- Tested on PC using a code provided by the editor
- Test configuration: RTX 4090 + i9-9900K (= all graphical options in ULTRA)
- Campaign ended in one (very) big afternoon, but discovering everything the game has to offer and 7 ends can take on wet finger up to 25 hours and several New Game Plus
- Prominent fact: Frank West's new character modeling inspires a hybrid between BennJ, one of MaG's founding fathers, and Nicolas Sarkozy
- The screenshots that illustrate this article have been negotiated on Steam's public forums, thanks to their authors
At the time of its release on Xbox 360 in 2006, the first Dead Rising represented a graphic standard meter for Microsoft's second hardware iteration. We were then swimming in the middle of zombie-mania and all the screenshots of the title highlighted the graphic prowess of the technical display of hordes of hungry zombies. Instantly amusing, a little potache, rather violent and sometimes disturbing, this regressive tribute evident to the Dawn of the Dead Romero had been able to mark the spirits. A few spring, gogo suites and wrinkles later, Capcom comes back with a so-called edition « Deluxe Remaster ». Is the flesh still fresh?
A rogue that doesn't say his name
For newcomers, Dead Rising is a comico-horrific game to the third person beat sauce up. It's a low-story photojournalist, Frank West, looking for a scoop about the origin of the zombie invasion that just hit the city of Willamette, Colorado. Trapped in a huge supermarket, our hero has only 72 hours to expose the truth.
The main originality of the 2006 founder opus was its mode of real-time progression « simulated » flirting with the roguelitis. The player received radio missions at different predetermined times, sometimes several at the same time, forcing him to make decisions on the fly and to properly gauge his movements within the mall, under penalty of failure. If we came too late to the places of a quest, history continued without penalising us for a game over. It was a way out of the ordinary of maintaining tension and offering a malleable adventure, whose outcome was divided into seven different ends. Note that this review offers the possibility to speed up the time to make the different events happen faster. Still today with this remaster, Dead Rising remains very short in straight line, as it has been designed to be replayed several times in New Game Plus mode.
In this respect, one of the first changes that comes to mind is the introduction of automatic backup between the different areas of the Mall, each doorway or area change being synonymous with a short and regrettable loading time. This untimely recording of progress is a little contrary to the vision of 2006 and renders this remaster It was too easy compared to the original, which was certainly more arid in many aspects, but which generated a much more palpable stress for fear of losing our advancement during survivor rescue sequences. However, it is quite possible to ignore this feature by reloading our permanent backups manually at each trip.
Anastasia's Deadpoint Challenge and Scissors
Capcom has clearly sought to make this rereading as accessible and as public as possible, stewing it here and there welcome quality of life options such as the possibility of shooting in motion, responding to the fly radio calls or changing certain action buttons, etc. Nothing that upsets the experience.
One of the consequences of this bias of widening the audience is, moreover, rather surprising, since Capcom decided to caviar in full a potache aspect of the original milling. It is no longer possible to take pictures « Sexy » of certain female characters, which allowed Frank, among other categories of unisex clichés « Gross », « Horrific » or « drama », gain experience points to improve its capabilities.
Of course, water and # MeToo have sunk under bridges since 2006 (and so much better), but it would in my opinion have been more appreciative that Capcom would house all his characters at the same sign and offer the player also to take naughty pictures of the best gaule male characters. This would have been a good war, especially since this layer of gameplay was completely in tune with the character « paparazzi » And thus voyeurist of Frank West, a bougre to the ethical antipodes of an Edwy Plenel.
In a less understandable way, Capcom has also decided to censor certain lines of dialogue of psychopaths, these charismatic maniacs acting as mini-boss that we cross as we walk. Psychopaths and their associated cutscenes have always been one of the biggest strengths of the saga, so I was inevitably a little disappointed when I found that one of them, a traumatized former GI of Vietnam, had lost the pedals in 2024 because of a « conflict » so as not to name the Vietnam War and now see Frank as « an undercover » and no longer as a « Vietcong ». Other changes to this acabit were made to the Remaster version. Here's a strange editorial choice for a PEGI 18 game...
Deluxe, really?
Says « remaster » Says « graphic improvement » and there again the bastard hurts. With its much less flashy-than-original colour palette and its successful textures on the models of the main characters, but totally ugly on the NPCs and almost everywhere else, it cannot be said that the architects of this timid redesign have focused on this point, a climax for a remaster who prides himself on being a Deluxe version.
