Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (XBLA) Review

With so many fans waiting for Dead Rising 2, Capcom was smart and released a downloadable game to tide over fans who just can't wait to get their hands on the zombie killing action that is Dead Rising. It's a great way for them to make some extra cash too!

Developed by Blue Castle Games Inc., and published by Capcom, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (DR2:CZ) hits the virtual shelves with the downloadable prequel to Dead Rising 2. The game to tide over fans features most of the new things that will be in Dead Rising 2 and gives us a little taste of the story in the prequel to this year's full game to come.

DR2:CZ follows Chuck Greene and his daughter Katey's journey to the small town of Still Creek. The pair are escaping from Las Vegas' recent zombie outbreak and are hoping to find some rest in Still Creek. If this were to happen what fun would the game be though right? Of course there are thousands upon thousands of zombies in the small town. The amount of zombies is much more than the town's population which is one thing that doesn't make much sense. While Chuck goes out to fight zombies he must also find some Zombrex for Katey who was bitten back in Vegas. After enough slaying and saving of survivors the pair finally get to escape from Still Creek.

The gameplay is that of the original Dead Rising but with a few new features to keep things fresh. The game still plays the same in the controls for attacking and trying to help people out. The series still has all the bloody, brutal gore everyone loves, and the wild sense of humour that was found in the first title. The main new feature to the gameplay though, is the ability to combo two weapons together. With most combinations of stuff the player can make Chuck fuze the items together to make an every more badass way of destroying zombies. One that really stands out is taking a baseball bat and jamming it with nails. This makes for endless new ways to kill zombies keeping interest in the game.

Zombies aren't the only threat in Still Creek.

Visuals in the game have the same style as the original Dead Rising, but taken up to a newer level. The graphics are much shinier and don't seem as dark styled. But still the visuals remain slightly cartoon-ish in a way that makes it still seem like Dead Rising. In the cutscenes however, there are a few choppy areas where object will go right through each other, or things will randomly appear/re-appear.

Speaking of the cutscenes, the voice acting in the game isn't really great. They seem very typical and don't feel strong enough to support a prequel to what will be one of this years' biggest game releases. Keeping with audio in the game. The sound effects in the game are kind of typical of this style of game. Much of the hitting sounds are very similar and some of them seem to be the exact same as that of the original Dead Rising. Also, music isn't even noted .There is so little of it and it is so unforgetable when there is.

One very cool feature to this downloadable game is the fact that all PP, money, combo cards, and clothing earned in DR2:CZ will carry into the player's DR2 game. And considering DR2:CZ only costs 400 Microsoft Points, or around 5 bucks, you can't really go wrong, especially if you are a fan of Dead Rising and can't handle the wait any longer.

Overall, DR2:CZ will tide over all fans of the game who are waiting for the release. But with weak audio, and little difference compared to the original game, new players won't feel the need for this particular title. But for fans, you will greatly enjoy this little taste of the new game. Go check it out if the wait is too much!

-Jeremy M.