Frank-tastic
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| Guess who's back? |
Upon witnessing the unveiling of Dead Rising 2, many fans,
myself included, will recall being unable to hide their disappointment at the
severe, almost frightening lack of a certain cocky photojournalist in the starring role. Chuck
Greene made for an interesting replacement, and he was certainly a strong enough
protagonist to make the original Dead Rising 2 an enjoyable game, but
there was always something missing. Chuck’s sarcastic comments weren’t quite as
sharp, his ingenious use of magical duct tape was a fine talent,
but his refusal to carry a camera was a fatal flaw, and he very rarely,
if ever, used the word ‘fantastic’. In short: he wasn’t Frank West. Capcom
clearly noticed this too, and to continue their never-ending trend of updating
and re-releasing games, decided to give us all the Frank we had been craving
with Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. How did they do? Well, it begins with 'F' and rhymes with 'bombastic'.
The game presents a ‘What If’ scenario, the sort of thing
history channels insist on churning out in some vain effort to show off their 'wacky side'. In this
case, we discover what might’ve happened if Frank had been at the centre of the
Fortune City outbreak. The original game’s story is official canon, where Off
the Record's is just for laughs. This gives the developers license to go a little
wild with the plot, something that they perhaps don’t take full advantage of,
with most of the story being very similar to DR2. However, there’s still enough new twists
and turns here to make it worth seeing all the way through, with the finale in particular a real highlight. Those who missed out on Dead Rising 1 or 2 might not
appreciate every wink and nod, but the story is more than competent enough
to stand on its own. Meanwhile, the very concept of a ‘What If’ video game does inspire some contemplation, and I can't help but wonder how some other franchises could incorporate the idea, it’s unquestionably something I wouldn’t mind seeing more of.
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| Ever wondered how Frank might've handled the Fortune City outbreak? Here's your answer |
Off the Record is, unsurprisingly, very much like Dead Rising 2, and I won't assume that all readers are fully-versed on Dead Rising 2, but to go in-depth on that game would be treading over old ground, and there's plenty else to discuss with OTR. Hence, I’ll
draw up a simple summary of the original game: there’s been a zombie outbreak in the glamorous complex of casinos and malls known as Fortune
City, and you’re trapped right in the middle of it. Naturally, you slaughter a preposterous number of zombies, use duct tape to unite axes with sledgehammers, and explore this faux Vegas on the hunt
for needy survivors, the truth behind the outbreak, and elusive boxes of the much sought-after
drug Zombrex, daily doses of which can keep zombification at bay for the infected who
are yet to turn. In the original Dead Rising 2 Chuck needed Zombrex to save
his young daughter Katey, this time around Frank needs it for himself. If you have any experience with DR2 then plenty of this game will seem pretty familiar, but just like Frank's hairline, some things have changed.
So let’s move on to the new content, aside from the aforementioned story
changes, Frank’s presence marks the return of the much-loved photography
mechanic from the first Dead Rising, working just as well as before, with the
added bonus of a
camera that requires no battery changes, allowing Frank to be as
snap-happy as he pleases. There are a few new psychos, one of which in particular
will please long-time fans, some suitably ludicrous additional combo weapons, and plenty of new, physics-defying skill moves for Frank to utilise. A
whole new area has been added to the map in the form of ‘Uranus Zone’ a fittingly over-the-top, futuristic amusement park that perfectly complements the rest of the Fortune City spectacle, being more or less what you would expect if
Disney World’s Tomorrowland were to be rebuilt in Las Vegas. On the multiplayer side of things, the game’s co-op
has been updated and improved, allowing Player 2 to jump in as Chuck Greene,
and the poorly-received Terror is Reality competitive multiplayer has been
removed altogether. I doubt many will miss it. Plenty of smaller bonus touches have been added too, including some
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| Typical gameplay screenshot |
Then there’s sandbox mode, a feature that Dead Rising fans and detractors alike have long yearned for. Fans of the original Dead Rising will remember its ‘infinity mode’ where players could roam the Willamette mall and do as they pleased, but this feature was plagued by some awful design choices: constantly depleting health, inability to save, disabling of the camera, it simply wasn’t what people wanted. I’m happy to say that Off the Record’s sandbox mode is exactly what people wanted. It boils the game right down to its core ingredients, allowing you to freely roam Fortune City with no time limit, no story, and no need to save any of those pesky survivors, because they’ve all gone insane and will attack on sight, along with the psychos, naturally. The sandbox can be a refreshing alternative to the fast-paced, time-centric story cases, and it can be a lot of fun, and almost disturbingly relaxing to jump in and while away the hours slaughtering some zombies, inventing your own stories and missions as you go. The developers even threw in some singleplayer and co-op challenges to complete for bonus cash, with more unlocking as your kill tally rises, giving the mode some semblance of progression and objective for those who need it.
Sandbox mode is exactly what the series has been crying out for, doing a fine job of demonstrating why people love Dead Rising, and showing off the huge potential these games still have. Without the confines and stresses of the main story, like that time limit constantly playing on your mind, the game becomes an exercise in childish delight as you run about the place, gleefully smacking zombies over the head with all the toys of Fortune City. The mode grants a sense of freedom that complements the core of the game perfectly. There's a lot of detail in the world that you finally have the opportunity to notice, plenty of places to explore, and countless areas you'd likely miss or rush past in the story, with sandbox mode lets you see them all. For the first time in a Dead Rising game, you feel unconstrained, granted all the time in the world to use every comical item you encounter, to try on all those silly outfits, to fully experiment with the combo weapons, and to actually relish in the fun of killing some zombies, rather than rushing through them in pursuit of your next mission. Sandbox mode is reason to buy the game alone, a pure indulgence in fun, hopefully pointing in a promising direction for Dead Rising 3. Plus, all your cash and experience can be carried over to story mode, and vice versa. A common criticism of the franchise has been the unforgiving nature of the game, and the way that most players feel compelled to restart their story time and time again, in order to grind up enough levels to take on the game’s later challenges. Sandbox mode addresses this as well as anyone could ask for. Stuck on a boss in the story? Jump into the sandbox for an hour or two, boost your Frank up a few levels, and then dive back into the main game to show off your new skills.
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| The sandbox challenges often have inventive objectives, with amusing results |
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a surprising package. What some might have expected to be little more than a quick re-release, has
turned out to be by far the best Dead Rising game to date, combining all the finest facets of its predecessors and delivering one of the most polished and enjoyable zombie games you'll find on any system. There’s not exactly heaps of
new content here, but there’s enough to justify OTR's existence, and make it a markedly different, and much better game than the original. Every single addition and modification has comprehensively improved the experience, with
sandbox mode in particular being a gratefully welcomed addition, and perhaps heralding a brighter future for the series. Unfortunately for those who still aren't quite sold on the Dead Rising formula, this isn't the huge overhaul you were waiting for, and plenty of the old issues remain. The controls remain less than ideal, the time limit of the story continues to frustrate, and there are still many blatant improvements to be made if these games are to ever fully realise their potential. Many criticisms have been levelled at
the franchise, and while Off the Record isn’t going to convert many of the
cynics, it’s clear to see that Capcom Vancouver understood the problems people
had, and has worked to address at least some of them, whilst preserving the parts
of Dead Rising that made fans fall in love in the first place. The developers did the best job anyone could have realistically expected of them, and Off the Record is a game I
can wholeheartedly recommend to almost anyone, from fans of the franchise to Frank
West first-timers.
For the purposes of this review, the Xbox 360 version of the game was played.
For the purposes of this review, the Xbox 360 version of the game was played.
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