Game Is SO FUN combining items to make better weapons is awesome story is pretty short coop makes it 10x better djjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgfdjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgfdjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgfdjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgfdjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgfdjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjsdfhibodsudsuifiusfugfhgf… Expand

This is more of what made the original great but without the same kind of challenge. The weapon building is fun, and the story is great, but the survivors are easy to round up if you know where to look, and the online Multiplayer is pointless. The Co-op is all fine and dandy, but I never used it. Also the lack of an infinite mode or anything else like that means that your stuck replaying the game with no form of variety besides co-op or a friendly game of Terror is reality if you can find 3 other players still touching that trash.

The game takes steps forwards with the weapons system and much better combat, but takes more steps backwards with pointless Multiplayer and a lowered difficulty level.… Expand

Capcom's comical cousin to their "Resident Evil" series is better the second time around. This is a much improved sequel to the original 2006 surprise hit. The premise is still the same (kill zombies and complete tasks within a limited time), but the execution is much better. The idiotic A.I. and frustrating save system of the first game have been removed, while two player co-op and weapon combos have been added. The result is a more robust (and fun) zombie killing experience. This is a colorful sequel that sports a new location and a new protagonist. In DR 2, the burly photo journalist Frank West is nowhere to be seen. Instead, players take control of Chuck Greene, a former motorcross champion who drives into a Nevada casino town. His daughter, Katie, is in need of a temporary zombie cure called Zombrex. Chuck spends the entire game trying to keep her alive while helping a sexy reporter expose a conspiracy. The game features a few online mini-games that help Chuck earn money, but they're not too interesting. It's the main game that is an absolute blast to play. The weapon combos are great and playing with a partner can be good fun. So if you like zombie games, then you'll love this one. 8.5 out of 10.… Expand

Like its predecessor, Dead Rising 2 gives the player hours of unlimited fun hacking zombies to pieces. The story is kind of like the same, which is to be expected, but it feels just right. The weapon customization is a nice touch too.

Dead Rising 2 is the sequel to the great game Dead Rising. It does not continue the story from the first one because you play as a different character. In this game you play as Chuck Greene, a former motor crosser. I liked this character more than Frank West. Frank West seemed to annoy me a bit in the first Dead Rising. Chuck participates in a game show called Terror is Reality to get money for his daughter. Terror is Reality is a game show where people kill zombies in mini-games. The story is good. That's all I will say because the plot unfolds after the Terror is Reality intro. Their is a prequel to this game were you can play as Chuck in a small town. The prequel is called Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. I enjoyed the prequel because it was release before the game was and it allowed you to transfer your characters level to Dead Rising 2 (max level 5). Dead Rising 2 allows players to make combo cards. Combo cards is a recipe to make an item where you have to get multiple items and combine them at a workbench. Some of my favorite are: jewelry + flashlight= lightsaber, car battery + wheel chair + machine gun = machine gun chair, lead pipe + fireworks = rocket cannon. The game offers some online play. Terror of Reality was available when the game was first released but I am sure their is not to many people on it now. After two weeks of release I had to wait about thirty to minutes to play a match of Terror is Reality. Co-Op is also offered in this Dead Rising game. It is great to not play this game solo and with a friend. Even after you beat the game you can go play on someone elses' file with all of your skills. I am level 50 (max) and it can be fun to go into someone elses' game and screw up them from getting ending A (ending A is the best ending to get). Ending A you may ask? Their are many ways for this game to end. Ending "A" will result in Overtime Mode were you get to continue the game. Heads up, Overtime Mode is disapointing. The main thing that makes this game better then the first one is the Co-Op, combo cards, and not playing as annoyng Frank West. Fan--tastic! 8… Expand

It's not a terrible game but it's not where near as good as people made it out to be. It failed to live up to all the hype imo. I am sure that if people didn't hype it up so much that I would have liked it more then I did, sadly that is not the case.

Adds quite a bit of new content and has replay value but overall its pretty much exactly the same as the previous game with not a lot of differences to it.

I just rented this game recently, and thought I was going to absolutely love it; killing zombies with improvised weapons sounds like a fantastic idea. The weapons are absolutely well executed too, they're entertaining and satisfying to use. The character customization is also pretty well executed in terms of outfit choices and such. With these 2 things done so well, I was really enjoying this game at first. The story is pretty negligible, but I had never expected it to be anything all that worthwhile. However, I felt that the plot was oddly serious for a game that lets you cross-dress while mowing down zombies with an electrified wheelchair.

