Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Review: Frank’s Big Return

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As a gamer with over two decades under my belt, I’ve witnessed the evolution of gaming like watching a child grow into an adult. And it’s games from the Xbox 360 and PS3 era that often remind me of those carefree days. The creativity, the uniqueness, and the sheer fun these titles offered are rarely matched in modern releases.

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I’m quite astonished by how relevant and engaging games from the Xbox 360 and PS3 era still are today. Over the last few years, I’ve found myself returning to many titles from this period, whether in their original versions or enhanced remasters/remakes. Each time I play them, I can’t help but wish that more recent releases could capture the same level of creativity and uniqueness as the games produced during that era. After playing the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, my longing for this kind of innovative gameplay has only grown stronger, as Capcom’s latest remake expertly preserves the original’s chaotic, unique premise.

Generally speaking, the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is largely an updated version of the initial game within Capcom’s second-most successful zombie series. In this game, you take on the role of journalist Frank West, who finds himself stranded in a mall overrun by zombies during an outbreak. Over time, all items within the mall become potential weapons for Frank as he battles through waves of undead and attempts to unravel the secrets behind the epidemic.

Experiencing the chaos of sprinting through hordes of zombies, armed with whatever items you can find in the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, remains as thrilling as it was nearly two decades ago. The gameplay has been enhanced with numerous user-friendly updates in the Deluxe Remaster, making it feel smoother than ever before. Thanks to Capcom’s RE Engine, there are more zombies on screen at once in the Deluxe Remaster, and they respawn more rapidly too. However, this can be somewhat frustrating as I noticed that a large number of zombies I had killed would be replaced by new ones almost immediately, which took away from the sense of accomplishment I felt when clearing out an area of the mall and moving around more freely because of my efforts.

In the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, the Survivor AI has been significantly upgraded so that it’s no longer aggravating to guide civilians to safety. In the original version of Dead Rising, you were essentially required to babysit any survivors you encountered or risk losing them to the undead. This added an element of challenge to Dead Rising, but the challenge was frequently based on frustration rather than fun. The Deluxe Remaster now offers a more pleasant balance and makes the process of saving every survivor far less laborious.

What really sets DRDR apart is the simple inclusion of auto-save features. While it may not appear significant at first glance, this feature helps alleviate many of the troubles frequently discussed in relation to Dead Rising. Instead of having to reload a saved game from a specific checkpoint before beginning a boss fight, you can now dive right into the fray as soon as an encounter starts. This was particularly helpful in the Deluxe Remaster, reducing the persistent anxiety I experienced while playing Dead Rising.

Although I generally appreciate the positive aspects of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, there are adjustments made that leave me perplexed. For instance, certain characters’ dialogue or appearances have been significantly transformed without any clear explanation as to why. These alterations don’t seem to enhance the Deluxe Remaster noticeably when compared to the original Dead Rising, leading me to wonder what the purpose behind these changes was initially. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that these modifications make the Deluxe Remaster significantly worse, but they certainly raise some intriguing questions.

In the Deluxe Remaster, Frank West’s character and voice have undergone significant changes which I found less appealing compared to his original look. However, as time went by, I grew fond of the updated version of Frank, even though he wore some rather eccentric outfits during gameplay that made me almost forget about Capcom altering his base design. Nevertheless, I can’t help but pine for the acting of TJ Rotolo, the original voice actor, and wish he could have been a part of this remake.

The remastered version of “Dead Rising: Deluxe Edition” has been an enjoyable revisit for me, being a long-time fan. It’s affirming to see that this series still has plenty of potential left. Capcom did a great job with the gameplay in the “Deluxe Remaster,” and while there are changes I might not prefer, it’s challenging to argue against this being the ultimate version of “Dead Rising.” Even at 20 years old, “Dead Rising” is still a thrilling game to play, and I hope that “Deluxe Remaster” marks the beginning of more exciting developments for the franchise in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The enhanced edition of Dead Rising, titled “Dead Rising: Remastered Deluxe,” is now accessible on digital platforms such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. I received a complimentary copy of the game from Capcom to facilitate this review.

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2024-09-27 23:40