Dead Rising 2

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 255 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 138 out of 255
  2. Mixed: 81 out of 255
  3. Negative: 36 out of 255
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  1. coopert
    Apr 25, 2014
    5
    Dead Rising is a good example of what a good sequel should be, expanding of the ideas of the original and taking them to a new creative level within a new environment and this game does that, however when the foundation is a game as piss poor as the original Dead Rising then the only way is up.... Just not much further up as the pop culture zombie apocalypse phenomenon only bores more withDead Rising is a good example of what a good sequel should be, expanding of the ideas of the original and taking them to a new creative level within a new environment and this game does that, however when the foundation is a game as piss poor as the original Dead Rising then the only way is up.... Just not much further up as the pop culture zombie apocalypse phenomenon only bores more with every single tedious release. Yes there are more/better weapons, which is really all that can be done with such a restricted "genre", and the boss problems seem to have eased however the game is still just as boring as the first. One of the most overrated series on the 360.… Expand
  2. drlowdon
    Dec 27, 2013
    7
    Truth be told Dead Rising 2 is not hugely different to its predecessor, a game that most would only consider to be somewhere between average and good. It retains the odd 'timed mission' structure, that means there is no opportunity for exploration or simple messing about, as well as making it possible to completely miss missions and fail the game if you take to long to get somewhere. ManyTruth be told Dead Rising 2 is not hugely different to its predecessor, a game that most would only consider to be somewhere between average and good. It retains the odd 'timed mission' structure, that means there is no opportunity for exploration or simple messing about, as well as making it possible to completely miss missions and fail the game if you take to long to get somewhere. Many of the other flaws, such as the awkward controls, terrible story-line and slow movement (why no sprint button?) are also still present.

    A new creation system, whereby two items can be combined to make more powerful weapons, certainly helps to add more variety to proceedings but the most important addition is undeniably the 'drop in co-op' that allows players to complete the whole campaign (aside from the opening 15 minutes) with a friend. Although you must remain in the same area as your partner this really does make a huge difference to the level of enjoyment that can be had. Fans of Dead Island or Left 4 Dead will know just how much fun fighting zombie hordes with a buddy can be.

    It’s far from perfect but anyone looking for an Xbox Live co-op title to play could do a lot worse than Dead Rising 2.    … Expand
  3. BathroomKing
    Nov 8, 2013
    7
    There are many zombie video games around but none quite like Deadrising. I haven't played the first game, so this review will be about this game as an individual, rather than a sequel. Like all zombie games, you have to survive and you have to slaughter zombies. The twist, however, is that you can use random objects around you as tools and weapons. And might I say, it's pretty fun to ramThere are many zombie video games around but none quite like Deadrising. I haven't played the first game, so this review will be about this game as an individual, rather than a sequel. Like all zombie games, you have to survive and you have to slaughter zombies. The twist, however, is that you can use random objects around you as tools and weapons. And might I say, it's pretty fun to ram through zombie with a wheelchair.

    The story of this game is pretty basic. The main character, Chuck, has been framed for this outbreak and he must prove his innocence while taking care of his daughter. Throughout the game, there is a countdown telling you how much time you have left before the military arrives, which is a good way to keep track of how much of the game you have left. It is because of this countdown, however, that you aren't really free to go on a zombie-killing rampage, which saddened me a bit. There's quite a bit of time management in this video game that gives you that feeling of urgency which adds to the intensity of the game. Other than trying to prove your innocence, you'll be running around and trying to escort stray survivors to the safe house. If you don't manage your time correctly, you could screw yourself.
    In order to save, you must go to a bathroom. There are no checkpoints in this game, which means if you save too close to the time limit, you will ruin any chance you have of getting the missions complete. And if you don't save in a while and have made a lot of progress, dying will force you to do all of your progress all over again. This certainly takes away from some of the game's fun, but if you save regularly and know how to manage your time, it won't be a big issue.