But then I found that the more I played, the less I was enjoying it. Instead of being able to see what I can do with customizing my character to make Chuck look as absurd as possible, I'm running all the way across the map to meet a time limit. Instead of being able to try out new weapon combinations, I'm babysitting survivors in yet another escort quest. Instead of spending most of my time slaying zombies, I'm spending it waiting at loading screens. And if all of these things were just confined to the campaign, but there was a sandbox mode, I would have zero complaints. But there is no sandbox mode. In a game where most of the fun to be had is in exploration and experimentation, you are absolutely discouraged from doing either. All that's preventing this game from being a 9/10 is the fact that the time limit isn't optional.… Expand

Just awful! Feels incredibly lightweight and arcade-esque. Lacking in so many area, and one thing that epitomized this was when not in a cut-scene, conversations between characters feature only text and no sound. For a game released in 2010, this should be standard.

I would call this game lazy, mindless and unplayable. An absolute waste of my money.

I liked Dead Rising 2, its was a really good game, but it was some what... empty. There wasnt much to do other than kill zombies and kill sycpaths. The story was a little bit retarded, but still the game was fun i suppose, the Co-op is pretty cool becuase its drop in drop out and that really works. The game really makes killing zombies funny. The multiplayer was okay i suppose, but it was just that boring old gameshow. The character Chuck was a great character to choose, but we all miss Frank , and i cant wait to see him in the next game. the combat for fighting zombies is pretty good, and you can see large impovements since the first game.… Expand

It's hard to slam this game too hard because the beautiful environments, customization, and fun combat really do shine. However, putting a game that screams to be explored under constant time limits seriously reduced my enjoyment. The entire game is one big time limit, but you're also constantly presented with moments where you really want to explore a mall and play with things, but always have to be someplace on time. Also, the horrible save system made for at least a half dozen occasions where I had to repeat an hour of the game. I really should have rented the game first. It isn't worth the price.… Expand

This has to be one of the most rewarding games I have ever played, there is tons to do outside of the main story, you can save survivors, fight psychopaths, finding the hidden secrets around fortune city, trying to create all the combo weapons, or just killing zombies, it's just so much fun and you can play it anyway you want to and has high replay value, and the multiplayer is pure goofy zombie killing fun, my only complaint is that it's easy to get frustrated with the time limit, and it requires a lot of grinding if you want to survive the bosses, but this is a truly unique game I highly recommend, one of the best games of 2010 for sure.… Expand

love it! its more of the same, but its great and I enjoyed the deversion between more serious games. pretty easy to unlock the secret stuff and get the proper ending. it can be really hard at first, so if your not in the mood to replay this sucker 4-5 times, I would recommend looking up the word "wingman". very happy with this one, if you liked the first game, you will love this.

Utterly mediocre. 1990's graphics, terrible story, a myriad loading screens and a distinct lack of production values. Yes, hacking zombies down with creative weapons can be good fun, but it doesn't make up for how dreadful everything else is.

the game is wayy better from the first in many different ways, for one you can actually create many weapons by combining things to help you along you journey to fight the undead and survive, you have weapons that are really good and some that were just not needed, the plot of the game is really good, how your trying to survive and save your daughter by getting zombrex which is a drug to help you stay human for 24 hrs. but the bad thing about it is that if you dont find zombrex in time you fail the mission which makes you start over again, and once you use a good weapon alot it breaks and you have to find the parts to make it again which can get frustrating cause your not gonna want to run around the place looking for things just to create a weapon, the game all and all was good and is a totally different approach from the first one, if your a fan of the dead rising series then you will like this game but if your new i say rent it and if you like it get it.… Expand

I don't feel like a lot has changed since Dead Rising 1. the psychopaths are still overwhelmingly strong and difficult to defeat, the zombies and even the mall look, feel, and work like the they did in Dead Rising 1. It's still entertaining, just not the improvement I was expecting.

