Dead Rising (video game)

Dead Rising
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 1
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Keiji Inafune (producer)
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Release	August 9, 2006 September 8, 2006 September 14,2006 September 28, 2006
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player

Dead Rising is a single player action video game exclusively for the Xbox 360 produced by Keiji Inafune and developed by Capcom. It was released in North America on August 8, 2006. A playable demo was released for download to the Xbox 360 from the Xbox Live Marketplace on August 4, 2006.

Storyline

Template:Spoiler The game takes place on Tuesday September 19, 2006 to Friday September 22, 2006. The main character is Frank West, an "overly zealous freelance photojournalist ," who is sent to investigate a series of suspicious events in a small town of "Willamette" in Colorado. Frank is taken to Willamette by helicopter, as the roads leading to the town have been blockaded and the town itself has been quarantined by the National Guard. Flying overhead, Frank notices what appears to be a brutal riot. He witnesses multiple murders and a gas station exploding during his flight. Frank tells Ed DeLuca, his pilot, to go to the heart of town. Approaching the Willamette mall, Frank sees a helipad and tells Ed to drop him off. Ed agrees after hesitating briefly, but three National Guard helicopters appear and give chase. As Ed tries to evade the National Guard, Frank's photography and communication kit falls out of the helicopter. Ed heads to the heliport and Frank then reminds him to return to pick him up in exactly 72 hours. Frank jumps onto the mall's roof and is greeted by Carlito. Frank asks what's going on in the Mall, Carlito replies saying it's something he should see for himself. Upon entering the mall Frank finds out that there are creatures trying to enter the mall. Frank asks one of the survivors boarding up the entrance what's trying to get in the man replies "Zombies" Frank repeats the word in disbelief. The man continues to board up the entrance while Frank catches eye of a spanish woman on the far side of the room. The man catches Frank's attention from the woman and asks him to get a bench to help block the entrance. When he arrives at the bench pile near the back of the area they're in, Frank spots an old man who yells at him in anger. Frank confused tells him to calm down, the old man walks away. As Frank is about to bring the bench back an old woman sees her dog on the other side of the entrance and breaks through the barricades to get the dog, letting the Zombies in. At this time a black male appears at the top of the stairs shouting at everyone to retreat upstairs into the security room. Frank makes it to the room, but no one else does.

When Frank enters the black male asks where the others are, Frank replies that he thought they were behind him. The black male looks down and nods to the janitor who seals the door shut. The black male reveals that his name is Brad and he and his partner Jessie are part of a government organization. Template:Endspoiler

Gameplay

The main objective of the game is to remain alive for at least 3 days. In-game time runs 12 times faster than realtime, so one day in the game is exactly two hours in real time. Therefore, the game can be completed in six hours with a little effort. However, there are several other elements to the game that the player can choose whether or not to pursue.

As a journalist, the main character has an interest in uncovering the truth behind the zombie epidemic through unlocking a series of "case files" that each build upon the previous ones and reveal the central plot as the game clock progresses. Unlocking case files is accomplished primarily by being in the right place at the right time in order to view a cutscene that tells the next part of the story. The player will also be reminded via phone if they are meant to be somewhere.

"Scoops" serve as side quests for the game. Found in the mall are a number of psychopaths, human characters that have been driven insane due to events of the zombie outbreak or have used the havoc as a cover to accomplish their own evil ends. Typically, they will be armed with powerful weaponry and serve as optional boss battles. Frank carries a camera and can earn points from photographing different situations. Pictures are evaluated and assigned a genre, either erotica, horror, outtakes, drama or brutality. Use of the camera also allows Frank to complete certain scoops by taking photographs of various NPCs and items.

File:Deadrising-screen.jpg

The player attacks zombies with a shopping cart in a suit with a servbot hat

There are over 50 survivors (53 is the maximum that can be saved) located throughout the game that can be located via scoops or investigation of the mall's areas. Upon rescue, they will join the player's party and can be taken to the safety of the security room. The survivors mainly take shelter inside stores, but some have been split up or are being held hostage by a psychopath. Frank carries a notebook with him and records details about survivors noting their status, either "Located", "Safe", "Dead", "Lost", or "Undead". Along the way some will request items, some will give the player items for the players good deeds, others revolt against the player and attempt mutiny. While completely optional, successful escort missions reward Frank with PP (experience points) and several Gamer Achievements can be unlocked.

