Dead Rising
Encyclopedia
is an action-adventure
, survivor horror
video game, developed by Capcom
and produced by Keiji Inafune
. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360
video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell phone spin-off has been released. A sequel, Dead Rising 2
, was developed by Blue Castle Games
alongside many of the previous developers of Dead Rising, and was released in September 2010.
Dead Risings story centers on Frank West, a photojournalist who ends up trapped in a shopping mall
in the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado
, that is infested with zombie
s. Frank must defend himself from zombie attacks, rescue survivors, contend with crazed psychopaths, and stay alive while still attempting to uncover the truth behind the incident. The player controls Frank as he explores the mall, using any available object as a weapon. The player can complete several main and optional missions to earn Prestige Points (PP) and gain special abilities. The game is designed as a sandbox game and features several endings, depending on the decisions the player makes along the way. A Wii
remake was released in February 2009 titled Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
, and a mobile phone version is also available. A sequel, Dead Rising 2
was published in September 2010.
is Frank West, a photojournalist who sneaks into the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado
, which has been quarantined by the military. The main objective of the game is to investigate the Willamette Parkview Mall and complete "Case Files", missions that advance the storyline and reveal the cause of the zombie outbreak. The player has three days to do this, at which point a helicopter will arrive to retrieve him. Time passes twelve times faster in-game (i.e. one day in-game is two hours in real time); therefore, the game automatically concludes after six hours of gameplay. If a player fails a mission, it does not end the game, but different actions result in different endings at the end of the 72-hour period. In addition to the Case Files, the player is offered the opportunity to rescue other survivors of the zombie outbreak, either from the zombies themselves, or from "psychopaths", boss characters who have either been driven insane by the zombie attacks, or are using the outbreak as cover for their own purposes. Alternately, the player can ignore all missions and play as a sandbox game; wandering though the mall (modeled on stereotypical American shopping mall
s), trying outfits and food, and killing zombies with a variety of objects.
A counter at the bottom right corner of the screen helps the player keep track of how many zombies have been killed. Electronic Gaming Monthly
reported that there can be up to 800 zombies on screen at once. During the day, the zombies are sluggish and weak, but at night they become more active, tougher, and more numerous.
toy. Other comical weapons, such as traffic cones and Servbot
novelty masks, can be placed on zombies' heads, causing them to stumble about blindly.
Certain books from the mall's bookstores will provide bonuses to the player, such as increasing weapons' durability or granting increased experience for certain actions. Food and drink items can be consumed to restore health, and can be cooked to increase their effectiveness, or blended to make different "Juices", which provide temporary effects to the player.
PP causes Frank to level up, with upgrades to attack power, running speed, throw distance, health, and the number of items Frank can carry in his inventory. New moves can also be unlocked, which boost Franks effectiveness with hand-to-hand combat. Should the player start a new game, all experience progression the player has already made can be carried over to the new game.
The save system in Dead Rising allows only one game-in-progress save to be made per memory device and player profile. When Frank is killed, in addition to reloading from the last save, the player has the option to restart from the beginning. Any experience, levels, and unlocked moves are carried over to the new game. This is a deliberate game mechanic, borrowed from the Capcom RPG Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
(the two games share some development team members), and was implemented to give players a sense of responsibility for their decisions and actions.
outbreak barricading the mall entrance; this fails when a woman attempts to rescue her dog, and lets the zombie horde inside. Only four people escape to the mall security room, Frank, Department of Homeland Security agent Brad Garrison, his rookie partner Jessie McCarney, and janitor Otis Washington, who welds the door shut. Brad leaves via the air duct to continue investigating, while Jessie shows interest in photos Frank took of an elderly man locked deeper in the mall. After receiving a map and two-way radio from Otis (who promises to keep an eye on the security monitors and alert Frank to any additional survivors or points of interest), Frank heads out to investigate himself. Before reentering the mall itself, Frank turns to attack something sneaking up behind him, which turns out to be Jessie, who falls and injures her ankle. She asks Frank to go help Brad, who is pinned down in a gunfight. Frank helps drive off the gunman, Carlito Keyes, and convinces Brad to tell him what is going on. The agent agrees, if Frank helps him track down Dr. Russell Barnaby, the man in the photo. Brad and Frank find Dr. Barnaby locked in a bookstore, who states he will not leave until safe passage from the mall is guaranteed.
The next morning, Carlito is spotted on the monitors; he has captured Dr. Barnaby and has suspended him over a group of zombies. Brad and Frank drive Carlito away and rescue the doctor, although Brad is wounded in the fight. Frank goes to collect medicine from the supermarket pharmacy, but is attacked by the store manager (a "psychopath" boss character). Frank defeats the manager and rescues a woman he recognises from the mall enterance, but she runs off. Frank returns to the security room and tracks her down via the monitors. After a fight, the woman identifies herself as Isabela Keyes, Carlito's sister. She agrees to set up a rendezvous between the two men so Frank can learn the reason behind the Willamette outbreak, but at the time of the meeting shows up alone and with a shoulder wound; her brother shot her in anger. Frank takes Isabela back to the security room, where she identifies Dr. Barnaby as the head of a United States research laboratory located in her hometown, Santa Cabeza in central America. Dr. Barnaby explains that the facility was attempting to mass-produce cattle, but instead caused a local wasp
species to mutate; the wasps inject eggs into victims by stinging them, the eggs hatch into parasitic larva
e, and the host is killed and "zombiefied" when one of these matures in the brainstem. One of the wasp queens escaped into Santa Cabeza, and the US government sent the Special Forces
in to stop the outbreak and kill any witnesses. Outraged over the massacre, Carlito released the mutant wasps in Willamette for revenge, and blackmailed Dr. Barnaby into coming to the mall, to kill him via the zombies he had helped create. After the true nature of the infection is revealed, Dr. Barnaby becomes a zombie himself and bites Jessie, but is shot in the head by Brad before he can harm Frank.
