Pros: Trapped in a mall with thousands of zombies--priceless.
Cons: Tacky save system, dumb A.I., some unrealistic missions, load times.
The bottom line: The Dead will Rise and you'll be there to shove them back in the ground.
Okay, here is the deal: I'll give you, Frank West, a top-priority assignment. I want you to go down to a little town in Colorado and get a story that will make our company huge. Rumor has it, something big is happening down there and I want you to find out what. Why? Because you are the best. Can you handle it? Good. I'll send a helicopter to transport you there.

Dead Rising is a game that gamers like me have heard of and "hungry" to play this. If you haven't, then where in hell are you? Dead Rising for the 360 is a game that pits Frank West(you) trapped in a mall with thousands of zombies and trust me, oh yes, they are hungry and yes, there will be blood. If you haven't paid close attention to my first paragraph which I creatively tried to tell the story, I'll explain it in English. Frank West is a photographer and journalist and he has an assignment that takes place in Colorado. While he looks down on this small town in a helicopter, he sees the chaos all around him and takes a few photos(which you will take control of). He finally lands to a mall and it's filled with survivors which you must all work together to survive this nightmare. The zombies break in eventually and you are on the run.

For a little twist, you have 72 hours to get to the bottom of this mystery and before your helicopter comes back to get you. The 72 hours are at a faster rate in the game rather in real life and this game is in third-person perspective--just thought you should be told that. This game is very open-ended, which means you can help others or leave them dead. You can just wait in a closed shop and wait out the 72 hours if you want, but who would want to do that? The main thing you will be doing in this game will be fighting and anything and everything(almost) in the mall is a weapon. Whether it be a cash register, giant teddy bears, guitars, buckets, plates, chairs, lawnmower, shovel and much more! Please feel free to try different things than just the boring pistols and shotguns. Now, there is an aim view which the camera will be set aside your character and a circle shows what direction you are aiming at. This is more precise in your shooting or throwing things. Now, when you find yourself with survivors along your side, you can order them; you can call them to your side or tell them to go somewhere. I actually don't care too much having more people to take care of since I've trying to save my a**.

I better start with the heads up display before I get out of line here. It's simple, you'll have a life bar, guide arrow(points to your destination), item window(which weapons you have), Prestige Points gauge(tells how much you've earned so far), level, zombie kill count(awesome!) and finally juice power. You will have action icons appear when objects near you can be used such as an attack item, recovery item, etc. When you aren't killing, you are taking pictures-hey, you best take pictures of something since you'd want someone to believe you about this. When you want to take a picture, you will be in full first person mode where you can zoom in or out and then take a picture. You earn points for taking really good pictures that range from pictures that capture Horror, Violence, Sexual content(yes even that) and a few more types. The Prestige Points that you earn is for your own good. You can level up Frank with more powerful attack moves and your speed is enhanced. You can kill zombies, get scoops and complete missions to earn prestige points as well.

Be sure to keep a watch on your wristwatch which displays how much time you have left. You only have 72 hours and you must get this mystery solve and these missions are called "cases". When you trigger a case, a screen will show you that a case is engaged case. When you complete a case, it'll show closed case and if you don't complete a case, it will show an expired case. Don't fret gamers, when the game is over, you'll have a chance to go into two modes(Overtime and Infinity). Overtime mode lets you start a new game from Day 4(which the game ends at Day 3. Infinity mode is a mode that lets you try to get everything unlocked(bonus material). So yes, there is a lot of replay in this game. I should also mention a thing called a Scoop Cue which lists information on events that lead to more cases. The scoops that are displayed will have a color gauge to them, the color tells you how much time you have left to investigate that scoop.

The most disappointing thing about this game is the save system. It will crawl under your skin and chew the hell out of you every time. This save system could have fixed and made this game a little better to enjoy. Save points are in restrooms in the mall and you can save at a sofa in the Security Room(only one). The hassle is that you possibly will die before getting to a save system requiring to start from your last load time(which I am sure you have completed lots of tasks or running around) or you can start the entire game over, but still keeping all of Frank's status(power, speed, pictures, etc.) Frankly, the save system is a nightmare. Another bad thing about this game is the fact the A.I.(for the survivors) are most of the stupid. Ordering them is simple, but if they obey them is a different story. I noticed that when zombies are around them and you tell them to follow you, they will try to fight in a group of zombies(and this will possibly lead them to die). The loading times are also a hassle--they aren't too much of a hassle, but when you enter a different part of the mall and buildings, they will show up and break the action. Thankfully, when you enter in the mall's stores, there are no loading times. One last thing wrong with this game is that some "cases" are too unrealistic. One case has you competing against another photographer whom you will try to take better pictures than him. Tell me why in hell would you be doing this while hundreds of zombies are around you.

Controlling Frank isn't hard at all. At times, you will feel a little shadowed by the control lay-out and since the controls are heavy(picking up cash registers and whatnot). I think most gamers will be able to get the hang of it after 5 minutes, but for those that won't, don't worry, you'll get the hang out of it with zombies on your a**. The voice-acting in the game is really good, they aren't oscar-winning, but it gets the job done and even the music is done good and sets a good tone throughout the game. Graphically, Dead Rising is impressive. The character models are very realistic making the hair, wrinkles and even the eyes to be top-notch. The zombies look their best yet in any game so far, making their faces look even more terrifying. The mall's shops look detailed to their fullest as well. The game does look extremely well crafted and very gorgeous, but it's not the exact next-gen quality as seen in Oblivion or Advanced Warfighter. It's pretty close to those games, but it's next to them for sure.

Even if you complete Dead Rising, you will still not experience all that this game has in store for you. Yes, there are lots of stuff to do and yes, you do have 72 hours to do it, but with one play through, you won't see everything Dead Rising is dying to show you. The game is impressive and it uses the mall and the zombies in a more enjoyable way than just watching Dawn of the Dead. Dead Rising pits you right in the middle of the chaos and leaves everything up to you. Sure, it's flawed, but the good stuff brings you back to what makes you fall in love with this game. I'd suggest you pony up the $60 and give Dead Rising a spin and please pack some bags, you'll be in hell for 72 hours. Enjoyable hell that is.

Dead Rising Information:
Genre: Survival horror
Rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
Difficulty: Okay, not too easy and not too hard
# of Players: 1
Lasting Appeal: A few times completing the 72 hours