Dead Rising incorporates a leveling system that allows the main character to learn new offensive attacks, survive more attacks from enemies (increase health bar), throw weapons even further, do more damage with attacks, carry more items, and improve his speed. To level the main character he has to earn points, which is done by helping survivors, taking pictures and killing zombies, among other things.

The main character can use everyday items as improvised weapons to kill zombies. Dead Rising features a wide variety of weapons such as a push lawnmower, baseball bats, CDs, showerheads, chainsaws, parasols, skateboards and katanas and the more conventional shotguns, machine guns, and pistols (which never need to be reloaded). Weapons will break down or run out of ammo with use, often to be discarded, but certain weapons will gain new properties. For example, a push broom would break in two, leaving the wooden support which can still be used as a spear; or the mannequin, which breaks into five usable parts such as the arms, legs, or torso. Others can be changed by the environment such as the frying pan, which can be heated on a stove. Certain foods and utensils can be combined to create more potent items, increasing the depth and strategic elements of the game. There are over 250 items that a player can use to attack zombies. Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that there can be up to 800 zombies on the screen at once. During the day the zombies are more sluggish, but at night they become more active, deadly and increase in numbers.

Open Ended

One popular aspect of the game is the fact that there are little constraints to the player's progress. While there are cases that must be activated (usually by being in the Security Room) at a certain time and must be completed within a time limit, outside of this the player could just spend the whole 3 days in the mall sampling food or trying on clothes if they so desired. In fact, there are achievements unlockable for doing these things.

Save system

Dead Rising has an unusual save system: only one game-in-progress can be saved per memory device per profile. For Xbox 360 owners with hard drives, there is no way to get more saves. If the player wants more than one game, they need to create a new profile or Xbox Live account. However, saves cannot be transferred between profiles for this game. With this single-save system, it is possible to save a game far away from a critical objective with little time remaining, making it impossible to reach the next objective in time, and thus, impossible to complete the plot.

In these cases, Dead Rising allows players to save their current level and status, and restart the game from the beginning as a more powerful player. The system is a deliberate game mechanic, borrowed from one of Capcom's RPGs Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter - the two games share some development team members.

The save game system has adversely affected the critical reception of Dead Rising: reviews from publications including 1UP and Games Radar questioned the juxtaposition of an unforgiving save structure and an open world environment.

File:Dead rising.jpg

An early image of Dead Rising

Modes of play

72 Hour- Frank has 3 days to solve the mystery of the zombie outbreak. This is the main mode of play.

Overtime Mode- An extra day that wraps up the events of 72 hour mode. Unlocked by getting the 'A' ending in 72 hour mode.

Infinity Mode- A sandbox mode where Frank must last as long as he can. The biggest difference is that Frank can now die of hunger. The health bar drops once every 100 seconds to represent this. Other differences are that there are no level-ups. Food is limited and the camera and watch functions are disabled. Everyone, including formerly friendly survivors, are enemies (which drop random supplies upon their deaths), and as the name suggests, the mode continues until Frank's demise. It is unlocked by getting the "true ending" in Overtime Mode. Template:Spoiler

Characters

Throughout Dead Rising the player meet characters who are important for Frank to achieve his goals or acquire new ones to continue his scoop.

Frank West: The main protagonist of Dead Rising. He is an "overly zealous" freelance photographer/photojournalist that came to Willamette for the scoop of a lifetime. After a few harrowing days within the zombified town of Willamette, as well as several close calls with hostile Special Forces soldiers, Frank ultimately manages to escape the town and releases the true story of the death of Willamette.

Brad Garrison: Brad is a DHS agent who fights alongside Frank throughout the story, and is in charge of re-stocking the Security Room with healing items. His injury later in the game increases the difficulty of Dead Rising, as healing items are now farther apart and less accessible. At the end of the "Bomb Collector" case, he would be pushed into the maintenance tunnels full of zombies by Carlito. Later, Frank would return back into the tunnels to look for Brad. Upon finding the partly zombified Brad, he tells Frank not to tell Jessie and moves his handgun to Frank, who out of pity kills him due to his injuries.

• However, it is possible to save Brad by failing any case before the previously mentioned maintenance tunnel mission.
• Taking a picture of him in his zombified state earns the player the "Snuff Shot B" achievement.

