Enter Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package, which is essentially a Game of the Year edition for the original game. It includes an improved version of the base game, as well as the Frank Rising DLC, Capcom Heroes mode, and the Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf DLC, which may be my personal favorite part of the game.

If you’ve played Dead Rising 3, you’ve got a pretty good idea of how Dead Rising 4 operates mechanically. That means that the time limits that defined earlier games in the series has been thrown out in favor of a more straightforward action-adventure title. How you feel about this change will largely depend on how you viewed previous games in the series.

"The time limit’s removal forces the game into a genre that is already overcrowded and removes one of Dead Rising’s best features – the possibility of failure, and the rush of navigating a series of challenges quickly. Without that, Dead Rising becomes merely another action-adventure game with zombies."

Personally, I believe that the time limit – the struggle of trying to get to a place and do a thing under duress or lose it forever, while navigating a large and often hostile world – is what made Dead Rising unique. Its removal forces the game into a genre that is already overcrowded and removes one of Dead Rising’s best features – the possibility of failure, and the rush of navigating a series of challenges quickly. Without that, Dead Rising becomes merely another action-adventure game with zombies. This one just happens to have wacky weapons and the decency not to take itself seriously.

That’s not to say that Dead Rising 4 is a bad game, but it is a bad Dead Rising game. Yes, some of the core elements of the series have survived: you’ll still gain experience by snapping photos with Frank’s camera and absurd weapons, like a crossbow that shoots firework or a sledgehammer covered in grenades. Story-wise, it’s also similar. The one positive to come with the removal of the time limit is that the story has improved. Dead Rising 4 picks up 16 years after the original game as Frank West, going by the amazing handle of Hank East, is a professor of photography who gets roped into another zombie conspiracy by Vick, a promising young student. From there, the government steps in and Frank is back in Willamette, which has been overrun yet again, by – you guessed it – zombies.

Despite this, though, this still feels like a talented studio trying to imitate what a Dead Rising game feels like, while removing most of the things that made Dead Rising unique in the first place. They even changed Frank’s voice actor, dropping series mainstay Terrence J. Rotolo in favor of Ty Olsson. I don’t want to disparage Olsson’s work here – he does a great job and is genuinely funny as a more mature version of Frank. But this is yet another change that simply didn’t need to be made. Changing a series’ core appeal in the attempt to woo a larger audience almost never works, and it’s a shame that Capcom didn’t use Frank’s Big Package to correct some of these oversights.

"Hitting a group of zombies with a grenade-sledgehammer should feel incredible, but it generally lacks any sense of punch. Even the original Dead Rising made better use of its weapons."

That’s not to say changes haven’t been made. Human enemies are much smarter, which means that fighting Maniacs (the less cool replacement for Psychopaths) is actually pretty challenging as they no longer act like braindead zombies. Another addition are Distress Calls, which task Frank with rescuing a group of survivors and leading them to safety through groups of zombies.

Dead Rising 4 is a fun game, and the story is generally hilarious and well-written. If the game suffers from anything beyond the changes made to the core formula, it’s on the gameplay front. Ranged attacks feel very weak, which is not unusual for the series, but even the melee hits lack impact this time around. Hitting a group of zombies with a grenade-sledgehammer should feel incredible, but it generally lacks any sense of punch. Considering so much of the gameplay is about combining weapons and vehicles together to form even better, more quirky combinations, it’s a shame that they aren’t more fun to use. Even the original Dead Rising made better use of its weapons.

The other major issue is the environment. Despite the sheer variety of settings available in Willamette, the entire game just seems grey. This is true even when you toggle on the modes where zombies are wearing holiday clothes. It’s a dreary environment that should be bright and full of color, and it’s depressing to go back to the original Dead Rising and realize that it had more color, especially in an era that was marked by games whose entire color palette consisted of various shades of grey and brown (thanks, Gears of War). There’s also less environmental destruction compared to the first game and generally less to play with. As fun as it is, it’s impossible not to notice how much of a step backwards Dead Rising 4 is, especially when compared to a game released in 2006.

"My favorite addition is Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf, which allows you to play mini golf as various characters from the core campaign on zombie-infested courses. Frank and a zombie named Bob provide color commentary. The mode is an absolute blast, especially with friends, and features a wide variety of courses."

Despite all of that, the game is fun, and it’s absolutely choked with content. There’s a co-op mode, which allows you to team up and kill zombies, but unfortunately doesn’t allow you to play through the main story, as Dead Rising 2’s did. There’s also the Frank Rising DLC, which adds an epilogue to the main game and allows you to control a Frank who possesses a very… different set of abilities. This mode also reintroduces a two hour time limit, which series purists will no doubt see as a welcome addition. It’s fun and it’s nice to see Capcom Vancouver using the DLC to explore different ideas.

