Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster review for PlayStation, Xbox, PC

Going back to the original Dead Rising always felt like a chore to me, not because I disliked the game, but more because of the sheer frustration of playing it. There is a love/hate relationship I have with the original and that is mostly due to me being a sucker for Dawn of the Dead and Capcom.  It was seemingly a match made in heaven and I remember when my girlfriend at the time (now wife) purchased a copy for me and I fell in love immediately with the game.

So, what happened? A couple of things. First was the unbalanced difficulty. I know a certain Gaming Age editor that likes to tell me to get better at games, but I do not suck at the game.  This is more of the controls being a little stiff at the time and not having a way to properly defend yourself in most situations created a lot of rage quit moments in my life.

As the start of Dead Rising, we got to see Frank visiting Willamette Mall for the first time in what would be the beginning of a crazy career as a photojournalist, and now Frank is a household name for zombie fans, and has had his fair share of games and cameos since then.  And going back to his roots just seems like the right move, especially after the lukewarm reception of Dead Rising 4… (insert random plea to please give us Dead Rising 3 on the PlayStation platform).

So let’s fast forward to this “Remaster”.  Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a true remaster in every sense of the word, for better or for worse. Visually, it’s a vast improvement from the HD releases we had not too long ago. This time, even though we are getting the RE Engine treatment, this is not a remake like some other Capcom zombie games.

Let’s be honest, Dead Rising’s popularity was thanks in part to bringing a lot of neat and fresh game mechanics to the horror genre. Capcom was truly innovative in terms of the sheer number of zombies on screen, which is something that had never been done with that level of detail.  Then there were the time limits. What makes a survival horror game the most intense? A running clock where you must manage your time well and be your own judge on tasks, scoops and more.  I would assume many returning players will be revisiting the experience, there are quality-of-life additions in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster which opens the door to newcomers in a better way than the HD release.

The challenge of releasing a game from 18 years is, in many cases, they played very differently back then. The control scheme didn’t always work and could turn off new players and veterans alike since it’s so different now. With Deluxe Remaster we have updated controls which do help with the feel of the game. But does it help the overall experience? This is where I will share my frustrations.  As I mentioned, I feel this is a remaster through and through. Just about everything is in tact but cleaned up.  Some content has been removed, though it does not change the game experience.

Other than the time limits, most will likely remember the damn psychopath bosses.  Some of them are an unbalanced nightmare and it’s beyond frustrating when you can clean up a room of the undead with a bench, shower handle or an umbrella, but you shoot another live person point blank in the face with an entire clip of handgun bullets and lose a tiny fraction of their health. But when they attack you with a push or a kick, your health drops faster than you can reload your save. To add to the unbalanced complaints, it’s not every high level enemy, but most.

The next portion was always my least favorite part of the game — the dreaded survivors. While you can still find books to help with their chances, they are mostly useless and just get in the way. Escorting them is not fun and I try to spend little time with them (survivor Kent can go straight to hell). For a game that is as over the top as it is, having an option to give them no damage would be nice, but it’s not the end of the world because you don’t have to save most.

My last gripe is petty, and just while I’m on a venting roll. Why does Frank’s animation need to have him always holding the camera? I know this was in the original I get it, but again, the game is so over the top, we know who he is and what he does, but to have it be the only thing with him even when he is kidnapped is just silly.

The important question is, is Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster good,  is it worth revisiting, and is it worth a new player’s time?  Hell yes, because the issues still do not outweigh the fun you will have playing through the main 72 Hour Mode and unlocking other modes which adds to the replayability. The mall looks better than ever, the upgraded character models enhance the mostly creepy looking facial expressions across the game, and the number of outfits you can get, including the insane DLC which Capcom went all in with, are even more over the top.  You can play the whole game as Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis, and it looks wackier than it sounds because he still holds the damn camera the entire time. As a side note, the outfit changes in the Security Room are in one location now instead of the scattered lockers you needed to unlock via keys in the original.

It may seem like I’m being negative in this review but I cannot give it glowing reviews and praise when some aspects remain as they were in 2006. There have been some quality-of-life improvements, including being able to aim while walking, which works well, and at save locations you can speed time up to get through the days faster or to trigger new scoops.  As I mentioned earlier, maybe having friendly fire disabled as an option for the survivors would be great, but I understand it’s part of the challenge.

This is why my frustrations will not fully affect my final score. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is fun to play and brings me back to those days playing the original on my Xbox 360. Could this have been given the remake treatment and be even more awesome? Yes. Do we need it? No, this is a solid Remaster and playing in the RE Engine helps to modernize it visually. The updated outfits add a nice refresh as well, and do a nice job celebrating many other Capcom properties.

My concern overall is, will the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster do well enough to ever help justify a new game? The fans are out there, but after part 4, and a canceled sequel, I would remain cautiously optimistic. This is still a remaster that respects its roots in most ways as something that is a product of its time. If you can get past the time management frustrations and balance issues, and make sure to use all your save options, it’s still a bloody and entertaining experience worth the price of admission.

Note: Capcom provided us with a Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster code for review purposes.