    The gameplay is pretty simple: pick up a weapon and beat zombies with it. It is so satisfying and enjoyable to rip through hundreds of zombies at a time, and it's an activity that never seems to get old. While I enjoy the ability to eliminate zombies with random weapons and objects, there are some miscellaneous objects here and there that don't really need to be there and end up being a waste of space. This is a minor issue but it's nothing to get worked up over.
    There are boss fights in this game, being deranged survivors of variety. The way the game is written makes it so no matter how crazy they are, you actually find yourself feeling sorry for a majority of them. The fights themselves are difficult and surprisingly fun, except that the mechanics can be unfair. If they knock you down, they are allowed another free hit on you, and when you're flat on your back, there's nothing you can do about it. This is pretty frustrating. There are a few other frustrating factors in this game that are notable enough to where I'm taking off points for them.

    There's an option for competitive multiplayer but it's not really worth playing. You have to wait for three other players to come in before the game starts, and when the game has started, it is pretty fun. But if one person decides to leave, everyone else gets sent to the main menu. It's a flawed system that could've been executed better.
    However, there's also the option of coop multiplayer. You have the option to help someone with their story, and vice versa, and it's a nice experience to fight zombies and freaks alongside your friend. It takes away from the loneliness you get after a while, and it's a pretty successful coop system compared to a majority of games.

    Overall, this is a very enjoyable game with good replayability. It does have some flaws in it that could be improved on, but I'm very glad i played it.    … Expand
  4. A_Darker_Prince
    Aug 8, 2014
    7
    This is a pretty decent game. However, there's one design choice that returns from the original that needed to be fixed (and, no, I am not a "noob," I've been playing games my entire life.) Auto-saving is a standard in today's gaming. And none of the Dead Rising games have it. WHY?!
  5. Ramon4567
    Aug 18, 2014
    5
    A more playable experience than its predecessor, Dead Rising 2 would totally be superior, right? Well, it is very far from that, to be honest. The new combo weapon mechanic can make the game too easy, so I wish i could turn it off in the Options menu, but no dice. Even worse, the long loading times and choppy frame rate makes me think that this game was never finished. Oh, and glitchesA more playable experience than its predecessor, Dead Rising 2 would totally be superior, right? Well, it is very far from that, to be honest. The new combo weapon mechanic can make the game too easy, so I wish i could turn it off in the Options menu, but no dice. Even worse, the long loading times and choppy frame rate makes me think that this game was never finished. Oh, and glitches galore; sometimes when you build a combo weapon, it never breaks. On the bright side, online co-op is finally present, but because friendly fire is always turned on, you might end up killing you partner on accident, forcing you to revive him or kick him out of the game. Finally, this game just isn't as frightening as the first Dead Rising, harming its reputation. All in all, this is only for the fans, and pretty much no one else.… Expand
  6. SomeDamnGuy
    Oct 7, 2011
    6
    I just rented this game recently, and thought I was going to absolutely love it; killing zombies with improvised weapons sounds like a fantastic idea. The weapons are absolutely well executed too, they're entertaining and satisfying to use. The character customization is also pretty well executed in terms of outfit choices and such. With these 2 things done so well, I was really enjoyingI just rented this game recently, and thought I was going to absolutely love it; killing zombies with improvised weapons sounds like a fantastic idea. The weapons are absolutely well executed too, they're entertaining and satisfying to use. The character customization is also pretty well executed in terms of outfit choices and such. With these 2 things done so well, I was really enjoying this game at first. The story is pretty negligible, but I had never expected it to be anything all that worthwhile. However, I felt that the plot was oddly serious for a game that lets you cross-dress while mowing down zombies with an electrified wheelchair.