Wow! I went into it thinking that it was going to be different and better then the first one. Well I was wrong! There is one big thing that makes this game just as bad. The idiotic saved game system! Is it so hard to just have save at any point system? The other thing is that you can't enjoy the world. Everything is timed. That is beyond annoying! The third thing is the fighting system. Most games have it where you focus with left trigger and then fight with the right trigger. Well, if you press left trigger then right, your guy just trows whatever. You have no focus on your enemies. Just press the right trigger and pray it hits something. This is very annoying when you are tying to save someone and you end up accidently hitting the person you are trying to save. When that happens, the person you are saving turns on you. The graphics are horrible! Especially in the cut scenes when they are suppose to be good. Everything looks so blocky! This game is very tedious!… Expand

Everything that could have gone wrong with the sequel to DR, has. Story, pacing, boss fights, A.I., everything that was either good in the first DR or could have been corrected in this sequel has instead been allowed to ferment and decay into something much, much worse. Questionable decisions, like having about 70% of the healing items in the game be alcohol based, leads to pure frustration; because of an alcohol tolerance system being implemented, drinking too much will cause you to puke like a freshman... this isn't good in a boss fight situation, and even worse when booze is your only first aid. The damage system from DR was carried over and now almost favors melee combat with bosses over guns, as 30 bullets to the face won't even take a 25th of his/her health off. Survivor A.I. is the same; the only reason it seems different is because the Dev's made the zombie's more docile to survivors. They can literally run through a horde without a scratch. There is also a pathetic attempt as U.S. social commentary in this game that even offended this Canadian reviewer. Lastly, weapons do not last very long, as many of the magazines that increase longevity of weapons in the first game are gone, meaning that most of the weapons you can create will be broken by the time you get to the next loading screen. Steer clear folks.… Expand

The year is 2010 and CAPCOM has just released a game with the same repetitive and tedious controls as it did in 2006. While in 2006 Dead Rising was a new take on the Zombie video game, Dead Rising 2 is a weak attempt at reproducing the greatness of DR... DR2 is fun for a time but it lacks significant innovation and the graphics are definitely outdated.

My opinion on DEAD RISING 2 is full of disappointment towards this. Dead Rising back in 2006 was a new and unique take on a video game although I don't rate that too highly either. Sure there is fun to be had in this comical sandbox, but underneath this fun lies clunky controls and a frustrating frame rate considering games such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption can make huge game worlds look nice and smooth this game can't even make a little setting such as this look good. But does it have a good story?, you ask. No, the story is absolutely atrocious and quite possibly the worst thing about the game simple and ridiculous, the man sets out on a mission to save his daughter who with out this thing pathetically called Zombrex (the cure) will turn into a zombie, so he needs to hurry doesn't he? Apparently not, along the way he still has time to go in shops and wear silly little outfits which is preposterous, absolutely preposterous, or perhaps he secretly wants his daughter to die, well that's the best I can think of to redeem this crumby story. There is a mine-ute amount of fun to be had but too repetitive in the long hall. There are fun weapons to use and outrageous ways to kill the zombies but gets boring very easily. The competitive modes are fun and about the best feature in this game. If you enjoyed the first one then what I've just written shouldn't matter but those who were disappointed in the original one will not feel any different towards this. Summary: Fun at first but becomes repetitive and boring with a terrible story that is simply not up to standard considering a lot of games around these days. The biggest disappointment for me is that in four years nothing has changed and that quite frankly is not good enough, simple as. It gets a four because it is unique that is the only thing this has going for it.… Expand

I feel a bit of a soft spot for this game. I love to dress up some dude in what ever i feel like and then to smack around a few zombies. That's where this game is at its strongest, customization and the wacky ways you can beat the crap out of zombies. I love finding out i can combine a power drill with a bucket to make a meat grinding mask, or put a chainsaw on pretty much anything and watch the carnage. I would have loved this game more than any other if it had a free roam where i could just go out and do what ever i wanted, but thats where the game fails. It has a 'go do this' system that many found unnecessary. The main story to this game is that you need to find medicine for your daughter and you have to give it to her in a certain amount of time. While i do want to save small children, id rather do what this game was created for, killing zombies with no remorse. Not only do have that issue, but you also have bosses that are either A) to easy and are annoying more than fun or B) To hard and are still annoying. The graphics on this game aren't that impressive for a game that had just a few (more than 3) years to complete, but they do get the job done by loading the screen full of mindless, brain hungry zombies. With these downsides, you would think i would lower my score, but this game does deliver in the one spot that does count, killing zombies. It is really fun to see what you can create and how they bash, smash, or rip those undead beings.… Expand

