[E3 2010] Dead Rising 2 Hands-On
What's this? A playable PS3 version of the upcoming zombie stomper?! Time to take a peek.
Published: June 25, 2010
E3 is a terrible venue for checking out a game. Even in controlled climes like Capcom's private little booth where there was blessedly little waiting for anything, the din and clatter of the surrounding show and most games' intent to cram something of a story into the experience means a 10 minute play session is fraught with multiple impediments to just getting in and checking things out.
Such was the case with the obviously story-heavy set-up and intro to Dead Rising 2. While we were absolutely thankful to be able to play something with an actual DualShock 3 (something that hadn't happened yet for us), we still had to skip past all the expository set-up that helped explain why newcomer Chuck Greene is in a Vegas-like city filled with zombies (short version: Chuck's daughter is infected and he has to wade through a city -- one of many in the US in a post-outbreak world overrun -- fulfilling tasks to earn enough cash to keep paying for her continued vaccinations).
Without any of that useful story stuff, we were forced to simply jump into the game and experience some of the basic improvements to the series that will finally make its way onto a Sony system. The short version is that things play pretty much like you'd expect; a heavy focus on melee attacks and slow-moving but massive throngs of undead, a sort of use-anything approach to picking up items (and combine compatible ones at pre-set workbenches once you've learned the schematics), and plenty of missions are all on deck here.
Developer Blue Castle Games (the folks behind the incredibly fun The BIGS series) has done an admirable job of trying to rectify some of the issues from the first game; there's quite a bit of variety, things aren't nearly as bite-sized as before and the narrative thread means the integration of things like online multiplayer (by way of the game show Terror is Real) and drop-in/drop-out online co-op (only the host keeps his XP) should give the game a more social feel.
We had a good time with things, but like so many of our E3 experiences, time meant we couldn't really dig into things. Given that the game is hitting in September (unless it slips yet again), we're hoping to have proper hands-on time with things in the coming months. For now, though, you can feast (har har) your eyes on all the media we've cobbled together while waiting for the chance to crack some slow-moving skulls.
Such was the case with the obviously story-heavy set-up and intro to Dead Rising 2. While we were absolutely thankful to be able to play something with an actual DualShock 3 (something that hadn't happened yet for us), we still had to skip past all the expository set-up that helped explain why newcomer Chuck Greene is in a Vegas-like city filled with zombies (short version: Chuck's daughter is infected and he has to wade through a city -- one of many in the US in a post-outbreak world overrun -- fulfilling tasks to earn enough cash to keep paying for her continued vaccinations).
Without any of that useful story stuff, we were forced to simply jump into the game and experience some of the basic improvements to the series that will finally make its way onto a Sony system. The short version is that things play pretty much like you'd expect; a heavy focus on melee attacks and slow-moving but massive throngs of undead, a sort of use-anything approach to picking up items (and combine compatible ones at pre-set workbenches once you've learned the schematics), and plenty of missions are all on deck here.
Developer Blue Castle Games (the folks behind the incredibly fun The BIGS series) has done an admirable job of trying to rectify some of the issues from the first game; there's quite a bit of variety, things aren't nearly as bite-sized as before and the narrative thread means the integration of things like online multiplayer (by way of the game show Terror is Real) and drop-in/drop-out online co-op (only the host keeps his XP) should give the game a more social feel.
We had a good time with things, but like so many of our E3 experiences, time meant we couldn't really dig into things. Given that the game is hitting in September (unless it slips yet again), we're hoping to have proper hands-on time with things in the coming months. For now, though, you can feast (har har) your eyes on all the media we've cobbled together while waiting for the chance to crack some slow-moving skulls.
