For those new to the series or missed out on these games, Dead Rising is a survival horror series with a ton of comedy thrown right into the mix of flesh eating dead zombies. You play as Frank West, a journalist always trying to get the latest and big scoop. Once a legion of killer zombies breaks out, it becomes West’s job to help the survivors and to use his journalistic abilities to find out just how this all happened.

"Dead Rising has always been about the unconventional way of targeting and eliminating zombies in a fun, hilarious fashion."

Dead Rising 2 stars the character Chuck Greene. Greene is on a hunt for money to save his daughter. He needs money to make Zombrex which is a drug that has to be taken every 24 hours to be a preventative for turning all zombie-like. So in other words: his daughter is going to become a zombie if he doesn’t procure enough Zombrex.

Dead Rising 2: Off The Record (which was a stand alone DLC) oddly enough goes back to Frank West’s shoes. The story is almost identical to Dead Rising 2, in this version you will be on a time limit to finish each mission which will stress you out if you aren’t prepared for what comes next. There’s also a sandbox mode in this version that lets you go about at your own will.

The Dead Rising Triple Pack doesn’t actually “pack” much more than the first three games. What the game does come with is all of the DLC that was available for each of the original games, and each one of them plays in 1080p and 60 frames per second. More frames per second means the game runs a lot smoother than it did from last generation. With a whole lot of zombies on screen at the same time, there is less lag which makes it a lot more intense.There’s no reason to say this is a bad deal, however, if you still have an Xbox 360, you can get all of these games for that system for cheaper than this triple pack.

"My biggest questions while playing through these games is were: Why weren’t the graphics upgrades from 10 years ago, and why did they also bring forward some rather annoying bugs, as well?"

Dead Rising has always been about the unconventional way of targeting and eliminating zombies in a fun, hilarious fashion. Taking a toaster and bashing it across a zombie’s head, or a funny costume to help show off your “professionalism” in being a zombie killer are some of the unique ways this series changed this genre up on its head. With a ton of laughs, memorable characters, and so much stuff to kill with and uncover along the way, you can literally spend dozens of hours, just on the first game alone, having a blast while mowing down zombies left and right.

My biggest questions while playing through these games were: Why weren’t the graphics upgraded from 10 years ago, and why did they also bring forward some rather annoying bugs, as well? It feels like this game is a cash grab in the sense that it was slapped onto a disc, or download file, and handed out to gamers. AI in the game still gets caught up from time to time. Rescuing survivors will force you to keep your eyes locked onto them as they’ll often run into things (like zombies!).

With the mostly unchanged game, you’ll still be receiving the hilarious voice cast that really amps up the effects of how the story is told, as well as a great musical score that can really tell when you are in the midst of a hilarious apocalypse and when you’re just running around being goofy.

With that being said, if you are new and need more zombies to fill your flesh eating desires, by all means, get this game. If you’ve already enjoyed the games in the past and are looking for something new, I’d reserve a copy of Dead Rising 4 for that.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

ReCore

Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept haven’t exactly had the best year so far with Mighty No. 9 flopping miserably. However, with former Bungie writer Joseph Staten and Armature Studio aboard on ReCore, it’s hard to not get excited about this futuristic platformer/shooter. If anything, ReCore feels like a proper spiritual successor to the Mega Man legacy (namely Mega Man Legends). Time will tell if the $40 title, priced for the “value” it offers, will actually set our collective hearts aflutter when it releases on September 13th for Xbox One and Windows 10.

FIFA 17

You can’t fault EA for trying new things with its FIFA franchise. Each iteration has a number of different improvements and enhancements and this year’s FIFA 17 is no different. However, along with additions to Ultimate Team, FIFA 17 will also include Journey mode. This story-based campaign will follow footballer Alex Hunter from the amateur level all the way up to the Premier League. It’s out on September 27th for North America and September 29th in Europe for previous and current gen platforms.

Forza Horizon 3

Speaking of trying something new, Playground Games is stressing connectivity with Forza Horizon 3. The open world racing game will head to Australia, presenting a large and beautiful outback to explore along with four player co-op support. The twist is that players can join in regardless of being on Windows 10 or Xbox One. Co-op joining is also seamless so you won’t have to re-instance to join friends’ games. With a release date of September 27th, Forza Horizon 3 could once again cement the series as the top-tier racing game of the year.

NHL 17

Last year’s iteration of EA Sports’ NHL proved to be quite the hockey simulator and NHL 17 is looking to continue that trend. Along with Hockey Ultimate Team and improvements to the physics, there will be new World Cup of Hockey and Draft Champions modes, the latter differing quite significantly from HUT.  There’s also the fact that the ECHL’s 27 teams are all playable for the first time. Then there’s the new Creation Zone for crafting your own arena among other things. NHL 17 is out on September 13th in North America and September 15th in Europe.

Destiny: Rise of Iron

Even if it’s not $40 like The Taken King, Destiny’s next expansion Rise of Iron is promising quite the content delivery. Along with lots of new gear pieces across PvP and PvE, Rise of Iron will feature weapon ornaments, new lens filters, new story missions (including post-campaign quests), new artifacts, a new raid and much more. There will also be a new zone with the Plaguelands, a revamped Cosmodrome, three new PvP maps (four if you’re on PS4) and lots of other improvements. Look out for it on September 20th for PS4 and Xbox One.

Dead Rising Triple Pack

It’s not really a new release but there’s still a ton of value to be had in the Dead Rising Triple Pack. This isn’t a collection of all the past Dead Rising titles though. In fact, the Triple Pack actually contains remastered versions of Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record for Xbox One and PS4. The original Dead Rising will also be releasing for PC via Steam though the other remasters are for consoles only. Dead Rising Triple Pack releases digitally on September 13th but the retail version of Dead Rising is out on September 13th in North America. Dead Rising 2 arrives shortly after on September 27th.

NBA 2K17

Welcome to the jam once again. Visual Concepts’ NBA 2K17 sees the MyGM and MyLeague modes featuring different improvements and more in-depth customization facets. For those interested in the game though, there will be national teams and past greats like the 2016 United States men’s Olympics team. It also helps that the soundtrack has been curated by Imagine Dragons among other artists. NBA 2K17 is out on September 20th worldwide.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

WayForward Technologies blew us away with Shantae and The Pirate’s Curse in 2014 and the sequel Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is finally upon us. Along with featuring the lovable genie and her magical powers, Half-Genie Hero will also allow players to take on the role of Risky Boots, Shantae’s nemesis. Xbox One, PS4, PC, Wii U and PC users can look forward to the game releasing on September 27th while PS3 and Xbox 360 players will have to wait a bit longer.

Yo-kai Watch 2

The sequel to the popular ghost battler will finally be making its way to North America. Yo-kai Watch 2 will include new yo-kai to battle including Legendary yo-kai and promises to have almost 450 different spirits throughout the experience. Like Pokémon, Yo-kai Watch 2 will be divided into two versions – Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. They’ll both be available for Nintendo 3DS users in North America on September 30th.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

What’s this? An upcoming Konami title that everyone doesn’t outright hate? PES Productions’ Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 will mark the return of “not-FIFA” to the world and offers quite the feature set. Along with Real Touch ball control and improved mechanics, there will be a match analysis feature to properly observe your opponent’s moves and the flow of matches both online and offline. Konami has also officially partnered with Liverpool FC and Borussia Dortmund to allow for exclusive content and kits among other things. PES 2017 releases on September 13th in North America and September 15th in Europe.