I want my 56 euros back ....
Seriously , i haven't played the first one , but i always thought that it was a great game according to the various reviews of the first one . Now i see the second one and i have read the various reviews about this game and they all were good according to the various sites . But now i have bought it and i am astonished by how slow the gameplay really is . The huge amount of loading screens really discouraged me from the very first time i booted up the game, a very stupid save system and a huge amount of zombies confronted against a guy with 4 lives at the beginning. We are nearly force to run back to the safe point of the game after nearly every mission we play . Dispite of all those not working ideas of the game , it doesnt fail on the multiplayer,fun mini games with 3 other guys over the world "good" .
I really think capcom invested allot in the marketing of that game instead of the gameplay itself. They could have made a much better game of it . And what really pisses me of is all those huge websites that over rated the game for money from capcom . We really had enought of that kind of **** everywhere . Once the website is popular on the net the marketeers pump money into it for their advertisement . And the reviewer gives a core that we cant even compare ...... .
Sorry capcom this is a fail , sorry IGN go get another reviewer .
Sorry for my 56 euros , i have the game for 4 day now and i already have enought of it .… Expand

First of all, only buy this game if you have patience, lots and lots of patience. With an outdated graphics engine, glitchy animations and the worst save system I've ever seen in a game, it's only worth your time if you have the patience to the things like: Crossing the entire map just to rescue one survivor only to have it turn sides and shoot you to death, losing hours of gameplay due to a crappy save system and the list goes on. Furthermore, every single mission in Dead Rising 2 has a time limit, in a way that you can only complete a maximum of two assignments at a time- ultimately failing all other active objectives. This is a lame design choice since it tries to add seriousness to a game about killing hordes of zombies with a wheelchair in a casino while wearing nothing but underwear. Of course, the weapon combining system is fun and the options are huge-50 custom weapons in total- but Dead Rising 2 ultimately fails to deliver to everyone but the most hardcore of players, with absolutely nothing else to play, but since so many good games are out this fall... well, you get the wordplay ; ).… Expand

I mainly signed up for Metacritic to review these types of awesome games. DR2 alone is way better than DR1. Mainly on the more variety of weapons, psychopaths, and survivors. I don't know why some people dislike these, well they fail. DR2 deserves more than a 90. Apprently, one reviewer gave it a 40. Apparently, your opinion is idiotic as the game has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. DR2 is a success even if these reviewers hate it or dislike it, the latter, If you like DR1, buy this game. Nao!… Expand

Wow, Case Zero was way better. The time restraint is horrible. You can't do everything you want to do. I hate people telling me what i "have" to do. That is what work is for! Graphics are mediocre. The combo weapon system is fun. Case in point...this game gets old after awhile. All the bosses are insanely strong and unbearable to even want to beat. The fighting mechanics need to be way better for the boss fights, you feel like you are in slow motion as they are wailing on you. Kill zombies, mission, psychopath..repeat! That is the game in a nutshell. I feel like i got way more of my money's worth with the $5 dollar arcade prequel. Better luck next time, Chuck.


P.S. - This is xbox 360 and PS3 era... no excuses for 30s to minute long load screens!… Expand

Dead Rising 2 is a good game that could be a great game. One of the primary issues of the game is dealing with the clock because you are constantly looking for Zombrex and you have to get back and give it to her in the morning. Sometimes you are far a way and the map is huge and not always easy to get around. This puts a crimp on you just having fun and beating up zombies wearing different outfits and making unique weapons. They need to get rid of this time element. Also, the map needs the ability to insert a waypoint so you can find your way around. I find that you have to click the map on and off constantly to figure out where you are at. This wears on you over time. Overall a good game with great potential if they can fix these issues, but if you love busting zombies, this falls well short of the Left 4 Dead series.… Expand

This is probably one of the top "zombie" games out there, as it has all of the elements which make an entertaining experience - interesting characters, an action-driven story, varied gameplay and "freedom" to explore and destroy the game world. There is also an online element to the game which adds an additional layer of replayability.

As with the previous Dead Rising, there are issues regarding the save system, as well as the sometimes-frustrating controls, but neither detract significantly from the experience.

Overall the Dead Rising 2 is a significant improvement for the series. It is successfully designed to have significant replay value, and is one of those games you should probably buy rather than rent.… Expand

I'm having a blast slaughtering zombies. I don't really get the weak story complaints. There's a plot there, but you don't pickup a game like this expecting classic literature. It is just a framework for splattering zombies. My only complaints are some abysmal load times and the clunky bathroom save system.

