Dead Rising 2: Case Zero Walkthrough
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Priced at a mere 400 Microsoft Points, Dead Rising 2‘s Case Zero DLC punches above its weight. Commissioned by executive producer Keiji Inafune (of Mega Man and Onimusha fame) as both a demo and prequel, the software will introduce gamers to Dead Rising 2 protagonist Chuck Greene, he of frosty glare and frosted tips. Trapped in the arid, Undead-infested town of Still Creek (2 years after the events of the original Dead Rising), Greene must defend his daughter Katey from the zombie onslaught, introducing players to the game’s key mehanics (like item combination — see above) and enabling them to get a head-start on abilities, items, and experience up to level five.
Maybe more importantly, Case Zero is the storytelling bridge that connects the first installment to its sequel, filling us in on the carnage that transpires between Frank West (Photojournalist)’s escape from Williamette Mall and the Fortune City-based mayhem that Greene will indulge in later this Fall. Get going on your way to Vegas (avoiding Bat Country, perhaps), with this step-by-step walkthrough.
The Gas Station
You’re starting in a garage filled with tools. Most of them you can pick up and use as weapons with B . When you get out into battle, you can use the items with X , or throw them by holding LT and pressing RT .
First off, learn to build some weapons. You can create combo weapons by combining certain items at the work bench. Look for items with a blue wrench icon next to their names – these can be combined.
Only certain combinations of items can create new weapons. Start with a Box of Nails and a Bat to create a Spiked Bat, which is stronger than a regular bat.
ACHIEVEMENT: Creating your first combo weapon unlocks the “A Taste of Things to Come” Achievement. Combo weapons also earn you more points for killing zombies, which means you level up faster.ACHIEVEMENT: There are nine combo weapons in total. Building all of them earns you the “A Bigger Taste…” Achievement. Check the Combo Weapon List for a complete rundown.Explore the rest of the gas station if you want. There’re food and other items in the store section, and you can reach the roof (which is more useful later on) from the storage room to the left.
When you’re ready to go, take the door to the right of the workbench. Go through the junk yard (grabbing a sledge hammer and some other weapons on the way) and into the shed at the far end. There you can save in the bathroom if you like.
Leave by the door to the left and you’ll trigger a cutscene and enter Still Creek.
Fans of Dead Rising will recognize the way Case Zero plays early on. As you go through Still Creek, the town surrounding the gas station, you’ll receive time-sensitive missions. You can check your watch by pressing Left on the D-Pad .
In your weakened, start-of-the-game state, you might want to just go out and kill some zombies, and try combining weapons. The more battling you do, the stronger Chuck becomes.
You can restart the game at any time with Chuck’s amped-up stats and the money you’ve accumulated. It’s easier to get through Case Zero and earn the game’s best ending if you start at about Level 3. You’ll also need to play through a few times to unlock all the achievements.
On the main street of Still Creek, your first mission objective is to find Zombrex. You can explore some of you want (or kill zombies, or find weapons), but in order to complete all the objectives, you kind of have to hurry. Start a new game after exploring the town some when you’re ready to do everything at full speed.
You’ll also need money. A total of $6,000 gets you all the achievements and items you need later on, but if you get around $31,000, you can complete all the missions you need to do. You can find money by bashing vending and slot machines, cash registers and ATMs around town.
Case 0-1
Follow the main street, bypassing all the buildings. Grab any weapons you might need and slay some zombies as you go. You’re heading to the marker-looking part on the map.
ACHIEVEMENT: You’ll need to crack some skulls as you go. Kill your first 100 zombies and you’ll get the “Zombie Hunter” Achievement.ACHIEVEMENT: If you’re not on a story playthrough, go nuts — kill all the zombies you can manage. Rack up 1,000 — it’ll take you a while — and the “Zombie Exterminator” Achievement is yours.You’ll hit a cutscene when you reach the quarantine zone. It’s a bunch of tents near a bridge out of town, which is blocked.
From your place on top of the cars, you can see the way into the tent village. Jump down to the flat bed truck ahead of you to keep clear of the zombies. You can jump from car to car and then over the zombies to the fence beyond.
Inside the quarantine area, you can explore some if you want, but there’s not much to find. Instead, head left to the flipped ambulance. Open the back door with B .
Another cutscene rewards you with Zombrex for Katey, and Chuck also finds a wrecked dirt bike. When the scene ends, Chuck puts the bike in a bin and you can run it back to the gas station.
Case 0-2
This part’s easy. You just need to get the bike back to the gas station. Grab the bin with B and push it with X or RT .
