Wow DR is bad

okay so I just beat Crackdown today, and I started Dead Rising. Man oh man, is this one of those times where I am ready to just unload on this game. 90% of the things in this game are just plain wrong. Let's start with the basics:

Okay fine, you kill zombies. That's great. Actually, the sentence "You run around a mall and kill zombies with whatever you can pick up" sold me on this game. Then of course, I experienced it. Do you wanna know how much fun it is trying to get through a wall of zombies with your fists? Yeah it probably doesnt sound fun and its even less fun to actually do, since you have about as much health as I would expect if I were playing a 90 year old man beating off the zombies with his cane. Now this game is free roam. That's good, I love games where I can explore and move around and enjoy my time...what was that. YEAH you are on a time limit. WTF is that? That's about as good as giving me a gun without bullets and telling me to kill people with it. You give me a gigantic area to explore, and then tell me I have a time limit. Awesome.

Let's move onto something that honestly effects the game in an even more dramatic way. The save system. IT BLOWS. The bad thing about the save system, is that they are limited, and they are pretty spread out. That would be fine in a linear game, but this is a free roam...no wait, this is a TIMED free roam game. Meaning that I dont feel I should waste time running to a save point. I didnt even have to TRY an escort mission to know it will suck. Getting MYSELF through waves of zombies is bad enough, but bringing someone else through them? That's just plain lame. Now we move on to how the game tries to help you. The arrow in this game (the thing that leads you to checkpoints) just likes to trick you. I guess the excuse anyone could use is that it goes in a straight line to your target. So trusting it is about as good as trusting a blind tour guide. It knows where its going, but it has no idea whats in the way on the path to the objective. Let's start with the very first mission, "backup for brad." If you havent guessed it, you have to go save brad. Fine. I can do that. Or so I thought.

The problem with this quest is that the arrow led me into a park. Thats cool. The park is a wide open space, with lots of room to manuever. I was actually able to avoid zombies there. Awesome. So I made my way towards the entrance that I had to get through to reach brad. There was literally a wall of zombies that was several yards thick. Not just around that entrace either. It was around all the entrances. So then I was stuck, and the arrow proved to be amazingly useless while I tried to figure out where I was going to go...all the while the zombies chased me around the park like a maniacal game of follow the leader. But wait, it gets better.

I followed some sort of pathway to a parking lot, where I got lucky and found a parked car. I got in it, and proceeded to run over about 300 hundred zombies in a few minutes. Then, miraculously, the car STOPPED RUNNING. I had no idea why, and I had no idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that I was in a very dark, very crowded (with zombies) maintenance tunnel, with no idea where I should be going. How did I know where I was? Because the oh so helpful guide character Otis decided to use the radio he gave me. The problem was that I was in the middle of a mob of zombies frantically beating them with a baseball bat when he decided to call. You cant really fight when you are on your cell phone, but if you miss what Otis tells you, then you are really screwed. I managed to escape (barely) with one health bar into an elevator. Otis radioed me again, and I found that the oh so important message was to tell me that HE LOST A KEY! Great, so now I get to wade out into the hordes of zombies and crawl around on the ground looking for the random key this guy lost. I ran for a bit, and then a zombie blind sided me. Dead. Would you like to know what happened then? I lost everything. Everything from the last time I saved, and that was about 30-40 minutes ago. I lost a good level and a half of experience (oh sorry, its PP...right), all the crap I had done, the cutscenes, the zombies. All of it was gone. ****ING GREAT!

Now I love Capcom, but honestly, they ****ed this game up in just all the wrong ways. They made it nearly impossible to get through the mall without a rocket launcher on your shoulder to clear out all the zombies with. Your character has the physical capabilities of a senior citizen with a walker, and the save system/guide arrow actively fight you. Survival mode is probably tons of fun, but the 72 hour story mode, is complete bull**** and I am tempted to sit for the entire time in the security room, go the helipad, and then complete 72 hour mode, having done nothing, just so I can mutilate zombies to my hearts content.

yes, but to get to that point, I have to wade through all the crap in this game, and it honestly doesnt seem worth it.Essian

How long have you spent playing it? This is not a game that is friendly to people who just start it.

