Errant Signal | Dead Rising 4 @ErrantSignal | Uploaded December 2016 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
I'm a really big fan of Dead Rising, but I couldn't quite get in to Dead Rising 4's vibe. So I tried to break down exactly why that is in what will probably be as close to a Christmas-y episode as this show can get.
It's tempting to suggest this is just fanboy whining - that I'm upset that this new Dead Rising isn't like the old Dead Rising. But I really firmly believe that the new stuff is this awkward mix of stolen mechanics that do little to enhance the core Dead Rising game systems, and all the while the stuff that made Dead Rising... well, Dead Rising has been downplayed more and more with each sequel.
I mean, there are so many interesting places you could take a sequel. You could lean into the Home Alone thing and put an emphasis on traps and defense more than active combat. You could take the idea of objects with small sets of clearly defined rules and try to design them to interact and get more of an emergent-y thing going on. You could keep the gameplay largely the same and double down on the culture commentary - it's probably overworn subject matter at this point, but it'd be *something* to call your own.
Instead we get... detective mode, stealth takedowns, towers to unlock, collectibles to snap pictures of.... ~shakes head~ I'm really curious as to whether the game that got shipped was a rushed title or if it really was the vision for the franchise by Capcom Vancouver, and the increasingly sad thing is I'd believe either.
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This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!
patreon.com/errantsignal
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I'm a really big fan of Dead Rising, but I couldn't quite get in to Dead Rising 4's vibe. So I tried to break down exactly why that is in what will probably be as close to a Christmas-y episode as this show can get.
It's tempting to suggest this is just fanboy whining - that I'm upset that this new Dead Rising isn't like the old Dead Rising. But I really firmly believe that the new stuff is this awkward mix of stolen mechanics that do little to enhance the core Dead Rising game systems, and all the while the stuff that made Dead Rising... well, Dead Rising has been downplayed more and more with each sequel.
I mean, there are so many interesting places you could take a sequel. You could lean into the Home Alone thing and put an emphasis on traps and defense more than active combat. You could take the idea of objects with small sets of clearly defined rules and try to design them to interact and get more of an emergent-y thing going on. You could keep the gameplay largely the same and double down on the culture commentary - it's probably overworn subject matter at this point, but it'd be *something* to call your own.
Instead we get... detective mode, stealth takedowns, towers to unlock, collectibles to snap pictures of.... ~shakes head~ I'm really curious as to whether the game that got shipped was a rushed title or if it really was the vision for the franchise by Capcom Vancouver, and the increasingly sad thing is I'd believe either.
----
This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!
patreon.com/errantsignal
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