The Good vs Bad when it comes down to Dead Rising 2: Off the Record.
As for the good things that Dead Rising 2: Off the Record has; personally, I like just about everything in this game more than the original. The story is much more interesting and seems more thought out, the main character (Frank West) is a lot more fun and entertaining than Chuck Greene, and the new checkpoint system is a life saver.
With the previous Dead Rising titles, the player would have to save constantly to make sure that they could progress. Death or failure meant that you would have to load your previous save, which always either had to be done manually by visiting a save point or choosing to save after completing a story mission. In Off the Record, your game will save automatically at just about every loading screen and before most psychopaths. Thanks to this, if you are to die unexpectedly or something doesn't quite go your way, you can load your last checkpoint.
In addition to the wonderful new checkpoint system is the Sandbox Mode, which is basically an option that allows you to roam around and do what you please with no time limits. There are challenges that can be done in case you get sick of the non-stop zombie slaying and trophies (or achievements) can still be unlocked, but you no longer have to worry about any time restrictions; including the need for Zombrex. There are however, times when you activate challenges.
Co-Op has returned and can be played via the Story Mode and Sandbox Mode. Much like the original Dead Rising 2, the Story Mode co-op is simply two players (now using 2 different characters instead of clones; one as Frank West and one as Chuck Greene) taking on the story missions, saving survivors, and taking down psychopaths. In the Sandbox Co-op, the two of you can either run around and kill zombies freely (as long as you're in the same area of course) or complete co-op challenges together, adding much more replay value than Dead Rising 2's Terror is Reality competitive mode.
As for the bad things about Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, there is only one thing I have noticed. With the addition of the new checkpoint system, the game has managed to become even more difficult and frustrating during some parts of the game. Some psychopaths have unnecessary new moves, just about all enemies that wield a firearm can and will spam you to death, and the zombies (especially on the last day) seem to have grown a lot more annoying.
Other than that, this game (in my opinion) is the best in the series so far, though it gets a 9.5 out of 10, which is ironically the same score I gave Dead Rising 2. If you haven't played any of the Dead Rising games yet, this would be the best place to start and this is definitely worth the buy. Especially if you ever end up being stuck between purchasing this or Dead Rising 2.
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