    But then I found that the more I played, the less I was enjoying it. Instead of being able to see what I can do with customizing my character to make Chuck look as absurd as possible, I'm running all the way across the map to meet a time limit. Instead of being able to try out new weapon combinations, I'm babysitting survivors in yet another escort quest. Instead of spending most of my time slaying zombies, I'm spending it waiting at loading screens. And if all of these things were just confined to the campaign, but there was a sandbox mode, I would have zero complaints. But there is no sandbox mode. In a game where most of the fun to be had is in exploration and experimentation, you are absolutely discouraged from doing either. All that's preventing this game from being a 9/10 is the fact that the time limit isn't optional.    … Expand
  7. thebigbusser
    Nov 24, 2010
    7
    I don't feel like a lot has changed since Dead Rising 1. the psychopaths are still overwhelmingly strong and difficult to defeat, the zombies and even the mall look, feel, and work like the they did in Dead Rising 1. It's still entertaining, just not the improvement I was expecting.
  8. nexusmind
    May 23, 2011
    6
    It's hard to slam this game too hard because the beautiful environments, customization, and fun combat really do shine. However, putting a game that screams to be explored under constant time limits seriously reduced my enjoyment. The entire game is one big time limit, but you're also constantly presented with moments where you really want to explore a mall and play with things, butIt's hard to slam this game too hard because the beautiful environments, customization, and fun combat really do shine. However, putting a game that screams to be explored under constant time limits seriously reduced my enjoyment. The entire game is one big time limit, but you're also constantly presented with moments where you really want to explore a mall and play with things, but always have to be someplace on time. Also, the horrible save system made for at least a half dozen occasions where I had to repeat an hour of the game. I really should have rented the game first. It isn't worth the price.… Expand
  9. Stardog
    Oct 8, 2010
    5
    The gameplay's terrible. Drop of a 1ft ledge and your guy will delay on the ground for a second. Swing a weapon and your guy will delay for a second. Change clothes and your guy will delay for 5+ seconds. There's also friendly fire which makes fighting zombies with an NPC near impossible. The camera during strong attacks snaps away completely disorientating you.

    They should've made their    The gameplay's terrible. Drop of a 1ft ledge and your guy will delay on the ground for a second. Swing a weapon and your guy will delay for a second. Change clothes and your guy will delay for 5+ seconds. There's also friendly fire which makes fighting zombies with an NPC near impossible. The camera during strong attacks snaps away completely disorientating you.

    They should've made their animation system more fluid and responsive, but as is, it feels like a game from the 90's. It's clunky and horrible, and not worth full price.

    The only good thing is the combo weapons and the environmental graphics.    … Expand
  10. SFN
    Jan 4, 2011
    7
    the game is wayy better from the first in many different ways, for one you can actually create many weapons by combining things to help you along you journey to fight the undead and survive, you have weapons that are really good and some that were just not needed, the plot of the game is really good, how your trying to survive and save your daughter by getting zombrex which is a drug tothe game is wayy better from the first in many different ways, for one you can actually create many weapons by combining things to help you along you journey to fight the undead and survive, you have weapons that are really good and some that were just not needed, the plot of the game is really good, how your trying to survive and save your daughter by getting zombrex which is a drug to help you stay human for 24 hrs. but the bad thing about it is that if you dont find zombrex in time you fail the mission which makes you start over again, and once you use a good weapon alot it breaks and you have to find the parts to make it again which can get frustrating cause your not gonna want to run around the place looking for things just to create a weapon, the game all and all was good and is a totally different approach from the first one, if your a fan of the dead rising series then you will like this game but if your new i say rent it and if you like it get it.… Expand
  11. asylumspadez
    Nov 15, 2011
    7
    Adds quite a bit of new content and has replay value but overall its pretty much exactly the same as the previous game with not a lot of differences to it.
  12. satanreleased
    Oct 27, 2010
    7
    I want my 56 euros back ....
    Seriously , i haven't played the first one , but i always thought that it was a great game according to the various reviews of the first one . Now i see the second one and i have read the various reviews about this game and they all were good according to the various sites . But now i have bought it and i am astonished by how slow the gameplay really is . The    I want my 56 euros back ....
    Seriously , i haven't played the first one , but i always thought that it was a great game according to the various reviews of the first one . Now i see the second one and i have read the various reviews about this game and they all were good according to the various sites . But now i have bought it and i am astonished by how slow the gameplay really is . The huge amount of loading screens really discouraged me from the very first time i booted up the game, a very stupid save system and a huge amount of zombies confronted against a guy with 4 lives at the beginning. We are nearly force to run back to the safe point of the game after nearly every mission we play . Dispite of all those not working ideas of the game , it doesnt fail on the multiplayer,fun mini games with 3 other guys over the world "good" .
    I really think capcom invested allot in the marketing of that game instead of the gameplay itself. They could have made a much better game of it . And what really pisses me of is all those huge websites that over rated the game for money from capcom . We really had enought of that kind of **** everywhere . Once the website is popular on the net the marketeers pump money into it for their advertisement . And the reviewer gives a core that we cant even compare ...... .
    Sorry capcom this is a fail , sorry IGN go get another reviewer .
    Sorry for my 56 euros , i have the game for 4 day now and i already have enought of it .    … Expand
  13. Compi24
    Jul 4, 2013
    7
    Time limits may make you want to rip your hair out in "Dead Rising 2." But being a zombie free-roamer that ups every single element of its predecessor, it still requires some attention.
  14. Mort123
    Aug 18, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To start off with the good points Well it's free at the moment on Xbox 360 if you have a gold account, the graphics hold up and the frame rate is good. The crowd technology is impressive where you get the feel of 1000's of zombies gathering around. The voices and characterisation is also good.

