Capcom have been trawling their back catalogue for remaster materials of late. While digging, they found Dead Rising‘s rotten corpse and decided a second go was needed – and just in time for Halloween. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster was probably not at the top of people’s Christmas lists of remakes and resurrections, but I have had a 19-year love affair with the series.
Read More: Dead Island 2 review – Zombie of Gameplay Past
At Christmas in 2005, I had been a very good boy. Santa Claus had even dropped an Xbox 360 down the chimney with Call of Duty 2 and Project Gotham Racing 3 to go with it.
After a few months fighting for someone’s country and racing, something a little bloodier caught my eye. Ever since, I have had a soft spot for the wise-cracking insouciance of Frank West.
The Rising Dead
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster takes place in the fictional town of Willamette, Colorado. You fill the shoes of West, a freelance photographer and photojournalist who has seen it all. He’s had front row at major world events, broken big stories and even covered wars.
Looking for his next big scoop, he stumbles onto some strange events happening in the small town. This ultimately leads to him having to survive a 72-hour onslaught of zombie carnage. Thankfully, he has all he needs at the shopping mall he’s cooped up in.
Read More: Five PS1 Classics Best Enjoyed on Other Platforms
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster does very little to change the tale and is extremely faithful to its original. The Deluxe Remaster only really mixes things up in streamlining movement and combat.
There are also a raft of little tweaks that all come together to make the whole thing feel smoother than you remember.
Faithful
Sadly, some of the more fun or interesting moments from the games that followed the original aren’t squeezed in. Stuff like combo weapons or vehicles would have been welcome.
That said, the moment-to-moment gameplay is as fun as always. You will find countless items that, 98% of the time at least, can be used as weapons. Each has a unique attack – be it a bat, golf club, bench or pot plant.
However, with all of the tweaks that have happened, the game has lost its nail-hard edge. Auto saving, moving time forward, improvements to companion AI, and the rebalancing of weapon durability have all dulled the difficulty. And this does take away from the intensity of the experience.
HD Era
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster‘s biggest change is in its visuals. The game’s map, characters and objects are now extremely detailed. Shops, items and character facial expressions look nothing short of amazing running in the RE Engine.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster features new voiceovers for (almost) the full cast. This may upset the hardcore fans, but, honestly, the new voice actors put in a decent shift. On the whole, the new voices enrich the world and enhance the tale.
Read More: Wanted: Dead review – Wild Adventure with Heart
The Deluxe Remaster is one of those remasters that handles its beloved source material with care. Outside of some changes to the intensity and the voiceovers, everything you loved about Dead Rising is still there.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster also sets the imagination running wild. What will Capcom do next if they can wheel out a long-dead game with Dead Rising? Will we get a full Resident Evil remaster series if this game does well? Will we be heading to an even more glitzier Fortune City to see Chuck Greene next?