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Frank West teased in Dead Rising 2 viral blog
In a recent post on Capcom's viral site for Dead Rising 2, fictitious Fortune City denizen "Johnny Pipes" tells the tale of his search for sweets amid the zombie horde and a Chuck Greene spotting along the way. When Pipes started snapping pics of Greene with his camera phone, though, Greene took off. Never one to shy away from danger, Pipes pursued Greene and evidently noticed another gentleman (of the non-zombie variety) at his side: Is that Frank West? Outside of the tale and a very, very blurry shot of the duo fighting zombies side by side (seen above), the Tape It or Die post doesn't give out hard details on whether we can expect to see the first game's star in DR2 -- perhaps as an additional player in the game's co-op mode? We can't be sure just yet, but Pipes' story indicates that West's camera could also make a return. Sure, he's shot wars before, but has West shot Chuck Greene plowing through a crowd of the undead with chainsaws attached to a wheelchair? Yeah, didn't think so.
Dead Rising 2's Keiji Inafune and his desire to 'replace the Resident Evil franchise'
"The goal for Dead Rising 2 is to replace the Resident Evil franchise and become the number one IP within Capcom," Keiji Inafune told Eurogamer. It's a lofty claim -- according to Capcom's own data, Street Fighter is the company's top franchise. Still, taking down the Resident Evil franchise first is no easy task. Unlike Capcom's other properties, the company's original survival-horror game has the mainstream appeal to support three successful Hollywood adaptations (with a fourth one opening this week). The last iteration of the series sold over 5 million copies. Dead Rising, on the other hand, sold 1.6 million. Dead Rising has big shoes to fill, but it's that lofty ambition that pushes good game design, Inafune argues. "Unless you have a big goal to strive for, you can't create a good game. Therefore, if the Dead Rising franchise takes over the Resident Evil franchise, a new game I come up with will obviously strive to go over Dead Rising. That's the goal I set out for any title I decide to create." If Dead Rising 2 becomes the success Inafune wants it to be, we wonder what the next big idea from Capcom will be. Another IP with even more zombies?
Dead Rising 2 High Stakes Edition is a gamble
In honor of Dead Rising 2's Vegas-like Fortune City setting, Capcom is taking pre-orders on an exclusive gambling-themed limited edition of the game -- which means you now have your choice of DR2 special editions. The "High Stakes Edition," available only from Capcom's online store, includes the game; a poker set with 100 poker chips, bloody playing cards, dice, and a dealer chip; a Fortune City visitor map (which doubles, conveniently, as a map of the game's locations); and a Terror is Reality ticket with a voucher for a "Psycho" costume and skill pack. One of the $90 bundles will include a golden Terror is Reality ticket, which will entitle the lucky winner to a six-foot "Burt the Zombie" replica. That's right, you pay $90 for the chance at winning a big prize (well, among other things). That's gamblin'. Kind of. We'd argue that the real winner is anyone not burdened with a giant zombie statue.
