Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

 PlayStation 3
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

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  • Summary: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, sees photojournalist and original hero of Dead Rising's Willamette incident, Frank West take center stage as players experience a reimagining of the Fortune City outbreak. Forget what you know about Dead Rising 2,"Frank West is back in the game!" The new, "OffDead Rising 2: Off the Record, sees photojournalist and original hero of Dead Rising's Willamette incident, Frank West take center stage as players experience a reimagining of the Fortune City outbreak. Forget what you know about Dead Rising 2,"Frank West is back in the game!" The new, "Off the Record" storyline means an all new Dead Rising 2 experience. Frank will face off against more twisted enemies, build more outrageous combo weapons, follow his own unique mission structure and explore brand new areas of Fortune City to get his biggest scoop yet. Frank's come back means the return of his trusty camera, with players able to earn Prestige Points (PP) for specific photo opportunities that are graded against criteria such as horror, drama, erotica and brutality. In addition to the new scenario and gameplay enhancements, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record offers a suite of technical updates including load time optimizations, improved network performance and a host of system upgrades to deliver a more satisfying Dead Rising experience. … Expand
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Gamescom 2011: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - Frank's Foto Facts Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Game Informer
    Oct 11, 2011
    95
    The inclusion of the sandbox mode makes Dead Rising 2: Off the Record more than just a retread with slightly modified cutscenes. By itself, it's an incentive for Dead Rising 2 players to pick it up. If you haven't gotten around to playing the sequel yet, this is definitely the version to get.
  2. 3DJuegos
    Oct 13, 2011
    80
    DR2: Off the Record is a great opportunity to experience the great Dead Rising 2 if you've missed out the original.
  3. Game Over Online
    Nov 5, 2011
    80
    If you played through Dead Rising 2 and you're not particularly enthused about Frank, the reason to look at Off the Record is to spend a few days with a friend bouncing around the mall in Sandbox Mode. I wouldn't recommend this on any other basis, but that's pretty much enough on its own.
  4. VideoGamer
    Oct 11, 2011
    70
    It's hard to know who it's for. Newcomers can get by with the original, and old hands have played most of it before. If you're a massive fan of the series - and of Frank West in particular - it's still worth picking this up, but even at twenty notes, there's little to make this an urgent purchase.
  5. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Oct 29, 2011
    70
    Record is very familiar, but undeniably fun. [Dec 2011, p.77]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. XGN
    Oct 28, 2011
    65
    Off the Record is the best game in the series because of the return of Frank West and the addition of the Sandbox Mode. However, you're basically playing Dead Rising 2 all over again, with the same story, technical imperfections and tiresome gameplay.
  7. Gamereactor Sweden
    Oct 11, 2011
    60
    It is really nice to once again play as the ol' zombie basher Frank West. But in the end, Off the Record feels more like downloadable content than a complete game.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. frostquake
    Oct 13, 2011
    8
    This game is for those who hated (like me) the whole "Timed" levels of the game! The first game was all about Rush, Rush, and more Rush. TheThis game is for those who hated (like me) the whole "Timed" levels of the game! The first game was all about Rush, Rush, and more Rush. The New Sandbox mode gives you the opportunity to play the game in a whole new way! In Sandbox mode, you can take your time and eliminate every Zombie on every level. You will actually have time, to put together all those special weapons and find all the hidden secrets. You will also have time, to level up and do all those special Zombie Killing moves. You will also Enjoy using the Camera to take, Horror, Brutality, Drama, and yes even those Erotic Shots, to help you level your "PP" up!

    If you quit DR2 because you didn't enjoy the Timed Levels, but loved the whole Zombie concept and every thing else about DR2, or just want to be a Photo journalist who specializes in getting those great Zombie Shots, or just want to enjoy the Uranus Level , or Shop at the Erotic Shop, then this game is for you, and at a great price point!    … Expand
  2. BaronMonaco
    Sep 21, 2015
    8
    Off The Record is more a remake of the original Dead Rising 2 than a sequel and being so its interest depend on whether or not you've playedOff The Record is more a remake of the original Dead Rising 2 than a sequel and being so its interest depend on whether or not you've played the first game, if you already did it then Off The Record has little value: a fun Sandbox mode, some changes in the story, a new zone and a few new weapons, only recommendable at a little price.
    But if you didn't play the first one then know that this is the best version of Dead Rising 2 (for the things said earlier) and the game was already very good, the funniest zombie slasher available for PS3, with tons of weapons each more enjoyable than the other, a Vegas-like map with tons of things to do, an original choice for the main campaign (with a countdown that forces you to be active) lots of side-quests to keep you busy and charismatic psychopath fights, and to top it all the possibility to play in co-op for even more fun.