Jessica "Jessie" McCarney: Brad's rookie partner who speaks to the player from the Security Room. She would later be bitten by an infected Dr. Barnaby and becomes a zombie by the final hours of the game. She kills two Special Forces soldiers in her zombie form. Shortly afterwards, she was killed by saddened Frank.

• Taking a picture of her in her zombified state earns the player the "Snuff Shot J" achievement.

Otis Washington: Mall janitor that periodically sends the player information and scoops over Frank's transceiver. Near the end of the 72 hours, the player later finds a note in the Security Room left by Otis saying he's okay, and has stolen one of the Special Forces' helicopters and if Frank gets out alive, Otis will treat him to a drink.

Dr. Russell Barnaby: He is a genetic researcher, who led to the events chronicled throughout Dead Rising. He becomes infected and attacks Jessie. Brad takes him out with a shot to the head.

• However, he can be saved if ending B is taken.

Psychopaths

Main article: List of psychopaths in Dead Rising

In addition to battling thousands of zombies, Frank West must also deal with Psychopaths, the game's term for humans gone mad by the invasion, or otherwise corrupt, evil or immoral who serve as the game's bosses. Examples include a victim of the scientist's experiments taking revenge on the world, a clown going mad after seeing children hurt, or a Gothic-looking man rejoicing in the deaths and suffering of all those who ever teased him.

Survivor List (From Notebook)

Ed DeLuca Carlito Keyes1 Alan Peterson4 Brian Reynolds4 Chris Hines4 Dana Simms4 Freddie May4 Kathy Peterson4 Lindsay Harris4 Todd Mendell4 Mark Quemada4 Ryan LaRosa4 Verlene Willis4 Otis Washington Jessica McCarney Brad Garrison Russell Barnaby Isabela Keyes13 Jeff Meyer Natalie Meyer Bill Brenton Kent Swanson1 2 Cletus Samson1 James Ramsey4

Sophie Richards Burt Thompson Arron Swoop Leah Stein Adam MacIntyre1 Greg Simpson Yuu Tanaka Shinji Kitano David Bailey Tonya Waters Ross Folk Cliff Hudson1 Josh Manning Barbara Patterson Rich Atkins Heather Tompkins Pamela Tompkins Gordon Stalworth Ronald Shiner5 Jennifer Gorman Jo Slade1 Kay Nelson Lilly Deacon Kelly Carpenter

Janet Star Sally Mills Nick Evans Roger Hall1 Jack Hall1 Thomas Hall1 Wayne Blackwell Jolie Wu Rachel Decker Floyd Sanders5 Kindell Johnson5 Sean Keanan1 Ray Mathison Nathan Crabbe Michelle Feltz Beth Shrake Cheryl Jones5 Gil Jimenez Brett Styles Jonathan Picardsen Alyssa Laurent Paul Carson1 3 5 Mindy Baker Debbie Willett

Leroy McKenna Susan Walsh Simone Ravendark5 Tad Hawthorne Steven Chapman1 Larry Chiang1

¹Psychopath
²Survivor turned Psychopath
³Psychopath turned Survivor
⁴Survivor can not be saved
^{5Otis calls again about this character}

People who are omitted from the Survivor's List:

• Frank West
• Madonna the dog
• Sid Carmack (the person who the Convicts killed, was with Sophie Richards)**
• The three convicts;
  • Miguel Sanchez
  • Sam Franklin
  • Reginald Jenkins
• The True Eye Cultists dressed in yellow raincoats and green masks (names are never revealed)
• Brock Mason

Other People

• Connie and Dakota (mother and daughter)(they are mentioned in the manual, and also shown as a "secret" cutscene at the beginning)
• The people who are being attacked when flying into Willamette (the person defending his car, person on rooftop and others)
  • There appears to be an inconsistency about the character game models. Most "survivor" character models never get repeated in the game, to "single out" those characters. But two models are used twice;
    • Person on car model - Rich Atkins
    • Person on roof - Michelle Feltz

Endings

As Frank, the player has the opportunity to complete or fail certain cases/scoops that will result in the player receiving a number of different endings.

Main article: List of Dead Rising Endings

Soundtrack Listing

Throughout the whole game, music plays an important part to give a sense of a mood and atmosphere. Below are the names of the songs that are featured in the credits and where they are played during the course of the game.

