We catch up with Frank West and set zombies alight with our laser eyes in this hands-on look at Dead Rising 2: Off The Record.
Poor, washed-up Frank West. As outlined in our last look at Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, the intrepid war photographer fell upon hard times after the events of the first game, and has ended up as a reality TV show contestant on Terror Is Reality (the zombie-killing game show in Dead Rising 2). Of course, as we all know the zombies weren’t enclosed in the TIR pits as securely as they should have been, and now it’s Frank West’s turn to follow in Chuck Green’s footsteps and solve the mystery behind the zombie outbreak in Fortune City.
This ’re-imagining’ of the Dead Rising 2 narrative not only swaps its heroes, but it also adds new scenarios, new psychos, new weapons, and of course, Frank’s signature photography skills. While the game will roughly follow the original’s plot, Capcom reps tell us there’s been enough change to keep even the most ardent of Dead Rising 2 fans happy.
The most apparent change is the inclusion of a whole new area, the suggestively named Uranus Zone, an amusement park section that is about as large as one of the casinos in Dead Rising 2. The Uranus Zone has a futuristic vibe to it, and is home to some unique items and activities. There are three theme-park rides to be found here, all of which can be used as weapons of mass zombie destruction. Take away the barricades around the futuristic pirate ship, for example, throw some firecrackers or other zombie-attracting object on there, and then sit back and watch as the ship slices its way through dozens of stupid undead. Taking a photo of this will nab you sweet PP, of course, as will other interesting shots using Frank’s camera.
We had hands-on with the 360 version of Off The Record, and found ourselves immediately getting back into the swing of zombie-killing we got so attached to in Dead Rising 2. While our hands-on time with the E3 demo lasted a short 10 minutes, we did manage to try out some of the new weapon combinations that will be made available with the game. We put together two different types of tennis ball launcher death machines’one with oil that would spit out fiery tennis balls, and another that would eject circular saw blades. The Pegasus was made by joining a toy pony head and firecrackers, and looked great impaled through a zombie. One of the funnier creations was the Cryo Pad. This was made by joining a garbage bin with a fire extinguisher. Slap this on a zombie and the creature will float around helplessly, while any zombies who shamble underneath the contraption will get frozen solid. But by far our favorite new weapon was made by joining an alien mask with batteries. This creates Laser Eyes, a mask you can wear to shoot lasers at zombies. From your eyes.
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record won’t offer any major surprises for fans, but it still feels like a welcome trip back to Fortune City with everyone’s favorite war correspondent. Keep it locked to GameSpot for more on this title.
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