Dead Rising is an action adventure video game exclusively for the Xbox 360 and was produced by Keiji Inafune.
The main objective of the game is to remain alive inside the zombie-infested mall for at least three days, after which help will arrive. In-game time runs twelve times faster than real-time, meaning one day in-game is exactly two hours in real time. Therefore, the game can be completed in six hours of gameplay. However, there are several other elements to the game that the player can choose whether or not to pursue.
The player controls the main character, Frank West. As a photojournalist, Frank has an interest in uncovering the truth behind the zombie epidemic through unlocking a series of "case files" that build upon the previous ones and reveal the central plot as the game clock progresses. Unlocking case files is accomplished primarily by completing tasks and being in the right place at the right time in order to view a cutscene that explains more of the story. Frank also carries a camera and can earn "Prestige Points" (PP) from photographing different situations. Pictures are evaluated and assigned a genre, either erotica, horror, outtakes, drama, or brutality.
Encounters with surviving human characters
"Scoops" serve as side quests for the game. These are assigned to the player by answering walkie-talkie calls from the janitor watching the security cameras. Scoops will usually direct the player to a location in the mall to investigate a person who has not yet turned into a zombie. These people are either "survivors" or "psychopaths." Survivors are human characters who, like Frank, are trying to survive the zombie outbreak but need assistance to do so. There are 54 survivors 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. Psychopaths are 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. They serve as the game's boss battles.
Frank carries a notebook with him and records details about all human characters encountered, noting their status as either "Located", "Safe", "Dead", "Lost", or "Undead". Over the course of Dead Rising, some will request or give the player items, while others will revolt against the player and attempt mutiny. Most of these missions are completely optional.
Leveling system and weapons
Dead Rising incorporates a leveling system that allows Frank to learn new offensive attacks, increase his health meter, throw weapons further, increased damage, carry more items, or improve his speed. One new skill, ability, or improved stat is awarded randomly at each increase in level. To level Frank up he has to earn PP, which is done by helping survivors, taking pictures, and killing zombies, among other things. A notable aspect to Dead Rising is that should the player start a new game, all experience progression made in previous games can be carried over to the new game.
Dead Rising is notable for the variety and large quantity of weapons (many improvised and comical in use) the player can find in the mall and use against the zombies. There are over 250 items that can be used as weapons, including chainsaws, baseball bats, axes, katanas, sledgehammers, mall furniture, potted plants, frying pans, guitars, toy swords, and water guns. Weapons will break down or run out of ammo with use, often to be thrown away, but certain weapons will gain new properties. For example, a push broom can break in two, leaving the wooden staff to be used as a spear; or a 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 (to increase damage or to gain access to a special move). The player can also lift larger items like benches or cash registers that can be used to smash foes or be thrown at them. These items are not considered part of the player's inventory, as the player cannot store the item and it will be dropped if the player selects a different weapon from his/her inventory.
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, gain red glowing eyes and increase in numbers. Certain foods and utensils can be combined to create more potent items, increasing the depth and strategic elements of the game.
Modes and save system
The gameplay, aside from the time-specific cases, is very open-ended and offers few constraints on the player's progress. The storyline may simply be ignored, leaving the player free to just spend the entire three days in the mall sampling food or trying on clothes if they so desired; some of the game's 50 Achievements reward this method of play. Also, the player may choose to ignore the plot completely and gain more PP to level up and use in a later game.
Dead Rising features three modes of play: * 72 Hour: Frank has three 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 best resolution, 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 food is limited and the transceiver, save, and some watch functions are disabled. Everyone, including survivors, are now enemies which drop character-related supplies upon their deaths and they all fight each other for the food they hold in order to survive. The game continues until Frank's inevitable demise and is unlocked by finishing Overtime Mode.
Dead Rising has an unusual save system: only one game-in-progress can be saved per memory device per profile. 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.
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 it would make certain tasks/achievements easier to achieve. Though the unusual saves are largely unpopular with gamers and likely caused Dead Rising to be scored lower on game ratings, Keiji Inafune said, in an interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly, that the saves were intentionally designed so that players would feel that there were some consequences for their actions and would be forced to make quick, tactical decisions.
Storyline
The game focuses on the exploits of Frank West, a photojournalist who is intent on breaking the story on why the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado has been sealed off by the National Guard. Frank is taken to Willamette by helicopter, as the roads leading to the town have been blockaded and the town itself quarantined. Flying overhead, Frank notices what appears to be a brutal riot. He witnesses multiple murders and a gas station exploding during his flight. Approaching the Willamette Parkview Mall, Frank sees a helipad and tells his pilot, Ed Delucia, to drop him off. Frank jumps onto the mall's roof and reminds the pilot to return in exactly 72 hours.
Frank meets up with Carlito Keyes, a Hispanic man who acts mysteriously. In reply to Frank's question about the events in town, Carlito replies that Frank should see it for himself, all the while chuckling to himself. Upon entering the mall, Frank finds there are creatures trying to enter the mall and he asks one of the survivors boarding up the entrance what the disturbance is. The man proceeds to inform Frank of a zombie outbreak that has occurred across Willamette. The only thing preventing the zombies from entering the mall is a makeshift barricade- the zombies, however, swarm the shopping center after a hysterical woman breaks through the barricade in order to try and save her dog from the zombies. A Homeland Security officer named Brad appears at the top of the stairs shouting at everyone to retreat to the security room. Frank, Brad and a few other main characters are the only ones who make it to the room.
When Frank enters, the janitor, Otis Washington, welds the door shut. Brad then leaves the security room via the air ducts. Jessie, also of Homeland Security recognizes an old man she identifies as Dr. Barnaby in one of Frank's photos, but neither Jessie nor Brad are willing to share what they know. After receiving a transceiver and map from Otis in order to be kept informed of the mall's events, Frank returns to the mall through the air ducts. He begins to encounter survivors, who need his assistance to make it safely to the security room, as well as survivors driven to madness by the zombie infestation, known as Psychopaths.
