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Dead Rising 2

Dead Rising 2

If you love the smell of the undead and aren't too picky about blood and flying body parts you are probably going to be just fine in Fortune City...

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The original Dead Rising had one or two major design flaws, but perhaps it was in part thanks to these that the game carved its own rightful place in the history of video games. Now the original developers at Capcom have been replaced by an unknown quantity called Blue Castle Games and Gamereactor travelled to Vancouver for a closer look at Dead Rising 2. We met with Keiji Inafune, head of Research & Development at Capcom, and very much involved with both the original and the sequel.

"I wanted to stay true to the original and keep the fundamental design. Players enjoyed the game design. But Dead Rising had many restrictions, many areas that could be improved. It can be compared to the movie Evil Dead. The first film had a limited budget, but was popular enough so that a sequel with a higher budget could be made. More ideas could come true. That's also the case with Dead Rising 2."

Dead Rising 2

The protagonist of the original, Frank West, was a photo journalist who didn't let anything get in the way him doing his job when the zombie apocalypse hit the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado. He was forced to survive in a zombie infested mall for three whole days until a rescue helicopter was due to arrive. An unusual set up that was one of the major selling points of the original.

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Five years have passed and in Dead Rising 2 you will take the role as motocross champion Chuck Greene, as he tackles the zombies of Fortune City (fictional Las Vegas) in order to earn money for drugs that keep his daughter from turning into a zombie. In Fortune City there is a morbid reality show called "Terror is Reality", that Greene will be forced to take part in to earn money and this is also the foundation for the multiplayer component in Dead Rising 2 that was demoed at Tokyo Game Show last year.

"At first I wanted Dead Rising 2 to be set in an amusement park. I liked the idea of the peaceful characters of the amusement park mixed with something as horrible as zombies. It's a nice contrast. But then Blue Castle came up with the idea for a casino inspired world instead. Think of an adult playground, they said, what those that make you think of? The first thing that springs to mind is Las Vegas. After giving it some thoughts we went with it. When I think back on the decision, it was the right call."

Dead Rising 2

Fortune City is a much bigger zombie playground what we got in Willamette, and the range of weaponry is even more insane than last time around. Combining different items into new weapons is also something you will get to do in Fortune City.

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When trying the game out in Vancouver Gamereactor's Daniel Steinholtz commented: "Something that strikes me with Dead Rising 2 is how much more western it comes across compared to its predecessor. Especially when it comes to the controls, that know function like any other American action game. Less cumbersome, more user friendly, and better adjusted to a higher tempo. I feel right at home with controlling Chuck, even if the unfinished game still lacks that final polish."

Dead Rising 2

This may make it sound as if Dead Rising 2 has little in common with the original, but Keiji Inafune, has been paying Blue Castle Games monthly visits in order to ensure his vision for the game is maintained. But there are differences between Japanese and American zombie games:

"Usually zombie games come with an element of fear over there (Japan). Dead Rising 2 is more about having fun. It's about being able to laugh while killing zombies. That's how I want it to feel when I play Dead Rising."

And in Dead Rising 2 you will be able to share this fun with a friend in the co-operative mode. Just imagine the stunts you can pull on the witless undead with a friend at your side. Oh, I think we should stop right there for now... See you in Fortune City!

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Dead Rising 2

REVIEW. Written by Bengt Lemne

What happens if you put fireworks in the mouth of a zombie? Or how about combining a wheel chair with a couple of guns? Bengt researched this and much more in Fortune City.



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