Capcom Heroes mode is also a fun addition. This mode allows Frank to transform into various Capcom characters, at different points in the plot, each with their own variety of special moves. By far my favorite addition, however, is Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf, which allows you to play mini golf as various characters from the core campaign on zombie-infested courses. Frank and a zombie named Bob provide color commentary. Your characters are all sporting exo-suits, which means you can hit the ball exceptionally far, and on-course power-ups called Ball Busters make life more difficult for your opponents (or you) should you snag them. And of course, there’s lots and lots of zombie killing. The mode is an absolute blast, especially with friends, and features a wide variety of courses. It’s the perfect expansion of Dead Rising’s concept, and I know I’ll play it long after I finish wrapping everything up in the base game. I only wish there was more of it.

"It says something that my favorite part of the game is the mini golf mode, and that’s probably not a positive. Still, this is a game that is crammed full of content, and, despite all of its flaws and steps backward, it is good. It just isn’t a good Dead Rising game."

Dead Rising 4 is a difficult game to review. On one hand, it’s a legitimately well-made, funny, and irreverent zombie killing good time in a genre that seems far too eager to take itself seriously (see: the upcoming Days Gone). On the other hand, it isn’t a very good Dead Rising game, discarding much of what has made the series unique in the seemingly never-ending chase to attract a “wider audience.”

You would think that, by now, publishers would realize that this simply doesn’t work, and only alienates the core fanbase, but it’s a lesson Capcom has yet to learn. It says something that my favorite part of the game is the mini golf mode, and that’s probably not a positive. Still, this is a game that is crammed full of content, and, despite all of its flaws and steps backward, it is good. It just isn’t a Dead Rising game so much as an imitation, shambling along in a silly outfit, trying unsuccessfully, like Frank West, to convince us that it’s something it’s not. The difference is, this time, it isn’t funny.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Inevitably, the first hour of my playthrough was spent simply exploring the city of Los Perdidos, gawping at the thousands of undead filling each and every street. I’d soon found an abandoned muscle car to plough into the sea of unsuspecting souls, made myself look a little cooler by dressing up in a suit of armour and picked up a massive broadsword to fight my way towards some stranded survivors in the distance.

"What’s more, you can play solo or you can bring someone else along for the ride via online co-op. You can invite a friend or dive into the options menu and choose from various play styles to best match you with a stranger."

I quickly became accustomed to the controls and gameplay mechanics, and soon had the first couple of missions under my belt, defeating several psychopath bosses in the process. But it wasn’t until I’d found my first weapon blueprint and thrown together some truly devastating slicing and dicing moves that I became truly hooked.

Dead Rising was the very reason I bought an Xbox 360 all those years ago, lured by the promise of its slapstick humour, loads of zombies being onscreen at once and the fact that any object littering the massive open world could be used to beat them into submission. Dead Rising 3, an exclusive launch title for the Xbox One, repeats and improves upon each and every one of those elements.

What’s more, you can play solo or you can bring someone else along for the ride via online co-op. You can invite a friend or dive into the options menu and choose from various play styles to best match you with a stranger.

"The regular campaign mode and the removal of time constraints may irk diehard fans of the series as will the option to save anywhere – but for the majority of players, these tweaks are most welcome."

The action takes place a decade after the events of Dead Rising 2, with protagonist Nick Ramos trying his level best to negotiate his way through a city full of the infected and escape before an imminent military strike. Spanning six days and seven chapters, this game is vast – the map bigger than the first two titles combined.

A mechanic by trade, Nick’s certainly a useful kind of guy to have around and unlike his predecessors, Frank West and Chuck Greene, he can conjure up all kinds of deadly weapons while on the move.

The regular campaign mode and the removal of time constraints may irk diehard fans of the series as will the option to save anywhere – but for the majority of players, these tweaks are most welcome. This time round you can explore at a reasonably leisurely pace and don’t have to keep bolting into a restroom to save your progress. If you do fancy playing like the good ‘ol days, then the more hardcore can go for the Nightmare mode and reinstate the countdown clock.

"And let’s not forget Kinect. If you’re grabbed and about to be bitten by a zombie, simply shake the controller and the motion control helps you evade their clutches."

As day turns to night, zombies get tougher and more aggressive. All too often you’re running low on food and the collection of weapons in your inventory (called up via RB) are all perilously close to being unusable – flashing red to show they’re about to break. Add the fact that it’s sometimes hard to see what’s lurking in those dark corners and the slightest sound will alert the horde and the tension really ramps up a notch.

