So after sitting at my desk all day thinking about how I could just develop a sudden case of sickaworka and get home to try the Dead Rising demo, 5:00 finally came and I raced home and started the download.
About an hour later, I got to enter the Willamette Mall and begin my experience as a freelance photographer and full time zombie-killer. The games controls are well laid out, and while easy to get used to, strike me as a little simple. Which is where the first problem I found with the game comes into play.
The portion of the game the demo introduces strikes me as overly repetitive. Sure there are tons of zombies to kill and lots of different weapons to use, but it comes down to the same thing every time. For melee weapons, either tap or hold down the X button to perform an attack, for ranged weapons, hold down the right trigger and press the X button to fire/throw. That's all there really is to it, other than some specialty items that require you to hold down the X button, and once you've killed a few hundred zombies, the game rapidly begins to lose some of it's appeal. Some depth in the fighting controls could have made a bit of a difference here. Simply put, think of what God of War would be like with only a few attack moves.
What the demo doesn't present to you in a playable form are the mission based elements of the game, and that's where I'm hoping the final version sets itself apart. I'm hoping the mission based aspects of the game add some kind of freshness to the game. You do get a slight feel for the "photographer" system in the game what awards points based on the photos you take during the outbreak. (Remember, you're here as a freelance photographer looking for a scoop, not to just kill zombies)
The second problem I encountered isn't one anyone should concern themselves with as far as the final product goes. While the demo has a set time limit of 15 minutes, entering certain areas of the mall will trigger cut-scenes that also lead to the end of the demo. There's nothing to warn you you're entering one of these areas initially, so on the first few play throughs it can be a bit frustrating to have to wait for the demo to end and restart. As I said, this complaint only deals with the demo itself as the game will continue after those cut scenes. Consider this gripe more of a discourse on things not to do in a demo rather than a complaint about the game itself.
It may sound like there's nothing redeeming about the game, but it is indeed fun to wade into a sea of zombies and cause some mayhem, and the game certainly does impress with the sheer number of zombies present on screen at any one time. What the demo did convince me of is that I definitely need to rent this game before buying it. In other words, it was fun, but it didn't blow me away and did nothing to ease my fears about repetitive gameplay putting a damper on the game.
The Dead Rising demo can be obtained via the Xbox Live Marketplace - don't take my word on whether or not you'll like the game, download it and try it for yourself. Remember that what I find repetitive, you may find unending fun.
