Minor problems aside, Capcom spent enough time on the big things to make Dead Rising a thoroughly enjoyable experience
Dead Rising has been hotly anticipated all summer. The whole time the biggest question has been whether or not the game would deliver on its two widely publicized promises: The number of zombies you encounter, and the wide variety of weapons at your disposal. Well, be rest assured, these are the two things Capcom NAILED. You'll see hundreds of zombies on screen at once with little effect on the framerate and you'll be able to dispact of these creatures with everything from your bare fists to a replica of the Mega Man Mega Buster. The weapon system is handled remarkably well and may be the game's strongest point. The feel of the weapons is great and there's no shortage of them.
While, its wonderful that Capcom got these two things right, gamers were worried that Dead Rising would become dull quickly and have no incentive to play again once completing it. Luckily, this isn't the case. The game never gets too tiresome and you get a lot of bang for your buck with multiple endings and side missions you'll want to complete once you beat the main game which will take you anyhwere from 10-20 hours.
The story, is shockingly good. You play as Photojournalist Frank West who got a tip that something big was going down in Willamette, Colorado. You go to investigate to find out the truth of what happened and you have 72 hours to find out what happened and get the hell out of Dodge. You'll discover a story of a massive government cover-up. The voice acting and cutscenes are great and the game doesn't take itself too seriously, so while its violent, its done so over the top, its comical. The game is very clever filled with commentary on American society.
The game does have its share of problems though. The game's save system and mission structure has been much criticized. You must complete all the story line missions: Fail one, and thats it. The story ends. Of course, you can reload a save, but here's the catch-22: You only get one save per save device, and if you save in a point where its impossible to get to a mission on time or impossible for you to complete a mission, you're screwed and must start the game again. Luckily, you will start over with the same stats that you had saved with so you'll be able to blow through the parts you've already played much easier than before. Personally, i didn't have too many problems with the save system/mission structure. You just need to be careful and get to missions on time. Sure, its a pain that a game that seems so open ended guides you along, but it doesn't hurt the game too much in the long run.
The game is fairly challenging, but its not because of great game design, but rather because of broken boss fights, awful NPC AI, and control issues. These are all small problems, that add up over time. The game lacks a certain level of polish, but they don't hamper the experience too much because what Capcom did right, they did very well, so it compensates for any shortcomings.
At the end of the day, Dead Rising is a great game that was worth the wait and even exceeded expectations. Things are pretty light right now for the 360, so if you're looking for a game that is a blast to play and will last you a while, Dead Rising more than fits the bill.