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Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Frank West is back. That's really all you need to know about Off the Record, but keep on reading the review for good measure.

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I'm surrounded by the undead. Not just a few of them, but about 20 or so. I've probably got a few seconds to live and this would be the perfect time to break down and cry. But Frank West isn't like most people. Nope, he pops into the lady's apparel store, comes out wearing a blouse and hot pants, picks up a nail enhanced baseball bat and goes to town on the walking meatbags.

I could probably spend most of this review celebrating the fact that Frank West is back as the main character. He is Dead Rising to me, and no one can bash in zombie heads, sweet talk chicks and document the whole thing with his trusted companion the camera. There is a sense of déja vu. Haven't we been through this once before?

That's right. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is the very same game as Dead Rising 2, albeit with a new main character and some additions. Sure, there are some major differences that I won't spoil here, but an example is the intro where Chuck Greene's bike sequence has been replaced with a bit of Frank West style wrestling. More of a freak show than anything Greene experience during his adventure.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
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It's a feeling that remains throughout the adventure. It is obvious that Capcom Vancouver (formerly known as Blue Castle) and Japanese Capcom consider Frank West more of an icon, and this affords them more creative freedom when it comes to the situations he will face. More humour, more insanity, and less of a compulsion to tell a story. And shortly after leaving the wrestling ring Frank is presented with his camera.

Your mission is to uncover the massive conspiracy in Fortune City and why zombies are taking over. The most entertaining bit is to try and catch as violent and as zombie packed scenes as possible with the camera. This is best accomplished in the new area Uranus Zone, a fair ground out of the American 50's, where the fun never ends.

But in spite of all this, not even Frank West let's us escape the feeling that this is taking milking to another level. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record comes across as more of an expansion than a standalone game and no effort has been made to correct the flaws that were there in the original game. I can still wind up with useless save files, because the time is not there to complete a mission, and I still have to replay vast portions of the game due to infrequent check points.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
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You're not even getting rid off Chuck Greene's annoying daughter... or, well you do, but not her symptoms. Frank has been infected and needs to hunt down Zombrex to use at specific times. Something that doesn't add anything to the experience and just serves as an annoying chore.

There isn't enough here to warrant the release of a separate game. I know what's going on and after completing Dead Rising 2 several times I can pretty much repeat the dialogue word for word by now. It is as if Capcom regretted some choices made with the original game and now decided to release the game as it should have been from the start.

Dead Rising 2 felt a bit aged already when it was released. The graphics were primitive, as were the mechanics, and the only real reason why I played it and enjoyed it, was the fundamentally sound basic concept of killing zombies in various amusing ways. When I'm repeating this in Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, even a fan like me has had enough.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

The primitive graphics, the stiff mechanics, and the lack of new additions except for the re-introduction of a feature found in the first game (photography) takes me to the breaking point. As a major DLC this would have been good value and entertaining and something I could recommend. But re-releasing what is essentially the same game, even at a lower price point, is something that can only appeal to the most diehard fans of the series.

Many felt the same way as me about Chuck Greene - he was boring - and it's not really until we get Frank back that I fully realise just how much of a bore Chuck was. But it's not enough to save Off the Record. Sure, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is the game I wished Dead Rising 2 was, but to explore the same world all over again, with all the flaws remaining and aged graphics that didn't look great even the first time around, is just not for me. Frankly, Capcom should have saved this resources for a proper Dead Rising 3 starring Frank West.

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06 Gamereactor UK
6 / 10
+
Frank West is back, massive amounts of zombies to slay, great humour.
-
Comes across as DLC, aged graphics, poor save system.
overall score
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Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

PREVIEW. Written by Arttu Rajala

"The game was originally meant to be a Director's Cut. However the fan response on Frank's absence was so strong that it was obvious we needed to bring him back in a big way."



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