Zombies Invade the Wii
(Note: If you’re not familiar with the original Dead Rising, check out this review first to give you better idea of where the game started.)
For the regulars at GiN, they might have noticed that I enjoy me some good ol’ horror survival. As a recent episode at the GiN Lounge showed, it’s a combination of mood, story, and visual tone that gets me into horror games, but there’s a lot to be said for doses of old fashioned cheese and overwhelming scare factors also.
So imagine my surprise when I found myself not only disliking Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, but also wanting to just quit the whole game prematurely.
While the original Dead Rising on the Xbox 360 caused some heads to turn and zombie fans to rejoice, Chop till You Drop has been cut down to fit on the Wii and lost the majority of what made the original so appealing.
I get that comparing this game to the original might not be fair, but rather than bringing a port of the original title, Capcom could have just as easily brought us an extension to the game’s world, introducing fringe characters and tie-ins, or created a build-up experience to Dead Rising 2.
Instead, what they gave us was a downgrade that will simply rub several players the wrong way, whether they’ve played the original or not.
The point to Dead Rising on the 360 was to have a screen packed with zombie hoards. Without that feature, well, you’d have CTYD, which only has the ability to produce clusters of zombies per frame. Without a seemingly overwhelming zombie presence on the screen, Dead Rising just becomes a ploy to gain a few dollars off the original’s fame.
Using the same engine that brought along the Wii adaptations of Resident Evil 4 and Okami (to great success), the choice to bring Dead Rising to the Wii generated some excitement for the system, but now that it’s out in the world, this particular player is wishing the attempt had never been made.
The game is simply lacking on every possible front. Though there are tons of weapons to choose from, the lack of the visual effects of what those weapons did in the 360 version is more than disappointing. Where once we had a sickle in the neck, now we just have blunt trauma blood patches that form after a blow and a dissolving zombie carcass.
Another cause for distaste comes with Frank’s profession. Where once we had full use of Frank’s camera, now we have a hunk of plastic that he runs around with while going back and forth trying to find distressed survivors.
And speaking of going back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth"
My God, CTYD has the most boring, played-out storyline of any game I’ve ever played on a next gen system. While the countdown for the helicopter has been thankfully put aside, Frank must figure out the mystery of what caused the zombie epidemic before the pilot returns. During this time, Frank must also go back and forth throughout the mall in a stream of rescue missions that never seem to end or get more interesting.
Also, the cut scenes from the original game have been snipped to get certain points across but only manage to give us the essentials, which makes for a bad plot. And the fact that the voice acting borders on terrible, doesn’t help me to be more forgiving.
And who had the great idea to add zombie poodles and grenade carrying parrots? Bad form, Capcom. Bad form.
While the game is going to attract and repel certain gamers, the control system is what has everyone’s attention at the moment. Like with the RE4 Wii edition, the controls are easily managed and seamless in their appeal. Shooting is a fantastic endeavor with the Wii remote, providing easier movability and better aim. So on that detail, applause can be given to the game’s developers, even if the feeling that everything else has tanked is more than present.