People liked Dead Rising a lot. It wasn’t without its flaws; such as the inconvenient save system, timer-based missions and pain-in-the-ass survivor escorts, but there was no denying the appeal of killing zombies en-mass in unconventional ways. With Dead Rising 2, Chuck Greene is poised to pick up where Frank West left off.
And that’s all well and good for the sequel, but what about this odd little demo/prequel/Xbox Live Arcade game thing? Everyone who cares knows that it sets up Chuck and his daughter Katey’s story for the follow-up game, allows you to play with a limited amount of MacGuyvered weapons from the new combo system and features lots of zombies. What everyone wants to know is just how “worth it” is the whole thing. Is it just a five dollar demo, or something more?
You could argue that Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is a demo you have to pay for (*gasp!*), but you’d be arguing out of your ass. Yes, Case Zero is meant to give you a taste of the full game and yes, it doesn’t offer you everything that the full game will, but it also offers way more content than any mere demo would.
The game starts with Chuck and Katey pulling in to a gas station about fifty miles outside of Vegas. Cutscenes play, stuff happens and the duo find themselves barricaded inside of a gas station, in need of a new mode of transportation and with just twelve hours to get Katey another dose of Zombrex (the idiotic, yet realistically named zombification inhibitor drug that’s become popular since the events in the previous game). Just like in the first game, you’re given case assignments (missions) that will pop up as others are completed or at specific times. And, just as in the first game, failure to complete one or being in the wrong place at the wrong time will lead to a dead end or even outright failure. It’s every bit as irritating as it was the first time around, but it’s also just as easy to fall into stride once you know what needs doing. Needless to say, you probably won’t be completing Case Zero on your first playthrough. Not without making a few sacrifices anyhow.
The small town of Still Creek is nowhere near as big as the mall you’re probably familiar with. However, this also means that things are a bit closer together, which means less distance (and by extension, time) spent running back and forth between key locations. There are a great deal of interesting places to ransack for bizarre weapons, with some locked doors forcing you to find alternate entrances. It can be annoying when you find the hunting store (so many guns…) and can’t get in, but once you figure out where to go and unlock the door from the inside it stays unlocked for the rest of your playthrough. Even with all of these nearby stores, it would be really nice if Chuck could run a little faster. His somewhat plodding pace can feel excruciating when you’re down to the wire and have a decent amount of ground to cover.
And if you decide to play the hero, you’ll be covering quite a bit of ground. That’s right, you’ll have the chance to save (or abandon) a number of people left behind with the horde of walking dead. Before you freak out about having to babysit a bunch of inept meatbags, you should know that there have been a few changes. For starters the zombies tend to leave the other survivors alone and focus on Chuck, which means it’s much easier to keep them alive. Another nice tweak is that Chuck carries the wounded in his arms as opposed to giving them a piggy-back ride, which leaves his feet free for some kicking. It’s nowhere near as effective as using a sword or a shotgun, but it at least gives you a method of knocking them out of your way.
But enough about all that, let’s talk about the combo weapons. Basically, they’re friggin’ awesome. The novelty of the Drill Bucket wears off pretty fast, but everything else, from the Spiked Bat and I.E.D to the Boom Stick, is effective and incredibly entertaining to use. As if the allure of these over-the-top corpse shredders weren’t enough, any kills with combo weapons will also get you bonus PP (experience used to level-up Chuck and acquire new abilities). Some, like the I.E.D can get you a ton if used properly. Others won’t net you quite as much, but are a lot of fun to see in action. Any experience and money you earn will be carried over to your New Game+ should you die and choose to start over (which you will and you should), but you’re capped at level 5. It kind of sucks, but those levels will carry over to Dead Rising 2, so you won’t have to start from square one.
Case Zero is basically Dead Rising 2 Lite with a different story. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all. Especially for five bucks. Sure it would be cool to have more weapons or a bigger area to run around in, but it’s still a game that will keep you busy for hours and have you slavering over its big brother’s release.
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Things We Liked: It’s everything you remember loving about the original, with plenty of tweaks and enhancements. Lots of shops to unlock (literally) with plenty of toys to play with. Finding those special hidden items used for crafting insane weapons. Automatically offers to save your game after major events. Provides a good amount of replay value for not a lot of money. Tossing zombies over your shoulder with the pitchfork. The Boom Stick.
Things We Disliked: Working on a set time limit feels rather constricting. Survivors still use preset facial expressions, which seems awkward and stiff. A fairly small area to play in. Having to climb up to the roof to talk to Bob every time he sees something. That stupid cap at level 5.
Target Audience: Fans of the original or those looking forward to the sequel, obviously. People who can’t get enough zombie in their life.
(Dead Rising 2: Case Zero – Developers: Blue Castle Games, Capcom. Publisher: Capcom. Available for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)