Capcom prescribes Dead Rising 2: Zombrex Edition to North America
The European special edition of Dead Rising 2 may include a tiny, plastic zombie, but the North American special edition trumps it by helping you avoid becoming a zombie yourself. The Dead Rising 2 Zombrex Edition, available on both PS3 and Xbox 360, includes a syringe of life-saving Zombrex medicine (which looks suspiciously like a pen), along with a Zombrex safety information card, sales brochure, and 25-page prescription pad. The steelbook case also includes materials not related to fictional anti-undeadifying pharmaceuticals, including a Dead Rising 2 artbook, and a disc with a "Making of" featurette. The Xbox 360 version will also include the Zombrex Dead Rising Sun film, while the PS3 version will include a voucher for a dynamic theme. The Zombrex Edition will be released on the same September 28 date as the regular version, and will retail for $79.99 -- isn't it worth the extra $20 to have the peace of mind that only anti-zombie medication can provide? %Gallery-97578%
Get a weekly dose of Zombrex starting August 4
Those of you eagerly awaiting Keiji Inafune's directorial debut in the awkwardly named Dead Rising movie, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, will be able to get their fill of zombie drama (or "zomba") from August 4 on Xbox Live. Each week, two or three chunks of the short film will debut on Xbox. They'll be made available on DeadRisingSun.com a week later, with the exception of two episodes that will be shown on both places simultaneously. We've listed the schedule after the break, because it's a lot easier to explain it that way. Bottom line: your entire August is now booked up with extremely brief movie dates. Right now, you can check out some new stills from the film in our gallery, and a trailer at DeadRisingSun.com. %Gallery-97567%
'Zombrex Dead Rising Sun' film distributed for free this summer
The Dead Rising movie, Keiji Inafune's directorial debut, will be shambling to North America and Europe this summer, under the title Zombrex Dead Rising Sun. Capcom will release the film online serially, chopped up into eight pieces like a particularly unlucky zombie, including an English dubbed version, as well as releases with Italian, French and Spanish subtitles. Oh, and it'll be free. Zombrex Dead Rising Sun (good thing it's free with a title like that) is the story of two brothers trying to survive against hordes of zombies. How will they possibly make it? A wheelchair with a chainsaw attached is a pretty good start. Check out our gallery below for some behind-the-scenes photos and enjoy the trailer after the break. %Gallery-96316%
Interview: Keiji Inafune on Dead Rising 2, character design and difficulty
Capcom's Global Head of Production, Keiji Inafune, who started with the company over 20 years ago as an illustrator, oversees production of the publisher's major franchises, including Resident Evil, Lost Planet, Street Fighter and Dead Rising. We talked to Inafune at E3 about the design decisions and criticisms of the Dead Rising series, as well as Capcom's ongoing attempt to balance east and west game design philosophies. (Don't forget to check out our preview on Dead Rising 2 for more.) %Gallery-44178%
Preview: Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (XBLA)
Capcom is doing something pretty interesting with the release of Dead Rising 2. Prior to its August 31 launch, Capcom will put out Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, an Xbox Live exclusive prequel sans co-op that takes place two years after the original and three years prior to the second game. In short: it's distilled Dead Rising 2 on a much smaller scale.
Playboy mags make Dead Rising 2 more inappropriately sexy
What better combination could there be than the sexy ladies of Playboy magazine and rotting, unnaturally ambulatory corpses? Capcom and Playboy have reached an agreement wherein Playboy magazines and imagery will be seen throughout the world of Dead Rising 2, in the form of magazines, as well as billboards and other advertisements. Judging by the costume in one of the new screens, Fortune City is host to a Playboy Club as well. Playboy is just one of the publications used for the game's new "magazine system," which, like Dead Rising's book system, will offer enhancements to the player's stats. Playboy imbues Chuck Greene with a "unique and special upgrade" -- good that it has an actual gameplay purpose, because on its own, stopping to check out some babes while on the run from thousands of undead monsters is highly questionable, both in terms of tactics and just plain sanity. %Gallery-94955%
Capcom wants to put Frank West into as many games as possible
It was a tough blow to hear that Frank West wouldn't star in Dead Rising 2. All was not lost, however: Frank not only cut his teeth fighting less undead opponents in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but there's some evidence he'll be in Marvel vs Capcom 3 -- and let's not forget his cameo in Lost Planet 2. According to Capcom's Seth Killian, Frank West is pretty damn popular in these parts, something of which Capcom of Japan is aware. He told Destructoid that not only is Capcom of Japan "convinced" that your everyday American loves the Dead Rising protagonist, but that he'll "be making appearances in as many games as they can get him into." Personally, we're all for it. Whatever he's in, we just hope it spawns more hilarious internet videos.
