Despite their obvious influence on Capcom's other zombie franchise, the tone and aesthetic of George Romero's films weren't fully captured in any of the studio's games until 2006's classic Dead Rising. Between its ham-fisted dialogue, over-the-top gore and action, and tongue-in-cheek satire of life in the 21st century, Dead Rising was destined to be a cult-classic much in the same way that films like Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead continue to be, cementing itself as one of the Xbox 360's earliest "must-have" exclusives. For many, Capcom's decision to polish up and re-release Dead Rising as the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is like getting a new 4K remaster of a favorite horror film, and The Best War Games's recent hands-on with the title suggests that Dead Rising is the best it's ever been.

Much like last year's phenomenal Dead Space remake, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster uses its faithfulness to the original as a selling point, only smoothing out the few rough edges of its gameplay mechanics and giving the game a gorgeous facelift. While the core gameplay loop of being a zombie-slaying investigative journalist is still the heart and soul of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, the new character models and textures make the game look as fans likely remember it.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Fixes Just About Every Complaint Fans Had About the Original

Capcom's hands-on preview limited access to just the first 24 hours of Dead Rising's classic "72 Hour Mode," but within that window of time, it's already readily apparent how much Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster improves over the original. Aside from the excellent new visuals (which do a great job of highlighting the gore and detail in the many, many zombies on screen), Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster's controls feel far less floaty than the original. Movement is more precise, which translates to combat feeling more visceral and satisfying. There's still a bit of a loose feeling to how Frank West moves, but in DRDR, it adds more to the game's zany sense of humor than it contributes to player frustration.

One of the more controversial aspects of the original game was the inclusion of several escort missions, with the character AI often leading survivors right into a crowd of bloodthirsty undead rather than into the arms of safety. The handful of escort missions that were playable in DRDR's first 24 hours immediately feel better than in the original, with survivor AI being more responsive, reactive, and altogether sensible. Survivors also tend to hold their own in combat, and the new ability to see the durability of weapons (both the survivors' and Frank's) means never being backed into a corner due to weapon breakage.

Dead Rising's Core Gameplay Loop Is Still Satisfying Nearly 20 Years Later

dead rising deluxe remaster frank attacking zombie

Aside from some improvements to the original's few frustrating mechanics and a massive visual overhaul, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster retains the core elements that made the 2006 title a classic. Dead Rising places a premium on time, forcing players to weigh their options in terms of where to go and what to do, but the fact that the game rewards players for just about every activity results in a satisfying feedback loop where exploration and engagement with the game's systems are always incentivized. Players will still spend most of their time taking photos, picking up everyday items, and smashing them into zombies' faces. DRDR just happens to deliver the best-looking and best-feeling version of this gameplay loop.

Even in its preview build, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is technically sound as well, delivering crisp 4K visuals running at a near-flawless 60FPS. Considering the number of zombies that can appear on-screen at any time, it's no small feat for the remaster to both look as good and run as well as it does. It may have seemed out of left field for Capcom to revive the Dead Rising franchise, but DRDR is already shaping up to show that there's life in the series' shambling corpses yet.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Tag Page Cover Art

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
Display card tags widget
Action-Adventure
Display card system widget
Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 77%
Display card main info widget
Released
September 19, 2024
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol
Developer(s)
Capcom
Publisher(s)
Capcom
Engine
RE Engine
Franchise
Dead Rising
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Dead Rising returns with modern graphics!
More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in zombie-slaughtering action game series "Dead Rising."
This remaster has also been fully voiced, supports auto-saves, and has various other quality-of-life features.
Witness the unmatched mayhem and freedom for yourself!

Story:
One day, the peaceful town of Willamette, Colorado, found itself put under quarantine by the U.S. Army.
Frank West, a freelance journalist, smells a scoop and finds his way into the only shopping mall in town.
Unfortunately, the mall had turned into a living hell, crawling with countless zombies.
Help will arrive in 72 hours, so it's up to him to find out the truth behind this incident before it's too late!

Realistic graphics reborn through RE ENGINE!
All of the graphics, including the characters and environments, have been renewed, and greatly improved over the original.
Character's facial expressions, material textures, and blood spatter all look much more realistic.
Overwhelming hordes of zombies fill the screen with completely remade graphics!

Genre(s)
Action-Adventure