Dead Rising hit the gaming scene by storm. The zombie action game showed players just how fun it could be being trapped in a shopping mall with zombies. The game has a massive Zombieland vibe to it, with players able to pick up pretty much anything from the stores to help fend of the zombie horde. Unfortunately, the series hasn’t had the reputation it once had, but is Dead Rising dead?
It’s Reputation
Dead Rising was once one of Capcom’s most lucrative IPs. With numerous games, DLC, and even animated movies, Dead Rising’s reputation was arguably only rivaled with Resident Evil for a time. As although the animated movies were low scale, they did find some success. With RE being the only other Capcom IP to do well in the TV/Movie mediums, it seemed Dead Rising could eventually even topple Capcom’s undead killing king. However, the games failed to keep a consistent quality.
Diminishing Quality
Dead Rising released as a smash hit. Dead Rising 2 toppled the heights of the first. It’s when you get to Dead Rising 3, and Dead Rising 4 that the quality noticeably drops. Expanding the game world to outside the mall posed a bunch of problems. The amount of work to make the world feel as packed and as real as the first two main installments was going to increase massively. Unfortunately, the developers didn’t seem to rise to the challenge. With 3 having many highways taking up the massive map, and a lot of unenterable buildings making the game feel like it was made for an older generation of consoles. 4 tried to win the fans over by bringing back fan favourite Frank West as a playable character but the same problems that plagued 3 found there way into 4.
The Remaster Treatment
Capcom have a track record of rereleasing games of once popular franchise to see test the waters for a sequel. This method hasn’t had the best track record with many fans and critics coming to the consensus that it doesn’t actually measure interest. Some people just don’t want to buy the same game for the second or sometimes even third or fourth time. Another ever mounding problem is that modern day consoles have increasing backwards compatibility, meaning players simply don’t have to purchase a game again to enjoy it on a newer console.
That’s not even getting into the questionable quality of most recent remakes/remasters. Look at Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, or the GTA: Trilogy Collection. Both were hit with scathing but deserved reviews. As both failed to even compare to the originals. Hopefully, Capcom will deliver a solid experience with the Dead Rising Remaster, and it does spike interest in the series. However, it may just start the domino effect of Capcom prioritizing more Dead Rising remasters over an original new installment. Business wise it is the safer move. It just sucks for fans that have been dying for a new Dead Rising game for a while.