And no, survival mode is not fun at all. You also don't unlock it til you get the real ending anyway. The save system is difficult to manage at first, after a while you get used to it. Eventually, your character will be able to clear these hordes with your bare hands. But you aren't supposed to be able to beat the game with the best ending on your first playthrough. Your character is weak because you start at level 1. You keep your character through multiple playthroughs, and there are a lot of secrets to help you level up fast.

You were also going the wrong way and shouldn't have gone into the maintenance tunnels in the first place.

Just stick with the game. And yes, its a timed game, but there is only one mission where failing prompts a game over. 72 hour mode takes 6 hours or so - its on a time limit, but it feels longer than it is. Just be glad you didn't have to deal with the survivor AI yet - the only legitimate complaint about the game. You don't have to answer Otis immediately, he'll call you back. The arrow works fine for the most part, I've never seen anything go wrong with it.

A lot of your hatred towards the game comes from misconceptions going into the game and frustration. This game requires a lot of time for it to be at its best - but it is amazing when it is. Don't give up on it just yet - you could just spend the first playthrough in one area of the mall, fighting zombies there. It would beat sitting there bored, and it would beat smashing your head against the wall trying to get the best ending.

Who knows, maybe you'll like it.

Gettin into the maintenance tunnels on the way to backup for brad is quite an accomplishement.. complete opposite direction.. and the more missions you. the more health you get.. sounds like you played half an hour of this game and then gave up cause you were bad at it. Give the game some time and you'll like it.buddy90909

See, here's the thing. I did enjoy killing zombies. That was fun. Even now the premise of starting up the game and massacring people was awesome. But I didnt enjoy being timed, and I didnt enjoy not knowing where to go. I plan to give the game some more time, but some parts just really annoy me. I know if I try again, and give it more time, I will like it, but that just really annoyed me. Now that I know I was going the wrong way, I can plan accordingly. Glad to know I accomplished SOMETHING. Btw, it wasnt that I was BAD at it persay, just that I didnt know what to DO really. It's hard to be good at a game you dont really know how to play. I will give the game another try tomorrow and see if I do better with it. I hope so, since it really seems like a fun game to play.

Hey Brmarlin, nice to hear from you again (I talked to you about Crackdown not too long ago). Anyway, I was more than a little frustrated, but I plan to give it another go tomorrow. Hopefully with better results. I didnt realize that it was common to not accomplish everything on the first playthrough. Now that I know that, I wont work at doing everything, and just work at having some fun. Sounds like a better plan to me anyway.

About the time concert.. I usually hate timed games.. they piss me off. But in dead rising, when your time is up, you can just start a new game and you keep your characters abilities... but yeah. I guess I was harsh.. it is a good game and I'm glad you will give it time because I know that you will enjoy it.buddy90909

wait, when your 72 hours is up, you can start over with the exact character you left off with and all the skills and such? That is REALLY relieving to hear. You werent harsh. If I had seen the same text about a game that I enjoyed, I would make the same assumptions you did. Thanks for the advice and info, and I will pick up the game again tomorrow, and let you know if I get along any better (I have a sneaking suspicion that I will). At least my rant was cathardic.

[QUOTE="buddy90909"]Gettin into the maintenance tunnels on the way to backup for brad is quite an accomplishement.. complete opposite direction.. and the more missions you. the more health you get.. sounds like you played half an hour of this game and then gave up cause you were bad at it. Give the game some time and you'll like it.Essian

See, here's the thing. I did enjoy killing zombies. That was fun. Even now the premise of starting up the game and massacring people was awesome. But I didnt enjoy being timed, and I didnt enjoy not knowing where to go. I plan to give the game some more time, but some parts just really annoy me. I know if I try again, and give it more time, I will like it, but that just really annoyed me. Now that I know I was going the wrong way, I can plan accordingly. Glad to know I accomplished SOMETHING. Btw, it wasnt that I was BAD at it persay, just that I didnt know what to DO really. It's hard to be good at a game you dont really know how to play. I will give the game another try tomorrow and see if I do better with it. I hope so, since it really seems like a fun game to play.

