The only real problem with this arcade title is it just ends too soon.
Story:
It seems the zombie outbreaks have been made public or in the very least a major problem. There is a medicine named "Zombrex" it temporarily stops the zombification process for 12 hours after those 12 hours you need to administer another dose and after those 12 hours you need to do it again. It is literally a unending cycle.You play as the famous motocross champion Chuck Greene he is oddly driving to Vegas with his young daughter (who needs zombrex) amidst a zombie outbreak that is happening in Vegas. He stops at a small seemingly deserted town called Still Creek that is exactly 47-48 miles away from Vegas. As he is filling up his personalized car with gas he checks the gas station to make sure its safe. Next thing you know his car that had his zombrex and jacket is stolen and in the midst of the chaos from the driver and Chuck zombies are now alerted to his presence. He must now find zombrex for his daughter and find a way out of the town before the military comes.
Gameplay:
The game in short is just like a smaller, shorter, better looking dead rising. You have to explore the town of Still Creek within a certain time limit ( I want to say 12 hours but don't quote me on that) and you have a handful of timed missions to complete before the time limit is up.
Now this game has some new features in it that the old Dead Rising doesn't have. For example one MAJOR feature is the ability to combine certain items(the items you can combine have a blue tag over them.) What you do is take two items run them over to a work bench( found in your safehouse or some random areas, but are clearly marked by two red doors) and make a new item. One basic weapon combo is take a bat and a box of nails and you get a spiked bat. One extremely creative one is take a propane tank and combine it with nails you have a explosive death trap with nails called cleverly IED.
Another feature is there is a money system now in place. Money is very important there is a pawn shop in the town of Still Creek (I have a feeling there will be quite a few in the actual game) and you need to buy a item in the shop to progress the story. The thing is how do you make monies? well there are two options. One is to rescue (yes they are back) lost survivors and some will reward you with money. Another way is to basically gamble. There is a very very very small casino in the town that has a couple of slot machines. Usually one pull costs $100. Its not a bad feature and I do want to see how it will be utilized in Dead Rising 2. Also I want to mention the pawn shop again. It does have useful items you can buy weapons and zombrex from it(I don't know why though). The weapons are combined weapons that you could make yourself if you are lucky to find the right parts (do yourself a favor and don't buy the spike bat it is literally right next to the workshop in your safehouse).
Another very cool feature is that it has multiple endings AND you can import your character over into Dead Rising 2. Your character has the same level up system that was in Dead Rising the more missions, survivors, and zombie kills you get the more PP you get to level up. I have to admit leveling up is pretty hard in this title and you are only limited to level 5 and that's it. I beat it and leveled up to level 4.You can replay it as many times as you want with the same character. Meaning your character with his costume and current level and PP level can replay the game as much as you want.
Finally the last and MOST needed feature of the game is that it has 3 save slots. Yes you read it right three save slots. This without a doubt helps you in every way. It has helped me out more than once and it encourages you to use multiple saves.
The game's 12 hours really do fly. It does without a doubt add tension even with the 3 save slots. Some doors are locked, yet do you really need to go to the sheriff's office? does it contain anything you need is it worth the long route through the alleys to go to the back door unlock the front door and explore? Many questions will come up like this and even though the town is small it does have a lot of locations to visit. The clock ticks and the small town does at times feel so very over whelming because you might have lost time exploring that alley or trying to find the right combo ingredients. Yet I honestly do feel Dead Rising vets should find it just right.
Yet it isn't perfect the game's main flaw is it can be completed in less than a day. The game is extremely short I mean really short. Another flaw is your inventory ( I know you are only level 1, but still) is very small you can only hold 4-5 items. With a game about combining certain tools or weapons and you need at least 2 items it does get annoying. Also there is a driving segment and let me tell you it is the most uncontrollable and annoying drivable segment in the whole video game industry. Also the survivor A.I. is virtually unchanged trying to escort them is still a pain.
Graphics:
All I can say is WOW for a down loadable title it is fantastic. Also do you remember the frame rate drops in Dead Rising? well this game runs flawlessly. There isn't that annoying frame rate drop. Also the zombies are much more varied this time around. Yeah some zombies do repeat themselves, but there is now a ton of different ones.
Audio:
Without spoiling too much there is a quick boss battle and it has a amazing audio track to it. The audio as a whole is ok. The zombies sound nice, the voice acting is meh, and the survivors sound exactly the same. Overall it didn't bother me.
Pro's
Only 400 MS points, very fun, can import your character from this game to Dead Rising 2, somewhat interesting story, The timer is just right it got to the point of me running around frantically, still has that level of humor killing zombies in humorous ways, has 3 save slots, awesome weapon combos, no frame rate drops, great graphics, improved on the Dead Rising formula can replay it again and again and not lose any level or clothing item.
Con's
It is impossible to replay this game over and over again until Dead Rising 2 because it is so brief, horrible driving segment, the boss battle is a little cheap, hard to find all the survivors, The survivor A.I. is horrible,once again I can't stress how short this game is.
Overall:
Overall I have to say I enjoyed myself while playing this game. I will admit I will play it again, but it won't hold my attention until Dead Rising 2 comes out. If this is only a taste of what Dead Rising 2 will be then I can't wait till the End of September/October!