[360] - Dead Rising 2: Case Zero Review

[modeps]

Title: Dead Rising 2 : Case Zero
Platform: Xbox 360
Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360
Developer: Capcom (http://capcom.com/)
Publisher: Capcom (http://capcom.com)
MSRP: 400 MS Points ($5.00)
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Writer: Arthur 'Tintivilo' Pelkey

Dead Rising 2 : Case Zero Review

Zombies. Sometimes you are scared of them; sometimes you just want to laugh at the silly little buggers, and sometimes you want to beat the snot out of them while wearing a waitress outfit with a cowboy hat covered in blood with a chainsaw taped to each end of a kayak oar. Capcom’s zombie outbreak series (No, not THAT one) continues with Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and this time it stars Chuck Greene and his daughter Katey on their way through Still Creek, Nevada. Stopping for gas in Still Creek was the first mistake Chuck made and he will have to use all of his resources to help himself and Katey get out alive.

http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/DR2CZ_1.jpg

Case Zero provides you with a taste of what is to come from Dead Rising 2 while also allowing you to take the attributes you gain; up to level 5, with you in the full version of DR2. Along the way you will get the chance to meet and save several NPC’s as well as face off with the familiar “Psycho’s” from the DR series. The cut scenes are great at setting the mood and allowing you to invest in the main characters personalities and history though the textual based NPC/Quest interactions detract from all of that.

Scattered throughout Still Creek are survivors just clamoring for your help, some aid you in some way and others just get in your way of separating head from vertebrae. Chuck must have been watching re-runs of MacGuyver prior to the zombie outbreak because he can take almost anything and put it together with something else and make it into a vicious killing utensil. Combining items to create weapons does not just give you a cool weapon, it also allows you to rack up the PP points that contribute to leveling up your character and increasing their physical stats as well as the special moves they can learn. Whether it is combing some nails with a baseball bat or a propane tank, you can expect to splatter blood to and fro.

http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/DR2CZ_2.jpg

You can expect to see typical Midwestern structures in Still Creek; an old gas station, a bar, a hotel, a casino complete with zombies going through the motions at the slot machines who are ripe for the battering. You are not tasked with taking photos of the havoc; that was Frank West’s job. This is very much of a timed sandbox game with plenty of fun to be had on many playthroughs with multiple endings that will keep you interested for a worthwhile time period.

While the cut scenes were great, the overall graphical quality is on par or slightly better than what the original Dead Rising had to offer. The sound on the other hand consists mostly of moaning and hard/sharp object meeting flesh, excluding the story advancing cut scenes the audio overall left a little to be desired. I can literally spend hours just killing zombies in different ways without even trying to advance the story line so the save system that Capcom chose to go with again is not a huge downfall in my opinion mainly because you keep your character attributes and money if you fail and need to restart the story. It seems there are two groups of people when discussing the save system. They either hate it, or are O.K. with it, but no one loves it.

http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/DR2CZ_3.jpg

Shortly before this review was completed; Capcom announced another bite sized Dead Rising chapter entitled “Dead Rising 2: Case West” jumping on the sales wave that was Case Zero; I can only hope this type of small investment but great fulfilling content continues into the future with Capcom and any other company that has the resources to do so.

This self contained chapter bridging the first Dead Rising and the second is well worth your money that will inspire multiple play-throughs to see all that it has to offer. You’ve spent $5.00 on far less substance than Dead Rising 2: Case Zero in your life. Pick it up because you like busting zombie head. Pick it up because you like Capcom. Pick it up because this is better for you than that Starbucks Latte that costs more.

Score: 4.5 out of 5
http://evavhost.com/public/45.gif

The Good Same save system as the original Drill Bucket Mechanic Attributes come for
the ride to Dead Rising 2
The Bad Same save system as the original Lack of item lock-on Text based NPC quest interaction detracts from the mood
The Ugly Motorcycle ride route looks rushed XBLA exclusive Little variety in zombiemodel/skins

[gzsfrk]

Great review, Art!

I really like this concept of releasing an "Episode Zero" that consumers can pay for (albeit at a very low price) to get a solid taste of the game before deciding whether or not the full game is worth more of their hard earned money. Sort of a hybrid of episodic gaming and traditional retail releases--I think this could be a solid sales mechanic going forward, especially if the conversion rate is high (buyers who bought DR2:C0 who then go on to buy DR2).

Also, I may have to sue Capcom over "PP points". We had a "leveling" system like this set up for my oldest little girl when we were training her to go potty. Prior art! :)

[pwnophobia]

Great review, Art (Tintivilo)!

Fixed that for you.

[LoTECH]

Yeah. The drill bucket made me laugh out loud.
Worth all 500 pennies I spent on it.
The review is exactly right. I'm not sure that being an XBLA exclusive can really be looked at negatively. This is a time when most hard-core gamers are not just buying a single system. There's no such thing as not getting an exclusive if you really want it.
My mom and dad haven't bought me a system in 20 years.
Not saying this is the game to male you get a 360, but do you really need a reason now?

[Johan]

HATE the save system, though I enjoyed the actual gameplay itself. Also hate escort missions with retarded AI (DR2 will apparently have this from the original).

Not saying this is the game to male you get a 360, but do you really need a reason now?

Everyone who wants a 360 has already had three of them. ;)

[LoTECH]

I KNEW someone would point that out, and I'm glad it was you, Johan.

[Lutheran]

Great review, this game is worth 10-12 bucks easy so its a steal for 5 IMO.

[Lutheran]

Also is the next 5 dollar DLC another prequel to DR2 or is it an add on to the ending of DR2 and will be available after that retail game is released?

[atariv8]

I thought the short length of the whole game worked way better with the play again and try different things design. I hope the final game breaks itself up into smaller chapters you can selectively go back and play over and over again. Some sections of the first game were so frustrating, I had a hard time going back to play again and again in order to try different things at a higher level.

[gzsfrk]

Fixed that for you.

No, actually you didn't. I had to fix it myself, you lazy sod. :p

[Tintivilo]

I'm not sure that being an XBLA exclusive can really be looked at negatively.

I went back and forth with that a few times, in the end seeing as the full Dead Rising 2 was available on three platforms, but Case Zero was not, I threw it in there. The more I think about it the more I regret doing that, maybe there should be a "It's a shame" bullet for the future ;)

[shadow763]

I enjoyed the price but didn't enjoy the game. The controls were not the greatest.

[Tintivilo]

I enjoyed the price but didn't enjoy the game. The controls were not the greatest.

I had two issues with the controls:

1) lack of lock on to things, which has been an annoyance of mine since the first one

2) there are times when trying to make tight jumps with little margin for error and the camera/control combination makes it more difficult to make the jump and gauge the distance, but over all it worked as well as most 3rd person games like this

[FreezaSama]

I enjoyed the price but didn't enjoy the game. The controls were not the greatest.

I'm still undecided. Everything seems more or less the same as the original game. What gets on my nerves is that they couldn't give me a god damned Dead Rising title without timing me on something. Assholes.