Hey Brmarlin, nice to hear from you again (I talked to you about Crackdown not too long ago). Anyway, I was more than a little frustrated, but I plan to give it another go tomorrow. Hopefully with better results. I didnt realize that it was common to not accomplish everything on the first playthrough. Now that I know that, I wont work at doing everything, and just work at having some fun. Sounds like a better plan to me anyway.

Heh, I remember spending my first playthrough almost entirely in Paradise Plaza - took maybe 3 months for me before a successful playthrough. It varies from person to person though - one of my friends still hasn't beaten the game (he gave up on it), and another beat the whole thing in about a month. Good luck, and if you manage to make your way into the North Plaza, go to the hardware store and take the giant drill. Best weapon ever.

Why do you complain and just go get something to use to kill the zombies instead of complaining you cant kill the zombies with your fists. All you have to do in the game is go to the gun-shack to grab guns which last for awhile. They kill zombies better than anything else in the game. The arrow isn't misleading either its just fine. The reason your car stopped is because is broke down [Duuuuhhhhhh] and its easy to get out of that place because you have a map, hows it that hard? Seriously think of these things and stop complaining.recall12

Going to the gun store is actually a really really BAD idea. Cletus is not your friend, and neither are his replacements.

Why do you complain and just go get something to use to kill the zombies instead of complaining you cant kill the zombies with your fists. All you have to do in the game is go to the gun-shack to grab guns which last for awhile. They kill zombies better than anything else in the game. The arrow isn't misleading either its just fine. The reason your car stopped is because is broke down [Duuuuhhhhhh] and its easy to get out of that place because you have a map, hows it that hard? Seriously think of these things and stop complaining.recall12

I'm surprised you are the only person who flamed me. Let me fill you in (though I do understand that you have every right to call me a troll). If you read thoroughly, you would have seen that the tunnel is pitch black and filled with zombies, meaning that navigating it even with the map is very difficult. Furthermore, I didnt understand that the game is really meant to be enjoyed over several play throughs. I was also going the wrong way, and the arrow led me to a door mobbed by about 30 or 40 zombies, making it impossible to pass. That is why I was mad at the arrow. I do not know where the gun shack is, meaning that going to it, and getting enough guns and ammo to overtake North Korea would be a little tough for me. Now that I know these new tidbits, I am more than willing to give the game another try. I understand your cause for anger, and I accept the fact that my rant made me look like a tool.

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

recall12

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

[QUOTE="recall12"]

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

Brmarlin

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

[QUOTE="recall12"]

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

Brmarlin

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

[QUOTE="Brmarlin"][QUOTE="recall12"]

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

recall12

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

Where are all these amazing guns I didnt see?!

[QUOTE="Brmarlin"][QUOTE="recall12"]

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

recall12

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

I've done that and haven't even stopped to kill the zombies - he's always there. Doesn't really matter though, I'll just check when I get back home and can use my 360 again.

I am going to assume that Cletus is more than a little hostile if you need a shotgun to take care of him. Also, where in the entrace plaza is the shotgun, because picking that up might be helpful.Essian

Cletus is EXTREMELY hostile. You're going to want at least 3 wines and a shotgun, maybe a pistol as well. In the Entrance Plaza, during the first zombie encounter, run forward and when you get in the large circular area, one of the groups of zombies gorging on a corpse will have a shotgun near it. It will be on the left, I think.

If you want to kill Cletus, here are the 3 strategies I'd recommend.