Isabela reveals that the zombie outbreak in Willamette is only the start. Carlito hid several explosive charges in the maintenance tunnels beneath the mall, the detonation of which would propel immature queen larvae into the stratosphere, potentially triggering a nationwide zombie pandemic. Frank is able to gather the bombs and carry them outside, where they explode harmlessly. Brad pursues Carlito, but while both are injured in the following fight, Carlito escapes, while Brad becomes a zombie. Isabela and Frank go to Carlito's hideout to find his laptop, which is controlling a jamming device and preventing contact with the outside world. Carlito is spotted on the security monitors, captured by the butcher, another psychopath. Frank goes to rescue him, and defeats the butcher, but Carlito is close to death. He gives Frank his locket to pass onto Isabela, and Frank promises to break the story of the Santa Cabeza massacre. Frank returns to Isabela with the locket and news of her brother's death; the locket prompts Isabela to the laptop's password, and she is able to shut down the jammer. Jessie calls for help, but is told that Special Forces are being sent in to cleanse Willamette instead. She is captured, but becomes a zombie from Dr. Barnaby's bite shortly after and kills her two guards, then is killed by Frank. A note from Otis reveals that he hijacked a military helicopter and flew to safety, along with any other survivors the player found in the mall during the game. Frank and Isabela hide from the soldiers in Carlito's hideout, but when Frank goes to meet his helicopter, Isabela opts to stay behind. The helicopter arrives on time, but a stowaway zombie attacks Ed, causing him to crash in the mall's central park. Frank slumps to his knees in defeat, doing nothing to avoid the small group of zombies approaching him.
from the available resources, which temporarily halts the development of the parasites. While accessing Carlito's laptop they discover documents indicating that he has placed 50 similarly treated, larvae-infected children with foster parents across the country.
While developing the treatment, the generator powering the hideout fails, and Frank goes to the clock tower in the mall's park to retrieve another one. On arrival, Frank finds an underground tunnel filled with zombies. He reports back to Isabela, who synthesizes an anti-zombie pheromone from the treatment's leftover ingredients. The two escape, but find the other end of the tunnel guarded by the military. Frank and Isabela overpower the guards and steal their jeep, but are pursued by a tank, which Frank manages to disable using the jeep's mounted machine gun. The Special Forces leader, Brock Mason, emerges from the tank and points its cannon at Frank, revealing that he was the one who led the original cleanup operation in Santa Cabeza. However, the tank's auto-targeting mechanics activate and point the cannon to an incoming horde of zombies from behind, distracting Brock and allowing Frank to close for hand-to-hand combat. Brock is defeated, and Frank stands on the tank, screaming at the sky.
The epilogue states that Frank managed to escape Willamette and reported on the incident, forcing the government to admit partial responsibility for the livestock research program and the Santa Cabeza incident. However, the Willamette outbreak is blamed on terrorists, and Carlito's infected orphan plan is neither confirmed nor proven false.
", Frank is forced to take on the role of hero and rescue the many people trapped within various sections of the mall.
The popularity of Dead Rising led to Frank being included in several other Capcom games. He is a playable character in the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars fighting game, with his special moves revolving around the use of zombies and the makeshift weapons from Dead Rising. He was voiced by Peter von Gomm. He is one of six Capcom characters added to the fighting game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
, a standalone updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
(in which he was originally supposed to appear in but did not make the final cut due to technical issues). Frank is voiced by Rikiya Koyama
. Frank West also appeared as a multiplayer character in Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
, and in the sequel, Lost Planet 2
. In Valve
's add-on content, "The Passing", in Left 4 Dead 2
, a message from Frank directed to Otis appears among other messages graffitied on the wall of a safehouse.
On September 15, 2010, Capcom announced that the second downloadable episode for Dead Rising 2
, titled "Case West", would feature Frank cooperating with Dead Rising 2 protagonist Chuck Greene, in a storyline set after that of the sequel. The episode includes a co-op feature allowing two players to complete the game as each character. "Case West" was released on December 27, 2010, and is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points. Frank West will also appear in the upcoming game Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, which is a re-imagining of Dead Rising 2 with Frank as the protagonist. The game will feature a new story, areas, weapons, vehicles, missions and bosses. The photography feature from the original Dead Rising has also returned.
. Despite its similarities to Dawn of the Dead, Capcom asserts that the concept of "humans battling zombies in a shopping mall" is a "wholly unprotectible idea" under today's copyright laws (see the Legal issues section for more information). Dead Rising followed on Capcom's other zombie-centered game series, Resident Evil. However, Guru Sarge wanted to show a more comical view of zombies rather than the serious view portrayed in the Resident Evil series.
A playable demo
was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace
for download on the Xbox 360 on August 4, 2006.
On March 30, 2007, a soundtrack featuring music written by Hideki Okugawa and Marika Suzuki, was released in a 2,000-copy limited edition. It was packaged with a T-shirt that showcased Frank, Isabella, and an outline of the mall.
, designer of Mega Man
and Dead Rising, wanted the main character Frank West to be different from the usual Japanese main character. Instead of having a young and beautiful protagonist, he wanted an everyman
that looked average rather than beautiful or ugly.
Frank West's default attire includes a brown jacket with a white button-up shirt, green khaki pants, and brown loafers. His appearance can be altered throughout the game by visiting the various stores inside the mall. These range from changing into business suits and dresses to donning different glasses. Many of Dead Risings costumes are references to other Capcom games such as Arthur's boxers from Ghosts 'n Goblins
, Mega Man X
–style armor, and a Servbot head.
was released on June 20, 2007
IGN
stated the game needed "a better save system, more intelligent NPCs, a more forgiving story progression, and tighter controls," but still called Dead Rising "one of the more unique and entertaining titles on the Xbox 360." GameSpot
said, "It's zombie action for people who want zombie action, and it's simply a great piece of entertainment."
