Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 65
  3. Negative: 21 out of 65
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  1. Eraz
    Jul 5, 2012
    9
    I really enjoy Dead Rising and have since the very first installment which I played on the Wii. This game however is strictly a RE-IMAGINING of Dead Rising 2, with a new area which is home to a few more bits and pieces. The story is almost identical to Dead Rising 2, except this time with the protagonist of the first game (Who I prefered) who has his own opinions and dialogue, which mayI really enjoy Dead Rising and have since the very first installment which I played on the Wii. This game however is strictly a RE-IMAGINING of Dead Rising 2, with a new area which is home to a few more bits and pieces. The story is almost identical to Dead Rising 2, except this time with the protagonist of the first game (Who I prefered) who has his own opinions and dialogue, which may seem interesting if you are a die hard fan of the series, however, keep in mind since this is a RE-IMAGINING, most of the story will be identical say for a few parts of dialogue. The combat is as fun as ever, taking the combo weapons and adding a few more to the mix to add more variety to killing the hordes of the undead which are in Fortune City. The new weapons added for this edition are not as interesting as the ones added for the base second game when compared to the first, as they are generally just variations on some of the already existing items with say more/less damage, different noises, ect. The game lasted me around the same time as Dead Rising 2 did, which was around twelve hours with side missions I chose to perform along the way, which are often a lot of fun when involving Psychopaths and help to break up the regular zombie killing experience. If you haven't played the second game, or loved Frank West, then I would reccomend this game if you could find it on sale, full price is a bit steep for a very similar experience when you can find the second one often a lot cheaper.… Expand
  2. Shinigurai
    Jul 11, 2012
    8
    I played this game all the way through twice and loved it! The addition of Sandbox Mode is such a huge improvement! It is something that the Dead Rising series should have had from the start and in a game where exploration is rewarded, but time is limited Sandbox Mode is perfect! I've read a lot of reviews that say "killing zombies gets old," and that's why this mix of Story and Sandbox isI played this game all the way through twice and loved it! The addition of Sandbox Mode is such a huge improvement! It is something that the Dead Rising series should have had from the start and in a game where exploration is rewarded, but time is limited Sandbox Mode is perfect! I've read a lot of reviews that say "killing zombies gets old," and that's why this mix of Story and Sandbox is so great. The level up, inventory, and skills systems are all well executed. The story is gritty without taking itself too seriously and the main characters are very interesting. My only complaint is that sometimes actions take a little too long to perform, which can mess up your timing in tense situations. If you haven't played Dead Rising 2 or always wanted to explore Fortune City without restrictions I highly recommend this game.… Expand
  3. Infinit
    Dec 19, 2011
    5
    It's alright for a time, but killing zombies gets old eventually and the story is too weak to really draw you in. Worth the money? I'd wait for it to go on sale.
  4. arthur666
    Mar 7, 2013
    4
    i will say this game good and playable but with this save system no way!!! idea good, story fair but its imposible to play with that save system.
  5. theFunkyMan
    Oct 18, 2011
    1
    This product is a full priced DLC with very little new content. A new character, a new building, few new weapons and zombie models, and a not too interesting photo feature. The story is the same, the missions are the same, most of the content are the same as the base Dead Rising 2.
  6. krabboss
    Oct 12, 2011
    7
    It might only be worth your time if you haven't played the original Dead Rising 2. I never got around to it, but even still Off the Record has its flaws. The story is pretty nice, but from what I understand it simply inserts Frank West in Chuck's old scenes (I'm not sure though, so I won't hold it against the game just in case). The gameplay, however, has a few problems which will annoyIt might only be worth your time if you haven't played the original Dead Rising 2. I never got around to it, but even still Off the Record has its flaws. The story is pretty nice, but from what I understand it simply inserts Frank West in Chuck's old scenes (I'm not sure though, so I won't hold it against the game just in case). The gameplay, however, has a few problems which will annoy people to varying degrees. Weapons still degrade very quickly, which isn't a huge issue but it can lead to some saving your best weapon for when you really need it or you think it will be most fun. It's still a minor annoyance to me that you can't hold more ammo for a gun than what comes with it. If you empty the gun, you need to go find another gun somewhere. The game has long animations typical of some of Capcom's games, which may annoy some people but it's not really a big deal for me. Just beware if you're being crowded by zombies (or swamped by hostile humans) and you're low on health, it's unlikely you will be able to quickly eat something or pick up a new weapon to save yourself. These dire situations are rare though and I'd say they're more often the fault of the player than the game. And of course, escorting survivors is still a big part of the game since it gives such a huge PP (experience) boost. Escorting people is never fun and it's not different in this game. Be warned that you do have to walk them back to and actually enter the safehouse to rescue them. Capcom did not update the game to use DR2: Case West's hostage rescuing system.