As the story unfolds, Frank and Brad have a series of violent encounters with Carlito, while Frank continues to come across a beautiful Hispanic woman named Isabela. Frank and Brad are eventually able to locate Dr. Barnaby and bring him back to the security room, but it is still unknown why Homeland Security is particularly interested in Barnaby in the first place. After Frank is able to pacify a violent Isabela and bring her back to the security room, she reveals she is the sister of Carlito and that he is behind the zombie infestation.
She explains that Dr. Barnaby was the head of a research laboratory in the fictional Central American city of Santa Cabeza, the hometown of Carlito and Isabela. The research facility was attempting to find methods of mass-producing cattle, but instead, Barnaby and his team discovered an insect wasp called a "queen" that would turn the cattle into zombies with a single sting. After one of the "queens" escaped and infected the townspeople of Santa Cabeza, the US government sent a special forces team in to wipe out the entire city. The massacre was covered up under the pretenses that it was a raid on drug-trade operations. Outraged over the slaughter of his people, Carlito planned and executed the release of numerous "queens" in Willamette in revenge. Once the importance of Dr. Barnaby is revealed, he suddenly turns into a zombie and attacks Jessie before he is killed.
The zombie outbreak in Willamette is only the tip of the iceberg, however, as Isabela later explains Carlito has much bigger plans. Hidden beneath the mall are 5 bombs that when detonated will release queen larva into the atmosphere, making it possible for a worldwide zombie outbreak.
Depending on the player's actions from this point on, the ending for the game varies.
As Frank, the player has the opportunity to complete or fail certain cases/scoops that will result in the player receiving one of six different endings. This will affect the fate of other NPC's within the game as well.
Main characters
Throughout Dead Rising, Frank West meets characters who are essential to revealing the truth behind the zombie outbreak, as well as helping him survive the ordeal.
Frank West The main protagonist of Dead Rising, the player controls Frank in the game. He is an "overly zealous" freelance photographer/photojournalist that came to Willamette for the "scoop of a lifetime", thinking it was just a riot. Throughout the game, Frank seeks the truth behind the zombie outbreak by investigating recent events and questioning characters trapped in the mall. With the player's help, Frank also tries to rescue many human characters trapped within various sections of the mall.
Isabela Keyes The younger sister of Carlito. Very little is known about her, but that she worked at Dr. Barnaby's laboratories in Santa Cabeza as a medical technician. She starts off as an enemy, but after Carlito attacks her, she realizes the mayhem her brother is causing and becomes an ally. She helps temporarily subdue Frank's infection, and escapes with him out of Willamette.
Carlito Keyes The older brother of Isabela. The mysterious Carlito tries to kill Frank at every turn. He is the cause of the outbreak and wants revenge for the slaughter of his hometown, Santa Cabeza. Most of the game is spent trying to uncover the motivation and story behind Carlito and his connection to the zombies.
Brad Garrison A DHS agent who reluctantly fights alongside Frank throughout the story. He assumes the responsibility of re-stocking the Security Room with healing items and trying to locate Dr. Barnaby early in the game. At first, he is uneasy to be around a member of the press, and even goes so far as to stereotype Frank as a crooked paparazzi. However, he soon grows to trust Frank. At the end of the "Bomb Collector" case, he is forced into the zombie-infested maintenance tunnels by Carlito and is attacked. Frank returns to look for Brad, but Brad, close to zombification and disemboweled, realizes that there is nothing that Frank can do, except leave him and not tell Jessie.
Jessica "Jessie" McCarney Brad's rookie partner. She is charged with watching the monitors for information on the person/people responsible for the outbreak. Like Brad, she is distrustful of Frank, and patronizes him for being a civilian. However, she grows to trust Frank after he manages to retrieve the medicine from a crazed Steven. Jessie 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, and is found by Frank wandering the security room.
Otis Washington A mall janitor. Otis tries in vain to stop Frank from chasing Brad back into the mall, and winds up handing over a map and spare transceiver. He periodically sends the player information and scoops over Frank's transceiver. If Frank is unable to reach the stairs of the Entrance Plaza when the zombies are first let in, and instead is knocked out, it is Otis that drags him from the chaos. When the Special Forces arrive, Otis sneaks out and attempts to steal a helicopter. Notably, Otis's voice is never heard during the game.
Dr. Russell Barnaby A genetic researcher, whose work led to the events chronicled throughout Dead Rising. He becomes infected and attacks Jessie. Brad shoots him after he attempts to attack Frank.
Survivors
The citizens of Willamette who were not initially killed by the zombie outbreak are referred to as "survivors." There are about 54 survivors counting Frank himself scattered across the mall, and their fate is dependent on Frank. Otis gives Frank a transmitter and a map of the mall, contacting him about events happening in the mall. Otis acts as the source of information for finding survivors. However, Otis will not notice all of the survivors and thus, some must be stumbled upon. Many survivors can be escorted safely to the security room, while others may be injured or too scared, requiring Frank to carry them to the exit point, rendering him unable to use his weapons. Successful rescues will earn PP for Frank.
Psychopaths
In addition to battling thousands of zombies, Frank West must also deal with crazy psychopaths, humans who have gone mad by the invasion or otherwise corrupt, evil or immoral humans who serve as the game's bosses. Examples include a clown who goes insane after seeing his audience eaten, a deranged butcher thinking people are "fresh meat" and zombies are "spoiled meat", a Vietnam War veteran who suffers war flashbacks after seeing his granddaughter eaten by zombies, and a cult leader.