The bin can knock zombies all over the place, protecting you as you barrel along the street. You don’t need to do much — just follow the street back to the gas station.
When you approach the door, you’ll trigger another cutscene. With the Zombrex in-hand, you’re ready to administer it to Katey at 7 p.m. The rest of the day will be spent finding the five parts needed to fix the bike.
During this section, you’ll also encounter other survivors scattered around Still Creek. If you can save them by escorting them back to the gas station (and keeping them alive in the meantime), you’ll receive some massive PP bonuses.
Certain survivors are only available at certain times, however. Move fast (and follow this guide) and you’ll get everything done with lots of time to spare. It’ll mean some waiting for certain events to happen, though.
Case 0-3
Head out of the safe house again. The first thing you’ll see is a man standing on top of a van, surrounded by zombies. This is Dick, your first survivor. You have to save him to complete the bike.
First, run up and kill all the zombies from around the van. When you’re in the clear, you can climb up on top by jumping up to the edge with A .
Speak with Dick by pressing B . He’ll tell you to let him know when you’ve cleared the way, and he’ll head back to his store, the pawn shop. Buying from Dick is what all that money you saved was for.
Kill any zombies gathering around you, get back up to Dick, and let him know you’re ready to go. He’ll hop down and run along the edge of the street to the shop. Your job is basically just to stick with him, and save him if he gets in trouble.
Dick will stop at the pawn shop a second later. Talk to him, then press B near the door to go inside. Dick won’t unlock the door automatically, so be aware.
Inside the store, you can buy various items from Dick. On the left side of the shop is a wheel for your bike – the first piece. It also will cost you $5,000.
ACHIEVEMENT: There’s lots of stuff you can buy here, including another hit of Zombrex you’ll need later and some weapons. If you spend $100,000 in the Pawn Shop, the “Small Town, Deep Pockets” Achievement will be yours. You’ll need to spend all the money on one playthrough, so gather up all the money you can and keep restarting the story to get enough cash.If you have the money — it’ll be easier if you do — snag it and run it back to the safe house. Take it all the way to the bike frame and press B to drop it there.
ACHIEVEMENT: The “Part of the Way There” Achievement is yours when you drop off your first bike piece.If you can’t afford the wheel, you can go get some money. And a quick way to do that is to go save another set of survivors.
Gemini and Fausto
There are two survivors in a bar, located beside the gas station. Check your map — it’s on the left side of the Department Store.
Fight your way into the bar — you’ll find Gemini and Fausto inside. Speak with Gemini, the woman in the red dress, and she’ll agree to join you.
To get Fausto, you’ll have to try a little harder. Grab a beer off the bar and give it to him after you speak with him once or twice.
Once you’ve fed Fausto two beers, talk to him again. He’ll puke and join up.
Basically, you’re sprinting through the clump of zombies at the gas station and to the safe house. Clear a hole if you need to, but Fausto and Gemini basically have enough health to make the trip without getting killed. Don’t worry about them too much.
BIKE PART: As you run through the gas station, check alongside the furthest pump, on the side closest to the garage doors, to find a Gas Can. Snag is as you run by. You can’t use other weapons while you carry it, so be careful.When you get to the safe house, wait for Gemini and Fausto to catch up, then go through the door. You’ll get a bunch of PP and about $15,000 as reward. Drop off the Gas Can at the bike while you’re here.
Now that you have money, you can return to the pawn shop for the Wheel if you need to.
ACHIEVEMENT: If you double back to Dick, you can pay him $1,000 for a tip on another piece of the bike, and another $2,500 for a second tip. Buying one earns you the “Clueless No More” Achievement.Head back outside. You’ll see a man standing on top of the casino — you need to talk to him next.
Bob
From the safe house, go toward the building the man is standing on, and cut left beside the gas station into the alley. On the right, you’ll see a Dumpster you can climb onto. Use it to jump up to the machinery on the wall, then up to the roof beside.
Run over and speak with Bob. He won’t go with you now, but he will shoot down at the zombies and cover you while you’re out there.
Meantime, time to get the next bike part. From where Bob is standing, go to the back left corner of the roof and you’ll see a fire escape you can jump to. Hop over there and turn right to go through a window.
You’re on the upper floor of a barricaded hotel. Kill all the zombies inside and turn left. Go to the end of the hall and into the room there, and you should find a Shed Key, marked with a purple icon.
With this thing, you can open the locked shed that’s located down the street, just before the quarantine area, next to the Hardware Store. Don’t go there yet, though.
