DR3 was very satisfying to play through. Granted, it did not have the crippling difficulty that the first Dead Rising had, which made this a different type of game. Coincidentally, I was just in the mood for something that made you feel more 'powerful' than helpless. The game is rather 'fair', almost to the point of being 'lenient', so it's rather cathartic to play. That is, it's great for relaxing after a stressful workday.
It definitely did help in that the story was actually pretty satisfying. No, nothing was really phenomenal or ground breaking, but Dead Rising 3 takes a cookie-cutter format and makes it 'work'. That is, you're probably going to find everything rather forgettable, but it never gets to the point where you feel like the story is 'detracting' from your experience, and really, that was more than enough for me for a game of this type.
Weapons are easier to craft than ever before; so instead of focusing on micromanagement (like in past Dead Rising games), you're instead thinking of what you're going to obliterate next, and what upgrades you want. Although this is different from past installments in the series, it takes this new turn and executes it rather well. Some may not find this to be their cup of tea, however. For my current mood, though, it was really gratifying and addictive. Overall, I really felt this was a great game, and I would play it again.