive" manner. Of course, this comes just days after Svensson used the forum to respond to sulking petitioners and their disdain for Devil May Cry gracing multiple platforms.

"We are certainly moved that people are so passionate about our products that they would go to such extremes," he said in a seperate thread. "At the same time we feel that allowing more people access to our content pleases far more people than it displeases (after all, we're not denying DMC4 to anyone that was already going to get it). It really is the best decision for the company and for consumers."

Apparently, Dead Rising and Lost Planet simply missed the multiplatform boat.

[Thanks, mocoworm]

Dead Rising gets its OST

Those of you looking to get your groove on while chilling in a mall and massacring zombies now have you chance, as the Original Soundtrack for Dead Rising has been announced. Ordering online will also net you a snazzy T-Shirt designed by Yoshiki Takahashi, who did the layout for the Kill Bill posters. It seems to be limited edition as our Babelfishery indicates there are only producing 2000 sets. If you buy it now, it will cost you a little over fifty bucks, but there are talks of the soundtrack making its way to Europe and North America. Did you enjoy Dead Rising enough to want to pick up some cool swag and its tunes?

[Via QJ.net]

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