Capcom's second biggest horror franchise, outside of Resident Evil, would be Dead Rising. Focusing more on quantity than quality, Dead Rising crammed as many zombies into an area as the developers could and let you decide the method of slaughter.
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The first two games are still highly regarded as incredible seventh generation titles, but the series as a whole is very varied in quality. It actually ranges from the best of the best to the absolute worst experiences, and that can't be said about most series. As several titles are exclusive to Xbox, it will be the preferred platform for the franchise.
Updated October 17, 2024 by Dominic Allen: With the release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, a full-on semi-remake of Dead Rising 1, this list needed to be updated to include this recent title. Choosing the best version of Dead Rising 1 to play can be more complicated than you might think, so it's more important to highlight now than ever.
9 Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
A mockery of the original game
Year of publication |
Platforms |
Developer |
Publisher |
---|---|---|---|
2009 |
Wii |
Tosa |
Capcom |
Many of you probably thought that Dead Rising 4 would be the worst game in the series, but at least it was original. Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop takes one of the greatest zombie games of all time and completely ruins it. The shooting that was a staple of the game is gone, as is the real-time, do-what-you-want clock.
It was pretty amazing that you could theoretically sit on a helipad for six hours early in the game and get the ending. That's gone now, and the campaign is mission-based, requiring you to rescue survivors in an incredibly repetitive fashion. If you played this game first, it could ruin your streak, which is why it has to be the worst title in the franchise.
8 Dead Rising 4
He killed the franchise, for a time
Many people didn't expect Dead Rising to come back at all, thanks to the massive critical and commercial failure of Dead Rising 4. It was a game that looked promising on the surface. Frank West was returning as a protagonist for the first time, canonically, since the original, and you were returning to Willamette, the location of DR1.
It looked like a match made in heaven, but it was a match made in hell. The gameplay was tedious, the graphics looked subpar, and Frank West just wasn't the same character. He's no longer the cool, down-to-earth, likable guy he was, and he's much more annoying. Sure, there was solid DLC content, but even with that, DR4 has to be the worst main entry in the series.
7 Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
A solid prologue chapter
Year of publication |
Platforms |
Developer |
Publisher |
---|---|---|---|
2010 |
Xbox 360 |
Capcom Vancouver |
Capcom |
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is what Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes should have been. Priced low at just $5, it provides a unique taste of what to expect in the full DR2 experience. It has a unique story that takes place three years before DR2, with multiple endings and everything, and even though the map is really small, what would you expect from a prologue for $5?
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You get your money's worth from this game, but there's no denying it's lacking in content, and if you're playing it on newer Xbox systems, its 30fps limit looks terrible compared to DR2 and Off the Record's 60fps. When switching between them, Case Zero looks like it's running in slow motion. Regardless, it's still a must-see chapter in the Dead Rising saga.
6 Dead Rising 2: Case West
Better of the two standalone DLCs
Year of publication |
Platforms |
Developer |
Publisher |
---|---|---|---|
2010 |
Xbox 360 |
Capcom Vancouver |
Capcom |
Taking place after the end of A of Dead Rising 2, Case West is the canonical finale to the Dead Rising 2 story, and it's a lot of fun. Co-op was absent in Case Zero, but it's present here, and DR2's co-op has to be one of the more overlooked elements of the series.
It's a great time and it also helps with the combo weapon system as you now have two inventories in the game. In terms of story, Case West ends DR2 satisfyingly by revealing the plot and revealing the character that ties the whole story together. Again, the map isn't very big, but the new additions here make the price jump to $10 worth the money.
5 Dead Rising 3
Better than you remember
One game that is a lot better than people give it credit for is Dead Rising 3. It certainly has its share of problems, but it was a really good launch game for the Xbox One and something you definitely didn't see coming. the beginning of this stream-gen. It had the feel of a next-gen showpiece with massive amounts of zombies on screen and the game's extras were excellent.
The combo vehicles and new super combo weapons were amazing to play with and great to use. The huge city with four parts was really well designed with each district being unique. On the other hand, roadblocks were really annoying and maxing out your character basically turned you into a god. Some kind of prestige system would help a lot here. All in all, DR3 is a solid game.
4 Dead Rising 2
The birth of combined arms
Dead Rising 2 was a huge step for the franchise, introducing the gameplay element most synonymous with Dead Rising: combined arms. Since Chuck Greene wasn't a journalist, he didn't have a camera at his disposal, but instead was able to make combo weapons thanks to his motocross and mechanical background. They were new spectacular, devastating weapons that you had to use.
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They were a lot of fun and once again worked phenomenally for co-op play. The Fortune City location was very well designed and was a perfect extension of what Willamette Mall brought. The AI has also been greatly improved and DR2 overall is exactly what a good sequel should be.
3 Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
Even better
Be What if? the story of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record puts Frank West in Chuck Green's place among a number of other changes. This has got to be the best DR2 experience ever. The campaign has been greatly expanded with many new sections throughout the story; you have a whole new area to explore, the difficulty has been raised a bit and you have the new addition of Sandbox mode.
With the timer removed, Sandbox is an extension of DR1's Infinity mode without the whole survival mechanic. It was a great mode where you could just dig around and get achievements without the timer getting in the way. The return of the camera was also a lot of fun and a great fan feature at the time.
2 Dead Rising
Great zombie game ever
You just can't beat the original. While Dead Rising 1 has notoriously bad AI, everything else is as perfect as you can get. A fun shooting system, amazing graphics for 2006, a free-form campaign and even a surprisingly exciting story. It's definitely a page-turner and it doesn't go where you'd think considering Dead Rising is basically Dawn of the Dead: The Game.
All the side quests have an interesting element and they don't play soft. You will meet a mom who has just seen her child eaten, or could potentially see another person who has not lived herself. Not a pure masterpiece, but definitely a blip in gaming history.
1 Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
There's no going back after this
While Capcom refers to this game as a Deluxe Remaster, it is essentially a remake as it is fully built in the RE Engine instead of the original MT Framework. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is incredibly faithful to the original down to the smallest detail. There is one fundamental aspect that makes the Deluxe Remaster the best version: time skipping.
The wait was one of the worst aspects of the original and killed the pacing of the game. Once you start skipping time, there's no going back. This is a very big thing. Sadly, the various voice actors aren't as good as the original, but there's a mod available on PC to restore them, so it's the definitive way to play DR1.
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