Despite their obvious influence on Capcom’s other zombie franchise, the tone and aesthetic of George Romero’s films weren’t fully captured in any of the studio’s games until 2006’s classicDead Rising. Between its ham-fisted dialogue, over-the-top gore and action, and tongue-in-cheek satire of life in the 21st century,Dead Risingwas destined to be a cult-classic much in the same way that films likeDawn of the DeadandDay of the Deadcontinue to be, cementing itself as one of the Xbox 360’s earliest “must-have” exclusives. For many, Capcom’s decision to polish up and re-releaseDead Risingas theDead Rising Deluxe Remasteris like getting a new 4K remaster of a favorite horror film, and Game Rant’s recent hands-on with the title suggests thatDead Risingis the best it’s ever been.
Much like last year’s phenomenalDead Spaceremake,Dead Rising Deluxe Remasteruses its faithfulness to the original as a selling point, only smoothing out the few rough edges of its gameplay mechanics and giving the game a gorgeous facelift. While the core gameplay loop of being a zombie-slaying investigative journalist is still the heart and soul ofDead Rising Deluxe Remaster, the new character models and textures make the game look as fans likely remember it.
Capcom’s hands-on preview limited access to just the first 24 hours ofDead Rising’s classic “72 Hour Mode,” but within that window of time, it’s already readily apparent how muchDead Rising Deluxe Remasterimproves over the original. Aside from the excellent new visuals (which do a great job of highlighting the gore and detail in the many, many zombies on screen),Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s controls feel far less floaty than the original. Movement is more precise, which translates to combat feeling more visceral and satisfying. There’s still a bit of a loose feeling to how Frank West moves, but inDRDR,it adds more to the game’s zany sense of humor than it contributes to player frustration.
One of the more controversial aspects of the original game was the inclusion of several escort missions, with the character AI often leading survivors right into a crowd of bloodthirsty undead rather than into the arms of safety. The handful of escort missions that were playable inDRDR’s first 24 hoursimmediately feel better than in the original, with survivor AI being more responsive, reactive, and altogether sensible. Survivors also tend to hold their own in combat, and the new ability to see the durability of weapons (both the survivors' and Frank’s) means never being backed into a corner due to weapon breakage.
Aside from some improvements to the original’s few frustrating mechanics and a massive visual overhaul,Dead Rising Deluxe Remasterretains the core elementsthat made the 2006 title a classic.Dead Risingplaces a premium on time, forcing players to weigh their options in terms of where to go and what to do, but the fact that the game rewards players for just about every activity results in a satisfying feedback loop where exploration and engagement with the game’s systems are always incentivized. Players will still spend most of their time taking photos, picking up everyday items, and smashing them into zombies' faces.DRDRjust happens to deliver the best-looking and best-feeling version of this gameplay loop.
Even in its preview build,Dead Rising Deluxe Remasteris technically sound as well, delivering crisp 4K visuals running at a near-flawless 60FPS. Considering the number of zombies that can appear on-screen at any time, it’s no small feat for the remaster to both look as good and run as well as it does. It may have seemed out of left field for Capcom to revive theDead Risingfranchise, butDRDRis already shaping up to show that there’s life in the series' shambling corpses yet.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
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Dead Rising returns with modern graphics!More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in zombie-slaughtering action game series “Dead Rising.“This remaster has also been fully voiced, supports auto-saves, and has various other quality-of-life features.Witness the unmatched mayhem and freedom for yourself!Story:One day, the peaceful town of Willamette, Colorado, found itself put under quarantine by the U.S. army.Frank West, a freelance journalist, smells a scoop and finds his way into the only shopping mall in town.Unfortunately, the mall had turned into a living hell, crawling with countless zombies.Help will arrive in 72 hours, so it’s up to him to find out the truth behind this incident before it’s too late!Realistic graphics reborn through RE ENGINE!All of the graphics, including the characters and environments, have been renewed, and greatly improved over the original.Character’s facial expressions, material textures, and blood spatter all look much more realistic.Overwhelming hordes of zombies fill the screen with completely remade graphics!