A point of contention was the operation of the game's transceiver, specifically how persistent it is when ringing, and how vulnerable Frank is while answering any calls on it. While using the transceiver, Frank is unable to jump, attack, switch weapons, or pick up or use any item. Furthermore, if the telephone call
is somehow interrupted (such as being attacked), the call will end abruptly, only for the transceiver to ring a few seconds later. If Frank answers, Otis will scold the player for being rude, then start the previous call over from the very beginning. Numerous gamer-oriented webcomics and blogs parodied the use of the transceiver within Dead Rising. The Australian video game talk show Good Game
s two reviewers gave the game a 6/10 and 7/10.
. It ranked #2 in gaming magazine Gamesmaster's Top 50 of 2006. It also won "Best Original Game" of 2006 on X-Play
.
According to Capcom, Dead Rising had shipped 500,000 copies in the first month after its release, and one million copies worldwide by the end of 2006.
, Germany's board responsible for rating entertainment software, has refused to rate the game. Microsoft does not allow unrated games to be published for the Xbox 360 in Germany, effectively halting the production of a German version of the game. Right from the start, the game has been indexed by the BPjM as a document that glorifies violence, but has been available as an import to players of legal age. Following a decision of Hamburg
's county court in June 2007, the game has been prohibited in late August 2007. Therefore, selling this game in Germany is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or monetary penalty according to §131 of the German criminal code. It was confiscated by the police from all stores in Germany.
to both the 1978 Dawn of the Dead film and its 2004 remake
, sent letters on February 6, 2008 to Capcom, Microsoft, and Best Buy
, claiming that Dead Rising infringes on the copyrights and trademarks of these films. In a complaint filed February 12, 2008, to seek an injunction that would pre-emptively counter an anticipated complaint from MKR, Capcom asserted that "humans battling zombies in a shopping mall" is a "wholly unprotectible idea" under today's copyright laws; Capcom further pointed to the warning "label" on the box cover as a preemptive measure that was intended to separate the game from the films and avoid any customer confusion. The MKR Group subsequently filed a lawsuit in February 2008 after failing to reach an agreement with Capcom over the dispute.
The lawsuit was dismissed in October 2008, with United States Magistrate Judge Richard G. Seeborg
stating that MKR failed to demonstrate the similarity of any protected element of Dawn of the Dead to that of Dead Rising, with many of the elements MKR claimed were similar being part of the "wholly unprotectable concept of humans battling zombies in a mall during a zombie outbreak".
s, as the game had been touted as one of the first truly "next generation" titles available for the Xbox 360. On August 10, 2006, a Capcom representative posted the following on Xbox.com:
A week later, Capcom released a statement saying they would not be fixing the problem and suggested some DIY solutions.
uniform, wrestling boots, even Jason Voorhees
' hockey mask and Mega Man
's armor. Soon after Dead Rising was released in the United States, Capcom released nine downloadable "keys" to Xbox Live Marketplace
that would unlock different lockers
in the Security Room, providing the player with nine new outfit options. On May 31, 2007, three more keys were made available over Xbox Live.
, named Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, was released in February 2009. This version of the game came about after the positive reception of the Wii version of Resident Evil 4
. The game is built on the RE 4 Wii engine, and includes additional features from that game, including an over-the-shoulder camera approach and motion controls utilizing the Wii Remote
. However, the game lacks some of the features of the Xbox 360 version, such as the ability to show a large number of zombies on screen at one time and the photography system.
released a spin-off of the game for mobile phones. On October 4, 2010, an iOS version of the game was also announced. This presents a new game mechanic that allows players to call upon their friends via Twitter
and Facebook
to help revive them. If they refuse, the player will appear as a zombie within their friend's game. Complex operations are performed through context-based buttons. Similar to Infinity Mode in the console version of Dead Rising, the game features a hunger meter. Frank West is now required to eat food within the mall in order to survive. The game was praised for staying true to the sandbox design and plot of the Xbox 360 version, despite being pared down for the smaller screen and platform.
The mobile spin-off of Dead Rising was generally well received by reviewers, earning a B+ from 1UP.com
and a 7.3/10 from IGN.
, PlayStation 3
, and PC
, was released on September 28, 2010. Dead Rising 2 is set about five years after Dead Rising, and follows former motocross
champion Chuck Greene during an outbreak in the resort town of Fortune City, Nevada. The game follows the same basic setup as the original, with Chuck following Case Files to identify the cause of the zombie outbreak, but includes the additional task of finding daily doses of Zombrex (the commercially available version of Isabela's zombification suppressant) for Chuck's daughter, who was infected during an outbreak in Las Vegas.
Dead Rising 2 contains improvements to address some of the negative features of the first game, such as the small text size and how transciever communications were handled. The photography system was removed because of the lack of relevance to Chuck's character, but a system of "Combo Cards" was introduced, where Chuck could combine two items to make a powerful weapon; the example depicted on the game's front cover shows chainsaws duct-taped to a kayak paddle
. The sequel also includes two forms of online multiplayer: zombie-killing minigames based on a sports entertainment
show Chuck participates in at the start of the game, and two-player cooperative play. Since release, two downloadable episodes have been released for Xbox 360 (the second of which includes Frank as a playable character), and a re-imagined game due in October 2011 where Frank replaces Chuck as the main character.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
, survivor horror
Survival horror game
Survival horror is a subgenre of action-adventure video games inspired by horror fiction. These games make the player vulnerable by providing them with less ammunition and fewer heavy weapons than other action games...
video game, developed by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
and produced by Keiji Inafune
Keiji Inafune
is a video game producer and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising video game series...
. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell phone spin-off has been released. A sequel, Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising 2
is an action-adventure horror-comedy video game, developed by Capcom in partnership with Blue Castle Games, and was distributed by Capcom. It was released on September 24, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and September 28, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. The Dead Rising staff returned to create...
