Dead Rising (Xbox 360)

• Platform:   Xbox 360
• BBFC Rating:
• Media: Video Game

In a nutshell:
Freelance photographer Frank West is stuck in a shopping centre full of zombies and he’s only got 72 hours to escape. How he manages that feat is entirely up to you, with his fate, that of dozens of other survivors and a legion of the walking dead entirely in your hands.

The lowdown:
Since this is basically an unofficial video game remake of Dawn of the Dead it tries to recreate all the major elements from the movie, including scenes with hundreds of zombies on screen at once. Given free reign in the shopping centre there are 250 different objects you can use to dispatch them but in the end escape is your own really option. The question is how you manage it and whether you properly investigate what’s going, try and help other survivors or photograph their demise in an attempt to win a Pulitzer. Although helping the survivors involves some fairly dull escort mission the only real flaw is the oddly strict save system which won’t let you save more than once. It’s not nearly enough to spoil the fun of a good zombie massacre though.

Most exciting moment:
Undoubtedly the best fun in the game is, much like Grand Theft Auto, not completing the missions but just mucking around – which inevitably involves attacking zombies with everything from a lawnmower to ladies’ handbags. Doing so with a cartoon head on and a pair of hotpants raises the level of surreal fun even further.

Since you ask:
Although officially the game is nothing to do with Resident Evil, the game contains a number of sly references to the series. One of the more subtle is the sandwich bar “Jill’s Sandwiches”, named after the famously awful line of dialogue in the original Resident Evil game.

The bottom line:
An action game with zombies, weapons and options by the hundreds.
HARRISON DENT

Dead Rising features an open level of freedom and offers a vast array of gameplay possibilities. As part of a real time system, time is dynamic in Dead Rising, marching on whether Frank is actively engaged or if simply stationary. Time also plays a role as zombies become more powerful when the sun goes down. Though they move slowly during the day, the zombies become stronger and faster at night, making it even more dangerous for players to survive. The unprecedented numbers of enemies come in never-ending waves and consist of a diverse population of former humans that have retained some memory of their previous lives, which is reflected in their behaviour and appearance. The variety of different stores in the mall offers players an endless supply of resources including vehicles, makeshift weapons and more. Players will also encounter other survivors along the way and by helping them can acquire valuable clues as to what has happened.

• PC & Video Games > Games > Action & Shooter