As for the game itself, Dead Rising 3 will be the newest release for the Capcom franchise that saw its debut as an Xbox 360 exclusive back in 2006 during the first year of the new console. The new game takes place 10 years after the events of Fortune City in Dead Rising 2 and takes players a new fictional city named Los Perdidos in California. Players take on the role of Nick Ramos, an average Joe mechanic and one of the last remaining survivors of the zombie apocalypse in the town. Nick must work desperately to rescue survivors and escape the city before a massive military bombing wipes the zombie outbreak and town off the map, but Nick will have some help with a cooperative partner and even more mysterious non-playable characters that have entered the city for unknown reasons. Dead Rising 3 will see the return of the dark humor the series is known for in a gritty new setting, so the new release will have a chance to feature the best storyline the series has seen so far.
A large portion of the game takes place above ground, so getting around the zombie infested city will be a vital part of gameplay, but plenty of new vehicles will be included in the game and will be accessible for Nick, who happens to fix up cars for a living. This allows Nick to actually create combo vehicles such as the RollerHawg as seen in the Dead Rising 3 cinematic trailer that is part motorcycle with a steamroller on the front and plenty of flames shooting out of the side of the vehicle. Another example is the powerful Shock Dozer that combines a busted up ambulance with a bulldozer to produce some shockingly devastating results for zombies that come in contact with the vehicle. Each combo vehicle also has two seats and primary attacks with secondary options to give cooperative players something to do while riding around the large new map. One of the attacks include an electrified laser mounted on the previously mentioned Shock Dozer. With plenty of abandoned vehicles and auto repair shops around the city, players shouldn't have too much trouble moving from one part of Los Perdidos to another.
The most important improvement Dead Rising 3 has made from the last game is with combo weapons. Maintenance rooms have now been removed from the game, and new weapons can be built on the fly assuming the items needed are in the player's inventory. Dead Rising 3 has definitely included plenty of humor in its items as well; players can combine a car battery with a green monster mask to create the Rolling Thunder item from Dead Rising 2, but in this game, Nick can equip the mask to perform an electric shock attack similar to that of another famous Capcom character, Blanka, from Street Fighter. Nick can also perform other Street Fighter moves by combining a motorcycle engine with boxing gloves to create the Dragon Punch that features an attack that is awfully reminiscent of Ken and Ryu's skyward uppercuts. The combo weapons system has been modified to allow more freedom to use different items to create the same items, such as replacing an item recipe that requires a car battery with a flashlight, as characters level. One other great innovation now allows for some of the most powerful weapons in the game to be created with more than two items such as the Massive Bomb that explodes and obliterates any zombies in the area along with the players' clothes.
Cooperative play has received some much needed improvements for Dead Rising 3. When a second player joins the game, they will assume the role of Dick, a wise-cracking truck driver that isn't thrilled about teaming up with Nick but realizes he has no better options. The second player will now be able to take any items earned in single player or cooperative matches into new sessions, and any experience points, levels, completed missions, weapons or other items earned during a multiplayer session will be saved and added to the current progress of a single player campaign. This makes the transition from one game to another seamless and allows players to continue playing without their buddies or go back and replay the best missions at any time.
Other noteworthy changes are coming to the campaign in Dead Rising 3 as well that includes new zombies. There will now be more zombies on screen than ever before, which can make getting from one place to another more challenging, and even when riding in a vehicle, zombies can cling to the ride and make steering the vehicle much more difficult than in previous games. The zombie models have changed for the new release with plenty of variants that make it much more difficult to spot duplicates, though there are some new boss zombies that can cause major problems for players. One special zombie is dressed in a full football uniform that makes it more difficult to kill obviously, and to make matters worse, the zombie will lunge, tackle and pummel any players that get in range. Another special zombie can be seen walking around with various firearms equipped and can shoot the gun off at random and possibly hit the player, so taking the weapon from the zombie won't be as easy as in previous entries in the series.
The campaign's timer has been removed despite the feature being included in every previous Dead Rising title up until now. This allows players to freely explore the world of Los Perdidos at their leisure and discover all of the various businesses and secrets located in the world. Players looking for the classic Dead Rising gameplay won't be too disappointed though, since the timer can be brought back in the difficult Nightmare Mode included in the new release. Saves can now be performed anywhere on the map rather than forcing players to search for a restroom to make the game more accessible to all gamers. Another significant change is the new Kinect support that allows players to scream out orders to fellow survivors or alert zombies to their presence if they're not careful. Xbox SmartGlass integration is also a big part of the new release and allows players to perform a variety of actions from their tablet or mobile device. Players can view the in-game map and set waypoints, gain access to exclusive missions that take advantage of the technology and even use new weapons to call in air strikes to wipe out hordes of zombies at once.
Dead Rising 3 has made numerous strides from its last release, and fans of the series definitely will be rewarded for their patience while waiting for a new game in the series. Dead Rising 3 has improved the series in nearly every way imaginable including cooperative match enhancements, new combo and super combo weapons, polished gameplay and making a world that all players can enjoy. Dead Rising 3 is also setting the bar for what games can do with the new technology of the Xbox One and Microsoft's vision for the Kinect, Xbox SmartGlass app and the power of their new console. Xbox One has a strong list of launch titles scheduled to release alongside the console on November 22, but Dead Rising 3 is looking like it could be the best of the bunch, especially for horror and zombie fans. Look for the exciting release of Dead Rising 3 this November!
Dead Rising 3 is now available for preorder from most major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and is scheduled to release exclusively for Xbox One on November 22, 2013. Dead Rising 3 is rated M by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language & Use of Alcohol. For more information on the game, check out the official Dead Rising 3 website.
Game Features:
- Online Multiplayer 1-2
- Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass Support
- Online Leader boards
- DLC Support
- Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Available exclusively for Xbox One
Release Date: November 22, 2013