Dead Rising 2: Case 0

Well, I played the first Dead Rising and really enjoyed it, apart from some small annoyances the game as a whole was enjoyable. So last week i decided to download the Dead Rising 2 prequel Case 0 from XBLA.

Case 0 isn't quite a demo in that it isn't just a level plucked from the full game, it is a completely new game detailing the events leading up to DR2 and shows off the new game mechanics.

Case 0 (and by extension DR2) is very similar to DR1 in many respects, you still run around the map picking up anything you can find and whacking the slow shambling zombies with it, and the zombies remain more of an obstacle rather than something essential to the game. Case 0 also retains the time mechanic, missions have a time limit and you must complete them before the designated time, which I think is a bad idea, especially in a game where you can just lay back and have fun killing zombies for hours on end; the time mechanic almost forces you to do the missions. One thing that has been fixed however was the awful save system, you can now have up to 3 saves and there are many save points.

So what's new in DR2? Well the most obvious changes is the character, you no longer play the photographer Frank West (he's covered wars you know) this time you play Chuck Greene, a famous motor-cross racer. Due to this character change, the photography aspect of the game has been removed and replaced with something far better, weapon creation. Weapon creation allows you to combine two ordinary items to make one bad-ass zombie killer.

Be sure to check out the paddle-saw

In Case 0 there are several combo weapons to be made, however you're never told what a majority of them are, so to save frustration I will list them at the bottom.

All in all Case 0 is an excellent buy for any Dead Rising fan wanting a sneak peak at the sequel, it is also extremely enjoyable and I played through it 4 times to get all the achievements.

Electric Rake - Battery + Rake

Boomstick - Pitchfork + Shotgun

Paddle Saw - Kayak Paddle + Chainsaw

Air Horn - Spray Paint + Traffic Cone

Improvised Explosive Device - Box of Nails + Gas Can

Molotov - Newspaper + Whiskey

Drill Bucket - Bucket + Drill

Beer Hat - Bottle of Beer + Hard Hat

Spiked Bat - Baseball Bat + Nails.