Among the launch lineup of Xbox One games, there’s one exclusive that many are probably familiar with. We’re talking about yet another game on the well-worn zombie theme. But still, there’s something unusual about this project, something that sets it apart from similar games. What is it? The story? The graphics? The gameplay? Let’s figure it out as we review Capcom’s creation — Dead Rising 3.
More zombies
Let’s take a look at the streets of the infected city with the wonderful name Los Perdidos and see what’s happening there. At first glance, it’s the typical chaos you’d expect during a zombie apocalypse. Huge crowds of walking corpses have filled every inch of the big city, roaming around in search of fresh food. And here’s one of the contenders for dinner — Nick Ramos. As you might have guessed, Nick is the main character, and you’ll be controlling him. According to the story, Nick has managed to avoid joining the ranks of the walking dead, and to not miss his chance at survival, he puts all his effort into simply escaping the city before it gets bombed. That’s the simple premise of the story, and, to be honest, the whole story in general.
Yes, the plot is clearly not Dead Rising 3’s strongest point, but maybe that strength lies in the next-gen graphics? But here, too, there’s disappointment. Don’t expect ultra-realistic graphics from this project. The thing is, the developers squeezed every bit of power out of the Xbox One to create a big game world — I’d even say a huge one — and to fill it with billions of zombies. If there’s one thing this game has in abundance, it’s zombies, and that’s definitely a big plus. Even though there are lots of enemies, they’re not very quick, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful. And if you’re afraid to walk around the city alone, you can play the game together with a friend, though only online.
While Dead Rising 3 can’t boast a great story, it makes up for it with side quests. There’s always something to do in the game world, whether it’s rescuing another survivor or searching for essential items. The bosses you’ll encounter along the way deserve a special mention. Fights with these “characters” are full of adrenaline and madness, delivering unforgettable gameplay experiences. Plus, each boss has their own fighting style and special moves.
Our hero’s profession is mechanic (not the kind who kills people, like in the movie with Jason Statham), so with the blueprints found in the game, he can build real killing machines. The developers have also packed the game with lots of vehicles. You can and should use your custom rides to mow down hordes of zombies — and of course, to get around the city. By the way, the unfriendly undead will do everything to stop you, from jumping onto your vehicle to making you get stuck in a crowd of raging corpses.
By the way, our opponents are quite a tough bunch. So if you manage to hack up a zombie, don’t be 100% sure it’s dead — more likely, it’ll try to bite Nick even in that sorry state. To avoid situations like this, Nick needs to craft all sorts of weapons, combining even items that don’t really go together. Crafting is a key gameplay element.
Don’t forget that this game is an Xbox One exclusive, which means there should be special Kinect commands — and there are, though only one. The developers originally planned to add more Kinect features. To distract the undead, you can shout something and Kinect will pick up the command. But there’s a downside: Kinect will also react to any other loud noise in your room.
Still, the fact that almost all the game’s power went into the scale of the world is reflected in the smaller details. So don’t be surprised by the somewhat angular character models and not-so-high-quality animations. But the scale, the vast open world to explore, searching for items and blueprints, helping survivors, and crafting vehicles and weapons more than make up for Dead Rising 3’s shortcomings. And despite all the criticism, this Capcom creation is definitely worth your attention.
