REVIEW - Dead Rising 3 (Xbox One)

 Another article from our friend Sunny. This time his thoughts on Capcom's Xbox One exclusive zombie killin' sequel.

To me, the Dead Rising series has been an interesting roller coaster ride. The first game was the first 360 game to really make the 7th generation look like the future. The second Dead Rising wasn’t my thing. I already wasn’t a fan of timed missions, but the Zombrex missions were a step too far. Finally, DR2: Off the Record gave us the sandbox mode that made me love the game. Plus, Frank West is a badass.

Dead Rising 3 was initially said to part from the series’ usual silliness and be “gritty” and serious. This is not the case. At all. For better or for worse, this entry is possibly the most nonsensical zombie slaughtering fun of them all. Nick is our main character, as skilled mechanic, yet completely new to zombie killin’, he is given the task of getting his group of survivors out of Los Perdidos before it is bombed. Not a revolutionary story at all, more of a parody of zombie apocalypse flicks, but it works. The voice acting is good, even in the side missions, and the writing is serviceable. Nothing stands out as “bad,” but nothing screams “great,” either.

On the other hand, what narrative justification do you need for this?

Simply put, the city is fun. There are challenges, side missions, and psycho battles. The really impressive feat is the amount of zombies on-screen. This very aspect is what makes this game truly a “next generation” experience. Dead Rising 3 may not have look astonishing like Killzone or Ryse, but all those zombies, man. I distinctly remember pulling up to a bridge that was quite literally covered with zombies. With my new turret-car-tank combo vehicle, I plowed through the sea of zombies, blasting away with the turret, using the vehicle’s giant swinging blades. By the time I was through half of the bridge, my zombie kill count had gone up by over a thousand, this was my first “wow” of the new generation.

Pardon me, just passin' through.

While I enjoyed the locations, the map layout was lousy. There’s far too much zigzagging and snaking through barricades. I suppose this makes sense, being in the midst of an apocalypse, but after hours of having to go around a barricade at every other corner, going on foot starts to sound much more appealing.

This game excels in the gameplay department. The killing is fun, and the combos are plenty. Hacking and slashing may appear boring to some, but with just over a hundred combination weapons that each offer a unique way to kill, players will find plenty of variety to keep the game entertaining.

If this doesn't look fun to you, get outta here.

The visuals are nice, but nothing that truly separate this game from the best looking PS3/360 games. Character models look great, and the ability to slice off any part of a zombie is really impressive, but the textures and some certain effects look average. The sound is also serviceable; nothing to write home about, and nothing to be disappointed about.

Dead Rising 3 is easily my favorite exclusive launch title out of all 3 current gen launch titles. The visuals and story are average, but the gameplay, replay ability, and pure fun factor succeed in every way. It is definitely a game you’ll want to pick up with your shiny new Xbox One.