• "Justified" by Drea (Eric Gorfain Mix) was played in the credits and Secret opening
• "Blame it on the Cold One" by Carlton Moody was played in The secret opening (the song playing on the radio)
• "Heaven's Creepin' In" by Supernova Syndicate was played during the Boss Battle with Jo Slade
• "Slave" by The Evolutionaries was played during the Boss Battle with Cliff Hudson
• "Bored Again" by Lockjaw was played during the Boss Battle with Sean Keanan
• "Fly Routine" by Hostile Groove was played during the Boss Battle with Steven Chapman
• "On A Mission" by Hostile Groove was played during the Boss Battle with Larry Chiang
• "Gone Guru" by Lifeseeker was played during the Boss Battle with The Convicts

Other pieces of music through the course of the game such as (Adam's theme, Dead Rising main theme, Brock theme and others) are done by Hideki Okugawa and Marika Suzuki

Reaction and Rating

Dead Rising has earned generally positive reviews. Below is some rating that sites or magazines have given Dead Rising;

GWN.com gave the game 89% saying,

"Dead Rising is not the best game on the Xbox 360, but it may well be the most fun. It is certainly the most fun you’ll have had killing zombies since Zombies ate My Neighbors debuted on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis way back before many of you were born."

1UP.com gave the game 8.1/10 saying,

"The end result is a relentlessly inventive game worth the price of entry. With more than enough first-person shooters, racing games, and other cookie-cutter filler swamping the 360, it's encouraging to see such an original title land on the system. The experience is flawed -- some might say hampered -- by the save system and curiously designed game structure. But whether you 'get it' or not, Dead Rising nevertheless provides a wealth of secrets and mysteries for both eager gamers and the adventuresome. With each repeated play through a stage, Frank becomes stronger, better able to uncover the mysteries behind this allegorical horror adventure (we'll let you discover what really makes zombies zombies), and the experience becomes richer for it. While there's plenty of room for polish and finesse in future iterations, no hardcore gamer should miss the wholly unique experience provided in Dead Rising's debut"

TeamXbox gave the game 8.7/10 saying,

"Dead Rising may not be a game for everyone, but it for those that have enjoyed past Capcom games and zombie games of the past will definitely want to check this out as it’s completely dissimilar from anything you’ve seen before. The astounding level of variety that is packed into the game is wonderful to see. While side missions can be tedious at times, there’s nothing that’s truly forcing you to complete them so feel free to steer clear if you like. The story is engaging and semi-comical at times, it definitely heads in a different direction than you’re expecting at the beginning. In short, this is the game that you should own in the interim between now and the holiday season’s onslaught of gaming bliss."

IGN gave the game 8.3/10 saying,

"The game provides an incentive for every aspect, making each worth pursuing. It's a game that somehow remains cohesive despite having so many seemingly unrelated elements. The save system means you're going to be playing through the 72 Hour and Overtime modes multiple times, but at least along the way you'll level up, get the best ending, nab more achievements, and get better scores on the Xbox Live leaderboards. With a better save system, more intelligent NPCs, a more forgiving story progression, and tighter controls, Dead Rising could have been even more fun than it already is. Even despite those issues, after several times through it's impossible to deny the appeal inherent in slaughtering Willamette's zombified shoppers. Now if only there was a cooperative mode. We suppose we'll have to wait for the sequel, if Capcom decides to make one. As it stands, Dead Rising is one of the more unique and entertaining titles on the Xbox 360."

GameSpot gave the game 8.4/10 saying,

"While not everything Dead Rising takes a stab at works to its benefit, it's still one of the more unique and enjoyable games on the Xbox 360. There aren't many games that give you the level of pure, bizarre variety that this game does, and its splendidly brutal yet entirely silly brand of action is too much fun to ignore. Some people are undoubtedly going to be severely put off by the constant battle between the game structure and save system, but no amount of structural missteps manage to derail this ride. It's zombie action for people who want zombie action, and it's simply a great piece of entertainment."

GameSpy gave the game 4.5/5 saying,

"Despite the fact that there are some frustrating elements (namely the save system and AI), Dead Rising is a straight-up blast from start to finish. It offers a ton of replay value as well, since it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to complete the majority of the side missions during your first playthrough. There are also a lot of achievements to be earned, many of which will take a lot of work to obtain. Thankfully, playing through the game will unlock several bonus modes, including one which allows you to roam around the mall forever. Our only request for Capcom when they start work on a sequel is a co-op multiplayer mode, which would be an excellent use of Xbox Live. However, even without it, there's no denying that zombie-slaying has never been more enjoyable."