, was developed by Blue Castle Games
Blue Castle Games
Capcom Vancouver, formerly known as Blue Castle Games, is a video game developer owned by Capcom. As Blue Castle Games, the company is the creator of several successful baseball sports video games, including The BIGS and The Bigs 2. They have also helped develop Dead Rising 2...
alongside many of the previous developers of Dead Rising, and was released in September 2010.
Dead Risings story centers on Frank West, a photojournalist who ends up trapped in a shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, that is infested with zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s. Frank must defend himself from zombie attacks, rescue survivors, contend with crazed psychopaths, and stay alive while still attempting to uncover the truth behind the incident. The player controls Frank as he explores the mall, using any available object as a weapon. The player can complete several main and optional missions to earn Prestige Points (PP) and gain special abilities. The game is designed as a sandbox game and features several endings, depending on the decisions the player makes along the way. A Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
remake was released in February 2009 titled Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop is an action-adventure video game with RPG elements. The game is a remake of Dead Rising from the ground up for the Wii console...
, and a mobile phone version is also available. A sequel, Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising 2
is an action-adventure horror-comedy video game, developed by Capcom in partnership with Blue Castle Games, and was distributed by Capcom. It was released on September 24, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and September 28, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. The Dead Rising staff returned to create...
was published in September 2010.
Gameplay
The player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
is Frank West, a photojournalist who sneaks into the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, which has been quarantined by the military. The main objective of the game is to investigate the Willamette Parkview Mall and complete "Case Files", missions that advance the storyline and reveal the cause of the zombie outbreak. The player has three days to do this, at which point a helicopter will arrive to retrieve him. Time passes twelve times faster in-game (i.e. one day in-game is two hours in real time); therefore, the game automatically concludes after six hours of gameplay. If a player fails a mission, it does not end the game, but different actions result in different endings at the end of the 72-hour period. In addition to the Case Files, the player is offered the opportunity to rescue other survivors of the zombie outbreak, either from the zombies themselves, or from "psychopaths", boss characters who have either been driven insane by the zombie attacks, or are using the outbreak as cover for their own purposes. Alternately, the player can ignore all missions and play as a sandbox game; wandering though the mall (modeled on stereotypical American shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s), trying outfits and food, and killing zombies with a variety of objects.
A counter at the bottom right corner of the screen helps the player keep track of how many zombies have been killed. Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
reported that there can be up to 800 zombies on screen at once. During the day, the zombies are sluggish and weak, but at night they become more active, tougher, and more numerous.
Weapons and items
Dead Rising is notable for the hundreds of weapons that the player can find in the mall and use against the zombies. There are over 250 items that can be used as weapons, ranging from powerful to near-useless. Weapons will break down or run out of ammunition with use, and will break or be discarded (some of which break into usable pieces). Others can be changed by the environment, such as frying pans, which can be heated on a stove to both increase damage and gain access to a special move. Large items, such as benches or cash registers, can be used, but are not stored in the player's inventory and are dropped if they pick up or switch to another item. Many of the more useless weapons exist purely for humorous effect, such as a toy Megabuster, from Capcom's Megaman, that shoots tennis balls, or a glowing light swordLightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
toy. Other comical weapons, such as traffic cones and Servbot
Mega Man Legends (video game)
Mega Man Legends, known in Japan as , is an action role-playing game released by Capcom. It is the first game in the Mega Man Legends sub-series of Mega Man games from Capcom, and the first major 3D polygonal Mega Man title released in the franchise. It was released on the PlayStation in 1997 in...
novelty masks, can be placed on zombies' heads, causing them to stumble about blindly.
Certain books from the mall's bookstores will provide bonuses to the player, such as increasing weapons' durability or granting increased experience for certain actions. Food and drink items can be consumed to restore health, and can be cooked to increase their effectiveness, or blended to make different "Juices", which provide temporary effects to the player.
Experience system
Dead Rising incorporates an experience system based on "Prestige Points", or "PP". Completing Case Files, rescuing survivors, defeating Psychopaths, and killing large numbers of zombies all earn Frank PP. In addition, Frank can take photographs of the zombies and the mall, with photos automatically scored based on the presence of one or more of five "genres": horror (zombies and graphic gore), outtakes (humorous events or scenes), erotica (photos of female survivors or zombies, particularly those focusing on the breasts and crotch), drama (dramatic events, such as the survivors' reactions while in the security room), or brutality (deaths of zombies and other characters).PP causes Frank to level up, with upgrades to attack power, running speed, throw distance, health, and the number of items Frank can carry in his inventory. New moves can also be unlocked, which boost Franks effectiveness with hand-to-hand combat. Should the player start a new game, all experience progression the player has already made can be carried over to the new game.
Game modes and save system
Dead Rising features three modes of play:- 72 Hour Mode: Frank has three days to solve the mystery of the zombie outbreak. This is the main mode of play.
- Overtime Mode: This mode starts on the third day at 12:00 PM, which is only unlocked once the player completes 72 Hour Mode with all Case Files completed (Ending A). This gives another 24 hours of in-game time, and reveals the game's true ending.
- ∞ (Infinity) Mode: A sandbox mode unlocked by completing Overtime Mode, where Frank must survive as long as he can. Frank's health bar drops every 100 seconds, and the player must eat to prevent dying from hunger. Food items are limited, and the save system is disabled until the player's death. All characters (including survivors) are enemies, and will drop weapons and food items when killed.
The save system in Dead Rising allows only one game-in-progress save to be made per memory device and player profile. When Frank is killed, in addition to reloading from the last save, the player has the option to restart from the beginning. Any experience, levels, and unlocked moves are carried over to the new game. This is a deliberate game mechanic, borrowed from the Capcom RPG Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 game originally released on November 14, 2002. It is the fifth role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series.-Gameplay:...