Instead, go back to the fire escape and hop the railing to the left so you’re standing on the metal machinery you jumped to from Bob’s roof. Standing on that, face across the alley to the adjacent building — you should see another A/C unit you can jump to.
Jump across the alley to the other roof. Hop on and climb up.
COMBO WEAPON: On this roof, if you go to the right corner, you’ll see a little bridge to another section. Don’t go there — instead, look in the corner to the left of the bridge for the Construction Hat. You need it to make the Beer Hat, and there’s no other Construction Hat in Case Zero.Instead of crossing the bridge, turn 180 degrees and head to the left corner. You should be able to drop down to an awning over the street. Follow it and jump up to the rooftop of the building, and look for a hole to drop down.
You’re in Bob’s Hunting Store. Grab a sword if you want — or any of a few other weapons.
LOCKED DOOR: Leaving the Hunting Store through the front door unlocks it. There are four total locked doors in town: the shed, for which you have a key; at the back of the Movie Theater; and the front door of the Sheriff’s Office, across from the Gas Station. Unlock them all for the “Locksmith” Achievement.Back outside, head back to the Main Street. Follow it down past the Bowling Alley and look for a small shed on the right side of the street.
LOCKED DOOR: Use the key you grabbed in the Hotel to open the shed door.BIKE PART: Inside the shed are the Bike Forks. Grab the part and head back to the Gas Station. Remember that you can’t use any other weapon while you’re carrying the part.Okay, you’ve returned the Forks — time to go get the Engine. First, though, go across the street to the Sheriff’s Office. Head left of the front door until you find an alley. Climb up on a Dumpster you find there and hop the fence, then follow the alley to a back door.
LOCKED DOOR: When you enter the Sheriff’s Office, go to the front door and open it to unlock your third door.COMBO WEAPON: On the second floor of the Sheriff’s Office, there’s an office. Check on top of the desk there for a Shotgun. Combine that with a Pitchfork to create the Boomstick.Done here — now head to the Movie Theater. Check the map for your directions.
When you arrive, open the front door. Kill all the zombies inside — both the lobby and the theater. Fight your way through it and go to the exit door in the back left corner of the theater proper.
LOCKED DOOR: The last locked door leads you to an alley behind the Movie Theater. The “Locksmith” Achievement is yours for using that door.BIKE PART: Outside in the alley, you’ll find the Bike Engine. Snag it and run back to the Gas Station with it.That should do it for a few. If you’ve moved fast, you might not have anything more to do until sometime in the afternoon. When that happens, leave the safe house and you’ll hear Bob shouting at you.
Jason and Archie
Speak with Bob when he shouts at you by climbing back up to his rooftop. He’ll notify you of two guys he saw back behind the Department Store. They have your last bike part.
Jump down off the roof and head toward the Department Store, but take a detour to the unlocked Hunting Store. Inside, grab a Broadsword in addition to your own weapon.
You can either go through the Department Store and leave by the back door, or go around the back by following one of the alleys alongside it. Either way, fight through the mess of zombies toward the two guys barricaded in the back left corner of the parking lot.
COMBO WEAPON: If you go the alley on the right side of the store, you’ll run across some Parking Pylons (those orange cones), which can be combined with Spray Paint to make an Air Horn. Look on the roof of the Gas Station for paint.Speak with the two guys there – Jason and Archie – and you’ll ask Jason to give you the Handlebars, which he’s using as a weapon. He’ll offer to trade you for a Broadsword from the Hunting Store.
BIKE PART: Since we were smart enough to bring a Broadsword along, talk to Jason again and you’ll make the swap. You’ll get the Bike Handlebars, the last part of the bike. The two survivors will also follow you back to the Safe House. You don’t have to worry about these guys — they can take care of themselves, and quite easily. All you have to do is lead. Start by going through the Department Store.
TIP: Check the pay counter here for a magazine that’ll give you a stat boost for reading it.From the front door of the store, head to the right, past the Gas Station, to the Safe House door. Jason and Archie will kick ass along the way, so all you have to worry about is yourself.
Get inside the Safe House to save the survivors (make sure they meet you at the door before you go through) and get your PP bonus. Then bring the last part to the bike.
ACHIEVEMENT: Examine the bike again and you’ll watch a cutscene of Chuck fixing the bike up. You get the “Ready to Ride” Achievement for completing the bike.Now you just have to wait until 7 p.m. to give Katey her Zombrex. Meanwhile, there are two more groups of survivors to save.