Dead Rising 3 arguably makes better use of the Xbox One’s SmartGlass technology than the other launch titles, incorporating it into the game nicely. SmartGlass provides a dual-screen experience, your tablet or phone providing access to mission list and map in real time. It’s incredibly handy being able to access objectives and a live news feed without having to pause the game all the time. It’s also incredibly clever that you’ll receive in game calls and text messages to your device too. And then there’s the fact you can call for backup from fellow survivors and call in airstrikes if you fancy.

And let’s not forget Kinect. If you’re grabbed and about to be bitten by a zombie, simply shake the controller and the motion control helps you evade their clutches. Not only that but you can attract the attention of the bloodthirsty horde just by calling out; Kinect’s microphone will pick you up, luring the zombies in your direction. You can even rile enemies by heckling them too, putting them off their stride during a confrontation. How’s that for cool?

"Earn enough and you’ll rank up, and be given Attribute Points to spend on a skills tree. From here it’s completely up to you whether you bless Nick with a bigger health bar or larger inventory, some handy new weapon-making skills or improved agility."

The all-important XP – or Prestige Points – from previous games make a return and are earned with kills, the most elaborate and spectacular earning even higher scores. And there are plenty of opportunities to ramp up the PP thanks to the thousands of zombies onscreen at any one time. Additional PP is earned by finding collectibles dotted around the city, rescuing survivors or progressing the story missions. Earn enough and you’ll rank up, and be given Attribute Points to spend on a skills tree. From here it’s completely up to you whether you bless Nick with a bigger health bar or larger inventory, some handy new weapon-making skills or improved agility.

In addition to the main story missions, there are countless other tasks to keep you busy, from saving survivors to collecting items. The handy in-game map shows the location of all these goodies, which award huge PP bonuses if you take the time to track them down.

Besides the so-called Tragic Ending corpses which are hidden around the city, there are 70 shiny gold Frank West Statues to track down too. Then there are loudspeakers bellowing out noise that need to be destroyed and ZDC App updates that make use of the clever SmartGlass feature. As in the previous games, you may even be lucky enough to stray across a few rare books that can enhance Nick’s abilities.

"Despite this being a next gen game the graphics are a little disappointing – especially when compared with Forza or Ryse. It still looks great but the visuals lack the detail and definition offered by other titles and compromises have clearly been made to ensure that it’s possible to cram as many AI characters onscreen as possible."

Without doubt, however, it’s the aforementioned weapon blueprints that steal the show. There are about 100 of these hidden that allow Nick to create combo weapons and special super-powered vehicles, which make massacring zombies so much more entertaining. Just like before though, both weapons and vehicles take a battering and degrade over time. No matter how substantial your vehicle, driving through a herd slows you to a snail’s pace and will quickly leave the car on the brink of destruction. Zombies clinging to your roof really affect the handling and slow you down… and believe me, there’s nowhere you want to be less than in the midst of a sea of the undead when your car explodes!

Safe houses can offer a brief respite from the mayhem, as well as a much-needed stash of food and munitions. From here you can also access you costume locker, where a wardrobe of Narnia-esque proportions houses everything you’ve collected from horse’s heads and hazmat suits to designer shades and luchador outfits. There are also bulletin boards on hand to call on help from the survivors you’ve saved.

Despite this being a next gen game the graphics are a little disappointing – especially when compared with Forza or Ryse. It still looks great but the visuals lack the detail and definition offered by other titles and compromises have clearly been made to ensure that it’s possible to cram as many AI characters onscreen as possible. You’ll really not care too much tough; there’s no slowdown despite the volume of bodies on display and no two zombies are reportedly alike either.

Whether you have a penchant for running round in women’s clothing and using a giant teddy bear to fend off the undead, or fancy going all “A-Team” and crafting a sedan-steam roller combo to turn the ravenous hordes into mulch, this is a game that will leave a smile on your face. Dead Rising 3 is an exceptional game. It’s exceptionally daft, exceptionally gruesome and, importantly, it’s exceptionally fun. It may not look like a next gen title but there’s no doubt that it is a must have purchase for your new console.

This game reviewed on the Xbox One

“Capcom has one of the industry’s greatest back catalogues but for our next project we’ve been given the opportunity to create Capcom’s next big game,” Capcom’s website reads.

“We’re just getting started with the game so this is a great chance to really get your hands deep into the design. It’s your opportunity to put your stamp on a game early in the development process.”

We don’t know what game it could be but according to the developer, they are hiring and urge candidates to look at the career page.

“To build the game we’ve assembled a crack team but we’re only halfway through filling the roles We’re looking for a wide range of staff from junior to intermediate to senior so if you’d like to join the team on their great new adventure check out the Careers page.”

What could it be? Tell us in the comments section below.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

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