Dead Rising: Case Zero

Title: Dead Rising: Case Zero
Platform Played On: Xbox 360
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Date Played: September 2010
Time Played: 6 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 5/5


Opinion:
Case Zero is Capcom's attempt to get people excited for Dead Rising 2, and at the same time to offer a bite sized taste of the experience to newcomers to the series.

This downloadable title became available about a month before Dead Rising 2's release and is set up as a prequel to it. You can look at it as a vertical slice, a little taste of the game's mechanics.

I really enjoyed the time I spent with Dead Rising: Case Zero.  The story was interesting, and I knew that I could later import my character's levels into Dead Rising 2.

The story is a self contained side story for the main characters in DR2 and features multiple endings with multiple ways to approach it. You get to play with Dead Rising 2's new features, such as item crafting and the exploding fly. It looks great, with a good variety of melee weapons and guns at your disposal. The one and only complaint about this game is the fact that there is a time limit, I would love to have unlimited time to roam the small town and explore its nooks and crannies.

I found Dead Rising: Case Zero to be a lot of fun and would recommend it to everyone. And for $5 it is a great way to see what the series is about before dropping $60 on Dead Rising 2. It also works great for those who simply dont want a 40 hour Dead Rising experience, and would be satisfied by jumping in for a few hours and be done with it.