Dead Rising 4 game Review
The consummate love story between Capcom and the zombies dates back to 1996 and the beginnings of Resident Evil, a horrific series B-set saga that has rocked gamers for over 2 decades. And the Japanese publisher was not satisfied with its flagship franchise. In 2006, a journalist with scathing humor and acid repartee landed the camera slung over his shoulder to cover the events that set the town of Willamette ablaze. 3 episodes later, Frank West makes his comeback in Dead Rising 4 and returns to this small town to cover a new epidemic. More ambitious than ever, our reporter is determined to lift the veil on the mysteries surrounding this new emergence of the living dead.
Frank West is therefore back and Dead Rising can only congratulate Capcom for this decision. Our extreme journalist perfectly embodies this frankness. After 2 episodes featuring the brave, but no less bland, Chuck Greene then Nick Ramos, Frank's return is synonymous with omnipresent bold humor and low-end heroism. Despite the 16 years separating the events of Dead Rising 1 and 4 and his semesters as a university professor, this need for recognition through the scoop of the century drives Frank to infiltrate a military compound. A scandal and a government plot later, the reputation of our extreme reporter is at an all-time low until the small town of Willamette is once again the victim of a horde of zombies. It's time for our good old Frank W. to get back to work.
The Dead Rising saga is characterized by constant humor. Never grandiloquent, the pen of Capcom caricatures the low-hanging heroism and feeds on the scenarios of B movies and other chicks to concoct a story made of expected twists, punchlines balanced by dozens and moments when the epic rubs shoulders with ridicule. And Frank's ability to season the adventure with a touch of humor gives all its flavor to the apocalypse imagined by the writers. A simple "thick samosa" and a few schoolboy jokes, even gritty, infuse this characteristic tone, pillar of the franchise and a real breath of fresh air in the world of zombie games. Dialogue erupts as a frank and sincere smile emerges on the player’s face, browsing Willamette. As for the narration, it avoids any complexity in principle and gets to the point, emphasizing humor and a no-frills plot. The cutscenes can be counted on the fingers of one hand with the exception of a neat 2D production to sum up Frank's downfall after the scandal that tainted his reputation.
Dead Rising 4 would proudly take pride of place on the cover of a Mad Movies, so much the themes covered marry those of a certain George Romero. And the very presence of a shopping mall attests to this love for genre films and for this director who has become in a way the father of the modern zombie. The events of DR4 take place during Black Friday and it cannot be a coincidence. Our consumer society has found a new critic despite himself in the person of Frank West, a symbol of the excesses of the American dream and archetype of the ambitious desperate to do anything to succeed.
THE CHARM OF THE AMERICAN SUBURBS
Although vast upon release and conducive to a vivid imagination, the early Dead Rising's play space was content with a perfect mall to turn a zombie invasion into a fun vent. With Dead Rising 3, Capcom extended the grip of the living dead over an entire city and DR4 continues in this direction. From the city center to outlying farms via the industrial zone and its factories, the pandemic has invaded Willamette and transformed this haven of peace, a death zone. The Capcom franchise has always played the card of one-upmanship and in this little game, the hundreds, the thousands of putrefied people wandering in the streets give in a certain way "life" to this town. A tide of the living dead roams the city, and a simple drive covers the pavement in coagulated blood as limbs, heads and guts flutter on impact.Invasion and fun go hand in hand. A few zombies could not calm the ardor of Frank West and his presence in town will be noticed. Without collapsing under the activities, the only presence of walking corpses and Maniacs (a group of humans making the apocalypse a playground) occupies your winter evenings. The rest of the survivors are holed up in shelters that must be secured so that they can enjoy a safe place and stock up on weapons, medical care, and style. In addition, various events are taking place in town in the run-up to Christmas, starting with the rescue of survivors screaming at the top of their lungs. Helping them is synonymous with rewards, often weapons. If you have time, don't be sorry. Unfortunately the ancillary activities do not run the streets and are replaced by the search for newspapers, laptops and graffiti ... so much evidence of the epidemic that is decimating Willamette. But this profusion of "collectables" cannot mask the lack of side quests.
Technically, Dead Rising 4 does not revolutionize the market, but provides the essential and demonstrates the work done by artists and developers at Capcom Vancouver. Apocalyptic vision as far as the eye can see, textures without addicts, hectoliters of hemoglobin, pyrotechnic effects of all kinds ... DR4 depicts the apocalypse with fervor and by putting heart to work. And the thousands of zombies dragging their feet are the witnesses of this will. The word "horde" takes on its full meaning in this new adventure by Frank W. With the exception of 2 crashes, the 13 hours spent in this small American town took place in the most beautiful way. The prowess is found in excess and not in finesse. The only downside is the internet connection made compulsory. At the time of everything connected, this constraint is ready to smile, but remains an obstacle to the discovery of the title.