    Thanks to those qualities (that were already there in Dead Rising 2, make no mistakes) the game is one of the more entertaining I played, even if there is some defaults like some framerate drops (and average graphics), and a generic story, that may stopped some players to buy it, but if not you should definitely buy it, and if you have the opportunity take the Off The Record version, both are at the same price now and you'll get more of it.    … Expand
  4. onewarmslime
    Mar 27, 2014
    7
    This is a really solid game if you’re into slashing hordes of zombies. The graphics are ok, most importantly the framerate is always withinThis is a really solid game if you’re into slashing hordes of zombies. The graphics are ok, most importantly the framerate is always within playable levels which is kinda impressive considering the amount of zombies that are rendered on screen at all times. The plot is as good as it gets for a game like this, which is kind of surprising. Basically the gameplay is like this, you’re going to have to run around the city like crazy while occasionally killing a zombie or two (the most effective way to deal with them is to avoid them though). It’s actually pretty fun. You can also combine commonplace items to create lethal weapons that let you kill zombies in many creative ways. Unfortunately creating most of the combos is very impractical since that would involve carrying around obscure/useless items at all times just in case you find other obscure items to land combos with. You can get through most of the game using the spiked bat combo (the only one that effectively spawns at your base) just fine. Also, while killing zombies is easy, your tools won’t do much good against “psychopaths” (non-zombie enemies), thus making boss fights the most frustrating aspect of the game.
    In general, the game is really hard. So hard I often had to look up walkthroughs online. In fact, how well you do in the final missions decides what ending you’ll eventually get, and that’s also pretty frustrating. Finally, the sandbox mode is pretty pointless: it’s fun for the first half hour but without any objective it gets boring real quick. So if you have Dead Rising 2 vanilla and thinking of getting this just for the Sandbox mode, don’t.    … Expand
  5. SilentINU
    Jun 16, 2013
    6
    I liked this game, not much has the original Dead Rising game and this game repeats a lot the previous game, same stages, same weapons, sameI liked this game, not much has the original Dead Rising game and this game repeats a lot the previous game, same stages, same weapons, same characters but with different roles. I know it is a alternative ending for the disaster but the few new things added just are not enough. The best thing in this game was the Sandbox mode that i wished to have in Dead Rising 2.… Expand
  6. roshi82
    Mar 21, 2014
    6
    Got this on sale on the PSN. Glad it was on sale. The game isn't that bad but it isn't that great. The story line didn't grab me enough.Got this on sale on the PSN. Glad it was on sale. The game isn't that bad but it isn't that great. The story line didn't grab me enough. Sure killing zombies was fun but my main problem is the saving points. While some see this as weak I love my auto save as I am very forgetful. I got up to a good level and being so used to auto save functions died and everything went down the drain. It was a very sad moment. I am sure for moments when I am bored I will get out in the mall and kill some zombies to waste time but I doubt I will really follow the story line through.… Expand
  7. Vanpire73
    Oct 21, 2014
    5
    About 3 hours into it at the moment. I played the first one for the same amount of time before putting the brakes on. I really, really wantAbout 3 hours into it at the moment. I played the first one for the same amount of time before putting the brakes on. I really, really want to love this game, but I can only call it average. I enjoy the mystery style of it and the rescuing of people, exploring the open world at your own pace and what-not, but my God are the controls and graphics still awfully, painfully sh*tty. It's sooo close to being a game I could put about 1,000 hours into, but alas, my time with it will probably end at 5 hours. A plus for adding a sandbox mode. A minus for Frank's forehead taking up 3/4 of the screen.… Expand
  8. Cerberus0
    Dec 10, 2013
    4
    This is one of the worst gaming experiences I've had on the ps3. The story is utter cliche garbage. It feels like glorified $5 dlc content.This is one of the worst gaming experiences I've had on the ps3. The story is utter cliche garbage. It feels like glorified $5 dlc content. The exact same character models have DIFFERENT voice actors...2 scenes later. like wtf? THe dialogue is cheesy and boring as can be. As a standalone game this is just a terrible experience. The map system is atrocious in this game. Half the time you don't know where you are going or what direction the objective is in. The cool weapons you find.....aren't that cool. The katana was rly the only weapon that was somewhat fun to use. You can jump attack and slice zombies cleanly in half. gun controls are terrible in this game. You can aim and shoot here but there's terrible hit detection and physics. Overall this is a below average tank control button masher that has you killing wave upon wave of mindless zombies. The survivors (friendly ai) and human enemy ai fare no better than the zombies do. You have a single attack button....light attack (tap) and heavy (hold down). There's no combos or anything like that. It's just mash this single button. Other thing to mention is the atrocious frame rate in the game. Right off the bat, the menu screen is running under 10fps. It gets better in game but its noticeably choppy. And the character models get reused over and over....it is just noticeably cheap looking. I don't really see what is fun about this game. You would think even mindlessly killing zombies in a mall would be fun....well in this game it isn't.… Expand

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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011