Dead Rising 2 Review: Because It's Better Late Than Never

Dead Rising. Why do you make me do this? You have so many qualities I should like. There are zombies and weapons and uhh.... zombies.... yeah. And yet, I have to write mean things about you. So let's get this over with so I can continue mourning.

Before I get all preachy, if that makes sense, I will give the game some praise. Yes, certain things have been fixed, at least to an extent. If you ask anyone what their main issue with the first game was, it would probably be the save system. In a game that has you constantly on the clock, it is ridiculous that you would get one save slot. Basically, if you messed up or didn't have time to do something you wanted it would be time to restart the WHOLE game. Granted, you could restart with your current level intact, a feature which thankfully is carried over to the sequel, but it doesn't make it OK. You could also only save at certain designated points, which also (unfortunately) makes it into the this game as well. The difference now is that you get 3 save slots. I would rather have way more, but it works if you can use it cleverly. I would still rather be able to save anywhere.

The other new cool thing is the weapon combos that were so hyped. You can seriously make some crazy stuff. Wheelchair with guns attached anyone?The wheelchair bound have enough of your disabled jokes!!!!

Using these combo weapons also gives you more experience points than just using regular ones. The problem with this system is that you have to find workbenches to put these things together. Also, until you get or earn a combo card you have no idea what goes together and what doesn't. This means that you can waste precious time finding a new item, going all the way to a workbench, and finding out that it doesn't work with anything. Cue angry Chris.
See this thing? This thing is good. See the work room? That thing is bad.

One big significant improvement in Dead Rising 2 is the shooting. Instead of being stuck in place with sluggish aiming, you can move and shoot with an over the shoulder cam. The aiming also doesn't suck and getting headshots isn't a tedious endeavor. I actually enjoy running through a room crowded with zombies shooting everything in my path.

Now here comes the sad part. When Dead Rising 2 is advertised, they show you all the cool weapons you can make and what you can do to zombies with them. Unfortunately, that is not what the main game is about. Sure, killing zombies in ridiculous ways is part of it, but you don't get nearly enough experience for it. In order to improve, you have to rescue (still dumb as hell) survivors, defeat bosses, and (especcially if you want the good ending) do the main missions. This is all taxing as hell when you are on a time limit.This is so much fun!!!! Oh wait, I missed like... 8 missions... oops.

Rescuing survivors is nothing new. It was part of the first game, but no one liked it. It was one of the major complaints. Dead Rising should be about having fun, not babysitting. The thing is, that isn't even the worst part. The boss fights are freaking un...for...givable. For one, time still flows during them and some can last a very long time. The first boss I fought was on a dirtbike with chainsaws attached and I had nothing to counter him with. I would just have to trick him into crashing and hope that he wouldn't hit me when he corrected himself, delivering damage as he attempted to do so. A boss fight is broken when most guides tell you to try and take advantage of the game glitching and the boss getting stuck. Also, guns barely did anything to him. There's a word for that. I think it's "bullshit."

The thing is the game should be about having fun and killing things. That's what they pass it off as, but it isn't. The game is about doing tedious things that frustrate you. And that brings me to this. A lot of people complained about that kind of stuff in the first one and they didn't fix it in the second. In fact, they made it worse, and it's all because of this bitch:Katie, your character Chuck's daughter, got bitten before the game started. In order to keep her alive you have to keep bringing her Zombrex. You can either find it or pay a shit-ton for it. Here's the thing. Instead of fixing most of the tedious issues from the first game, Capcom went ahead and added another one. I know they are trying to create a relatable story, but they could have done it in a way that isn't annoying. It doesn't make you care for the character, it makes you resent her. This is why she pisses me off.

There is a way to make the game better, and that is playing the downloadable prequel, getting you character to level 5, and uploading the file to the game. This makes the beginning a little easier on you. The problem, of course, is that you have to pay for this, making an OK $60 game even more expensive.

If Capcom had fixed ALL of the issues from the first one, it would have been an awesome, ridiculous, over-the-top, fun game. But they didn't. The boss fights are still unfair, the AI is still bad, and the time-limit still is a pain in the ass. I have moments of fun, and what works does work, but it's not what it should be.

7 out of 10 dead undead zombies... get it? They are already dead!!!! meh.