Case 0-4
First off, you’ll need $25,000 to buy another hit of Zombrex from Dick. It’s key to saving the next group of survivors.
Leave the Safe House and go to Bob. He’ll be shouting at you again, so go climb up and talk to him. He’ll point you toward the Bowling Alley
Head to the Alley and go inside. Kill the zombies threatening the people in there.
You’ll find survivors — Nikki and Tia — inside. They won’t go with you yet, though. First, they want you to find their friend, Shannon.
Nikki, Tia and Shannon
Leave the Bowling Alley and follow the main street to the Quarantine Area; it’s the area with the tents where you found the Zombrex.
Before you go, make sure you bought Zombrex from Dick. If you haven’t, don’t waste your time going after Shannon in the Quarantine Area, because she won’t come.
You can give Shannon your Zombrex for Katey if you don’t have the money to buy the second dose yet. However, you must administer Katey’s Zombrex between 7 and 8 p.m. If you don’t, you’ll get the F Ending — the worst available. It’s basically a Game Over.
When you’re properly outfitted, you’ll find Sharon in one of the tents in the Quarantine Area. Climb up on the cars to traverse the street out front and get past the zombies.
Speak with Shannon and give her the Zombrex when she asks for it. She’ll join you and you can return to the Bowling Alley. However, there’s a problem — Shannon is injured and slow-moving.
There’s a solution to this problem, but it’s not great: you can carry Shannon. When you do, you’ll be without weapon, although you can use X to kick zombies out of the way.
First, pound a hole in the zombies so you can get out of the Quarantine Area. Pick up Shannon when you’re ready and dodge the zombies as best as you can.
Follow the street back to the Bowling Alley and get inside. Bring Shannon to Nikki and Tia and they’ll join you as well.
Go back to the front door of the Bowling Alley and kill the zombies in the doorway. When you can get out, pick up Shannon and tear down the street, sticking close to the buildings along the side. Nikki and Tia will follow you and you’ll be carrying Shannon.
This is the longest distance you’ll have had to travel with survivors up to now, and Nikki and Tia are pretty defenseless. Your best bet is to stay out of the main throng of enemies on the street and stay close to the buildings, much like when you helped Dick get back to the store.
Speed really is key. It takes a lot for your group of survivors to get killed, so just try to get to the Safe House. Tia and Nikki might get hurt, but they should make it without dying, which is what counts.
When you arrive, hop inside to finish with the group. Head back outside after that to get the last two survivors — Bob and his daughter.
Bob’s Turn
Run back to the Casino and climb up to talk to Bob. He’ll tell you he saw his daughter in the Hunting Store, which you’ve conveniently unlocked already. Jump back down and go there.
Open the door to the Hunting Store and speak with Bob’s daughter inside. (Grab a sword while you’re here, since it’s a great weapon.) She won’t join you without Bob.
Climb back up to Bob’s roof and talk to him again. He’ll join you in light of his daughter not leaving the store with you.
Lead Bob back down to the Hunting Store and bring him to his daughter. Talk to her again and she’ll finally join you.
Leave Bob’s shop and run across the Gas Station toward the Safe House. Use the sword to cut a path, but don’t worry about your team much. Bob carries an Assault Rifle and you don’t have much ground to travel.
Hit the Safe House with the last two survivors and you’re done. You’ve saved them all — and probably pretty quickly, as well.
ACHIEVEMENT: The “Still Creek Savior” Achievement unlocks after you’ve saved all the people around town.
Give Katey Her Shot
Should be close to 7 p.m. by now. If not, you have a few minutes to go screw around if you want. But you only have an hour to get back, so haul ass if you’re running out of time.
If possible, you’ll want to pick up some weapons before you go back to Katey; specifically, an Assault Rifle (check the Hunting Shop or Quarantine Area), a Shotgun (check the top floor of the Sheriff’s Office), and a heavy melee weapon like a Sledge Hammer (Junk Yard, Hardware Store), Broadsword (Hunting Shop) or Chainsaw (Hardware Store).
Also get food. If you need to, you can check inside the Gas Station store.
When the time comes, get back to Katey and press B to give her the shot. You’ll trigger a cutscene when you do, and meet the last survivor in town: Jed.
Boss Fight: Jed
Jed doesn’t put up a fair fight — he carries a Boomstick, which he’ll use against you excessively at range or up close, and he has a blow torch he’ll fire up on you if you attack him up close.
If you get into trouble during this battle, you can quickly run inside and grab food from the Gas Station store, or make new weapons at the work bench. This costs you time, though, which is what this battle is really about.