(the two games share some development team members), and was implemented to give players a sense of responsibility for their decisions and actions.
Plot
At the start of the game, Frank West is flown into Willamette by helicopter pilot Ed DeLuca to investigate why the town has been sealed off by the National Guard. Frank observes people being attacked and eaten by other people as he flies over. The helicopter lands on the roof of the city mall; Frank tells Ed to return in 72 hours, by which point he should have enough information to break the story. Inside, he finds survivors of a zombieZombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
outbreak barricading the mall entrance; this fails when a woman attempts to rescue her dog, and lets the zombie horde inside. Only four people escape to the mall security room, Frank, Department of Homeland Security agent Brad Garrison, his rookie partner Jessie McCarney, and janitor Otis Washington, who welds the door shut. Brad leaves via the air duct to continue investigating, while Jessie shows interest in photos Frank took of an elderly man locked deeper in the mall. After receiving a map and two-way radio from Otis (who promises to keep an eye on the security monitors and alert Frank to any additional survivors or points of interest), Frank heads out to investigate himself. Before reentering the mall itself, Frank turns to attack something sneaking up behind him, which turns out to be Jessie, who falls and injures her ankle. She asks Frank to go help Brad, who is pinned down in a gunfight. Frank helps drive off the gunman, Carlito Keyes, and convinces Brad to tell him what is going on. The agent agrees, if Frank helps him track down Dr. Russell Barnaby, the man in the photo. Brad and Frank find Dr. Barnaby locked in a bookstore, who states he will not leave until safe passage from the mall is guaranteed.
The next morning, Carlito is spotted on the monitors; he has captured Dr. Barnaby and has suspended him over a group of zombies. Brad and Frank drive Carlito away and rescue the doctor, although Brad is wounded in the fight. Frank goes to collect medicine from the supermarket pharmacy, but is attacked by the store manager (a "psychopath" boss character). Frank defeats the manager and rescues a woman he recognises from the mall enterance, but she runs off. Frank returns to the security room and tracks her down via the monitors. After a fight, the woman identifies herself as Isabela Keyes, Carlito's sister. She agrees to set up a rendezvous between the two men so Frank can learn the reason behind the Willamette outbreak, but at the time of the meeting shows up alone and with a shoulder wound; her brother shot her in anger. Frank takes Isabela back to the security room, where she identifies Dr. Barnaby as the head of a United States research laboratory located in her hometown, Santa Cabeza in central America. Dr. Barnaby explains that the facility was attempting to mass-produce cattle, but instead caused a local wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
species to mutate; the wasps inject eggs into victims by stinging them, the eggs hatch into parasitic larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e, and the host is killed and "zombiefied" when one of these matures in the brainstem. One of the wasp queens escaped into Santa Cabeza, and the US government sent the Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
in to stop the outbreak and kill any witnesses. Outraged over the massacre, Carlito released the mutant wasps in Willamette for revenge, and blackmailed Dr. Barnaby into coming to the mall, to kill him via the zombies he had helped create. After the true nature of the infection is revealed, Dr. Barnaby becomes a zombie himself and bites Jessie, but is shot in the head by Brad before he can harm Frank.
Isabela reveals that the zombie outbreak in Willamette is only the start. Carlito hid several explosive charges in the maintenance tunnels beneath the mall, the detonation of which would propel immature queen larvae into the stratosphere, potentially triggering a nationwide zombie pandemic. Frank is able to gather the bombs and carry them outside, where they explode harmlessly. Brad pursues Carlito, but while both are injured in the following fight, Carlito escapes, while Brad becomes a zombie. Isabela and Frank go to Carlito's hideout to find his laptop, which is controlling a jamming device and preventing contact with the outside world. Carlito is spotted on the security monitors, captured by the butcher, another psychopath. Frank goes to rescue him, and defeats the butcher, but Carlito is close to death. He gives Frank his locket to pass onto Isabela, and Frank promises to break the story of the Santa Cabeza massacre. Frank returns to Isabela with the locket and news of her brother's death; the locket prompts Isabela to the laptop's password, and she is able to shut down the jammer. Jessie calls for help, but is told that Special Forces are being sent in to cleanse Willamette instead. She is captured, but becomes a zombie from Dr. Barnaby's bite shortly after and kills her two guards, then is killed by Frank. A note from Otis reveals that he hijacked a military helicopter and flew to safety, along with any other survivors the player found in the mall during the game. Frank and Isabela hide from the soldiers in Carlito's hideout, but when Frank goes to meet his helicopter, Isabela opts to stay behind. The helicopter arrives on time, but a stowaway zombie attacks Ed, causing him to crash in the mall's central park. Frank slumps to his knees in defeat, doing nothing to avoid the small group of zombies approaching him.
Overtime mode
Frank is saved by Isabela, who shoots a zombie just as it is about to bite him. Frank passes out; he comes to in Carlito's hideout, where Isabela tells him that he may be infected, giving Frank 24 hours before he becomes a zombie. Isabela believes she may be able to manufacture a cure, and sends Frank to scavenge items from the mall. Isabela can only assemble a symptomatic treatmentSymptomatic treatment
Symptomatic treatment is any medical therapy of a disease that only affects its symptoms, not its cause, i.e., its etiology. It is usually aimed at reducing the signs and symptoms for the comfort and well-being of the patient, but it also may be useful in reducing organic consequences and sequelae...
from the available resources, which temporarily halts the development of the parasites. While accessing Carlito's laptop they discover documents indicating that he has placed 50 similarly treated, larvae-infected children with foster parents across the country.
