Dead Rising 4 is One of the Best Games That Killed a Franchise
I love Dead Rising.

It’s a phenomenal zombie action open world franchise, with a design that was a bit ahead of market norms. Dead Rising is a large-scale single-player-centric open world game. It casts you as a man of action surrounded by the undead. You have just your wits, a pile of weapons made from everyday objects, and your ever-growing skill tree at your disposal.

Most of the games also make wonderful use of time, unlike nearly every other game set in a large world. Time is always ticking along, and the story advances whether you make it to where you’re supposed to be or you don’t. Challenging bosses with weird backstories, a quirky sense of humor, and the thrill of trying new weapons propel you through the multiple playthroughs required to see everything.

Dead Rising 4 mixed things up a little bit. It still features stalwart off-and-on-again protagonist Frank West, a cynical journalist who is really good at killing zombies. He’s older in Dead Rising 4, and more snarky, and now voiced by film and TV actor Ty Olsson. He brings some good energy to the role, even though the change of casting was considered a mistake by some.

The biggest design change to Dead Rising 4 was the heavy reduction of the time mechanic. Again, I love the time limit in Dead Rising. I linked an entire article I wrote about it earlier in this piece. It gives the games a desperate panic-inducing feel that helps immerse you in the experience of surviving a zombie outbreak. It also reminds me of old FMV games that relied on a clock, like Night Trap.
['Alex Rowe']
['Marketing', 'Gaming', 'Videogames', 'Technology', 'Zombies']