This game has EXCELLENT replayable value, and by replayable, I mean, you can't stop playing this game as you just can't hand down your controller. Zombie slaying has never been so epic since the Left 4 Dead series. The psychopath's return, they will feel somewhat familiar with the first, and the missions however can get dull on times but pick up and become more and more epic. The weapons are just amazing as in picking up a sign and bashing a zombies face with it. You will find this game amazing if you enjoyed the first. Pick this game up. Now.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is Marmite. You love it or hate it, or both. Especially if you loved/hated the first, you will love/hate this one.

I loved it. I do kind of miss the photography element, and although the construction element doesn't fully recreate the serene moments in a zombie apocalypse with Franks camera, it certainly replaces it with pure madness of a vast array of weapons. One example of that is the Defiler. Thats all i'll say.

The gameplay is similar to the first, although this time you can move while aiming to shoot which is a plus, although i never had a massive problem in the first about it (you were a photographer who didn't have much firearms training).

The timed nature obviously returns and peoples complaints about this are ridiculous, as its the point of the game, you should come into this prepared unlike the first, so should know about it. It makes sense to have it there because of the encompassing story, rescue chopper comes in 3 days, gather survivors, kill zombies, kill psychopaths, kill more zombies with the Freedom Bear.

I'm not bothered by the loading times, or the save system, never had been, never even crossed my mind, and any sensible thinking person i have come across thinks the same thing.

Blue Castle Games the Canadian developer obviously got the information from Capcom to not veer to far off the path that made Dead Rising what it was as it sold well, so if your looking for Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead in this, you won't find it, i wouldn't classify it as a niche game, but just because it doesn't match your preference, doesn't make it a bad game. It just gets one score less than the first game as i would have preferred it to be set in a small city or town, rather than another mall, although it is larger this time.

Some people on here i know have their opinions but they should think about what they are saying. "it feels like a game from the 90's"; "the always on friendly fire". People complain about the "US social commentary" or the lack of logic. Its a game, about zombies. Its meant to be fun, its meant to be ridiculous, if your getting your head tied up about a game because of those reasons, then stop playing video games, because 99% of them lack logic, or are stereotypical in their portrayal of certain characters.… Expand

This game does exactly what a sequel is supposed to do. It maintains the great elements of Dead Rising, most importantly the timer based gameplay that keeps things moving at a brisk, challenging, and entertaining pace, loads of replay value, especially for completionists that dont rely on guides. Equally as important it corrects several issues the first game had, with improved "survivor" A.I. as probably the most signiificant improvement. Some people will be disappointed in the lack of a true "free roam" sandbox-esqe mode, (just the thought of it in this game puts me to sleep, as DR without timers is not DR) but players who appreciated the time crunch of the first game will find this a worthy sequel.… Expand

Not for everyone, that's the least you can say about Dead Rising 2. This game can easily be summarized. If you loved the first game, Dead Rising 2 is instant buy material. If you hate it, don't buy the sequel. For those of you who didn't play the original Dead Rising, I will summarize the game for you.

Dead Rising 2 starts with a zombie outbreak and it is up to you, Chuck, to find the one who initiated the outbreak and to give your daughter every 24 hours a dose of Zombrex. She has been bitten by a zombie and will turn if you are too late with her daily dose. You have 72 hours (in-game about 6 hours) to do this and between missions you can save people and battle psychopaths to earn PP (Prestige Points). Each rescue or story mission must be completed within a certain time limit. This makes the game pretty hard at first, but by gaining PP and leveling up Chuck will become much stronger. Most people get frustrated by the initial difficulty but this game is meant to be played during multiple playthroughs. It is nearly impossible to do everything during the first playthrough.