Dead Rising's Frank West passively in Left 4 Dead 2's 'The Passing' [update]
Left 4 Dead's eerie atmosphere was made exponentially more engrossing by the warnings scrawled on the walls of each safe house by other survivors. Left 4 Dead 2's downloadable chapter "The Passing," released earlier today, features the above note, apparently written by another down-on-his-luck Zombocalypse veteran. Located by the sharp-eyed bloggers of Destroyed Controller, It reads: "Otis, Out of film, no helicopter. Zombies are too fast. Not going to make it. - Frank West." It's a real shame that West's had to suffer such misfortune. We doubt he'd be in such an unfavorable position if he possessed the ingenuity of his spiritual successor. Update: We snapped some pics of our own, like the one above. Head past the break for a few more.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero prequel detailed
Back during X10, Capcom revealed Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, the stand-alone prologue exclusive to Xbox Live Marketplace that will bridge the gap between the first and second game. It will introduce the sequel's protagonist, Chuck Greene, father and master of duct taping stuff, as he works to free himself and his daughter from the desert town of Still Creek -- two years after the events of the first game, but three years before the events of the sequel. Shacknews managed to secure the details while at Captivate in Hawaii, and says Capcom promises Case Zero will have "unique content not available in the full retail release of Dead Rising 2." Sadly, there's no mention of price or release date for Case Zero, but rest assured: You still have plenty of time to stock up on Zombrex before Dead Rising 2 launches on August 31. Editors' note: Joystiq did not attend Captivate this year. We determined the perceived environment, and associated downtime, of the event was not in accordance with our editorial policy. We expect to provide firsthand preview coverage of all Capcom titles shown at Captivate during E3 this June. For more information on our policies, click here.
Dead Rising 2 to have online co-op (and a drug called Zombrex)
Download in HD from Big Download Chuck Greene may know his "way around a zombie or two," as he says in this new trailer from Dead Rising 2, but he'll be facing down thousands at a time in Fortune City. Greene's daughter Katey will also be along for the ride -- she's bitten by one of the walking dead early on, and will require a daily dose of a drug called "Zombrex" during the game's 72-hour span "to stop [her] from joining the ever-growing zombie horde." Greene also comes across two supporting ladies -- one is a short-haired army jacket-wearing girl who goes on about conspiracies and "false accusations," and the other is a bombastic reporter who brings new meaning to the word "teaser." Capcom has also announced details of the game's online co-op system. Players will be able to use an "in-game transceiver to call for assistance at any time," and when your buddy shows up, it's game on for tactics like luring zombies into a kill zone or racing around on skateboards (no really -- check the gallery below). That's in addition to the "Terror is Reality" minigame versus mode that we got to play a little while ago, which will pit up to four players against each other in a game show setting. Dead Rising 2 will be out for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in North America on August 31, and in Japan and Europe a few short, zombie-free days later. %Gallery-91175%
Lost Planet 2 getting guest characters from Dead Rising, Monster Hunter
[Famitsu] A handful of Lost Planet 2 screenshots from Famitsu have revealed the game will borrow the stars of two more franchises: Frank West from Dead Rising and the Scaly Knife-Gun Dude from Monster Hunter, the latter being exclusive to the PS3 version of the game. For those of you keeping track, these two join Gears of War's Marcus and Dom (who will only appear in the 360 version), Resident Evil's Wesker, and What's His Face from Lost Planet 2 in the fight against the calamitous, towering Akrid. Though most of these crossovers seem pretty out of place, we're betting the dude from Monster Hunter will be right at home bringing down monsters the size of football stadiums. That kind of thing is right in his wheelhouse.