Eurogamer gave the game a 8.0/10 saying,

"With Dead Rising, you survive, but it stays with you, and you go back. It may not be licensed by George A. Romero, but it was certainly inspired by him, and it replicates a lot of the feelings he inspired in the viewer. And as I plunge yet another sickle into someone's neck and jerk their head off with my foot, showering myself in blood, I can't help but think that he'd rather approve of it."

Game Informer gave the game a 9.25/10 saying,

"Smarter than anyone would expect and even more fun than it looks-Dead Rising is a genius game.

The reviews shared a general consensus. All the reviewers commended the game's "sandbox" style mall to explore and the sheer amount of ways to kill the thousands of zombies. Prior to its release, Dead Rising topped the video game sellers chart of Amazon.com. Capcom is currently giving away surveys asking fans if they would like to see a sequel. On August 29, 2006, Capcom announced the game had sold more than 500,000 copies in the two weeks since its US launch date of August 8. GameSpot also awarded Dead Rising the "Best Action Adventure Game of 2006" award despite it having the lowest score amongst all the nominees. .

Issues and Complaints

Setting and Location

File:DeadRisingLogo.jpg

A warning on the front of the Games Cover

When information relating to Dead Rising first appeared to the public, many people drew parallels with George A. Romero's zombie movie Dawn of the Dead made in 1978 and was remade in 2004. The main aspects from the film that people feel that were lifted are the zombies and the mall; some even felt that a few plots and characters were lifted from it as well. An overall feeling was that this game did not have an "original" premise and the creators just took what was a good idea, and changed the in-between bits. Due to how similar the game is to the film, the creators of the game have placed warning on the front to tell the gamers that this is not related to George A. Romero in any shape or form.

The Games Ending Meaning

The overall games meaning was the analogy of consumerism of people's greed, "no matter what you have you would want more of it", the setting of the game (being in a mall) links with this. That may not seem to be a problem but many feel that this was strongly and solely directed at United States of America. Below are some examples of the concept of people's greed:

• The main character's greed for the ultimate scoop.
• The survivor, Ronald would risk other peoples lives just for food. His appearance is also a stereotypical view of America.
• In Ending F, only the U.S.A. was hit by this infection, there is no mention of the rest of the world.
• The reason why the zombie situation happened, America's greed
• The two "cover-up's"
• The last line in the True Ending "Robin the Bobbin....." (See In game references misc section)

Save System

A consistent issue among reviews and gamers is in regards to the save system. During the first play through of the game, the save points are limited with a great distance between them, and auto saving is not supported. Gamers have expressed frustration as they will sometimes get killed immediately after fighting a psychopath, ultimately having to restart from the last saved point and facing the psychopath again. Many have also mentioned that if they had multiple game slots as it would make certain tasks/achievements easier to achieve.

Unpublished in Germany

Due to its graphic violence, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, Germany's equivalent to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, has refused to rate the game. Microsoft does not allow unrated games to be published for the Xbox 360, effectively halting the production of a German version of the game. The game is available as an import to players of legal age.

Small Text

Dead Rising has drawn ire from gamers that have standard definition sets and smaller high definition sets for having difficulty reading the on-screen text. This is due to Capcom's decision to develop exclusively for HD gamers, as the game had been touted as one of the first truly "next generation" titles available for the Xbox 360. On August 10, 2006, a Capcom representative posted the following on Xbox.com:

Dear Everyone, I have heard your concerns and passed them to every source within Capcom possible. I feel your pain as I, myself, have a large SDTV and am having trouble reading the mission objectives, item names, etc. Unfortunately it does take time to resolve any issue and we would want to fix the issue appropriately as any changes to any game can create additional problems from the result of change; that's just how game programming works and that's why games go through extensive game testing programs and approvals.

A week later, Capcom released a statement saying they would not be fixing the problem and suggested some DIY solutions:

Unfortunately Dead Rising was optimized for High Definition TV's. Due to this, the font in the game might be difficult to read on standard definition TV's. If you are having a hard time reading the text, please try the following: 1.) Adjust the settings on your TV or monitor. 2.) Try using component cables instead of standard composite. 3.) Setting the TV to widescreen ratio (even though you may not have a widescreen TV) may help in some cases.