While developing the treatment, the generator powering the hideout fails, and Frank goes to the clock tower in the mall's park to retrieve another one. On arrival, Frank finds an underground tunnel filled with zombies. He reports back to Isabela, who synthesizes an anti-zombie pheromone from the treatment's leftover ingredients. The two escape, but find the other end of the tunnel guarded by the military. Frank and Isabela overpower the guards and steal their jeep, but are pursued by a tank, which Frank manages to disable using the jeep's mounted machine gun. The Special Forces leader, Brock Mason, emerges from the tank and points its cannon at Frank, revealing that he was the one who led the original cleanup operation in Santa Cabeza. However, the tank's auto-targeting mechanics activate and point the cannon to an incoming horde of zombies from behind, distracting Brock and allowing Frank to close for hand-to-hand combat. Brock is defeated, and Frank stands on the tank, screaming at the sky.
The epilogue states that Frank managed to escape Willamette and reported on the incident, forcing the government to admit partial responsibility for the livestock research program and the Santa Cabeza incident. However, the Willamette outbreak is blamed on terrorists, and Carlito's infected orphan plan is neither confirmed nor proven false.
Other endings
The above plot is for "Ending A", the canonical ending of the game's story. This ending requires the completion of all storyline missions (identified in-game as "Case Files"), along with two time-sensitive events (a request to talk to Isabela around 10:00 on the third day, and the arrival of the helicopter 72 hours from the game's start). There are five alternate endings to the game:- Ending B is achieved by not completing the Case Files, but reaching the helipad at the end of the 72 hours. Frank convinces Ed to airlift all of the survivors out of the mall. Text at the end of the cutscene explains that the cause of the outbreak remained unknown, and that other outbreaks occurred shortly later in other American cities.
- Ending C requires the player to complete all Case Files, but fail to talk to Isabela. A cutscene shows Ed on another roof, watching the mall for Frank to appear. The pilot is then attacked by a zombie. End text indicates that Willamette was quarantined because of an unspecified disease, with nobody escaping to contradict the story.
- Ending D happens if Frank is captured by the military (losing all health to a Special Forces soldier) and fails to escape before his helicopter arrives. Frank is taken away in a military helicopter, and while the end text admits that the military was sent in to clean up a series of incidents in Willamette, what those incidents were remains unknown.
- Ending E occurs if the player fails to complete the Case Files and does not reach the helipad on time. Ed lands on the roof, and is about to leave without Frank when the roof access door opens and Otis steps out. Otis, Jessie, and any other survivors are transported to safety, and while the end text has the survivors crediting Frank with their survival, his whereabouts are unknown.
- Ending F is the result of the player failing to collect Carlito's bombs in time. The cutscene shows a bomb timer count down to zero, followed by a white-out, then a photo of an explosion. The end text claims that Carlito's plan was successful; within days, the US was suffering under a widespread zombie pandemic.
Frank West
The protagonist of Dead Rising, Frank West (voiced by Terence J. Rotolo) is an overly zealous freelance photographer and photojournalist. Following a tip, Frank was sent to Willamette, Colorado, thinking that the incident was a simple riot. Throughout the game Frank attempts to uncover the truth behind the zombie outbreak. Normally an "Average JoeAverage Joe
Average Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.-Show Premise:...
", Frank is forced to take on the role of hero and rescue the many people trapped within various sections of the mall.
The popularity of Dead Rising led to Frank being included in several other Capcom games. He is a playable character in the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars fighting game, with his special moves revolving around the use of zombies and the makeshift weapons from Dead Rising. He was voiced by Peter von Gomm. He is one of six Capcom characters added to the fighting game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
, a standalone updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
(in which he was originally supposed to appear in but did not make the final cut due to technical issues). Frank is voiced by Rikiya Koyama
Rikiya Koyama
' is a Japanese actor and voice actor who is a member of Haiyuza Theatre Company.He has done popular voicing roles in Hajime no Ippo, Utawarerumono and Kamen no Maid Guy.He is also known by the nicknames "Rikki" and "Riki-chan".- Biography :...
. Frank West also appeared as a multiplayer character in Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3...
, and in the sequel, Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2
Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same fictional planet. The game was developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and...
. In Valve
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's add-on content, "The Passing", in Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It is the sequel to Valve Corporation's award-winning Left 4 Dead. The game launched on November 17, 2009, for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in the United States and November 20 in Europe; in 2010, Left 4 Dead 2 was made available to...
, a message from Frank directed to Otis appears among other messages graffitied on the wall of a safehouse.
On September 15, 2010, Capcom announced that the second downloadable episode for Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising 2
is an action-adventure horror-comedy video game, developed by Capcom in partnership with Blue Castle Games, and was distributed by Capcom. It was released on September 24, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and September 28, 2010 for Microsoft Windows. The Dead Rising staff returned to create...
, titled "Case West", would feature Frank cooperating with Dead Rising 2 protagonist Chuck Greene, in a storyline set after that of the sequel. The episode includes a co-op feature allowing two players to complete the game as each character. "Case West" was released on December 27, 2010, and is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft points. Frank West will also appear in the upcoming game Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, which is a re-imagining of Dead Rising 2 with Frank as the protagonist. The game will feature a new story, areas, weapons, vehicles, missions and bosses. The photography feature from the original Dead Rising has also returned.
Other characters
- Isabela Keyes (voiced by Kim Mai GuestKim Mai GuestKim Mai Angela Guest is a voice actress of European and Vietnamese descent. She is known to speak fluent French and Italian.- Anime/Animation roles :* .hack//Liminality - Narumi* .hack//SIGN - Subaru...
): The younger sister of Carlito. Very little is known about her, but she worked at Dr. Barnaby's laboratories in Santa Cabeza as a medical technician. She initially works against Frank and the others, but later chooses to aid them in stopping her brother. - Carlito Keyes (voiced by Alex FernandezAlex Fernandez (actor)Alex Fernandez is an American actor from Miami, Florida, known primarily for his work on television, most notably as National Security Advisor Anthony Prado on Commander in Chief and Rafael "Rafi" Alvarez on Without a Trace, as well as guest appearances on such series as House, The Closer,...