Capcom: First Dead Rising 'felt too Japanese'
If you're wondering why Capcom sought the Canadian influence of new developer Blue Castle Games for Dead Rising 2, producer Shinsaku Ohara has a bit of insight. He told CVG that Capcom "wanted to do it better for a Western audience this time," saying that Dead Rising "was built in a very Japanese style." Too Japanese, in fact, according to Ohara. Now, with the help of Blue Castle, Capcom is creating something that is "much closer to feeling like a Western game," in a collaborative process that is resulting in "crazier" ideas than before. Like duct-taping weapons together, or a zombie game show. We're crossing our fingers in the vain hope that the Servbots weren't singled out as "too Japanese" to find their way into Dead Rising 2. %Gallery-44178%
X10: Dead Rising 2 'Case Zero' prologue is standalone, will be game's 'demo'
Clearing up some confusion over how exactly gamers will get a hold of the Dead Rising 2 prologue, Case Zero, announced at yesterday's X10 event, developer Blue Castle Games explained to Joystiq that the term "add-on" used by Microsoft was, well, dead wrong. "It's not an add-on, because it's set before [Dead Rising 2] and you won't need [either] retail game in order to play it," the devs told us. As for pricing, they could only say that, "it won't be free, but we'll make it accessible for a lot of players." When we asked about a possible Dead Rising 2 demo -- whether it be single- or multiplayer -- they replied, "We think the prologue is going to give gamers a good sense of how the game is going to play. We haven't announced a release date for it yet, but it's definitely before the retail game." They added, "It's not like it's a chunk of the main game -- it is unique content, so even if you want to look at it as a 'demo,' it's not. It's a unique experience."
X10: 'Dead Rising 2: Case Zero' prologue launching exclusively on Xbox Live
Though most may require little more than a premise involving zombies, a besieged casino and a chainsaw-wielding motorcycle to get hooked on Dead Rising 2's ultra-violent charms, perhaps you demand greater narrative fortitude from your gaming pleasures. Perhaps you're a thespian, desperately seeking an answer for untold undead anarchy. What is my motivation? you wonder as you route another rigor-mortis special. Well, you'll have to turn to Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, a "game add-on" launching exclusively on Xbox Live shortly before the full game's release on August 31. Case Zero will serve as a prologue to Dead Rising 2, introducing new protagonist Chuck Greene (who has not covered wars as far as we know) and elaborating on the events that followed the first game. Pricing and exact release details have yet to be announced. It's also currently unclear how the add-on will work prior to the launch of the full game -- it may be packaged as a separate downloadable game (a la Halo Waypoint) that can interact with Dead Rising 2 ... and explain whence all those zombies came.
Amazon: 360 Platinum Hits are buy 2, get 1 free for a limited time
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Amazon is now offering a special buy two, get one free deal on Xbox 360 Platinum Hits titles. The deal is fairly straightforward: just pop three Platinum Hits games into your cart and the cheapest of the three will be knocked down to the wallet-friendly price of zero dollars. It's really the perfect excuse to pick up some great games you might have missed, especially considering many of them have sequels out this year -- notably Fable II, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, BioShock and Dead Rising. You'd better do it quick though, as the offer is only valid through February 13 and only while supplies last. [Thanks, Goldenchild]
Dead Rising 2 screens show off new weapon creation system
It isn't like us to dedicate an entire post to a single screenshot, but when it comes to Dead Rising 2 we've already set a precedent. Earlier today, Capcom's Unity blog posted a handful of new images from the zombie-killing simulator, but the screen that really captured our attention was the one shown (gloriously) above. Combining vastly different items to create our own completely insane arsenal against the zombie collective? Imagine the possibilities: Like some kind of cutting thing, attached to something that spins or something! Clearly our intense excitement has damaged the part of our brain that controls our creativity, but you get the point. Things are going to get killed, real good. More screens are available on the Capcom Unity blog.
Dead Rising, Halo Wars join Games on Demand
Just as expected, today marks the release of two new Games on Demand titles: Dead Rising and Halo Wars. Major Nelson reports each is currently available for download on your Xbox 360, with Capcom's virtual mall full of zombies setting gamers back a paltry $20, while Ensemble Studios' final game is a bit more costly at $30. Each will take up six gigglebytes of room on your HDD upon download. Shortcut: Halo Wars on Games on Demand [Xbox.com] Shortcut: Dead Rising on Games on Demand [Xbox.com]
