Suffering from almost the exact opposite problem of fellow launch game Ryse: Son Of Rome, here we have Dead Rising 3, a game that looks like it would’ve been more at home on the Xbox 360. The visuals are not the next-gen, eye-sexing beautifulness we might have come to expect, but on the other hand, it makes up for that with more accessible gameplay and plenty of reasons to come back for Round Two with an online buddy once you’ve finished the fairly lengthy story missions.
Story-wise, there was a cure for zombieitis, but now it appears that it’s no longer working, and you find yourself holed up in a quarantined town, trying to find out why before the government blow you and the rest of the survivors (as well as all the zombies) into smithereens. One thing DR3 does have going for it is numbers, as quite early on you’ll turn a corner and find yourself driving into a zombie crowd of hundreds, and these crowds are all over the place, constantly halting your progression.
Not to be confused with po-faced likes of Resident Evil, one of the major selling points of the Dead Rising franchise is the customization aspect, and this time round that is taken to new heights. With over three hundred weapons, including the mashed-up ones that will have you squee’ing with violent glee, as well as the countless costume options and vehicles (which can also be mushed, creating some very interesting hybrids: flame-throwing steamroller, anyone?), you certainly won’t be getting bored or running out of things to do and find in a hurry.
The online co-op is fun, too, watching some new buddy blowing away hoards of the undead on the other-side of the screen, and the one thing that you will take away from Dead Rising 3 is the sense of fun. But overall it feels quite inconsequential, and while it’s probably unfair to ask for every launch title to be a ground-breaker, it does feel like Dead Rising 3 is content at just being a brainless way to help pass the time.
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Platforms: X-Box One
Genre: Survival-Horror
Rating: 18+
Presentation: 3 out of 5
Gameplay: 4 out of 5
Replay: 3 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
