Zero Punctuation: Dead Rising 2

[beema]

awwww

 

[KzoR]

Great video! Bromance LOL!

 

[Wintermoot]

Last week a game was torn down for allegedly having a bland story. Capcom has a shit story but they're Capcom and it's expected, so all is forgiven.
Last week's game was uninteresting due to repetitive combat. Yahtzee plays through DR2 with one particular weapon combination he happens to like.
Last week's ZP was derisive about the game not fleshing out their characters enough (even though there's a perfectly acceptable reason for this in the context of the story), Dead Rising 2's NPCs primary characteristics are uselessness and greed.

Nothing is said about the motivations and machinations of the characters in DR2 because presumably they don't matter. There's only a passing reference to the reason the protagonist of DR2 has taken this job as Hell's Janitor because it presumably doesn't matter. The game forces you to restart over and over, grinding levels and hurling yourself at a wall until you eventually break through, creating false difficulty and artificially padding out the actual content of the game. I played Dead Rising 1 and got sick of it very quickly. The fact that you can fail a boss fight because the mission timer runs out in the middle of a boss fight is something that you should be angry about, not forgive. Remember Halo Wars? Remember when you refused to even complete the game because your guys "lost contact" from 20 feet away because of an arbitrary mission timer? Fuck you!
On top if that, based on the demo of Case Zero I played the game still controls like bloated ass.

But for some reason this game gets the Yahtzee Croshaw thumbs up because you can beat the whole game with one weapon and slaughter thousands of zombies along the way.

Well shit Yahtzee, I think other studios need to stop trying so hard. You're apparently very easy to please.

well ANYBODY (except for zombie activists) is pleased by bashing a zombie face in with axe attached to a sledgehamer

 

[waroftheflyingzebras]

was this *GASP* A positive review!? THE WORLD IS OVER! THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US! HUMANITY AS WE KNOW IT WILL CEASE TO EXIST! LOL great review, i liked the first one myself so i will definatly try the second. Also... i find it hard to believe the AI doesn't suck but if you say so i'm willing to give it a chance, a small chance, but a chance none the less.

 

[VladimirSirin]

I think the thing that makes this game brilliant, and far less rage inducing, is online co-op.

I met and played with a few people who helped me take out difficult bosses (they were level 50, I was level 5) and get tons of PP. I fully intend to pay it forward once I get to a reasonable level (level 21 is still pretty rough going, for some reason my speed is still at 1. THERE ARE ZOMBIES EVERYWHERE. FRIGGIN' RUN FASTER.).

 

[Squilookle]

I'm sorry, what?

Is this really the first game he's ever played where he's found enjoyment in saving the game and then going off and doing crazy stuff in, in order to discuss his adventures with other gamers around the watercooler the next day? Did he even play pretty much every sandbox game that's come out since GTA3?

I mean what the hell is going on here? Did the whole point of Just Cause 2 just fly completely over his head or something? I can kind of see now why he thought the Saboteur was a mediocre version of Assassin's Creed- it seems dicking around outside the missions isn't something he much dabbles in- rather odd for someone who misses retro unpretentious fun in games. Either that or he's just got much more of a thing for the Holy Land than a 1940's Paris (which I'd like to argue is way more atmospheric and stylish than most sandboxes).

Seriously though, why has this game in particular got a section about messing about outside missions? Makes me wonder if there was so much opportunity for improvising left out of the missions that forced a cynical reviewer out into the playground for once, where he caught a glimpse of himself as a proper gamer for a moment.

 

[Fisk777]

meh, this will be a great game when it hits the bargan bin at $20, until then its an over priced piece of shit.

Why would you say that? It's fun and you can play with a friend, also the online mini-games are pretty good besides the one based around quicktime events.

 

[EvilMaggot]

1st!

Not true. Also: Banned!
[sub][sub] or suspended if the gods(/mods) feel really charitable[/sub][/sub]


I had a feeling he would like it. I didn't like it that much, but it's a fun concept. And Freedom Bear KICKS ASS!

indeed freedom bear is awesome !

 

[gring]

please escapist get rid of that ridiculously giant "share" button that eats up the video screen.

what makes you think we want that?

edit: i saw a comment to move the mouse away from the vid for a few seconds, that didn't work for me.

 

[Shiro No Uma]

Why do you hate America? I don't get context or non sequitur at the end of the video.

 

[Zing]

Wow, did not expect Yahtzee to enjoy this. I might actually rent it now.

 

[dark-amon]

Did Yahtzee say that he actually liked this game? I'm not saying anything about the game when saying this mind you, it's more about Yahtzee being the most soulless, hatefull being since Pol Pot, just against videogames.

 

[Noko]

Wait what? This AI is an improvement, i got shotgunned by a redneck cowboy and his wife. ant then there was the pharmacist who kept stopping in the ,middle of the horde.

 

[poroporo]

In some games dicking around isn't that much fun at all. I thought JC2 was fun, but DR2 brings another level of crazy because it's so over the top.

I was hesitant before buying it because I hadn't played the first game, but it's really worth the purchase.

 

[happyschnapps]

This game is awesome squared - I'm glad Yahtzee loved this game too.