    There's a sandbox mode now, which removes the "missions" of the game. This leaves it pretty empty feeling. What you can do amounts to killing zombies and doing some timed challenges that have so far been all about killing zombies. There's leaderboards for this stuff, if that interests you. The sandbox stuff would be better if the world was more open and had no loading times, but that would be more work than is worth doing on Capcom's part I guess.

    The game is a definite improvement over DR2 but the improvements aren't worth $40 if you've played DR2 already. It's probably worth your time and money if you enjoyed the original DR, Case Zero or Case West though.    … Expand
  7. Aonien
    Apr 10, 2013
    10
    Sure, it's almost the same as the other one, but hey, let's face it. It's also better. The thing is, if you've never played Dead Rising 2, buy this game absolutely. If you have, buy it when it's on sale. Either way, still a great game.
  8. cchmie
    Dec 7, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved Dead Rising 2 pre-purchused this and found that if you have nothing to do you would play this game for 10 minutes that will turn into 183 hours simply addicting and very fun dlc you can kill chuck greene and stacy is the new sulivan this game is awesome in 10 ways but i kinda did not like the story im sorry but it's the same thing but 5 times better than Dead Rising 2 there is only one bug i spotted and thats the movement bug (the most anoying thing ever) and there is a new mode for it called sandbox mode that is like infinite mode in Dead Rising Original there is new funny weapons a camera a new zone called uranus zone and much more over all this game has alot into it that people that dont play the game dont know but your not a hero when you give it a zero idiots anyway the price should be $29.99 just for the movement bug but overall this is a very good game… Expand
  9. YuRown92
    Oct 12, 2011
    10
    Dead Rising 2: Of the Record is very interesting add-on to the original game. For example, it has new story, new weapon's combinations, a lot of checkpoints (!), gameplay elements from first game and Hero of first game (Frank West). On my mind, "Of the Record" is the most original game of this fall
  10. daveyy12
    Feb 1, 2012
    3
    This is one of the most annoying Zombie games I have ever played. The character, Frank, has one speed only--sluggish. The weapons are confusing and hard to manage. I believe the developers tried to put in too many things in one place; e.g., while you are fighting zombies you can accidentally pick up a random piece of furniture while at the same time open a nearby door. Relying on the EThis is one of the most annoying Zombie games I have ever played. The character, Frank, has one speed only--sluggish. The weapons are confusing and hard to manage. I believe the developers tried to put in too many things in one place; e.g., while you are fighting zombies you can accidentally pick up a random piece of furniture while at the same time open a nearby door. Relying on the E key for several tasks may be convenient, but it is also frustrating. It may just be me, but I intend to avoid all of the games in this franchise.… Expand
  11. BasilZero
    May 9, 2014
    9
    Game: Dead Rising 2 Off The Record
    Genre: Action
    Developer: Capcom System: Steam (PC) Total Score: 90/100 Value Score: 9/10 • Story: 9/10 • Characters: 9/10 • GamePlay: 9/10 • Graphics: 8/10 • Sound: 10/10 • Music: 9/10 • Length: 6/10 • Replay Value: 10/10 • Player Value: 10/10 Pros +Alternate plot +Play as Frank West +Co-Op allows you to play as Frank and as Chuck    Game: Dead Rising 2 Off The Record
    Genre: Action
    Developer: Capcom
    System: Steam (PC)
    Total Score: 90/100
    Value Score: 9/10

    • Story: 9/10
    • Characters: 9/10
    • GamePlay: 9/10
    • Graphics: 8/10
    • Sound: 10/10
    • Music: 9/10
    • Length: 6/10
    • Replay Value: 10/10
    • Player Value: 10/10

    Pros
    +Alternate plot
    +Play as Frank West
    +Co-Op allows you to play as Frank and as Chuck
    +New weapons, combinations
    +New Area
    +New Bosses
    +Sandbox mode
    +Protoman Set
    +Pretty much everything intact gameplay wise from the first game

    Cons
    -Rampant glitches throughout entire game
    -Poorly optimized for PC - a lot of FPS drops    … Expand
  12. Erewon
    May 8, 2013
    3
    This game is a huge joke if you played the original Dead Rising 2 first... Because it is a simple copy of it, simply adding the possibility to take blurry photos in-game Same story, same cutscenes, etc. Just buy it if you did not play and/or buy the original Dead Rising 2.
  13. SupaChigga
    Nov 19, 2013
    7
    Single Player/Multi Player (2/2)