The mall is rather ugly and the game suffers from some rare graphic bugs or effects of clipping to top it all. In addition, we deplore the reflections of flaky lights or the curling blouses that we swear they are looking at at any cost to fly away! Despite its greying DA and even if this version Deluxe shows an honest technical balance, we are far from the graphic slam of the Xbox 360 era and we expected a better refinement from the developers.
The game also struggles to convince on the sound plane and the mix offered by default seems less coherent than that of the original, with a spatialization of the sound (especially of zombies) sometimes erratic and a background music too little audible. If the new English dubbings of the protagonists and PNJ are as always with Capcom particularly successful, one will be able to deplore a tone of voice globally less delusional and great-guignoleque.
To return to gameplayIt must be admitted that Dead Rising accuses his age. Thus, although some elements have been redesigned, the feeling of Frank's movements appears a little less arcade and subtly heavier than in the original. As for weapons, their blows lack impact and the ragdoll approximate zombies who collapse under our blows hardly impress.
A strong point, however, perhaps the most important, is the improvement of the AI of the NPCs, who are now able to defend themselves and follow us without causing too many nerve attacks. This greatly improves the experience even if this hardcore dimension and an unfair tantinet of the original had its little charm.
It's not death either.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Is he ultimately dead or alive? After finishing and then restarting a few hours to explore the issue, I would tend to put this approximate redesign into the first category. With its real innovations, but too few, its content cuts and its limited graphical restoration, it is difficult to recommend this lazy remaster to full pot and one can wonder if players not repelled by the retrogaming It is not better to get the original.
If not, others will be advised to wait for a promotion to be tempted by this new milling which, if it is far from shameful and provides good moments, remains no less indigent. Finally, my greatest regret with this Dead Rising Returning, it is because he made his return through the small door and Capcom did not opt for a proper remake, to honor this crazy license that I am not yet ready to bury...
Although I did do the game, and this Deluxe version, I confess that I was completely missed the cuts in the dialogues... But it is true that from this angle, this re-exit seems far less relevant.
Yes, I was disappointed and I think that this first opus deserved more work from Capcom!
After he still made me want to go back to the rescue of all the survivors, but I hesitate whether to redo the original or simply not to use the automatic backup of this remaster.
To see, right now I'm on God of War Ragnarök and I've got a lot of games to do so I'm sure I'll be back in the middle of winter 🙂
PS: Welcome to the site!
As a person, I was more disappointed by the lack of real novelty, because there was scope to offer an additional game mode or a new scenario segment. History that the old lady who's already sanded by every corner has a real reason to come back. Because in the state, at that price, there's no reason to go back to the cash register I find. But like you, I've been in the Mall for a while trying to save as many as I can, I didn't feel like I was wasting my time.
Two rooms two ambiances, with the tastes that you post I would be curious to see what you have to say about a GOW, especially with the recipe of the last ones.
And thank you!
God of War Ragnarök just fell off my hands after eight o'clock...
It's really a plague these AAAs with characters who talk all the time it's a frenzy! I would be curious to launch a chronometer and see how much time is given to silences and how much to dialogues (apart from the cutscenes I hear. It looks like the game is terrified that the player finds himself with his thoughts.
I am frankly disappointed by the direction taken by the series. I found the tone of this suite really too light, with a profusion of little jokes here over there that come out of the dramatic stakes (of the Atreus genre that swings at the detour of a corridor "My dad loves to loot safes!").
I also find the level design well poor and redundant weapon improvements with a fake RPG side for finally no real reflection on how to modulate your equipment. As for the fights they are certainly impressive, but I did not get any satisfaction because it's bourrin and the victories are generally too easy to get.
I really would have preferred a more adult story, the potential is there for hell we control the God of War flute then! You feel that they've been more willing to lug on Marvel's side and company (this squirrel that speaks ARGH kill me!).
Pfiou had to get it out!
To say that I've been motivated to write again on the site and that's how I'm thanked... By associating with Sarkozy. What an indignity. You're not ashamed, Mr. Ummagumma? I hope you're going to eat by your zombified cats during your sleep. Yeah, I know about you. It would be the most beautiful death.
I don't negotiate with terrorists!