): The older brother of Isabella. Carlito tries to kill Frank and Brad at every turn, and is behind the outbreak in Willamette. Most of the game is spent trying to uncover the motivation and story behind Carlito and his connection to the zombies. - Brad Garrison (voiced by T. J. Storm): A DHSUnited States Department of Homeland SecurityThe United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
agent who reluctantly fights alongside Frank throughout the story. He assumes the responsibility of trying to locate Dr. Barnaby early in the game. At first he is uneasy to be around a member of the press, and even goes so far as to stereotype Frank as a crooked paparazzi. However, he soon grows to trust Frank. - Jessica McCarney (voiced by Laura NapoliLaura NapoliLaura Napoli is an actress best known for her voice and motion-capture work as Jessie McCarney in the Capcom Xbox 360 hit "Dead Rising.". She also appeared in Capcom's game "Devil May Cry 4" as the motion-capture actress for Kyrie and Lady...
): Brad's rookie partner. She is charged with watching the monitors for information on the people responsible for the outbreak. Like Brad, she is distrustful of Frank, and patronizes him for being a civilian. However, she grows to trust Frank. - Otis Washington: An elderly mall janitor. Otis tries in vain to stop Frank from chasing Brad back into the mall, and winds up handing over a map and spare transceiver. If Frank is unable to reach the stairs of the Entrance Plaza when the zombies are first let in, and instead is knocked out, it is Otis that drags him from the chaos.
- Dr. Russell Barnaby (voiced by Phil Proctor): A ruthless genetic researcher whose work leads to the events in the game.
- Ed DeLuca (voiced by Dave WittenbergDave WittenbergDavid Richard Paul "Dave" Wittenberg is a prolific South African-born American video game and anime voice actor with nearly one hundred titles to his credit. While Wittenberg was born in a hospital in South Africa, he was primarily raised in Boston...
): The helicopter pilot who delivered Frank to Willamette, scheduled to return in three days to retrieve Frank in return for getting a cut of the take from Frank's story.
Development
The game was mainly inspired by zombie films from the 1960s and 1970s, especially those of George A. RomeroGeorge A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
. Despite its similarities to Dawn of the Dead, Capcom asserts that the concept of "humans battling zombies in a shopping mall" is a "wholly unprotectible idea" under today's copyright laws (see the Legal issues section for more information). Dead Rising followed on Capcom's other zombie-centered game series, Resident Evil. However, Guru Sarge wanted to show a more comical view of zombies rather than the serious view portrayed in the Resident Evil series.
A playable demo
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
for download on the Xbox 360 on August 4, 2006.
On March 30, 2007, a soundtrack featuring music written by Hideki Okugawa and Marika Suzuki, was released in a 2,000-copy limited edition. It was packaged with a T-shirt that showcased Frank, Isabella, and an outline of the mall.
Character design
Keiji InafuneKeiji Inafune
is a video game producer and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising video game series...
, designer of Mega Man
Mega Man (series)
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
and Dead Rising, wanted the main character Frank West to be different from the usual Japanese main character. Instead of having a young and beautiful protagonist, he wanted an everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
that looked average rather than beautiful or ugly.
Frank West's default attire includes a brown jacket with a white button-up shirt, green khaki pants, and brown loafers. His appearance can be altered throughout the game by visiting the various stores inside the mall. These range from changing into business suits and dresses to donning different glasses. Many of Dead Risings costumes are references to other Capcom games such as Arthur's boxers from Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...
, Mega Man X
Mega Man X
The Mega Man X series is the second Mega Man franchise released by Capcom. It debuted December 17, 1993 in Japan on the Super NES/Super Famicom and spawned sequels on several systems, with the PC platform notably having the most releases within the series...
–style armor, and a Servbot head.
Soundtrack
Dead Rising Original Soundtrack was released in Japan on March 30, 2007 as a limited edition, bundled with a T-shirt. A non-limited edition of the same soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
was released on June 20, 2007
Reception
Dead Rising earned generally positive reviews upon release. All the reviewers commended the game's "sandbox" style mall to explore and the sheer amount of ways to kill the thousands of zombies. Most reviewers also agreed the save system, as well as the survivors' AI, detracted from the game's overall quality.IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
stated the game needed "a better save system, more intelligent NPCs, a more forgiving story progression, and tighter controls," but still called Dead Rising "one of the more unique and entertaining titles on the Xbox 360." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
said, "It's zombie action for people who want zombie action, and it's simply a great piece of entertainment."
A point of contention was the operation of the game's transceiver, specifically how persistent it is when ringing, and how vulnerable Frank is while answering any calls on it. While using the transceiver, Frank is unable to jump, attack, switch weapons, or pick up or use any item. Furthermore, if the telephone call
Telephone call
A telephone call is a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party.-Information transmission:A telephone call may carry ordinary voice transmission using a telephone, data transmission when the calling party and called party are using modems, or facsimile...
is somehow interrupted (such as being attacked), the call will end abruptly, only for the transceiver to ring a few seconds later. If Frank answers, Otis will scold the player for being rude, then start the previous call over from the very beginning. Numerous gamer-oriented webcomics and blogs parodied the use of the transceiver within Dead Rising. The Australian video game talk show Good Game
Good Game
Good Game is an Australian video gaming talk show television programme created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray currently on ABC2. It premiered on ABC on 19 September 2006...
s two reviewers gave the game a 6/10 and 7/10.
Awards
Dead Rising has won several awards. IGN awarded the title "Most Innovative Design for Xbox 360" in its Best of 2006. GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2006 awarded the game honors for "Best Action Adventure Game", "Best Sound Effects", and "Best Use of Xbox 360 Achievement Points". Additionally, the game won "Action Game of the Year" at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game AwardsSpike TV Video Game Awards
Spike Video Game Awards is an award show hosted by Spike TV that recognizes the best computer and video games of the year. The VGAs feature live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television. Additionally, preview trailers for upcoming games are...
