Originally published September 20, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
Martin Carr reviews Dead Rising 2 HD…
Are you sitting comfortably?
Then let us begin with some simple truths universally acknowledged. Dead Rising and it numerically named follow up are recognised for making zombie bashing a much loved pastime amongst gamers worldwide. Capcom have decided in their wisdom to reinvigorate a golden oldie, letting next gen owners indulge their nostalgia. Therefore we have Dead Rising 2 which seems to have had a tremendous amount of thought, execution and passion poured into it. Which comes across as a graphically brighten port over from our beloved 360, as oppose to an out and out remaster which requires effort.
Poor animation, horrific frame rates and noticeable lighting glitches litter this game from the outset. Lazy seems to be the watch word by which Capcom operate these days, when it comes to updating past classics. As such a small degree of care has been lavished on Dead Rising 2, that loading issues, object rendering and badly programmed AI are the least of the problems.
There are no new achievements compared with the original which may have gone some way to inducing people to purchase. While the ranged combat controls are barely functional, meaning you can shoot right next to zombies and still score direct hits. In all honesty making Dead Rising 2 backward compatible would have made more sense, rather than wasting time and effort on something that lacks either noticeable additions or value for money. For those who are after nostalgia then by all means part with those pennies. For everyone else I recommend waiting until it becomes available in a more cost effective manner. Either that or cough up for something more worthwhile because Dying Light this ain’t.
For those who expected more from this reviewer on the merits of Dead Rising 2 you’ve come to the wrong place. There are more pleasurable experiences to be had from parting with lots of cash, but those are not to be found within this particular incarnation. Play it for nostalgia and be disappointed, purchase it for kicks or because you thrive on poorly updated games which will have you cursing Capcom to the heavens. But in the name of all things holy have no illusions Dead Rising 2 is any better because someone slapped ‘Remastered’ underneath it.
Rating: 4/10
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