Dead Rising was one of the most endeared Japanese games in recent memory. While the first Dead Rising was filled with bugs like a broken save system and questionable controls we all loved it. Dead Rising 2 is on the brink of release taking the zombie apocalypse to Fortune City. Case Zero is a prequel to Dead Rising 2 and bridges the gap between the two games, taking place 3 years before the sequel. There is a new protagonist named Chuck Greene, famous motorcycle rider and proud father. Case Zero is the story of Chuck finding Zombrex for his bitten daughter Katy and escaping Nevada’s small town Still Creek, which proves to be problematic.
Case Zero is a little preview to Dead Rising 2 and costs 400 MSP on Xbox LIVE. Playing as Chuck is a lot more fun than Frank West. The controls are vastly improved and taking pictures is replaced by combining items to create ‘creative’ weapons for more PP. Saving is still restroom based but does not feel punishing. Case Zero offers many cool weapons like the Drill Bucket, Spiked Bat and the Boomstick which combines a pitchfork with a shotgun. That is just a small sampling of what’s to come. Making your way through hundreds of zombies while looking for Zombrex and motorcycle parts in order to save Katy and escape Still Creek is a ton of fun and comes with replayability due to several achievements and tasks. Just like in Dead Rising, players are able to restart the story with a higher level which makes the game easier and more fun. When Chuck isn’t too busy finding parts or creating crazy weapon combinations he can save ten survivors, who are ‘interesting’ to say the least.
onPause verdict: Buy It! – Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is one of the most creative uses of DLC yet. The 5 bucks are well spent and bring countless hours of fun, plus your level and PP carry over to Dead Rising 2. If you liked Dead Rising you will love Case Zero.