    (If the single player is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no multplayer) (If the multiplayer is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no single player) Gameplay (1/2) Visuals/Story (1/2) (If the visuals are better than the story, review this section as if it had no story) (If the story is    Single Player/Multi Player (2/2)

    (If the single player is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no multplayer) (If the multiplayer is better than the multiplayer, review this section as if it had no single player)

    Gameplay (1/2)

    Visuals/Story (1/2)

    (If the visuals are better than the story, review this section as if it had no story) (If the story is better than the visuals, review this section as if the visuals didn’t matter)

    Accessibility/Longevity (2/2)

    (Review this section only on Accessibility if the game has no longevity) (Review this section only on longevity if the game isn’t accessible)

    Pricing (1/2)

    Wildcard (0)

    This is a guideline for how to properly review games. Many reviewers like to get a “feel” for a game, and arbitrarily give a game a score that they believe it deserves. This results in wildly different scores between different reviewers, and vastly different scores between similar games. This guideline addresses these problems and scores games fairly and consistently. This guideline also gives scores that are usually similar to the metacritic score.

    The review score is based out of 10 points. There are no “half” or 0.5 increments. It is impossible to have a score above 10 or below 0. The review score will change as the game gets new dlc, drops in price, or if more secrets are found through the game increasing its appeal.

    The scoring is split into 6 sections. The first five sections can add a possible 2 points to the final score. The first 5 sections are Single Player/Multi Player, Gameplay, Visuals/Story, Accessibility/Longevity, and Pricing.

    Notice that 3 of these sections have two parts. These particular sections will be scored based on the stronger part of the game of the two. For example, if a game has a lousy single player campaign, but an excellent multiplayer component, that section will be based solely on the multiplayer as if the single player did not exist. This allows games to be based on their own merits, as many unnecessary features are shoehorned into video games by publishers to reach a “feature quota”. Games that excel in both areas of a section don’t receive should be noted in the written review, but cannot increase the score past 2 in that section. However, it can be taken into account in the final section

    The final section can add 1, add 0, or subtract 1 to the final score. This final section is the “wildcard” section. This section is for how the reviewer “feels” about the game, but limits this only to this section, rather than the entire 10 point review. This section can include any positive or negative point that was not covered in the previous 5 sections.    … Expand
  14. dumle
    Feb 22, 2013
    6
    Some parts of Dead Rising 2 Off the record are pure fun. This game is just genuinely ridiculous and playing around in the city is just a load of fun. The number of things that you can use or interact with is simply bizarre. The crafting system is also a load of fun and you can craft both useful and wacky weapons. The story is for the most time alright but it is the side characters and sideSome parts of Dead Rising 2 Off the record are pure fun. This game is just genuinely ridiculous and playing around in the city is just a load of fun. The number of things that you can use or interact with is simply bizarre. The crafting system is also a load of fun and you can craft both useful and wacky weapons. The story is for the most time alright but it is the side characters and side missions that really shines storywise. The combat works nicely against zombies despite some annoying quicktime events and the zombies feels just threatening enough. The game is however by no means perfect. It has in fact quite a lot of faults. The (semi)boss-battles are just terrible and a chore to complete on the lower difficulties. Which is a shame since these events are presented very well. A lot of the sidequest in the game is simply no more than escort-missions in the end which gets a bit repetitive to say the least. The AI for you allies is competent enough but escorting and protecting AI companions are never really any fun. The game do also have a few shooting-sections which are kind of awful since the shooting mechanic is no where as good as the melee-mechanics. Fighting humans are overall a bit of a pain in the ass in the game. The fact that most animations forces you to stand still one or two seconds can also be really annoying when you are in a tight spot. The checkpoint system could also be improved since it sometimes forced me to replay boring and easy sections over and over again. I dont wanna sound too negative considering that i quite enjoyed the 22 hours i spent to complete the main campaign. The game do however have plenty of flaws that shouldn't be overlooked and might annoy other more than me. I would still however recommend this game since the games core gameplay is pure fun and quite unique. You should definitely pick this game up if you find it available for a cheap price. I should mention that i didn't play Dead Rising 2 so i cant compare the two of them. And that the game uses games for windows live which is a bit annoying.… Expand
  15. DQT
    Nov 12, 2013
    8
    Pros:
    + Frank West is back
    + New weapons and combo cards + New survivors to save + New storyline; some characters play different roles and bad guys become good guys (also vice versa) + Sandbox mode, anyone? YES! + In all there are 3 new psychopaths though 2 of these replace previous encounters, and one of the replacement psychopaths is essentially a cut-copy-paste job. So there's    Pros:
    + Frank West is back
    + New weapons and combo cards
    + New survivors to save
    + New storyline; some characters play different roles and bad guys become good guys (also vice versa)
    + Sandbox mode, anyone? YES!
    + In all there are 3 new psychopaths though 2 of these replace previous encounters, and one of the replacement psychopaths is essentially a cut-copy-paste job. So there's only 1 entirely new, added encounter
    + Frank's Dialogue is golden, he makes hilarious remarks on everything around him; he's always had the best voice actor and lines in the series
    + Frank uses weapons in the same manner as he did in DR1 and his unlockable moves are different from Chuck's, setting the characters apart and giving more depth to co-op
    + A fully developed added area dubbed, 'Uranus Zone'. It's a fun theme-park with plenty of toys and places to explore

