On a recent episode of iGamesNews’s “Best Game Ever” podcast – which was pretty awesome, by the way – Death Rising was a hit. It felt appropriate to do so — because that episode of the podcast was released just days before the anniversary of this week’s series, which began on August 8, 2006.
The 16th anniversary isn’t exactly an anniversary to remember, but no matter what year it’s, Dead Rising deserves to be celebrated. With a revival of the classic Capcom horror film thanks to a revival of Resident Evil, what better way to tap into your newfound thirst for fear than with more Rise of the Dead! To talk about what makes the series so good, and why it should come back from the grave, Alex and Connor talk about what makes the series so good, and what they hope to revisit in the future.
Alex: Hmm, I don’t know where to start. I’m the guy who bought Dead Rising on the podcast – for the episode “The Best Game You’re Excited About as a Teen.” For me, it fits the category very well. I was 17 at the time, and Dead Rising was the first game of that generation, and I just watched it and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The number of zombies! Number of interactive items! How open it looks! It’s been around for most of the 360’s, but it’s the first game of that generation and really blew me away at the fuzziness of the next generation.
But the thing about Dead Rising is it’s just a bit…more than that? It got me through the door with hundreds of zombie stuff, but the gimmick actually serves a very clever purpose in the game itself.
Really, it’s a game about positioning, timing, and learning the mechanics of the world clockwork so you can abuse them and plan ahead in future games. As I typed this, I realized it actually had some odd little resemblance to recent hitman games again, the most satisfying rescue survivor game when you actually pre-empted to make sure you were right Or a place to deal with mental illness.
I think the first game is by far the best, but I’m also one of those guys who will bat for Dead Rising 2 or even 3. But better we pretend 4 didn’t happen. But even 2 and 3 get and understand much of the magic of the original in different ways.
It makes me especially sad that Capcom has discontinued the series, but has found time to release Resident Evil games every two years or more frequently. Dead Rising still has something to offer.
Connor: I don’t think I’m more jealous of my podcast guest of the week than I was when I heard Death Rise appear on the latest episode. Dead Rising was one of my first 360 games as a teenager – and without my parents’ knowledge, my cousin was also guilty of smuggling Mortal Kombat and Gears of War disks. In retrospect, it was probably not a good idea to pass this stuff on to a 12-year-old. But wow. What a great game Dead Rising is for my impressionable baby brain.
One aspect that stood out to me at the time, and continues to be a real boon to the earlier works in the series, was the emphasis on time management. As Alex pointed out, it’s really appealing to know how events are going and plan your route effectively, but it seems to me that it’s in the wee hours of the wee hours when you don’t know the ideal route through Willamette that death rises will flourish. As the main mission, the safe house with survivors gets closer, only Gone Guru starts to play, and a jeep full of prisoners starts rushing towards you. An unprecedented “oh sh*t” moment.
With the new games in the series, I find myself drifting away from Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 is a lot of fun, but seems to lose some of the horror that made its predecessor so frustrating, swap it out for more dynamic action Thriller vibe. When Dead Rising 3 launched, it was clear that the branching direction of the series didn’t align with what I really wanted — its antagonists were less sympathetic, and its themes less subtle. When I buckled up and fought Adam the Joker in the first game, I was petrified – nothing really did that for me in Dead Rising 2, let alone 3.
Much like Resident Evil, the series shrugs off its doomed, haunting vibe while taking action into the sunset. I feel deep, deep, sad when I compare Frank West kneeling down on a tank at the end of Dead Rising, with his head down, to his selfie with a zombie in Dead Rising 4. I’d love to see Capcom take the same lessons from Resident Evil 2 Remake and RE7 and revisit the series with its original theme and tone. Out of the new, in the old.
Alex: You know, I don’t mind the fact that Dead Rising 2 dials back fear. What I find interesting about this game is that it examines what happens in a bad world after they get used to the nightmare scenario of the resurrection of the dead – it becomes trivial. DR2 hits you with full force right from the start, with Chuck taking part in a twisted zombie-killing reality show to great hype music. That show is also the cosmic conceit of the multiplayer mode! It’s very smart.
I also love how DR2 resets the time limit by giving Katey a vital drug to stop her from turning around – and Chuck’s loyalty to her is in stark contrast to the rest of the game’s themes – people are standing up and demanding to be treated with zombie dignity , the pathological exploitation of them… neat.
I do think Game 3 is starting to veer off the right track. That’s where the time limit is softened to the point where it probably doesn’t exist at all, and the more focus on vehicles and stuff feels a little out of place.
I do think the first game is the template. If they’re going to make another – they should – it should be trying to survive zombies in relatively closed environments. That’s why malls work, and why Las Vegas hotels with malls are a very smart natural progression.
Connor: Yes, I think it comes down to timers and closed bloody playgrounds at the end of the day. Give us a new Dead Rising, focused on time and surviving in enclosed spaces, and I’ll be happy. But, as a small tip, leave Frank West alone. Give us a new guy!
Alex: I don’t actually mind if they bring Frank back. The problem with 4 is just that it becomes something he is not. I think that sums it up best — in his early appearances, Frank was a bit of this goofy-looking guy. Dan Aykroyd resonates in some of his best comedy roles, you know? In a completely crazy world, Frank is a straight-up regular guy. He’s not particularly handsome, nor is he particularly smart – but he just screwed up his head. Is he brave…or is he brave, or is he just totally, desperately addicted to telling his story? Whatever it is, it works.
This is also understood in Dead Rising 2 – they rightly left Frank out, and when they made uncanonical stories about him, he was washed away because fame had ruined what made him…his thing. Dead Rising 4 Frank is a rather illegible character to me – from the way he behaves to the way he behaves, somehow he’s just gotten pretty handsome.
Capcom loves remasters in the RE engine, and honestly, if they’re not sure about the series, I’d love to see the first game remastered in the RE engine. Similar scope, similar style.. maybe that’s the answer, something more restricted?
Connor: I agree 100%. The original game has a place in many people’s hearts, and with the RE engine in their toolbelt, I can see a full remake doing just fine. The original, although I love all the goodness and bits and pieces, feels a bit old now. Go back to the roots with a shiny new engine and a little touch-up here and there to bring Dead Rising back to the world, a reminder of what makes it so special and see what happens!
