Psychopaths, an unfortunately named but iconic aspect of the Dead Rising series, used to mean elaborate introductions and challenging fights against special human enemies. Story missions drive players to the latest and greatest moments while side missions, survivors, and Psychopath bosses are incredibly understated Side missions typically involve investigating an area on a map where a cluster of enemies reside these include crazed survivors, zombies, or mercenaries. Go figure.ĭespite its open world setting, Dead Rising 4 feels like the most linear game in the series. In fact, the majority of the game’s story takes place outside of the mall and in the town of Willamette. Players explore the surrounding town as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the game started development with a theme park setting and was later converted to a mall with how thematic its districts are. Set 16 years after the first game, the town has rebuilt the Willamette mall, creating a massive structure that almost looks more like a theme park. Ouch.ĭead Rising 4 also sees the return of Willamette, Colorado, the place where zombie outbreaks began. Based on the description of the upcoming Frank Rising season pass content, this appears to have been reserved for paid post-release content. Dead Rising 4 lacks an Overtime Mode after all - a true ending rewarded to players that complete all relevant objectives. It’s anti-climactic and feels ripe for continuation through DLC. That said, the ending of the game falls painfully short. Character dialogue has received extra attention, making the game feel a bit more narrative-focused than previous entries. It’s worth noting that the writing, which falls squarely into dark comedy territory - as opposed to the previous games which were played straight yet feature ridiculous scenarios - is surprisingly funny at times. That’s the premise, and it leads to a serviceable story. His pupil Vick Chu leads him to a potential scoop, which results in a whole new zombie outbreak. This rings true to the rest of the game as well.Īfter his fame as the “Hero of Willamette” died down, Frank became a journalism professor. Ty Olsson brings a lot of charisma to the role, and while there have been some big changes to the man-who-has-covered-wars-you-know, Dead Rising 4 doesn’t suffer for it. He’s cheesy at worst and amusing at best. He’d be best described as Ash Williams with the voice of a far chippier Michael Madsen.Īll of that said about Dead Rising 4’s Frank West the character isn’t bad at all. But with the removal of TJ Rotolo as his voice actor, Dead Rising 4 very much features a different Frank West, one with high energy and a penchant for speedy comedic quips. On paper, though, Frank’s personality sounds unchanged - misanthropic, selfish, and rude. I’m someone who appreciated his original - frumpy - design which promoted uniqueness out of mundanity. Gone is his unsightly hairstyle, pudgy nose, characteristic limp, and slightly overweight frame. On the outside, Frank has become yet another conventionally attractive male protagonist. Since the character’s reveal as the protagonist of Dead Rising 4, fans have aired their complaints about the significant changes made to his appearance and personality. To say that Dead Rising 4 will be divisive among fans is an understatement.įrank West is back, and he looks better than ever. But it’s also the most polished and ambitious Dead Rising game yet, so playing through it for review it has been an interesting experience. Flying under the radar since its announcement, the fourth mainline Dead Rising game is a very strange beast that in its pursuit to modernize the series, almost contemptuously rids it of some of its mainstays. We’re nearing the end of 2016, and after playing dozens of games, I have found the one that’s been the most conflictive: Dead Rising 4.

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