A BLOODY INVESTIGATION
Beat'em All to the core, Dead Rising 4 responds to the zombie wave currently hitting the video game market so vehemently. The Capcom saga has never been smooth, quite the contrary, and this 4th episode continues the tradition that made the success of previous episodes. Frank West makes the gunpowder and the nail bat speak in order to repel thousands of living dead. No less than 10,000 souls exploded in contact with the blunt weapons and firearms of our journalist. The action is constant and the dynamism fester through every pore. To strike melee with a sledgehammer and to follow with a shotgun shot in the head before burning the last recalcitrant with a Molotov cocktail ... Here is a deadly chain raising this rage releasing a Special Blow of recognized effectiveness and aesthetic slow motion. Frank West then delivers an overpowering blow linked to the equipped melee weapon.A staple of the Dead Rising experience, the multitude of weapons available will brighten up your journey. Spears, axes and swords… revolvers, assault rifles and grenades… take down the zombies swarming the streets of Willamette and the alleys of her mall. And yet, fun rhymes mainly with "Combo". No less than 55 blueprints of weapons and vehicles are scattered around the city. The construction of weapons and vehicles does not overflow with complexity, but is done on the fly, just to energize the confrontations. From Fatal Beauty spraying her knives using a propane tank to Explosive Nostalgia and its mass embellished with grenades, via the vinyl launcher soberly named Tube Machine and the Va-t-en-Guerre vehicle, these bursts of creativity and the exoskeleton granting a supercharged punching power are not too much to overcome the bestiary concocted by Capcom. The simple, hungry zombie is now accompanied by an infected runner similar to the one from the movie 28 Days Later and a clever and resilient Neo-Zombie capable of controlling the other undead. Shamelessly digging into its other licenses, Capcom even allows itself the presence of a Nemesis-like boss for an epic final fight, but a tad too long.
The gunfights wane once humans are put in the equation. Driven by an intelligence that has almost nothing to envy to zombies, the mercenaries of Obscuris and the Maniacs play the role of cannon fodder without ever becoming a real obstacle to your progress. Frank West annihilates them with the back of a hand. The clashes are just as generic as possible. The only interest of their presence being to enrich the experience and bring Willamette to life with a human presence. The only pleasure is to be found with the zombies coming to join in the festivities and being able to tip the conflict to the soft sound of a "grrrrr". And Dead Rising 4 doesn't just hand out slaps by the hundred. On the contrary, Frank West is and acts as a journalist. Armed with his camera, the latter seeks the scoop of his career, strains the atrocities taking place in Willamette and investigates to discover the truth. In order to advance the scenario, investigative scenes punctuate the adventure. During these sequences, Frank W. uses the "normal" and "night" functions and the spectrum analyzer to study a room and unearth the clues necessary to advance the main frame. Without being revolutionary, these moments of lull punctuate the experience and make this Beat'em All a journalistic adventure.
LEARNING THE HARD
Frank West survived 2 zombie invasions (Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record), but that does not guarantee his ability to survive the events of Dead Rising 4. Learning is done the hard way. after another. Helping the inhabitants of the city, completing the missions of the scenario and of course taking photos (including selfies, Frank West or the “funky” vision of the apocalypse) are synonymous with points of prestige resulting in leveling. and therefore in talent points. About a hundred passive or active skills grant Frank significant bonuses. Increased health points or regeneration speed, critical hits with melee weapons and firearms ... the effects of these abilities are undeniable and greatly facilitate progression without destroying any principle of difficulty.Gaining experience will not do everything. Survival also requires careful excavation of ruins and complexes. Care kits, even the strangest items (Blanca's mask, Christmas bell, snow globe, basketball, etc.) are essential and often get you out of a bad situation. A simple hammer will save you once your most effective weapons are destroyed. Because survival rhymes with endurance, and Frank West's equipment only holds up for a given time after which it disappears and with it their power, leaving you helpless against the horde. And our hero does not intend to disappear from this world without imposing his style, at least sartorial. Like previous games, there are many outfits and accessories that make up Frank's wardrobe. Fireman's or workman's outfit, sunglasses, funny hats, cowboy boots ... style rubs shoulders with bad taste as closely as possible for a result that is sometimes extravagant and sometimes impossible to assume without laughing.
DEAD 4 DEAD
Once the adventures of Frank West are over and Willamette cleaned of the scum roaming its streets, the multiplayer mode opens its arms to us. Importantly, cooperation within the main frame has disappeared, just like the multi modes which made the license so successful.And yet, this 2016 version of multiplayer dramatically extends the lifespan while delivering its share of epic moments and hungry zombies. After choosing a character from among those offered, it's time to equip yourself in a secure area with the utensils available and complete the various missions on offer. Eradicate hordes of living dead, dispose of explosive charges, collect sporting goods in a shop ... meeting your expectations delivers your share of prestige points and therefore talents in order to unlock the same abilities as Frank as well as new grouped ones in a "Multiplayer" category. Capcom simply adapts its single player campaign to a mode that can be played by 4 simultaneously. Without ever scripting this multiplayer dimension, Dead Rising 4 puts the forms and lavishes an anecdotal group survival, but pleasant to go.
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