Dead Rising 3 (Video Game Review)

Dead Rising 3 is the newest release from developer Capcom Vancouver and publisher Microsoft that brings a little fun to the zombie apocalypse. As an Xbox One exclusive launch title, Dead Rising 3 manages to be bigger, louder and scarier than ever before.

Dead Rising 3 is a survival horror game that follows pretty much the same format as its predecessors. The new game is set 10 years after the events of Fortune City in Dead Rising 2 and throws players into the decimated town of Los Perdidos, California. Players now step into the shoes of an average mechanic by the name of Nick Ramos with a mysterious past. Your main goal is to gather the necessary supplies to leave the city before the army takes it out with airstrikes. Sounds simple enough, right?! Dead Rising 3 combines taking on the dead with a comedic style through the ability to create unique weapons and vehicles. This time around, players will have their work cut out for them as they take down hundreds more zombies that now have the ability to learn. Yes, zombies will even shoot guns at you!

The next-gen really shows its true graphical potential with Dead Rising 3 since it delivers a mountain of zombies on the screen while simultaneously delivering some of the best special effects to ever appear in the series.

Dead Rising 3 is a vast open world full of potential weapons to take down the undead that range from massagers to RPGs. Gamers are able to play how they wish, so if you want to take on hordes of undead with a bottle of shampoo and a pair of scissors, you can! Dead Rising 3's main focus is on its creative combat with the biggest draw being the ability to create and combine your own arsenal. The fun, however, doesn't stop there as you can massively pimp out your ride this time around. The map highlights vehicles around the city that can be used which are weak in their original form but get stronger after being combined with other vehicles. For example, players can combine a Steamroller and Sedan to produce the reinforced Turret Rig to mow down the undead. Blueprints are scattered around the city that allow you to create new weapons and vehicles alongside the ability to combine foods to create new recipes. Players will now craft weapons on the go which means no more having to find workbenches to create your masterpieces.


The game features Story and Nightmare modes: Story mode contains several checkpoints with the ability to save anywhere and play at your leisure, while Nightmare mode offers up more traditional Dead Rising gameplay that features a time limit that has no check points and is limited to saving in restrooms. Side missions will also be displayed as you progress through the main campaign which must be completed in a certain time frame with a bar that indicates how much time is left on it. However, the time for side missions is much slower this time around, so you don't feel as rushed as in previous titles. Side missions consist of helping survivors or killing Psychos--which yes, got even crazier this time around. Players no longer have to take survivors back to the safe room and this time will complete basic requests, such as gathering an item for them or just clearing out zombies around them so they can escape. While Story mode offers the ability to explore everything the city has to offer, players are still reminded of the seven day countdown to its destruction. As you try harder to just survive and escape the city, Nick is drawn more and more into a government conspiracy.



Dead Rising 3's new protagonist Nick isn't a hardened survivor like Chucke Greene or confident like Frank West in the least, since he can be heard whining and yelling out in fear for most of the game. The narrative takes place 72 hours after the most recent zombie outbreak with Nick teaming up with a small group of survivors to try and get the plane off the ground to escape the city before it is blown to pieces. From the get go, you are tossed into nonstop action and must think quickly on your feet to survive. You are severely outnumbered this time around, in a vast world that never gives you a moment to breathe. Every movement you make attracts a horde and they are hungrier, stronger and more terrifying then ever before. In the past, zombies were more silly than scary, but this time around I found myself jumping a lot more. The undead will try and pull you from vehicles, and even after being blown to pieces, will quickly pull themselves across the ground and take hold of your legs. You are not safe anywhere this time around which really cranks up the heat and the horror.

While many things have been improved in Dead Rising 3, there are a few things that suffer, which includes small graphical glitches like floating items, alongside the fact that getting through countless herds of zombies can become rather tedious. There are only a few spots that will have just a few zombies scattered about and taking on non-stop hordes was somewhat exhausting, but it does offer an opportunity to test out your cleverly stringed combos. Also, zombies are attracted to every sound you make, while this adds a new degree of difficulty to the game it also ruins some of the fun. One of the things I love most about the Dead Rising series is the ability to dress my character as insanely ridiculous as possible. In Dead Rising 3, I always felt rushed when trying on new outfits because it always seemed there was another horde of zombies coming my way no matter how many I killed. You just don't get the time you need to try on a costume in peace while gawking and laughing at how silly you look with a Lego block head, fur coat, sexy panties and stripper boots.

Despite its minimal flaws, Dead Rising 3 really takes the game to the next level especially with the addition of Kinect functionality. For a limited time during boss battles, players can taunt their enemy by shouting phrases that appear on the screen. Typically, you are usually already shouting at your television and saying "you're crazy" to the psychos you fight but now they can actually hear you. Another great aspect of the Kinect is that when you get frustrated after dying a bunch of times, you can shout "pause" and take a break. Xbox One also features SmartGlass functionality which is an extension of the game's UI on a second-screen such as your tablet or smartphone. One benefit of second-screen is that players can then answer in-game calls from other characters on their tablet which is really beneficial when you are driving or in the middle of a intense battle. There are also specific items located around Los Perdidos geared to making your second screen experience even better.



Cooperative play has gotten even better in Dead Rising 3 since zone requirements no longer exist for players. This means that you can do whatever you want, wherever you want! Finally! No more waiting on your slow co-op partner to come to a zone before you can proceed with the exception of main story missions. After completing a brief tutorial, you can invite a friend to your game who will step into the role of Dick. Also, an added benefit of having a partner is that it really helps make a lot of the game easier, especially when taking on those countless hordes of zombies. Another benefit of co-op gameplay is that their playstyles can compliment your own since the game's leveling system is totally different this time around. As you complete side-missions, story objectives and kill zombies you will collect PP. The PP goes into leveling your character up were you will get new points to spend. This time around you decide what areas to improve on which includes added lives, more inventory, melee or ranged skills or your combination abilities. This new level of customization really impacts the game since your personal preference of how you allocate your points will dramatically affect your playstyle.



CLOSING COMMENTS
In the end, Dead Rising 3 is a great sequel to the series and really wraps up some questions left lingering in your mind from the other games. Did I mention there are also some really great cameos? There is even a couple of cute romance stories to boot. Everything is better this time around with more customization options, improved co-op, an impeccable soundtrack, enhanced graphics and special effects alongside the addition of Kinect and SmartGlass functionality. However, these improvements bring new challenges which include a higher difficulty level and loads more zombies. Everything you thought you knew about Dead Rising will be turned upside down in Dead Rising 3. But you know what, Dead Rising 3 is a perfect excuse to shell out $499 for the Xbox One because you won't want to miss this spectacular experience. Dead Rising 3 is the best Dead Rising game yet and will be the first title you will want to play with the lights on!

Dead Rising 3 is now available for purchase from most major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 exclusively for Xbox One. 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

Score: 9 out of 10
Pros:

• Kinect and SmartGlass Functionality
• Improved co-op and gameplay
• Enhanced graphics

Cons: 

• Small graphical glitches
• Zombies are harder and more difficult to take on alone

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