1. Megabuster him. Repeatedly. Not helpful here, because you don't have the Megabuster.

2. Jump over the counter and hit him with a 2x4 12 times or so. Honestly, this is just a bad idea, and the fact that I got it to work once means that I was really lucky.

3. Clear out the area outside the store and use the weird aiming system so you can get shots off on him and he can't hit you. This will take a while.

Amusingly enough, the game completely breaks if you don't go up the stairs and kill zombies for 12 game hours or so.

[QUOTE="recall12"][QUOTE="Brmarlin"][QUOTE="recall12"]

At the start of the game Cletus isnt even there at the gun shack and you can grab the guns to kill him later.

Essian

To be completely blunt, I don't believe you.

I've played through the game countless times, and each time right after the beginning, when I've gone to the gun store, Cletus is there. There's a shotgun in the Entrance Plaza though, so that would help kill him.

Where are all these amazing guns I didnt see?!

Amusingly enough, the game completely breaks if you don't go up the stairs and kill zombies for 12 game hours or so.

It breaks? What do you mean?

There's also an Uzi in Wonderland, on top of one of the toy houses. There's an Uzi in Al Fresca, in the fountain. There's also an Uzi in the maintenance tunnels, right near Otis' key. And you can get an actual machine gun late in the game, but its harder to obtain depending on if you've abandoned the story or not. There's also a katana store in North Plaza, and most bosses drop special weapons.

Other small hidden things -

The gym in Al Fresca Plaza is ridiculously useful for leveling up. You can run on the treadmills and get 2000 PP for each, with a 10000 PP Bonus for completing them all. You can also do that with the punching bags.

Using Frying Pans on Ovens gives you 2000 PP, and an awesome weapon which burns zombie faces. Smashing the wall-mounted plates in the Food Court gives you a fair amount, and lining up the Serv-o-bot head in Paradise Plaze gives 10000.

Amusingly enough, the game completely breaks if you don't go up the stairs and kill zombies for 12 game hours or so.

Essian

It breaks? What do you mean?

None of the things supposed to happen happen. You never get Case 1-1, and you miss some of the cutscenes that occur upon arrival at the Security Room.

and how does this screwing up of my game occur exactly?Essian

Don't worry. You have to go out of your way for it to happen, and it just messes up that playthrough. Just stay in the Entrance Plaza for 12 game hours or so.

Not trying to jack your thread or anything but can you play the first playthrough by running around killing zombies and not doing missions? Then start a new game with the same character? Just so you know im posting in this thread because no one answered me in the recommendation thread and don't wanna start a whole new thread about something that has a topic. Also thanks for any assistance that can be provided.craigalan23

That's actually the idea - you shouldn't worry about missions first playthrough, and you can restart with same character.

Thank you very much i've always wanted this game but like the TC i didn't wanna get screwed over in the missions and rush/worry about the time. I played the demo and the game's great! Gonna pick it up in a few days.craigalan23

Awesome, have fun with the game. Don't worry about the time limit. It feels longer than you think it is.

Well one thing I noticed reading your post is that you seem to have a fear of being attacked or touching the zombies. You ran away from the zombies at the entrance you were supposed to use and during 90% of your post were talking about running away from zombies.

Second thing is you need to learn to find weapons because very seldom do you need to fight with your fists.

The last thing is trust the arrow. It may occasionally get lost and you may occasionally have to wonder off course in order to follow it but in most cases the arrow knows best.

The next thing is that the game gets better and easier the longer you play. You will gain experience and find new weapons by exploring so if you want spend your first 72 hour mode just exploring and leveling up then spend your next playthrough doing missions and learning the story.

The last thing is you need to learn to save often.

If ya's don'ts likes its,

STOP PLAYING!

Wow first of all you need to go to the Hardware Store, then the gun shop. The part with Saving Brad that you need to go inside, but the "zombie wall" is blocking you, just grab that perfectly place lawn mower right there and mow them down:)

The only thing wrong with this game is the game saves, but it's not that terrible just save everytime your going past one, there in every bathroom or something too.