Using a VGA output cable is also a solution to the problem, with most monitors being able to display in 720p resolution.

Gamer rights activist, Parker Krasney, heatedly corresponded with Capcom representatives about this issue in the months following the release of the game. Krasney attempted to file a class action lawsuit, but reluctantly, he was forced to drop the suit.

Xbox 360 failures

On August 24, 2006 an article on gamerevolution.com, said to be from an unnamed interviewee, stated that the release and mass sale of Dead Rising has coincided with increased Xbox 360 failures, leading many to believe that the game is causing the machine to break down. The interviewee in the article went on to say that the cause of the failure is most likely to be Dead Rising's use of the 360's Triple-Core processors, and loading times which causes more heat within the console, although Capcom have not revealed whether or not they do use the multi-core processor. A day later Microsoft released a statement denying any truth in the unnamed employee's claims of increased failure due to Dead Rising.

Artificial Intelligence

The weak artificial intelligence of zombies, survivors and special ops were highly criticized.

Most complaints about the survivors were how telling a survivor to follow you, their responses would be to either to; run the other way, run into a mob of zombies just to hit one of them which results in them getting attacked or they keep running into a wall and get stuck. Counter-arguments were that the survivors "panicked" like in real life situations but they were brushed off.

The zombies A.I. was considered less than challenging, as it was easy to evade and dodge their attacks, but this could also be that when the player has leveled up significantly his speed, attack and the real-life player "skill" increases as well. So that the player knows the actions and situations better when it is replayed.

The Special Ops tactics of sweeping the mall of zombies and interaction with Frank were felt as "simple" artificial intelligence and nothing really spectacular for an advanced game in comparison to pre-next generation games (Halo or Metal Gear Solid or Half-Life 2). In Dead Rising, the special ops just stand and shoot, and if you get close they attack you but in the games mentioned they take cover, use tactical moves (scissor movement), and feel much more of a threat.

Other issues

Other complaints raised were about:

• How Otis calls at the most awkward time, mainly when battling a boss or the main character is on low health with zombies between the player and the health items. This isn't as much of a problem once the main character is leveled up enough and has completed certain achievements.
• The lack of a multiplayer option, whether it be co-operation, vs. mode or online option.
• The strict structured time limit that the player has to complete the scoops and main missions by.
• The overall repetitiveness of the game play itself.
• The Willamette mall, to some feels small and minuscule compared with other games with it taking 5 minutes to run around, excluding short-cuts.
• The realism in some parts of the game are lost, such as taking literally "no time" to crawl to the roof top to the security room, or using the Greg (Wonderland to Paradise plazas) short cut.
• The over-powered and under-powered "bosses".
• No conclusion, more of a "to be continued" feel

References to media

In-game References to other media

Films

• Willamette Parkview Mall, the mall of Dead Rising, is very similar to the setting of George A. Romero's classic zombie movie Dawn of the Dead in Monroeville Mall. Because of such a similarity, Capcom has issued a disclaimer on the cover of the game, stating that the game was not developed, approved or licensed by the owners or creators of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
• There is a children's toy shop called "Child's Play", a possible reference to the movie Child's Play, there maybe also a link with the charity Child's Play, that is run by the creators of the Penny-Arcade webcomic.
• The player can unlock the Hockey Mask after receiving the "PP Collector" achievement. This mask shares a striking resemblance to that worn by slasher Jason Voorhees from the horror movie series Friday the 13th. There's also a machete dropped by Cliff similar to the one Jason Voorhees uses in all of his movies.
• In her intro, Jo says "Say hello to my little friend." when she draws her nightstick. A direct reference to Tony Montana's line in Scarface.
• The skill "Zombie Walk" is a possible reference to the movie Shaun of the Dead. In the movie the main characters act and walk like zombies so that they can go unnoticed.
• While it may be a coincidence, Dead Rising's logo font, bears a striking resemblance to the font that was used in the Shaun of the Dead's logo - both in its rounded edges, gritty texturing and use of a zombie-related silhouette to depict the negative space of certain letters (as seen in the second "D" of Dead Rising's logo, and the second "A" in that of Shaun of the Dead).
• In the food court, there is a restaurant called "That's a spicy meatball", which refers to a popular 1970 Alka-Seltzer advertisement.

