Dead Rising demo...it's alive!

Early this week, haters of the undead drooled at Capcom's announcement that a demo for Dead Rising would be coming to Xbox Live Marketplace soon. Well, it's now time to sharpen those blades, polish those guns, and buff those mannequins (or whatever other makeshift weapons gamers can get their mitts on), because Capcom's Dead Rising demo has lurched silently onto Xbox Live.

Rather than give gamers a few full levels to toy around with, the Dead Rising demo operates on a time limit. The sampling offers 15 minutes of play, giving gamers a quick tease a few days before the full retail game is available in the US (August 8) and more than a month before its European release (September 8).

Despite the 15-minute time limit, the demo gives a good look at the final game, with cutscenes and numerous weapons available to play with. The game's hero, Frank, starts equipped with a sledgehammer and a shotgun, and as gamers progress through the zombie-infested mall, they can pick up other items to use against the undead meatbags.

Dead Rising is rated M for Mature, and will retail for $59.99 on the Xbox 360. The demo is not available in Germany, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, or Asia. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.