THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

The latest in the Dead Rising series follows a similar setup to its predecessors but expands the ideas in almost every way with more Zombies and a playable area bigger than the two previous games combined. Los Perdidos, a fictional American city providing the backdrop for the game, has been overrun by slow-moving, mindless Zombies. Playing as a survivor called Nick Ramos, you must stay alive in this living horror. As with the previous two Dead Rising games, there is a time constraint to make staying in one place and waiting out the outbreak an impossibility. In just six days (depending on your chosen game mode), the US government will drop bombs on the city, vaporising all humans and Zombies still within its limits. During that time, Nick receives a mountain of distress calls indicating survivors who must be rescued and tip offs to psychopaths who must be killed. Survival is not enough in this arcade-like action game.

MY VERDICT:

I initially thought this would just be light entertainment for a few hours - a deeply silly game focused on dressing up in over-the-top costumes and bashing Zombies with coffee tables. Yes, it is deeply silly but a large part of this silliness can be avoided if you prefer a more semi-serious action game. The real highlight for me is the amazing number of detailed organic-looking deadheads wandering around the small city of Los Perdidos. By the end game, herds can get to insane sizes, the game capable of putting three times as many Zombies on-screen at the same time than the previous two Dead Rising games. Smacking your way through these crowds is great fun too - yes, it's not realistic but, in an age where Zombie Survival Simulators are increasingly commonplace, this arcade-like approach is extremely refreshing. There are even drivable vehicles you can use to plough through the lifeless hordes - vehicles taking damage from each Zombie impact, leading to their inevitable explosion. In all fairness, and I am sort-off disappointed to say it, Dead Rising 3 is the best Zombie game I have played for a long time.