So let’s talk about something that the horror community hates me for (Because lord knows I love pleasing massive droves of people), and that’s that I like zombies. Well, most of the time. I like George A. Romero movies, I like Shaun of the Dead, and I like Resident Evil. But I’m willing to admit that zombies are far from being scary, or even creepy. They’re kinda dumb when you think about that. So then comes Dead Rising to tell you how dumb they are. But first, let’s talk about the sequel Dead Rising 2.
Dead Rising 2 follows a different protagonist from the first game, Chuck Greene, as he gets framed for starting an outbreak of zombies in Fortune City, and now has to find the true culprit before the military arrives in three days, all while fighting psychopaths, saving survivors, creating weapons, getting drunk, and cross dressing. Usual stuff you do in the apocalypse. The game has a very tongue-in-cheek feel to the whole thing, and I really like that. The world is going to shit, really fast, yet the game still plays that cheerful mall music the whole time, all while you can do whatever you want. You could take part in the melodramatic story of the game, or you could go and play in the casinos for extra cash, or ride around on a pink tricycle while zombies fail at you pathetically. It’s just so stupid and I love it. Dead Rising 2 definitely had an interesting and colorful world. I really like the neon lights of the outside area, even if the inside is much of the same as the last game, but I can forgive that since the game manages to work with it. And it does something new. Combo weapons. The game gives you a chance to collect two weapons, and then bring them to a workshop in order to combine them to create new weapons. Some of them make sense, like putting nails into a bat, but some of them make no sense. Like how is some jewelry and a flashlight gonna make a lightsaber? That’s not how that works in the real world. This has been my epic funny video game parody. Please subscribe. But seriously, despite what weapon you make, they all allow you to cause some serious chaos. You got all these insane weapons and a horde of zombies, so yeah, you better believe I’m gonna go to town just for some fun. Also, the game introduces an amazing industrial rock soundtrack by Celldweller, who would later help Mick Gordon on the Killer Instinct soundtrack. So yeah, when you work on the Killer Instinct soundtrack, you are probably good at making music. And the bosses. Sure, Dead Rising 2 has the worst boss in the franchise, who will go unmentioned, but the bosses her are a real step up from the previous game, at least in terms of their boss fights. Even if Chuck’s CSI-esque comments are really, really bad.
There are things I like more about Dead Rising 2, and things I like more from the first game, but regardless, I love Dead Rising 2 a lot, and I always enjoy coming back to it. And if you’re wondering when Dead Rising 3 will be on the list… ha ha ha ha. So yeah, Dead Rising 2 is good.