Games

• The game contains many overt and subtle references to previous Capcom games:
  • Ghosts 'n Goblins (Frank's unlockable underwear).
  • Resident Evil ("Jill's Sandwiches", named after Barry Burton's line in the first game, “...you were almost a Jill Sandwich!”)
  • Resident Evil (The Special Forces operatives look remarably like HUNK, the Umbrella Special Forces leader from the RES 2 and 4)
  • Resident Evil 4 (The Special Forces whisper 'wait' to one another when Frank is around a corner directly out of their field of vision. This is the same thing said by Leon to Ashley in RE4 and very well could be the same voice though unaccredited.)
  • Resident Evil 4 (The cult members might also be a mock of the infected villagers)
  • Shadow of Rome, a section of weapons in Ned's Knick-Knackery are from the game mentioned
  • Street Fighter/Final Fight (Zangief and Mike Haggar's Double Lariat and Charlie and Guile's Somersault Kick)
  • Viewtiful Joe ("Movieland")
• There may be a reference to The House of the Dead with the female survivor named Sophie Richards, who shares the same name of one of the main characters in the game.
• There is an abundance of Mega Man related merchandise scattered throughout the mall and unlockable via achievements (This is not surprising, as Keiji Inafune is also the creator of said series.).
  • You can unlock Mega Man's real Mega Buster after getting the "Zombie Genocider" achievement.
  • Unlockable Mega Man X outfit including boots and tights (helmet can be located in the mall's cinema)
  • The brand of Frank's watch is shown to be a Mega Man brand.
  • There are Servbot helmets to be worn or thrown on zombies in the game.
• The Clock Tower in the middle of Leisure park is almost a Capcom signature in their games; such as Resident Evil and the recently acquired Clock Tower series. In the games the tower would normally play a significant role in the game.

Books

• The Movieland Cult Members are a reference to the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. The cultists are dressed as "The Low Men in Yellow Coats" and they worship a modified version of the "Eye of The Crimson King"

People

• Numerous store names pay homage to members of the game's staff. Some examples include:
  • Crislip's Home Saloon (Translator David Crislip). David Crislip is also mentioned on a poster in the store "In the Closet" (Pyhton, Countdown '06, Special Guest, David Crislip, 12/31 SUN PM 8:00)
  • Seon's Food & Stuff (Marketing's Seon King)
  • Springtree Jewelry (Producer Yutaka Haruki's surname could be translated as "spring tree")
  • Riverfield Jewelry (Director Yoshinori Kawano's surname could be translated as "river field").
• Bachman's Bookporium, found in the game, is a reference to Richard Bachman. This is a pseudonym of legendary horror writer, Stephen King.
• During the introduction sequence of the game, the helicopter pilot that takes Frank to the mall mistakenly calls him Fred. Fred West being one of Britain's most notorious serial murderers. Whether this reference was intentional is debatable, though.
• The survivor, Simone Ravendark, could be a reference to the singer Raven-Symoné, despite the two looking different from each other.

Misc

• To obtain the "Zombie Genocider" achievement, the player must kill 53,594 zombies (this number is given in the opening cutscene as the population of Willamette). When the main character has reached this number there are still alot of zombies around the mall. This is most likely due to the fact that the game would lose its "challenging" appeal to the gamer if the main aspect was removed.
• The last line of the game, after you acquire the True Ending is taken directly from an old nursery rhyme that goes "Robin the Bobbin, the big-headed hen (or ben) / He Ate more meat than four-score men. / He Ate a cow, He Ate a calf / He Ate a butcher and a half; / He Ate a church, He Ate a steeple, / He Ate the priest and all the people. And yet he complained that his belly was not full." This is likely a reference to the theme of greed that is so prevalent in Dead Rising.
• The Special Forces Commandos use the SCAR-L (Special forces Capable Assault Rifle: Light) carbine assault rifle, with modular flash light and grenade launcher.