The boss fights in DR2 are only difficult if you don't level up by saving survivors - which is actually more fun than it actually sounds.

I actually liked the story - considering it's a zombie hack-and-slash game I thought it has a decent plot compared to games like Left 4 Dead.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Dead Rising 2: The only game, (which I know of) that lets you reqruit a f'in TIGER then let you gift it to your daughter, as a pet!

That is what I call an awesome game!

Definately going to get Case West as well when its out.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

Really funny, I was on the floor after the bit about adventure game logic. Can we get rid of that hideous "Share" button, though? What was wrong with the little icons at the bottom of the screen that I could easily ignore? There's no need to shove it in my face, Escapist.

 

[wastaz]

I have to say that I was _very very very_ suspicious about this game. When I first got an xbox I got dead rising (1) because people said it was really good. I hated the game.

When I heard that there was a sequel in the works I really didn't care. (I actually made some face and said something like "why the hell would they ever make a sequel to that crappy game?" and then I went back to raging about how I want a remake of Planescape:Torment)

Then I went back home and tried dead rising (1) again just to be sure I still hated it. And I did. It was awful.

But then came the release date for dead rising 2 and I was extremely bored and really really needed a new game. An aquintance who works at gamestop told me to "just try the fucking game" because it was supposed to be much better than the first one. I was skeptical, but I figured that I had nothing to lose (except about 60?, but nowadays I have more spare money than spare time so I didn't let that stop me).

And I love it.
Dead rising 2 is everything I wanted dead rising 1 to be.
It's a great game. Also, Katey (the kid) is the first video game child that I actually feel compelled to save.

Dead rising 2 is awesome. I haven't played any multiplayer or coop yet, but I'm having a total blast with it. I was -not- prepared to like this game at all, but mowing through a zombie horde with my paddesaws (a canoe paddle with two chainsaws taped to it) is a perfect way to relax in the evening.

 

[Netrigan]

Last week a game was torn down for allegedly having a bland story. Capcom has a shit story but they're Capcom and it's expected, so all is forgiven.
Last week's game was uninteresting due to repetitive combat. Yahtzee plays through DR2 with one particular weapon combination he happens to like.
Last week's ZP was derisive about the game not fleshing out their characters enough (even though there's a perfectly acceptable reason for this in the context of the story), Dead Rising 2's NPCs primary characteristics are uselessness and greed.

Nothing is said about the motivations and machinations of the characters in DR2 because presumably they don't matter. There's only a passing reference to the reason the protagonist of DR2 has taken this job as Hell's Janitor because it presumably doesn't matter. The game forces you to restart over and over, grinding levels and hurling yourself at a wall until you eventually break through, creating false difficulty and artificially padding out the actual content of the game. I played Dead Rising 1 and got sick of it very quickly. The fact that you can fail a boss fight because the mission timer runs out in the middle of a boss fight is something that you should be angry about, not forgive. Remember Halo Wars? Remember when you refused to even complete the game because your guys "lost contact" from 20 feet away because of an arbitrary mission timer? Fuck you!
On top if that, based on the demo of Case Zero I played the game still controls like bloated ass.

But for some reason this game gets the Yahtzee Croshaw thumbs up because you can beat the whole game with one weapon and slaughter thousands of zombies along the way.

Well shit Yahtzee, I think other studios need to stop trying so hard. You're apparently very easy to please.

You seemed to put effort into this post, and some of your points were decent, so I figure you deserve a reply.

This is game that is basically an excuse to chop up hordes of zombies. Halo: Reach was supposed to be a serious, emotional drama and a top-of-the-line shooter. In other words, the criteria for success are different between these games, and the factors that you mention all revolve around this distinction, particularly story. In other words, Yahtzee was in no way contradictory.

Yeah, I think the big difference is that half the fun in Dead Rising is coming up with new, entertaining ways to kill zombies. Factor in the clothing and you're having a Kill Krazy Rampage dressed up like Britney Spears and a garroting Slinky.

And this sort of free-form mayhem is amazingly fun, even if some super-weapons makes the core gameplay suffer. Saints Row 2 is beyond a blast, but the ability to steal a SWAT tank and have it delivered in any mission means that 80% of the missions are ridiculously easy. Just roll up in the SWAT tank and shoot at them with the infinite ammo machine gun. Prototype is another game where you can cause mayhem on a Biblical scale... but the actual story can be easily be completed using one or two attacks from your wide range of attacks.

FPS like Halo... I love the genre, but with rare exceptions, you get the same bog-standard weapons. The big stand-out oh-my-god-did-you-see-that moments tend to be the sort of moments that only impress other fans of the games. I've watched videos of showcasing the great skill of gameplayers and I'm usually just bored by them... unless I'm a fan of the game in question and I'm thinking "oh, god, how did he do that?" Show someone a video of someone doing something super-crazy in Saints Row, Prototype, or (I presume) Dead Rising 2, and the reaction will likely be mad glee, no matter who you show it to. Punching out a tank, then throwing it at a helicopter tends to impress more than someone's awesome shotgun skills.

 

[zombiesinc]

One of the more recent reviews I've nearly completely agreed with. Damn entertaining too!

Now... I really should get back to my own zombie killin'.