The original Dead Rising game helped to define the start of the Xbox 360 console back in 2006. It was very successful upon release, garnering a large fan base that helped to spawn three sequels to keep the franchise alive.
Now 18 years later, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is here to revive the classic onto modern consoles and welcome a new generation to photographer/journalist Frank West. The remaster includes a full graphical makeover, quality-of-life improvements and updated controls that show the true love for this classic game.
Reanimated, Remastered
You play as a photographer and journalist Frank West who is investigating a story in the town of Willamette, Colorado. After checking out the town from a helicopter and snapping some pics, you land on a helipad on top of a shopping centre that has been taken over by zombies who have turned the entire town.
The clock starts ticking and West only has 72 hours until his rescue helicopter arrives, during that time he must unite a group of survivors to fend off the zombies and piece together the mystery of how the outbreak started for his story.
We have seen a large number of zombie games emerge since 2006, and many before its release as well. What makes this game stand out is the countdown timer that keeps players aware of needing to solve the source of the outbreak while keeping as many of the people who are still human alive in the shopping centre as you can.
The main story missions are delivered at certain times throughout the day, and if you miss them, you aren’t able to piece everything together to solve the mystery. Along with the group of survivors you first meet when arriving at the mall, others pop up at various times that you need to get to, otherwise, they won’t make it either.
Shop ‘Til You Drop
Fortunately, there is enough justification to play this game more than once thanks to its New Game + mode which allows for multiple playthroughs to catch every Case and save every character to experience every storyline. As a massive fan of single player experiences, this is such a great addition that encourages you to experience everything that this game has to offer.
I found myself able to freely go back in and out with different objectives each time and not having to stress about missing anything, as you can easily jump back in and change your objective on the next run. Graphically, this game was groundbreaking on its original release, and it is great to see an emphasis on character model updates and environments which help the game feel relatable in the modern gaming environment.
Capcom has focused a lot on lighting effects and ray tracing, which is noticeable when you escort survivors through the mall and outdoor areas as the sun sets and the lights come on. It’s a shame that they couldn’t eliminate the loading screens as you move between different areas of the mall, admittedly they are minimal, particularly when you compare to the original game, it still does take you out of the game and makes the experience a lot less cohesive than what was expected on modern consoles.
It’s not just the graphics that have been updated, the audio has also been infused with some more personality. NPC’s now have voice performances, replacing the on-screen text of the original release. The original voice actor for Frank West back in 2006 was by Terence J. Rotolo, for this remaster West is voiced by actor Jas Patrick. While Patrick still delivers a good performance, fans of the original may find this a little jarring as Rotolo’s performance is so iconic.
Modern Mayhem
Updated controls have definitely improved some of the more irritating features of the original game. There is no longer a need to save manually as there is an autosave function that keeps you from losing progress between missions.
Previously there were manual save points only in the original game, and one wrong move could lose hours of progress and was one of my most frustrations with the original release. Other controller improvements include now being able to aim your weapon while moving your character and being able to skip forward in time.
Another large part of the original game was escorting survivors to safe points and back to safety. There was an issue with the code in these characters, they would often just ignore whatever you were trying to get them to do, and would wander off on their own or just walk straight into a horde of zombies and tank your mission.
In this remake, that issue appears to have been addressed and fixed, making it a lot less frustrating to complete these missions. You can now also assign weapons to them so they can defend themselves, they can also be given food and drink to heal any ailments or accidental encounters. When doing this they will stick close to Frank and even intervene if he is attacked and also help protect other survivors in your group.
Final Thoughts
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is the perfect game to have some fresh life breathed into it for modern platforms. Capcom has also done a stellar job of updating the graphics, audio and controls perfectly to help it feel at home in the 2024 gaming landscape.
The original Dead Rising was always a fantastic game with an intriguing game mechanic with the count down to solve the mystery of the outbreak’s origin while trying to save as many survivors as you can, and this still feels as exciting and compelling as it did on its original release. While the voice actor replacement for Frank may be detrimental to the game, it doesn’t stop it from being an impressive remaster.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Graphical overhaul; Updated controls; Time mechanic from the original game returns
Lowlights: Voice actor replacements arent as compelling as the original game; Load screens take away from the experience
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher.