    Cons:
    - Too similar to Dead Rising 2 to be released at near full price
    - No real graphical improvements
    - Not enough added content
    - Very poor textures on PC, I don't remember the game looking as bad on the PS3 (I own DR2 on Playstation 3)

    Pro/Cons:
    +/- Non-Canon. What happens in this game isn't considered to have actually happened in the main storyline of Dead Rising. Which is, to be honest, kind of depressing because what happens in this game is pretty awesome. Of course if this was canon it would completely ruin the storyline, also, the ending boss fight is a tad goofy I'm not gonna lie.

    Summary: An enhanced version of Dead Rising 2 with a (in my opinion) more likeable and interesting protagonist. It has enough content added to be fresh and original, while still retaining the feel of Dead Rising 2.

    Who should buy this game:
    * Those who enjoyed Dead Rising 2 and are willing to pay 30 bucks to experience it again from a different perspective
    * Those who have never played Dead Rising 2 but wish to; Off the Record is essentially an improved version of DR 2
    * Those who have fond memories of Frank in the first game; he is very much the star here, and his one-liners, dialogue and several references to the original are very much appreciated and used in good taste
    * Those who like zombie games

    Who shouldn't play this game:
    * Those who didn't like Dead Rising 1 or 2
    * Those who don't like buying revamped versions of existing games for higher prices
    * Those who really, really like Chuck Greene and hate Frank West (I don't think these people exist, but whatever)

    Giving it an 8.    … Expand
  16. RaveHeart
    Jan 28, 2013
    7
    Although I have not played the entire game series, I found it quite amusing. There are many improvised weapons that let you choose your battle way combined with a wonderful zombie atmosphere..i strongly recommend it.
  17. Aozz101x
    Nov 18, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is ok game
    the story is same off on Dead Rising 2 witch i already beat but eh i could always go though it again
    the new mode sandbox is pretty fun not worried about getting zonbrex for Frank West very fun Challenge stuff to do as well    … Expand
  18. NightGeisha
    Jan 2, 2019
    7
    Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is post story from the Dead Rising 2. You take the role of Frank West the hero if the first Dead Rising.

    It's a fun game, a journey killing zombies, full of action, blood, zombie dismemberment and destruction. Is very fun experience that can take you easily +20 hours of gameplay. The game is 2011 game so don't expect much graphically, but it is visually    Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is post story from the Dead Rising 2. You take the role of Frank West the hero if the first Dead Rising.

    It's a fun game, a journey killing zombies, full of action, blood, zombie dismemberment and destruction. Is very fun experience that can take you easily +20 hours of gameplay.

    The game is 2011 game so don't expect much graphically, but it is visually acceptable. But all of this can be easily forgotten when you start to play and to kill. Fully recommend it!

    Here is small YouTube vide with the first minutes of the gameplay if you wanna check it out: https://youtu.be/35b_jHYjYuo    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Mar 1, 2012
    55
    The features of DR2:OTR would have been welcome in a DLC priced at 10 euros, but are unacceptable for a standalone product, despite the somewhat lowered price. [February 2012]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    60
    Almost identical copy of the original game comes with too little extras to attract veterans of Dead Rising. Only suitable for newcomers who skipped the previous games. [Dec 2011]
  3. PC Gamer
    Dec 1, 2011
    46
    Even if the new features had been awesome, this would have been a pointless re-release. [Jan 2012, p.810]
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