Apart from this, Dead Rising 2 is a fun game with a lot of weapons, a lot of gore and for the first time a co-opmode which adds to the replay value of the game. The combination cards introduce a lot of new weapons to kill zombies in creative ways. People who don't like difficult games should rent first, but those who like movies such as Dawn of the Dead should definately give this game a try.… Expand

Playing the original dead rising, I didn't summon very much enjoyment thanks in part of a restricted amount of save points and dumb AI, Not to mention that Frank West was a stereotypical journaliist **** Dead Rising 2 strips the **** from the original and guess what? we have a comparatively improved game for the most part. Combo weapons are enjoyable to use, the AI is smarter and the continuous slaying of zombies never gets old. Essentially this is the same experience as the original but is muchmore relevant this time around due to a bigger emphasis on survival. Still, frustrations do occur- the save system hasn't completely changed this time around and the game itself is still collect survivors,bring them back to base, fight boss battle, do case file missions rinse and repeat but once you level up, Dead Rising 2 will be at its most enjoyable,… Expand

I love this game, the various locations, weapons, vehicles & zombie designs blow me away. I think that this is pretty scary for a video game. I'm glad that this game was released

The gameplay's terrible. Drop of a 1ft ledge and your guy will delay on the ground for a second. Swing a weapon and your guy will delay for a second. Change clothes and your guy will delay for 5+ seconds. There's also friendly fire which makes fighting zombies with an NPC near impossible. The camera during strong attacks snaps away completely disorientating you.

They should've made their animation system more fluid and responsive, but as is, it feels like a game from the 90's. It's clunky and horrible, and not worth full price.

The only good thing is the combo weapons and the environmental graphics.… Expand

Dead rising 2 has solved so many problems from the orignal game and is generally a great laugh!.
The improvements are as followed for those who have experianced the first game:
The save system isn't as clunky allowing you to save more frequantly.
You dont have to complete the case files allowing you unlimited free roaming time without any worries of failure.
You can play co-op campaign and online against others!.
there is a finace system in which you can buy items in your campaign.
COMBINABLE WEAPONS allows you to enjoy the game even more!

This is along with all the orignial enjoyment from the first game and will keep you occupied for days on end! The only critasism i can find is that occationally you may not find an online game due to slow connection.… Expand

This is my favorite xbox game... EVER. If you are a creative person, then you will love this game. And I've got to be honest, I didn't really like the first dead rising too much. I thought the concept was amazing. But, they needed touch ups on a lot of things. And everything that was bad about the first game is fixed in the second. The psychopaths are much more fun to fight, survivors aren't stupid and you don't have to babysit them when escorting them. And you can't forget the storyline. Its amazing. I havent even beaten the story mode yet because about 1/4 of the way through i decided that I should just restart my game and level up. So I did. And I had so much fun I did another playthrough without even going near the storyline. And in my second one I realized you didn't even have to give zombrex to katey if you don't want to. I thought I would get a game over and no extra pp at the end but nope! Oh and you can't forget the combo weapons. Knives taped to boxing gloves, lightsabers, chainsaws attached to the end of a paddle.. They are amazing. But i've got to say my favorite is the slicycle. (chainsaws attached to each side of a motorcycle). The xbox live portion of the game is alright, but sort of repetitive. The best part is transferring money you get from that to your story mode save. And I havent even tried co-op yet. I still gotta do that. Oh and by the way. It has the best videogame soundtrack ever.… Expand

Brilliant. Improves on the first one in every single way. A must buy. As other people have said it's a very rewarding game, and i'm already on my 3rd playthrough. If you don't get it you'll regret it

Sub-par graphics and long loading times aside, this game is amazing. Weapon combination, costume customization and exploration are all way too much fun. And while it sad that there's no real 'Free Mode', you'll find that you have plenty of time in-between story missions to muck around in Las Vegas.

Seeing as everyone is GREATLY over rating this game or painfully UNDER rating it, I figured I would attempt an objective review.

The game is good. I spent some time playing the first DR and I found things to be a bit repetitive, maybe it was the scenery, maybe the overall personality of the game, but I seem to LIKE the missions in DR2 a lot more, even though the M.O. of this game is the same as the first; exploration, rescuing survivors, killing psychopaths, and destroying zombies in 6 million different ways.

Good - Combo weapons are a blast! Finding creative ways to dispatch zombies is infinitely more fun than trying to take pictures of them. The story feels a little more character driven, saving your daughter makes a lot more sense than trying to get the BIG scoop. The incredible amount of things to do inside the Campaign, and in the Co-op and the Online mode.

Bad - The save points and lack of an auto save can be a bit frustrating, although I understand why they weren't included. If you auto saved RIGHT before you were to fail a certain part of the story, you would be stuck and unable to go on and have NO choice but to restart the entire story. A few times I got too into playing and forgot to save and ended up losing quite a few levels and accomplishment, however redoing the sections made for some good fun. Sometimes the clipping on items and zombies can be a bit wonky, but overall the control isn't a problem.

