Even before Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop hits shelves, Capcom has informed of its intent to go the way of multiplatform, doing away with console exclusives in an attempt to get more money, stating that as "a measure to counter the soaring costs of software development for the next-generation consoles, which has been a cause for concern, we have shifted our focus to the multiplatform strategy." That's what it's all about, after all, and in the end this move will likely benefit the industry as a whole.
Although we haven't gotten a chance to play the Dead Rising port yet, we'd like to see the Wii get some Capcom love on other upcoming titles, namely Street Fighter IV. Until that is announced, we'll just have to wait and see what they give us. Don't start holding your breath for that Resident Evil 5 port yet, though.
We feel sorry for Capcom PR staff right now. Take Jason Allen here. His performance when talking about Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop is as smooth and unruffled as they come, but somebody just had to wheel out the old, old question of zombienumbers, didn't they? Allen clearly knew it was coming -- he gives a wry smile as he answers -- but he does stumble a little. "[There will be] just as much, er, a satisfactory number of enemies on screen to fight off against," he replies. Fair enough.
Away from the issue of zombie quantity, Allen discusses how the game borrows Resident Evil 4's combat controls, a decision that was made because the Wii Remote worked so perfectly there; in fact, he notes, Dead Rising on the Wii will boast more firearms than the Xbox 360 game. Capcom is also restructuring the title so it's more appealing to the casual gamer set. All side quests are now incorporated into the main narrative, the rationale being that casual gamers are less likely to replay the game for the extra quests. That makes sense, and it doesn't really result in less content. It's just all squashed together in one whole now.
So yeah, we're not even touching this. Not with a twenty-foot damn pole. Some user at GameTrailers compiled this video, featuring a comparison between Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop and the PlayStation 2's Hitman: Blood Money. The point? To show up the supposed lack of NPC zombies in the former, by comparing it to the achievements of a two-year-old game on a technologically inferior system.
The Dead Rising footage used is a touch selective (we've seen screens with a far greater number of zombies), but like we say: we're staying out of this. It isn't going to end well.
We don't question the decision to show a trailer for Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop at the Leipzig Games Convention. In fact, it's not even much of a decision: this is a very large press event, so if you are a publisher and you have a game coming out, you show it. And Dead Rising, just by its nature, is a violent and bloody game, characterized by crowds of (undead) people to be destroyed and piles of improvised weapons to make that happen.
But Capcom went the extra mile and bloodied up their trailer -- it's even bloodier than the gameplay footage already was. It's like Capcom's way of saying "Please don't let us sell this, Germany."
So here's a look at Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop. If you were expecting something that looked completely awesome, we'll warn you that this ain't it. If, however, you're looking for an experience that is just pure fun, then hey, you may be in the right place.
As a personal aside, I've gotta say that I'm a huge fan of the original. I have no complaints about the save system or the game format, or really anything else with the Xbox 360 title. At first, the changes to the Wii version -- to the format, not the number of zombies; we'll get there -- seemed disheartening. But if you look at it as a completely different game, one that's meant to be a happy fun-time zombie-killing mall adventure, then hey! Sign us all up for a little chopping 'til we drop. And that's what this video is all about: enjoying the carnage for carnage's sake.
But the lack of floods of zombies is a concern. Anyone else hoping for video of the maintenance tunnels? And, despite the use of the giant parasol here, Al Fresco Plaza just won't be the same without hordes of the undead. But maybe the fact that it won't be the same is the point.
Christian Svensson, VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development at Capcom, is a man of the people. When someone sends out a distress call, he quickly hops down from atop his mountain of unsold copies of Zack & Wiki and Okami to help out. He may not be wearing a cape and mask, but we think he's a super hero.
Why all the Sven love? Because the dude gave us hope for some more Capcom support on the Wii. When Capcom fan John voiced his concern over a lack of Bionic Commandoon the Wii, Christian stepped in to let John know that Capcom won't be forgetting about the console after Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop. "We are contemplating versions of one or two of the CEI titles you've mentioned on the Wii (not saying which), but we'd like to see how they do on their initial target systems before doubling down on additional SKUs." What titles could he be referring to?
Siliconera speculates that it could be Flock, Age of Booty, Dark Void, and Street Fighter IV up for consideration, as these are Capcom Entertainment Incorporated ("CEI") projects. Flock seems like the natural choice, but we'd be lying if we said that the prospect of Dark Void or Street Fighter IV on the Wii was unappealing. That Dark Void game certainly looked cool at E3. We'd have liked to play it, but we were too busy playing games for you all.
Dead Rising: Chop 'til You Drop offers the one feature that Wii owners didn't even know they needed: waggle-based zombie-batting. According to the latest screens, shaking the controller in response to an onscreen prompt while holding a baseball bat will trigger the "Home Run Swing."
We're happy to see that the Wii Dead Rising game keeps an emphasis on a wide variety of useful and/or hilarious weapons, including saw blades, samurai swords, benches, and various firearms. All of the weapons have been given some kind of motion-based interaction: guns, for example, are reloaded by shaking. That sounds like some other Wii game that used the Resident Evil 4 engine! But which one?