Oh and always keep a 2x4, lead pipe, or baseball bat on you, they help clear a nice little space to get thru.

Everyone had been telling me that this game is bad...TehFuneral

They are horribly wrong.

[QUOTE="TehFuneral"]Everyone had been telling me that this game is bad...Brmarlin

They are horribly wrong.

okay so day 2 with this game and I actually found it much more agreeable. Without worrying about missions or objectives, I just killed everything that moved and it was pretty good. I am looking forward to continuing with this game later on.

Dead Rising is a game that gets better the more you play it.

Dead Rising starts off as a lot of fun as you randomly wander around killing zombies, then you go through a phase of hating the save system and thinking it is too hard, then if you get beyond that it returns to being lots of fun.

When you complete the 72 hours you can restart another 72 hours, but you keep your character with all the level ups. I think I reached about level 20 on my first playthrough, and had doubled my health and increased the number of weapons I could carry, which makes the second playthrough easier.

Another trick is to learn the location of useful weapons - learn where the weapons, weapon shops, healing and secret passages are, and it makes the game easier.

Rescuing survivors is still a pain in the ass, but if you can get better weapons you can make it easier to clear a path.

Do NOT expect to beat the game on your first playthrough. In fact don't expect to get the true ending on your 2nd or 3rd playthrough. Take time to explore each section of the mall and find the hidden weapons, but do take time to practice your hand-to-hand. Melee should still be a last resort, but if you can for instance learn how to zombie walk, you can get across a very dangerous area without taking damage and without using up a whole Uzi of bullets.

yes, but to get to that point, I have to wade through all the crap in this game, and it honestly doesnt seem worth it.Essian

i felt the exact same way...i always thought i just sucked at it, but maybe im not the only one who had/has problems with the minor things which i consider flaws (most of what you stated above)

i agree with you 100% man, killing zombies was fun but they had the wrong concept with the save points which i hated the most, and the time limit...became a chore 2 play n than if you die you start all over...no thank you..much better games out than that crudDaKidLiLJ

I actually gave it another try, playing it in a different way and really enjoyed it. With your first playthrough, dont even bother doing anything but killing zombies and screwing around. I spent like all of Sept 19 (the first of three days in the game) in the very first plaza (I dont THINK its entrance plaza but I could be wrong) killing people with electric guitars and meat cleavers. It was great. Though I am kind of...leery of moving out of the area, because after my weapons break I will be in a bad spot. Not sure how far Jump Kick will get me, even though it is a sweet move.

sidenote: Why doesnt the sport store in the first plaza have anything but golf clubs and clothes? Seriously I hated that, mostly because you had to use the golf club to hit golf balls instead of clobbering the zombies with the end of it. Ugh!

all those zombies that are surrounding the door outside, well their is a lawn mower about 10 feet away from thempete_merlin

yeah I didnt see that but I wish I had!

hmmm seems like you complained about this game too soonpete_merlin

mostly because I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I mean, how was I supposed to know that doing absolutely nothing but killing zombies was the entire point of the first one or two play throughs? I have already admitted that my rant was a bit hasty and rash, but honestly it is justified in most ways.

A couple of tips for what they are worth.

In Paradise plaza right in the water on the left side heading to the park entrance there are a couple of cop zombies that are holding pistols. even punching them will get them to drop them.

Picking up trash cans and throwing them can net you pistols, knives, bats, and food.

Katanas = your best friend.

I used jump kick even past the 72 hour mode. One of my favorite techniques in the game.

The auger(giant drill that was mentioned) is the coolest weapon I have ever used.

If you get to an area that has the giant parasols, grab one and use it(hold the attack button down) and run. EASY path clearer.

And don't be afraid to take pics of zombies, survivors, and such. Can net you a good amount of PP. you can recharge your batteries in any camera shop in the mall.