“Dead Rising 3” Review

Capcom’s Dead Rising 3 was probably the biggest exclusive game to release alongside the Xbox ONE. A possible system seller. Although Dead Rising 3 may not be the game to show off the full potential of next-gen graphics, it is a game with a real sense of overwhelming scale, tension and gives you hours upon hours of fun. Playing it, you become lost in a city overrun by zombies and a huge arsenal of weapons to enjoy hacking them to pieces with. How much more do you need from a zombie action game?

 

You are Nick Ramos, an orphan mechanic trapped in the fictional city of Los Perdidos which has completely fallen to a zombie outbreak. The story has twists and turns along the way but mainly focuses on trying to escape the city and finding out the truth of the outbreak and your own past. Although the story may not grab you at first as perhaps past Dead Rising games have, when you encounter more characters and more plots start to develop it becomes a more engrossing tale. References and sub plots that continue from the previous two games make it really feel part of the Dead Rising story.

 

The changes to the Dead Rising formula are all great. No longer do you feel hindered by a timer. There is a time limit of sorts but only really matters for side missions, of which there are plenty. The main mission (in normal story mode) seem to have no real limit as long as you don’t waste a huge amount of time exploring the city and not progressing the story. I never felt in a rush and enjoyed my time instead of feeling I had to rush from place to place. An auto save system and the ability to save whenever and wherever you want does remove some the tension but means you can take more risks and push yourself as far as you desire in the knowledge you won’t lose much progress. For those people who would prefer the old style Dead Rising, Nightmare mode is available which reverts the game to a more classic style.

 

While graphically the game is not the biggest spectacle it makes up for with the huge amount of zombies on screen at any time. This is the biggest strength of the game. The sheer amount of enemies is eye water and hopefully is a good sign of things to come from the console in the future. Hundreds of zombie line the streets and one wrong move can land you in a whole world of trouble. Slaughtering zombies by the thousands has never been such fun but the game does lack difficulty at times.

 

Luckily the game offers 101 combo weapons to combat the infected with. From old favourites like the spiked bat to the elemental staff and ultimate mecha dragon. 11 combo vehicles not only gives you great modes of transport but killing machines ready to rip threw the hordes of the undead. No longer are you forced to carry useless items around to work benches to craft weapons. You search the map for blueprints which have the items for the item around them giving you instant access to the weapon as soon as you find it. The blueprints are scatter all over the city and give you a real reason to explore everywhere to find what other cool weapon you can find. Once you pick up or craft a weapon you can equip it again from a supply locker which are located in the safe houses around the city. The safe house also lets you change your clothing option (which there is hundreds of clothing items to choose from) and form or disband your party of survivors you have saved.

 

 

 

There is a good amount of side content that come in the form of side missions. Some only taking a few minutes to others spanning across the city, simply saving survivors or doing PP challenge where are set restrictions to while killing a set number of zombies. The psychopaths also make a triumphant return. All are unique and slightly less over the top and offer different challenge to each boss fight. Co-op is also available letting players tackle the whole game with a friend and tearing the zombies apart is great fun as you tackle the hordes together. Although the map may not be on Grand Theft Auto V scale, there is so much to collect and explore that you gain plenty of value for your money. With Nightmare mode, co-op, the side content, collectables and the use of Smartglass which gives you even more side mission. If you find yourself in love with the game there is plenty here to keep you going for hours of enjoyment.

 

Verdict:

Dead Rising 3 is a great time. Not the most impressive graphically but the huge amount of zombies, weapons and missions the game makes you forget any miss steps it has. It is bonkers at times that remains true to the franchise but removes a lot of the shackles that have held it back and put off many players in the past. If you own an Xbox ONE this is a must own.

8/10