Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4 marks the return of photojournalist Frank West in an all-new chapter of one of the most popular zombie game franchises of all time. All of the classic hallmarks of the ground breaking series return, including a huge array of weapons and vehicles players can combine to combat the horde ranging from the practical – to the practically insane. Players will also enjoy ambitious new features including new zombie classes, EXO Suits, and 4-player co-op multiplayer. With intense action and an unmatched level of weapon and character customization, Dead Rising 4 delivers a heart-pounding experience as players explore, scavenge and fight to survive in an epic open world sandbox. Dead Rising 4 returns to Willamette, the setting of the original game, during the Christmas season. The game is a sequel set in 2022, sixteen years after the events of the first game, and one year after the events of Dead Rising 3, though it also acts as a soft reboot of the series.
Steam User 36
Do not buy this at $30, it's not worth that much. If you can get it on sale for $5-10 (which I did), it's decent value.
I went into this expecting a very casual and mindless zombie killing game (because that's what these developers interpreted Dead Rising as), and that's what I got. You are given fairly ridiculous weapons early on and in relative abundance, giving you more freedom to unleash them on zombies, whereas in other DR games you'd usually save them for stronger enemies or for when you were in a pinch.
I didn't finish the story, in fact I don't even think I'm a third of the way through it. But I don't really care because the story and characters of DR4 are infamously garbage. Instead, I'm getting the experience the developers clearly designed more for, which is to say just exploring the large map and messing around. If you do that, you will have more fun. I blew off the upper half of a single woman mercenary using an RPG just because I could.
What you should expect:
A decently large map to explore and loot
A variety of ridiculous weapons that appear enough to use them liberally
Plenty of zombies to bludgeon, chop up, run over, blow up, etc...
A streamlined experience that doesn't expect much from you
A game that is primarily a sandbox first and foremost
What you should not expect:
A classic Dead Rising experience, despite the insanely foolish and insulting marketing of "going back to our roots". It is the least "classic" Dead Rising there is, and removes most of the original mechanics.
A polished game. You will see various bugs like items falling through the ground, floating, clipping through walls, etc. DR4 had a troubled development, to say the least.
Anything resembling good characters or story. It's beyond worthless in that regard, to the point where you'll enjoy it more if you don't pay much attention to it.
Co-op. I don't know why that isn't a thing considering it was a notable selling point of DR2 and DR3, but it isn't.
While playing this, I often thought to myself that this game would be perfect for someone who does not have much time to play games, like a new parent. There's decently frequent auto saves, little to no investment required to finish missions, the player is much stronger at the start compared to previous titles, and the mechanics are streamlined. I can definitely see how their internal focus group players liked this style since they weren't playing for that long.
It isn't that much like Dead Rising though. If it weren't for the weapon variety/sandbox and a story that makes a half hearted attempt to tie into the older titles, it would not be recognizable as an entry to this series. There were times I almost forgot it was Dead Rising, lol.
There's far less resource management, no time management, no fleshed out psychos with their own scenes, no survivors that will follow you, no blenders, no books (that I've seen) healing items are all the same, less strategy in general. It's not surprising that it alienated so many existing fans.
I think they should've embraced the fact that the game is different and ditched the lazy nostalgia pandering (certain areas that played DR1 mall music for example were kind of insulting). It would've been received a little better if it wasn't trying to wear the skin of a game that it isn't actually that similar to.
For what it is though, I got more enjoyment out of it than I expected. I'm one of the people who liked DR3, and this game has more in common with that (a larger world to explore, on the fly crafting, more vehicle travel, a sprint system, etc). I suppose I fall into the niche audience overlap of people who like both the new and older styles of Dead Rising.
DR4 is noticeably not as well made as the others and won't be holding my attention for nearly as long (it's simply not built for the same purpose that DR1 is), but I don't regret giving it a try. I got my money's worth, so I can't thumb it down.
Steam User 17
it is different from the other dead rising games but it doesn't mean its bad
the graphic is still considered good is 2023 (good PC/gaming laptop can easily get an average 100fps+ with max settings), interesting storyline, lots of side quests and a whole lotta zombies and gore, even with 16 hours straight of doing the main mission, side mission and completing achievements i'm still not 100% done, so if you want a game to grind for hours and not instantly finish everything, i recommend this game.
sure dead rising 3 or 2 is better but i recommend this game if you're skeptical about getting this game in 2023.
sorry if my english/grammar is bad, it isn't my first language.
Steam User 26
It's a completely acceptable zombie game, it just suckles donkey dong as a Dead Rising game!
Steam User 9
Dead Rising 4 is not as bad as people say it is
the game is pretty fun and has good gameplay. story-wise, really sucks
doesn't have a good balance between seriousness and funny, it is mostly not that dark or serious
and the way that game ends is pretty poor
in the end, the game does not meet the dead rising experience
but it is fun at times. I highly recommend buying in a sale, and mostly in the holidays times, since the whole game takes place at Christmas. 7/10
Steam User 11
Bought it at a super discount...if I wrote this review upon release date at full price, i'd be a bit harsher.
But considering it was cheap and really has kept me occupied for awhile, I'd recommend.
I bought the Xbox 360 just for dead rising, so I'm definitely a fan of the series. Don't get me wrong, this game has its problems.
But if you are looking for a somewhat open world RPG where you kill a lot of zombies, this is it.
Game has some glitches. I could be driving and if something explodes, my car goes flying across the map. It some how adds to the hilarity of the game.
They killed any of the raunchy humor, which I'm not a fan of. Though pointless, I loved slapping bosses with dildos.
Any of the SUPER over powered weapons from Dead rising 3 have been removed.
It's been so long since I heard the original Frank West's voice that the change didn't bother me. But still not pleased.
Seems more like a sequel to DR 2 than 3 did. Only because DR 3 was a bit darker in colors/scenery.
Game didn't age well with all the online multiplayer stuff they added. Game probably would have been much better if they allocated those resources to the main game.
Steam User 23
I was right in my assumption that this is much like the "Fallout 4" of the series; a good game, just not a good Dead Rising game. It's honestly good fun as long as you pretend the person you're playing as isn't Frank West considering he doesn't look, sound, or act like him. I picked this up for $10 during a sale and I suggest you do too, so long as the Dead Rising franchise isn't precious to you.
Steam User 8
Another sorry excuse of a game that tried to get back in the franchise. It's not that bad, it's just a little disappointing. I can't believe you butchered an old classic MC with a personality turned into a egoistic maniac. He may sound still humorous (How Frank in DR1 was good, Frank in DR2 was the best evolution, DR3 was still traditional but also the best), but golly, why Capcom Vancouver, just why...
I purchased this game as a reminder of how Capcom developed the best survival horror and action game, and how Dead Rising was at its best.
#ReviveDeadRising #GiveBackOurDeadRising