In light of the heated debate between the Xbox One and PS4, the launch line ups weren’t anything to really go crazy about since titles that like Infamous: Second Son and Titanfall aren’t to be released until their respective dates in 2014. Although Capcom delivers Dead Rising 3, which properly introduces fans to the latest piece of Microsoft hardware. Dead Rising 3 utilizes elements of the Kinect and Xbox Smartglass to give a glimpse into what experiences we can expect for future releases. That’s not to say this game is without fault; it has a tendency to be straight up annoying at times and that prevents Dead Rising 3 from excelling like fans had hoped for.
Nick Ramos is trapped in the city of Lost Perdidos with herds of zombies breathing down his neck. As if shit couldn’t hit the fan any harder, the government announced that they intend to drop a bomb on Los Perdidos to level the city along with the spreading plague. Throughout the story you run into a lot of interesting characters that all kind of have the same qualities of being a lunatic, a biker, or both. Although outside of these constant traits, the people Nick encounter to help him escape Los Perdidos have strange features that just make them fun to watch in a Miley Cyrus meltdown way.
The bomb threat gives the game a fun restriction because in the game you only have time limit of six in-game days. This really isn’t any pressure if you play on normal play because you have the option to save anywhere in the game you’d like, but thankfully we have Nightmare Mode to account for this. Nightmare mode sets a 3 day time restraint, and like classic Dead Rising style, you can only save your progress in bathroom stalls along with no checkpoints. Either way, Dead Rising 3 has the type of game you want to play, whether it’s difficult and strategic or carefree and adventurous.
In addition to the adventures to be had in Dead Rising 3, it shapes its co-op selections to fit your style of gameplay. If you’re someone who prefers to dive right into the story and nothing else, Dead Rising 3 makes sure to group you with players who share the same belief. Also, whatever you achieve in your co-op play becomes integrated into your single player experience, that way you don’t have to bore yourself with what you’ve already accomplished in someone else’s game.
Don’t worry, if the seven chapters in the main storyline didn’t feel like $60 well spent, Overtime Mode will help make it all worth it. After the main story line’s last chapter, Overtime Mode introduces a new chapter, while you’re still under the same time constraint. Through this, Dead Rising 3 develops several unique endings that give this title replay action to see what else could have happened to Nick. It may not be as extreme as Dishonored in terms of alternate endings, but it gives a player that ‘what if’ factor that most titles don’t incorporate.
With all of the different modes discussed, the actual gameplay of Dead Rising 3 can be tedious at times when every mission seems like a ‘go fetch’ errand. Not to say navigating through the zombies isn’t fun, it just seems like zombies are there instead of playing an actual presence in the game. Then again, no one is really forcing you to do the missions besides the inevitable nuke, it would just be better with some final stand moments scattered throughout to broaden the experience.
Be sure to do a couple side missions per chapter, because the main story can go by rather quickly if that’s the only thing occupying you. I made this mistake in Chapter 1 (which is technically the second chapter) by just heading straight to the mission, and it only lasted me around a half hour. Not every chapter is bound to be as short as that one for the storyline, but the side missions give you a reason to explore this infested zombie open world.
Dead Rising 3’s ability to take on the zombie apocalypse with a light-heart and carefree style is something that few titles are doing and succeeding at that. Zombies are clearly still a big part of Dead Rising 3 and some jumpy parts do require a diaper, but for the most part the gameplay strongly advocates a serial sense of humor. The different weapons you can craft are ridiculous and enforces the lighter sides of the zombie apocalypse, while being a strong attribute to both sides of the spectrum.
The features Dead Rising 3 has for the Kinect aren’t going to sell the Kinect to weary buyers, but it is a strength in this title. Just to flick your controller back to knock a zombie off of you adds to the combat characteristics by not disorienting you with random commands appearing on the screen. Although the voice controls during heated battles can bother you by trying to focus on something else other than what’s going on. Ultimately, the Kinect means to improve combat capabilities but arguably breaks them.
Though I do think the Smartglass integration is a selling piece for Dead Rising 3, especially if you have it on your phone. Smartglass sets up side missions that are only available through Smartglass, and it alerts you by receiving a call from a random character within the game. Aside from extra missions, this subtle ability to pull up a map or the mission’s agenda just makes the game flow better, rather than having to constantly pause the game to use these features.
Closing Comments:
As far as Xbox One is concerned, Dead Rising 3 was amongst the cream of the crop during this launch window. So what if it didn’t run 1080p? It still delivers great images and respect towards the craftsmanship of what open world could be, and to how every game doesn’t need 1080p to look brilliant. Dead Rising 3 has a few bumps in the road that may keep a handful of people back, but it ultimately pleases through the various components that make this title come to life, figuratively speaking.
