If there ever was a doubt in my mind about Dead Rising 2, receiving hands-on with the title helped erase it. Providing a 10-minute demonstration of pure mayhem on the streets of Sin City, Dead Rising 2 has definitely turned a corner and is now on the must-watch list.
One of the bright spots of Dead Rising 2 is the inclusion of combination weapons that crank up the violence and campiness of the series. Let’ say, perhaps, that there are waves of zombies in front of you and the normal sledgehammer isn’t cutting it. Well, there’s nothing better to pull out the “paddlesaw,” a combination weapon, and swim through the enemies without any hesitation.
Rock the house!
The combination weapons can either be created by the user themselves or they could go to the pawn shop and pay with in-game currency. For players to create the weapon, they’ll first need to have the combo card to combine the two weapons. Cards can be found by looking at movie posters and other objects in the environment. Once the card is found, then players must take to the two weapons and join them at a work bench. If the combo cards are any evidence at the new level of upgrading of our hero, then gamers are in for a real treat.
The many combo weapons that I was able to play with included: Knife Gloves (boxing gloves and bowie knives), Electric Rake (garden rake and generator), IED (nails and propane tank), the Portamower (base of a lawnmower) and Fireworks Bazooka (rocket launcher and fireworks). Of the many I used, the Knife Gloves were the most appealing with its Wolverine-esque claws that tore through the abdomen of the enemies with ease, even with the limited one-two combo provided. The most disappointing was the Portamower as the player takes the mower, puts it on top of the head of the zombie, and drags it all the way to the ground. The end result of a missing zombie wasn’t what I had envisioned when I picked up the combo weapon.
Greene showing off his motor skills
The only uncertainty was the new protagonist that goes by the name of Chuck Greene. The problem Greene is going to run across is trying to live up to the legendary name of Frank West – the hero from the original. Hopefully Dead Rising 2: Case Zero can tie up the loose ends of Frank West so faithful fans aren’t too angered with the switcheroo Capcom has done with the heroes.
When the 10-minute demo was complete, along with the goal of 20,000 PP (points to tally up), it’s apparent that Blue Castle Games has kept Dead Rising 2 along the lines of the original in style and attitude. The only issue left to address is the save system. Here’s hoping Blue Castle Games has their mind on the right track with an overhaul of the original save system.
Dead Rising 2 is set to release on September 30 in the US for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