We've had Dead Rising on the mind for the past 24 hours, thanks in part to a bit of reassurance on the part of Nintendo Power. But, in looking at the Xbox 360 version of the game and how Xbox Live made available some DLC, we were wondering what kind of content you wouldn't mind paying for in Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop. Of course, don't take this as "OMG DLC CONFIRMED!!!one!" or anything. This is purely hypothetical.
So what would you like? Added weapons? Different playable characters? New areas added to the mall? Let's hear it!
According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop might not be the slouch many are making it out to be. The magazine mentions that there could be up to 100 zombies onscreen at once. Aside from that, improvements include:
Combat controls will mimic Resident Evil 4.
Selectable difficulty level.
Improved save system.
Larger text!
Overtime mode now part of the main game.
Sounds like Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop will be an option-rich good time. How many of you are looking forward to it?
We've spent a little time lately talking aboutDead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop, and can you blame us? The original is one of the most fun experiences available on the Xbox 360, and shifting the perspective to match Resident Evil 4 sounds like it could be a really good move. Here, too, is one game in which "waggle" is pretty well-suited to the action; if you played Dead Rising and didn't shake the controller the first time a zombie grabbed you, you've stronger nerves than we have.
Did you play the original? If so, what do you think of the proposed changes? We're wary of the shift in the save system, frankly, but the few things we've heard make it sounds almost as though it's a nearly new game. If you didn't play the 360 title, what do you think of this style of port, and this game in particular? Also, what do you think of the subtitle?
There may be a dearth of actual Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop screens, but we've been pretty rich in print media on the re-imagined game so far. The latest, from a French Nintendo magazine, show off some different angles from some of the scenes we've already seen, such as the psycho battle in the gun store.
There's been some concern that there just won't be as many zombies in the Wii version -- and the number of zombies is pretty much the crux of the game -- but considering we're seeing screens from early in the game, it isn't that surprising that there aren't that many zombies. Until we see screenshots from a cramped area like the nightmarish Al Fresca plaza, we won't really be able to judge how much, if any, the game has been downgraded in that sense. We've put together a couple of comparison shots after the break that demonstrate that there's more to be hopeful about than many had thought.
Capcom cleared the air on Dead Rising Wii today, not only confirming the title for America, but also providing some interesting details about the game.
Now subtitled Chop Till You Drop, Dead Rising will use the same engine as Resident Evil 4 Wii. Obviously the game will also utilize the Wiimote's "point-and-shoot" capabilities, but it will include other motion controls, too, such as shaking off zombies and throwing explosives.
The other big news is that the port will incorporate an "improved" save system. Many might be jumping for joy at that fact, while others might think that such a change will wussify the series. Either way, that's how the cookie crumbles, folks. We don't have details yet on whether or not the player will be able to save at any time, though.
Those of you who are still excited for the game (save system be damned) can expect it to hit North America sometime this winter. Also, check out the new screens in our gallery below.
This fairly authentic-looking image of a Nintendo Power magazine cover, if real, means that the magazine has the scoop on yet another Wii game in the works starring Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic and the Black Knight apparently features Sonic fighting with a sword, which would fit with the teaser graphic the magazine put at the end of the last issue.
It also fits with Sega's recent use of new gameplay mechanics nobody wants, a change from their previous habit of creating new characters nobody wants. Although if Sonic and the Black Knight uses the Wii MotionPlus to render swordplay like Wii Sports Resortdoes, we're totally on board.
The English title at the top for the new Dead Risinggame both is great and suggests that an American release of the remake is already planned. If, of course, this image is not a fake created by a jerk.
The atomic bomb of a few days past has had enough time to send shivers of excitement over the entire Wii community, and now a groin-grabbingly atmospheric website has been delivered by Capcom, adding fuel to the fire of Dead Rising. Details are scant at present, but a number of Wii screens have popped up that look mighty fine.
We were hesitant to report the rumor of an over-the-shoulder, RE4-esque viewpoint being added to the Wii version, as the more "worldy" members of the Fanboy team didn't consider such a camera angle would be effective with Dead Rising's gameplay. However, a couple of screens in the new gallery show exactly that, with an on-screen aiming cursor and everything. Hey, it's a zombie-killing game, what could possibly go wrong?
The adventures of photojournalist Frank West have taken him into one of the darkest, filthiest, most vile and disgusting cesspools of scum and villainy in human history -- the Xbox 360 (zzzzzing!). Now it appears he is branching out to the sunny shores of Nintendo, as Dead Rising for the Wii has been revealed in the latest Famitsu! Happy day for humans, bad day for zombies.
Dead Rising was Capcom's fresh foray into the survival horror genre, after spending years on the same Resident Evil formula. It was critically acclaimed and a blast to play, despite being criticized for awkward saving mechanics and time constraints. Based on the success of RE4: Wii Edition, Capcom went ahead and pulled Dead Rising up from the grave. And we're glad they did.
According to some brief translations, new content in the Wii port includes extra weapons, a brand new (undoubtedly psychotic) boss and motion-controlled attacks. The graphics will look as close as possible to the 360 version, and the gameplay purportedly takes into consideration the needs of casual players. Could this mean a more streamlined save system for ease of use? Possibly. Enter here (if you dare) for the full range of Dead Rising scans.