The third time around, they finally got it right. It’s not that the previous games in the series were lacking in fun or awful, it’s just that, this time, Capcom cooked down the formula into one lean, mean zombie-kiling machine. The premise of the game is exactly as in the previous games, but what makes this outing shine is that certain nit-picks have been corrected, and the power of next-gen consoles allows for so many more zombies on screen. It’s a seemingly simple upgrade, but it makes a world of difference.
The story of the game is consistent with the other iterations; namely it involves a scruffy, likeable protagonist taking on the cause of the zombie infestation while running into various psychopaths and allies. The personalities in the game are as wacky as ever, and feel at home in the existing universe. The over-the-top nature of the characters is playful enough to make the convoluted story compelling so as to not skip cutscenes. To be certain, this is not a melodramatic serious story, but there are some emotional moments throughout.
The look of the game is fantastic. The somewhat clunky animation and character designs of yore are redone and wonderful this time out. There’s a deep level of detail in the world, and though the map is somewhat small by most new game’s standards, it doesn’t feel as small as it is on paper. One thing that the designers have done extremely well is to populate the neighborhoods in a realistic way. You can go into nearly every building, often finding exclusive weapons/clothing in mundane places. This feat of making every building accessible is exactly what the GTA series is missing, and feels so much more fleshed out than looking at repeated graphics of shop interiors in a window. The city, though full of the walking dead, feels more alive than in any GTA game, simply because you are allowed to utilize these places around you to take a breather, restock, or create your own chokepoints in.
The gameplay is as fun as ever. There’s no other zombie game that can top the mayhem of wading into a crowd of zombies and completely bowling a pile of them over. The increased zombies gather in unavoidable herds, forcing you to make your way through them to get to important places. There is good fun to be had in wading into the thick of it with an uber-weapon, but the hordes keep coming, so you are not going to be able to do much other than cull a percentage of the onscreen zombies. Vehicles play a major part in the game, and really help to not only navigate the world, but take out swaths of zombies. The vehicles are fragile, but completely useful. They are parsed out on the map in a way that makes them seem welcome when you run across one, but they are never too far out of reach.
The weapons are fantastic, as always. The variety of things to weaponize is impressive, and there are plenty of combo weapons to be had, as well. The combos are done in a very effective way, allowing you to combine items you’ve learned about previously, on the fly. The elimination of a workbench is a welcome change. You’ll find just the right weapon for your particular play style, and won’t have much of a problem stocking your inventory with it. Weapons also seem to last longer than in previous iterations, so that helps. What I found useful was to have a weapon capable of doing damage or staggering zombies in a wide arc around my body. This helps to get away if surrounded, and deals damage to a large number of foes.
Guns return, and have been improved. The aiming mechanic is better, and guns are a viable choice in certain situations. They completely belong in the boss fights, allowing you to avoid cheap traps and ultra-damaging melee hits. In the regular course of the game, they help to take down the SWAT-type enemies and can be good for clearing a path if you have the advantage of height. Speaking of height, zombies are quite stupid in this game, as all you have to do is get about a few inches above their heads, and you are safe. Every car roof is a safe haven, unless some zombie glitches and can actually get to you. It’s rare, but it happens. This strategy often helps when navigating the highways system by foot, but it can also lead to a herd of zombies piling up thicker around you.
Safehouses are a welcome addition to the open world. Various houses need to be cleared, first, but once that is done, you get a weapons locker which can infinitely respawn every weapon you’ve ever used, as well as a chance to change outfits and save the game. They usually offer a rooftop sniping spot with some fun guns/explosive toys to drop on hordes below, as well. It feels kind of cheap to have the weapons locker, especially after unlocking a ton of high level blueprints, but there are times right before a boss battle where you will be thankful for this.
Speaking of boss battles, they are plentiful and as unfair as ever. The game is frustratingly easy in all aspects except the boss battles. One battle, in particular, is so frustrating that it can halt the motivation to finish the story. If you’ve played the game, you’ve no doubt lost some time to the loader battle in which you spawn with hardly any weapons/health items after being captured. The escalating fight demands an almost perfect execution, as one slip up allows a mechanical arm to pick you up and throw you into either inescapable fire or massive amounts of zombies. It can feel cheap, especially since you have no items to start the battle. I did manage to beat it once and have a game-stopping glitch, not allowing me to move to the next area, so be prepared for the chance of hellish torture.
Multiplayer can be amazingly fun, and the casual, drop-in nature of the system means that you will occasionally have a player join, even if you are not looking to multiplay. I didn’t realize this, and had to set the options appropriately so as not to keep having people join randomly. The co-op is very fun, except for the annoyance of friendly fire. The melee weapons often have such wide areas of coverage that you cannot stand anywhere near your co-op buddies. This can lead to a lot of “man, I’m sorry about that” coming over the headset, but it is not a deal breaker. There can be funny moments as well, as you’ll often have to yell or listen for someone saying bail when a vehicle is about to (quickly) explode.
I’ve really been trying to utilize all of the Smart Glass apps for games, and I have to say the Dead Rising 3 has the best one going. It is presented in a way that mimics an actual cell phone, and allows you to see missions, maps, information, and receive calls from in-game characters. It certainly is useful, and greatly adds to the game, as it makes you aware of content not found in the regular course of things. If you’ve yet to try any of the Smart Glass apps out yet, this is the one to show you the potential. It works best on a tablet, especially since you’ll have a gps-like map which will show you location in real time, any survivors and side-missions around you, as well as your progress and timers on each specific mission. It also serves as an invaluable aid in navigating the city’s highways.
The game is not flawless, but it is simply a fun, engaging experience. There is joy to be had in plowing through endless hordes of zombies in a combo vehicle, exploring the city, tackling bosses, and just plain wreaking havoc in this game. It’s a smart evolution of the series, and takes full advantage of the next-gen processing power. If you’ve enjoyed the previous games, even if you were annoyed with certain aspects, they’ve streamlined it and only kept what’s fun about the series.