Game #19 – Dead Rising 2

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Blue Castle Games

Platforms: PS3/PC/360

Xbox 360 launch title Dead Rising was one of those incredibly divisive games. Sure, it had some great ideas, but was a game that you really needed to wrap your head around its mechanics to fully enjoy it. Five years later, we get a sequel, and as a zombie killing, RPG-esque experience, it proves to be one of the more satisfying games of 2010.

The setup is that you're Chuck Greene, motocross superstar. He's stuck in Fortune City with his infected daughter, and it's up to him to find a way out, and to get rid of his daughters infection – all that, plus a conspiracy to unravel, in three days. And while the game is mostly the same as the original, new developer Blue Casle Games have added quite a few new additions to make the game much more playable, yet keep what made the original Dead Rising work.

For starters – the item combination system works a treat, giving you obscenely powerful weapons to mow down zombies and psychopaths with. Survivor AI works much better now – so instead of running into crowds, they'll do the smart thing by actually listening to you, fight back when appropriate..compared to my attempts to play through the first game, it was made much more enjoyable. Also, multiple save slots are a blessing.

If you've never played the original, don't. Go pick up Dead Rising 2 and you'll get what you missed out on, plus it being much more playable. Also, if you happen to pick up the Xbox version, go pick up the Case Zero XBLA game, which gives you quite a few useful benefits for the main game.