. It ranked #2 in gaming magazine Gamesmaster's Top 50 of 2006. It also won "Best Original Game" of 2006 on X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
.
According to Capcom, Dead Rising had shipped 500,000 copies in the first month after its release, and one million copies worldwide by the end of 2006.
Reaction in Germany
Due to its graphic violence and thus obvious fulfilment of at least one of German BPjM's indexing criteria, the Unterhaltungssoftware SelbstkontrolleUnterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle is the organization responsible for computer game ratings in Germany.- Ratings :...
, Germany's board responsible for rating entertainment software, has refused to rate the game. Microsoft does not allow unrated games to be published for the Xbox 360 in Germany, effectively halting the production of a German version of the game. Right from the start, the game has been indexed by the BPjM as a document that glorifies violence, but has been available as an import to players of legal age. Following a decision of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's county court in June 2007, the game has been prohibited in late August 2007. Therefore, selling this game in Germany is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or monetary penalty according to §131 of the German criminal code. It was confiscated by the police from all stores in Germany.
Legal issues
The MKR Group, who holds the copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
to both the 1978 Dawn of the Dead film and its 2004 remake
Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
, sent letters on February 6, 2008 to Capcom, Microsoft, and Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, claiming that Dead Rising infringes on the copyrights and trademarks of these films. In a complaint filed February 12, 2008, to seek an injunction that would pre-emptively counter an anticipated complaint from MKR, Capcom asserted that "humans battling zombies in a shopping mall" is a "wholly unprotectible idea" under today's copyright laws; Capcom further pointed to the warning "label" on the box cover as a preemptive measure that was intended to separate the game from the films and avoid any customer confusion. The MKR Group subsequently filed a lawsuit in February 2008 after failing to reach an agreement with Capcom over the dispute.
The lawsuit was dismissed in October 2008, with United States Magistrate Judge Richard G. Seeborg
Richard G. Seeborg
Richard Gus Seeborg is a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He previously was a United States magistrate judge.- Early life and education :...
stating that MKR failed to demonstrate the similarity of any protected element of Dawn of the Dead to that of Dead Rising, with many of the elements MKR claimed were similar being part of the "wholly unprotectable concept of humans battling zombies in a mall during a zombie outbreak".
Text-size issues
Dead Rising has drawn complaints from gamers that have standard definition sets and smaller high definition sets for having difficulty reading the on-screen text. This is due to Capcom's decision to develop exclusively for high-definition televisionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
s, as the game had been touted as one of the first truly "next generation" titles available for the Xbox 360. On August 10, 2006, a Capcom representative posted the following on Xbox.com:
A week later, Capcom released a statement saying they would not be fixing the problem and suggested some DIY solutions.
Downloadable content
Many costumes are made available to the player once completing certain tasks, such as a Special ForcesSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
uniform, wrestling boots, even Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
' hockey mask and Mega Man
Mega Man (series)
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
's armor. Soon after Dead Rising was released in the United States, Capcom released nine downloadable "keys" to Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
that would unlock different lockers
Locker (cabinet)
A locker is a small, usually narrow storage compartment. They are commonly found in dedicated cabinets, very often in large numbers, in various public places such as locker rooms, work places, schools, transport centres, and the like...
in the Security Room, providing the player with nine new outfit options. On May 31, 2007, three more keys were made available over Xbox Live.
Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
A remake of Dead Rising for the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, named Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, was released in February 2009. This version of the game came about after the positive reception of the Wii version of Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
. The game is built on the RE 4 Wii engine, and includes additional features from that game, including an over-the-shoulder camera approach and motion controls utilizing the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
. However, the game lacks some of the features of the Xbox 360 version, such as the ability to show a large number of zombies on screen at one time and the photography system.
Mobile phone versions
In 2008, Capcom Interactive CanadaCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
released a spin-off of the game for mobile phones. On October 4, 2010, an iOS version of the game was also announced. This presents a new game mechanic that allows players to call upon their friends via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to help revive them. If they refuse, the player will appear as a zombie within their friend's game. Complex operations are performed through context-based buttons. Similar to Infinity Mode in the console version of Dead Rising, the game features a hunger meter. Frank West is now required to eat food within the mall in order to survive. The game was praised for staying true to the sandbox design and plot of the Xbox 360 version, despite being pared down for the smaller screen and platform.
The mobile spin-off of Dead Rising was generally well received by reviewers, earning a B+ from 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
and a 7.3/10 from IGN.
Sequel
A sequel to Dead Rising for the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, was released on September 28, 2010. Dead Rising 2 is set about five years after Dead Rising, and follows former motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
champion Chuck Greene during an outbreak in the resort town of Fortune City, Nevada. The game follows the same basic setup as the original, with Chuck following Case Files to identify the cause of the zombie outbreak, but includes the additional task of finding daily doses of Zombrex (the commercially available version of Isabela's zombification suppressant) for Chuck's daughter, who was infected during an outbreak in Las Vegas.
Dead Rising 2 contains improvements to address some of the negative features of the first game, such as the small text size and how transciever communications were handled. The photography system was removed because of the lack of relevance to Chuck's character, but a system of "Combo Cards" was introduced, where Chuck could combine two items to make a powerful weapon; the example depicted on the game's front cover shows chainsaws duct-taped to a kayak paddle
Paddle
A paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquids, either as a form of propulsion in a boat or as an implement for mixing.-Materials and designs:...
. The sequel also includes two forms of online multiplayer: zombie-killing minigames based on a sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
show Chuck participates in at the start of the game, and two-player cooperative play. Since release, two downloadable episodes have been released for Xbox 360 (the second of which includes Frank as a playable character), and a re-imagined game due in October 2011 where Frank replaces Chuck as the main character.
External links
- Dead Rising official site (American)
- Dead Rising official site (European)
- Dead Rising wiki