Dead Rising is a radical departure from Capcom's Resident Evil games, and an excellent departure at that.
Of course, Dead Rising has its problems. A prominent lack of save points can leave you backtracking constantly and the tight 72-hour time limit can ruin the storyline if you don't keep up with the strict deadlines. Escorting NPCs is a pain, and, when swamped by vast swathes of undead zed, Dead Rising can become difficult if you don't have some serious death-dealers to hand.
Dead Rising's protagonist is Frank West, an instantly-likeable freelance photojournalist risking his life to pick up the scoop of the century. Don't worry, he has experience. After picking up the scent of a big story in the little town of Willamette, Frank charters a helicopter pilot to take him out there. When Frank arrives, he's met with a town crawling with zombies and military blockading all entrances and exits in Willamette. After taking some gory photos, Frank instructs the pilot to drop him off at the local mall and return for him three days later.
As Frank only has three days - 72 hours - to pick up that big scoop, time is tight. Mowing down hundreds - thousands - of zombies, taking on crazy survivors with big guns, defeating masked psychopaths and a trio of armed convicts are just problems you'll have to deal with in the main storyline. Also scattered around the plot are various side quests and rescue missions, along with a few optional bosses which aren't mandatory but help Frank to move around the mall without being attacked by, say, an evil clown with dual chainsaws and throwing knives.
The aforementioned lack of save spots and tight time limit can be a real problem when you're sprinting desperately from one side of the mall to the other during a mission, especially when you're under attack by hundreds of zombies at a time. For example, in one quest, you're supposed to go and get medicine for a character integral to Dead Rising's plot. Time is running out fast, and you've just got enough time to sprint to the pharmacy and back before this character dies. Unfortunately, however, there's a major boss guarding the pharmacy who has to be dealt with before the medicine can be procured. This is a huge problem considering that if time runs out on one of these 'case files', the entire storyline is cancelled and you're forced to start the entire story again, unless you have a handy save.
The mall is a huge, open playground full of interesting weapons and plenty of fodder to try said weapons out on. As I've said, a wide variety of weapons are available, from katanas and battle axes to shower heads. In Dead Rising, it's possible to go around wearing a Lego head helmet and kids clothes while firing at zombies with a tennis-ball launching Mega Man blaster. The possibilities for creative fun are endless.
Dead's Rising levelling ability is closely entwined with Frank's photography skills. For each photo taken, PP, 'or Prestige Points' are given, bumping up the blue bar until Frank reaches the next level. Certain photo opportunities award more PP, and you'd be wise to look for PP logos above the heads of enemies and NPCs.
What's most striking about Dead Rising is the radical departure Capcom has taken from its Resident Evil games. Of course, it still retains its undead, but the game parodies films and books in its genre in a comedic style which bears no resemblance to the adventures of Leon and Chris and Jill and Wesker. The fact that it's such a laugh-inducing game while being set in such a grim place works well in Dead Rising's favour, and as such it deserves a place in the Xbox 360's 'Classic' titles.
In conclusion, Dead Rising is a great game for some overblown, ridiculous fun with plenty of creative potential. Frank West, as a character, is likeable, and the plot well-developed. Bosses are fearsome, and often difficult, but the game never feels unfairly hard. Plus, zombies make everything better.