Dead Rising 2 Review – Lead, Dead, Redemption

This is also the point where I need to mention that even though I find the story mode as well as some of the game design choices completely archaic, Dead Rising 2 has a different side of it altogether, and as I mentioned earlier, it comes in the form of zombie bashing.

It’s not everyday that I would give the recommendation that I am about to give, but the truth is that in Dead Rising 2, you may very well be better off leaving the story mode and missions alone until a second/third play-through, or, even altogether.

You see, in Dead Rising 2 there are a couple zillion truckloads of zombies that are in need of some serious skull cracking. This side of Dead Rising 2 is where it really starts to shine.

Dead Rising 2, as with the original, gives you access to hundreds of different objects in the world that can be used to deal with zombies. When I say hundreds, I really do mean hundreds. You have the ability to use an expected variety of ranged and melee weapons such as guns, knives, axes, bows and crowbars, although normal weapons are boring when compared to everything else at your disposal.

Imagine that everything around you is a potential weapon. Go on, do it, look around your office/home/cardboard box right now and let your creative juices flow. Objects that are usually nothing more than scenery in most games suddenly become a massive arsenal of potential pain. I’m gonna rattle off a few just for fun, here goes: flower pots, planks of wood, signboards, serving trays, skateboards, toy helicopters, bricks, chairs, tables, plates, pans, fireworks, lawnmowers, power drills, sports equipment… well, I think you get the idea.

Even better, is that Dead Rising 2 drops the photography element that came with Frank West and has now replaced it with the ability to create some pretty incredible weapons by combining different objects found in the world. These new found concoctions can be created by finding combo cards in the game and utilizing maintenance rooms around Fortune City.

Some of these combos are amazingly creative and will have you simultaneously covering your mouth in horror and laughing out loud when you see the kind of damage that they can inflict on zombies. Ever thought of attaching a couple of electric drills into a bucket, switching them on and then slamming the bucket onto a zombies head? I didn’t think so. How about attaching machine guns to a wheelchair, or creating explosives using a propane tank and a box of nails?

Better yet, getting kills with combo weapons rewards you with experience (PP) points and allow you to level up even faster. It’s a real shame then, that weapons have a limited lifespan, but no worries, you will just find something else to use soon.

Utterly obliterating zombies really is the order of the day in Dead Rising 2 and the sheer amount of fun that you will have unleashing the fury on a horde of dumb zombies is impressive.

Objects have other uses too, as food is also needed to revive health and mixing drinks in a blender can be used to give your boosts (in order to pwn more zombies). You also have access to all sorts of hilarious clothing items and you will be surprised at how amused you will be seeing Chuck Greene hacking at zombies wearing Superhero boots, tight hotpants and a cowboy hat.

Extra money can be made by playing the Terror is Reality game mode online, although I doubt that many gamers will really get any great play value out of the mode. Dead Rising 2 does, however, include the ability to play with a friend in online co-op and while I personally did not get the chance to test it out, I can only assume that it will make zombie bashing incredibly fun when done with a buddy. Being able to revive each other is also a big plus.

Last Updated: October 1, 2010