Internet References to Dead Rising

• Joystiq has recently promoted the game through a contest requiring readers to create their own messages from Otis in Photoshop.
• A Something Awful article, featuring the diary of Frank West, and the many calls from Otis (Prior to the Joystiq Contest).
• VG Cats has used references to Dead Rising twice:
  • One has Leo Leonardo dressed up as Frank who receives a call from Otis at an inappropriate time (while he is fighting zombies). Otis comments on while he is at the fashion centre of the mall he should "pick up some new threads and "look pretty". Leo dumps the walkie-talkie and runs away with a lawnmower. (Many readers picked up on an error in the strip with how Leo, (if he is portraying Frank) be able to shoot and talk at the same time. The creator later acknowledged his mistake, and commented that "its just one more reason to hate the walkie talkie")
  • Frank actually appears as himself in another comic and delivers the line "Frank West, freelance reporter. I've covered wars you know" after giving a series of photos to Professor Oak for use in the latter's Pokémon report (all of which, according to Oak, are unusable) . This is a reference to the game Pokemon Snap.
• The artist of the webcomic Staccato, who often makes video game themed shirts, created a "Willamette Parkview Mall Staff" t-shirt based on the jackets worn by mall staff in the game.
• Penny Arcade had a 9 part web comic titled "Armadeaddon", which featured some of the characters trapped in a mall overrun by zombies. It was put on the web on August 9, 2006, a day after the US release date. The main characters ironically went to the mall to pick up the "Dead Rising" video game.
• Twisted Kaiju Theater has run a storyline called "Xombiefied", that starts when Space hojo, the main character Shin-Goji's roommate, sells all of Shin's medication on the black market to buy an X-Box 360. Shin, in turn, stays up all night playing Dead Rising causing him to think the zombie apocalypse actually happens. The next morning the island is overrun by zombies..
• Ctrl+Alt+Delete Has a 4 part web comic titled "Steve’s Day At The Mall" which had the Dead Rising situation from the zombies perspective. Two zombies are at the mall, determining what they should do. They seem not to realize that they are zombies. One ends up being killed by a chainsaw wielding Frank. With this, Steve and a few others hide, hoping not to be killed by the "madman". Steve makes a "shuffling" break of it, but a smiling Frank is standing behind him. Steve tries to reason with Frank, but come out as "Brains" on Frank's end. After Frank humiliates Steve with the Servbot hat, he kills him and answers a phone call from Otis. Frank is promptly and savagely attacked by a horde of zombies.

Ranking Board

Dead Rising connects to the internet to load the scores you have achieved and put you into two different ranking boards.

PP: World Ranking

1. Nine Style with 65,232,446 points

2. RogueZombie67 with 50,179,230 points

3. cafepot with 50,000,001 points

N.B. In the top ten there is a wide range of different PP scores range from rank 1's, 65 million to rank 10's, 18 million. This is due to many gamers exploiting the respawning food items.

Survival: World Rank

1. nisinosatuki with the time; 16 days, 20 hours and 25 minutes

2. nikaidou13 with the time; 16 days, 18 hours and 47 minutes

3. NUMBTHUMBS31 with the time; 16 days, 17 hours and 21 minutes

Xbox Live Downloadables

Currently there are a total of 24 items that can be downloaded for Dead Rising these include:

• A Demo (1014.61 MB)
• Two promotional trailers; 480p and 720p .
• Six different themes to customised your Xbox 360 dashboard with
• 9 new clothes to be tried on, when downlaoded they are located in the blue lockers in the security room.
  • Coldhearted Snake Key, Burgundy Wine Key, Grandpa Key, Pink Paparazzi Key, Man in Black Key, Miami Nights Key, Casual Key, Weekender Key and Round Shades Key
• 5 gamers picture packs, which consists of 3 different pictures in each. There is a 6th one but only consists of one gamer picture of a zombie

External links

Official sites

• Dead Rising official site (American)
• Dead Rising official site (European)
• Dead Rising official site (Japanese)

Reviews

• Dead Rising Reviews at Metacritic.com
• Dead Rising Review at Reality From The Sidelines
• Dead Rising Review at GameBrite
• Dead Rising review at NTSC-uk
• Dead Rising review at Totalgamerzone

General Resources

• Dead Rising at IGN
• Dead Rising at the Internet Movie Database
• Dead Rising at GameSpot
• Dead Rising at GameSpy
• Dead Rising at 1UP
• Dead Rising article at Something Awful

Fan resources and information

• Dead Rising Interactive Map by CyberMike
• Dead Rising Achievement Infomation at Achieve360Points