I would give this game a solid 8.5, but since they don't have that I rounded up to 9. While I did rent this game, after 2 days with it I went out and purchased it, because in the midst of all the other games I am playing right now;Halo:Reach, CoD:W@W, Splinter Cell:Conviction, Borderlands, and R.U.S.E., a little mindless zombie killing is exactly what the Dr. ordered when I get burnt out from shooting/killing/battle planning.

Don't dismiss this game based on the first, or based on the formula... At the least give it a rent, and check it out, it may not be GOTY but you could do a lot worse. -Bullseye76… Expand

There is an old saying at Capcom headquarters. "If it is broke, leave it alone and release a sequel!" Dead Rising 1 was a repetitive, timed escort mission. Back when it was released it got by because it featured tons of zombies and looked great on the brand new XBOX360. Now in 2010 all the things that were endearing about DR1 have become old hat. The graphics have no improved, load times are worse than before, there is still a timer, and you are leading hapless AI imbeciles on escort missions to safety. If you must play this game just wait a few weeks and pick it up in the bargain bin where it belongs.… Expand

Dead Rising 2 is an odd game to review. Going strictly on an objective, technical look, I'd give the game an 8/10. There are definitely elements that frustrate, chief among them being frequent load times, the lack of spoken dialogue (especially since what *is* there is so good), and the occasional difficultly spike. It's by no means perfect. However, there is something about it, something intangible, that makes me want to play it more than I want to play games that I'd give a 9 or 9.5 to. I guess it's just a pure sense of fun. DR2 is probably one of the most purely FUN games out there. There's something about it that just makes you want to keep playing late into the night. I won't go into too much depth, but here are some highlights: GOOD: 1. Concept. 2. Visuals (By which I mean styles, colors, general feel of the Vegas-like environment). 3. Voice Acting (Seriously, even though this is a silly game, the acting has more depth than any of the Resident Evil games, which were going for a serious tone). 4. Combo Weapons 5. Chuck Greene (What can I say, he's a total badass) 6. Humor 7. The Cast (especially the psychos) 8. So many secrets to be found. 9. Just. Plain. Fun. BAD: 1. Frequent Load Times 2. Visuals (By which I mean textures. I hate looking at people's hands in this game.) 3. Too little voice acting (so many survivors with interesting personalities are just text) 4. Difficulty spikes (You never know when a psycho is going to pop out and kick your ass) While all those negatives are legitimate complaints, ones which I think need to be smoothed out in future iterations of the series, the fact remains that the game is so fun that I end up not caring about the negatives. 100% recommended.… Expand

Dead Rising 2 suffers from a number of bad gameplay, and story design choices. The design choices for gameplay are archaic and confusing. When you level Chuck you are given no choice as to what abilities are upgraded in fact it is completely random. One of the more frustrating elements is the impossibly slow run speed Chuck starts with. Unless of course you are carrying someone or pushing a cart. Then you run like the wind. A sprint function of some kind would have been a much better choice. Co-op is marred by the inability to roam freely from your partner(in order to 'zone' from one area to the next you must be within 10 feet of the other player), the limitation of only 2 players, the always on friendly fire, and the poor netcode. In what seems to be a purely lazy decision BOTH players play as Chuck in co-op. The potential for griefing will keep the vast majority of players from playing co-op with anyone except friends. If at all. The story depicts 'Americans' largely as ignorant, selfish, greedy, moronic, and hungry for violence. The developers feelings on american politics is blatantly unfavorable. Chuck's only redeeming quality is that he loves his daughter. Capcom is known for thier borderline stereotyping/bigoted depictions of people and Dead Rising 2 is no exception. Unfortunately this game also suffers in many other areas as well. This is a rental at best.… Expand

Dead Rising 1 had plenty of frustrating elements, from the AI to the save system to the controls. To be frank, DR2 fixes all of those but the save system. The save system itself is not terrible, but it takes some time to wrap your brain around it -- and I wouldn't doubt that some people just won't like it. That being said, if you liked the the original DR, DR2 is great. It's not a revolution, but it fixes the main issues with the first game and gives you a much larger environment in which to make chaos, while adding some new mechanics. It's the definitive Dead Rising game, no doubt about it, but it's not going to be for everybody.… Expand