You only have from the time you give Katey her shot (at the latest, just before 8 p.m.) until 9 p.m. when the Army arrives back in Still Creek. You must defeat Jed before then.
An effective strategy is to keep cars between you when Jed’s far away, so that he can’t hit you with the shotgun. Get in close when you can and strafe sideways when he tries to stab you with the Boomstick.
With Jed’s guard down after he misses his attack, hit him two or three times fast with your melee weapon, then get clear. Unless you hit him with something really heavy, Jed won’t even stumble from the attack — and he’ll retaliate with his torch.
Circle away from Jed after you tag him and try to blast him with your guns when you can. Keep clear of his fire, though. You’ll need a double-stack of cars to absorb his shot, so try to keep moving sideways to avoid fire.
Hack away at Jed until you’ve killed him. You can get a health refill inside if you’re desperate, but Jed’s tactics never change. Eventually, you’ll wear him down and kill him.
ACHIEVEMENT: You get the “Chop Shop” Achievement for defeating Jed.After the cutscene, run inside and check the bike before the timer runs out and trigger another cutscene, and the escape from Still Creek.
Escape
The last thing you’ll do is drive the dirt bike out of town. Unfortunately, the soldiers have arrived early, and there are still all those zombies to contend with.
Luckily, your bike smashes zombies and soldiers alike, and getting away isn’t tough. You only have to stay follow the road to escape.
Gas the bike with RT and hit round the curves. Just keep going and try not to wipe out in order to escape.
TIP: If you can kill the soldiers with the bike, you’ll get a big spike in PP. Use it if you haven’t hit Level 5 yet.After a minute or so of running over zombies and dodging debris, you’ll round a corner and blow out of the Still Creek. If you followed this guide, you’ll get the A-Level Ending.
ACHIEVEMENT: Finishing Case Zero snags you the “We Ride to Fortune City” Achievement.
Combo Weapons
Spiked Bat : Combine a Box of Nails and a Baseball Bat. You’ll find these all over the place, and specifically in the Safe House.I.E.D. : Combine a Box of Nails and a Propane Tank. These are also all over the place, and found immediately at the start of the game in the Safe House.Drill Bucket: Combine a Power Drill and a Bucket. When you start at the Safe House, check the wall alongside the shed in the Junk Yard for a Bucket. There’s a drill on the hood of the junked car inside the Garage where you find the work bench.Air Horn: Combine a Parking Pylon and Spray Paint. You can find the Parking Pylon in several places, including in the alley to the right of the Department Store and in the Quarantine Area. Spray Paint can be found on the roof of the Gas Station: go into the store and use the door on the left to enter a storage room with a ladder. The paint is to the left of the ladder on the roof.Electric Rake: Combine a Leaf Rake and a Battery. You can find rakes all over, but specifically in the Hardware Store and the Department Store. The Battery, however, is much harder – there’s only one. Go to the Barber Shop and look for an alley to the right, which has a fence. Follow it all the way to the back, to the back side of the Movie Theater, and look for the Battery on top of a Dumpster.Beer Hat: Combine a Beer with a Construction Hat. You’ll find Beer all over (but lots are in the bar beside the Department Store and on Bob’s Roof). Get the Construction Hat by climbing from Bob’s spot up to the upper roof level beside it. Look for a bridge that leads to another building – you’ll find the Construction Hat to the left, in the corner. It’s the only one.Molotov Cocktail: Combine Whiskey and a Newspaper. Whiskey is in various places and stores, including the bar and the Department Store. Newspapers are all over the street, and in the work room beside the Hardware Store you’ll find both Molotov components.Boomstick: Combine a Shotgun with a Pitchfork. The Shotgun is located in the Sheriff’s Office on the desk in the second floor office – get inside through the alley around the back of the office. Pitchforks are easiest to find in the Hardware Store.Paddle Saw: Combine a Chainsaw and Kayak Paddle. There’s only one Kayak Paddle in the game – right outside of the safe room, check the right side wall of the boarded building across the street. It’s the one with the van in front, the one you find Dick on top of. You can grab Chainsaws from the Hardware Store, which is located near the shed and past the Bowling Alley.ACHIEVEMENT: Build all eight weapons in a single playthrough to unlock the “A Bigger Taste…” Achievement.
Did you find this information helpful? Check out comprehensive Dead Rising 2 Game Guide! We’ve got achievements, trophies, a list of combo weapons and more, all over at our Dead Rising 2 hub page.
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