Dead Rising 3 features a brand new storyline for the franchise that takes place many years after the zombie outbreaks in Willamette and Fortune City. Players take control of a new protagonist named Nick Ramos, as he attempts to escape the zombie outbreak while rescuing other survivors and friends along the way. Dead Rising 3 has arguably the best narrative of any game in the series and is full of plot twists, surprises and comical moments. Sometimes the game does get a bit over the top and ridiculous with its action scenes, and though Nick is an interesting character that feels the most realistic of the main three protagonists from the series, he can be a bit whiny at times too. Any shortcomings Dead Rising 3's storyline has though is easily looked over for the good qualities the narrative presents for players.
Dead Rising 3 is all about open world exploration and fighting off hordes of zombies with any weapons sitting near the player at the moment. The franchise allows players to pick up nearly any item in the game to use as a weapon from baseball bats to plastic garbage bins. Additionally, players can use more than one item to create combo weapons that are more durable and powerful than basic weapons. Players earn experience points and money for killing zombies, completing missions and rescuing survivors, and experience points earns the players levels that unlock new abilities and statistical boosts.
Dead Rising 3 makes several improvements over its predecessors. Combo weapons can now be created on the fly, so players don't need to hunt down crafting table to make new weapons. Saving progress is also more efficient and can be autosaved after completing missions. Leveling is improved by allowing players to choose which statistic boosts and new abilities they learn along the way. Players can choose to increase their inventory size to have a more flexible inventory, or another may choose to boost Nick's strength with a melee weapon in order to deal as much damage to enemies as quickly as possible. The new feature makes the game much more strategic and enjoyable, since most player progression through the campaign with be different for each game.
The most prominent change for Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition is the Untold Stories of Los Perdidos add-on pack. The content adds Operation Broken Eagle, Fallen Angel, Chaos Rising and The Last Agent for no extra charge. The four packs were a major letdown for Xbox One owners that purchased the expensive Season Pass for Dead Rising 3 at launch. The content lasts briefly and doesn't add many missions that are any better than the content seen in the original game. There are some new combo weapons and vehicles included with the packs that can be used in the game's main campaign that are pretty exciting though. These include the Splitter firearm and the awesome Feastmobile.
Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition runs great on PC, but players need to keep in mind that the game is a next generation console release, so high end specs should be a requirement for PC gamers hoping to enjoy the same experience as Xbox One gamers. Dead Rising 3 has hundreds of zombies on screen at once, and the game is still capable at running at speeds of 30 frames per second on PC. The game looks fantastic, but the game loses the Kinect features included on Xbox One. Losing voice commands and motion controls are hardly a reason to avoid the new PC release though, and the added DLC for free is a nice bonus for gamers that waited to play the game.
Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition is the best way to play one of the best next generation console releases. The game is exciting and looks great when running on PC. Gamers will need to have a high end rig to match the same experience seen from the game on Xbox One, but the addition of the Untold Stories of Los Perdidos is a nice touch that gives players even more weapons and vehicles to use in the main campaign if nothing else. It's time to head to the after, after part in Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition available exclusively on Steam today!
Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition is now available for PC and can be purchased for $49.99. 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
- Next Generation Zombie Apocalypse Fun
- Includes Untold Stories of Los Perdidos Pack
- Steam Trading Card Support
- Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: PC (reviewed)
Release Date: September 5, 2014