    To the bad points and this is where the game falls down. It's gameplay is awful. It's repetitive, punishing and frankly boring.

    To start off with you inventory is very limiting. There is no way to collect items and take them back to your safe-house where you can store them and then build the weapons you want. You need find those components and build them while searching around. Which is a bit on an issue as your weapons will be used up while searching. So once you have built your weapon it will broken before you get to a boss fight. It's a horrible cyclic dependency.

    Secondly the boss fights: Oh dear If the boss were super zombies then I could understand the need for special tactics. However when you face bosses such a scantily glad women or a post office worker you really do need to ask why does it take 200 rounds from a LMG to bring them down!!!

    The boss fights are just rubbish, they have no logic. Even during the cut-scenes before the boss fight there weaknesses are not telegraphed. There is no clue to how to defeat them. With the limited save game locations, the game doesn't even quick save before the boss fight. So when you die, and you will lots, you need to run through all the zombies again to reach the boss location and try once more. This is incredibly frustrating and just seems to be a cheap trick to extend the play time of the game. Bosses also have endless amounts of ammo, and in one case a shotgun take can hit you over a very long distance.

    It seems that Capcom and Blue Castle have let Microsoft give away copies of this game for free in an attempt to publicise their Deadrising 3 release. I just hope the designers have looked at more recent games and tried to make the game more "Fun". Features such as auto-balance the difficultly of the objective by looking at the level of the player. Even the latest Tomb Raider game which in the past has been famous for the repeat-until-insane gameplay format. However their latest version was very playable and I hardly had to repeat any section of that game. I completed it and felt like I had been entertained.

    Well I have tried to persevere with DR2 but I have got to my fifth boss fight and frankly I have had enough. I can't take this sort of game play anymore and have better things to do with my time.

    I sincerely hope they do a better a job with DR3. Some of things I would recommend changing are: Increasing the life span of weapons, especially those made from metal, don't make bosses super human, if you want super bosses then make them zombies, have a place where players can "bank" weapon components. Have guns store ammo properly, you shouldn't need to hold multiple copies of the same gun, when you can just have multiple clips. Make it clear in the objects list, which objectives are for rescuing people and which ones are boss fights. Finally add more save points or at least allow the player to save before a boss fight, without that it leads to the most numb inducing and frustrating gameplay.

    Gameplay has evolved a lot since the original DR1 in 2006. Even in 2010 we didn't need to put up with this sort of thing, I really do hope DR3 will prove to be a total rewrite of the gameplay.    … Expand
  15. zman
    Oct 19, 2010
    5
    Wow, Case Zero was way better. The time restraint is horrible. You can't do everything you want to do. I hate people telling me what i "have" to do. That is what work is for! Graphics are mediocre. The combo weapon system is fun. Case in point...this game gets old after awhile. All the bosses are insanely strong and unbearable to even want to beat. The fighting mechanics need to be wayWow, Case Zero was way better. The time restraint is horrible. You can't do everything you want to do. I hate people telling me what i "have" to do. That is what work is for! Graphics are mediocre. The combo weapon system is fun. Case in point...this game gets old after awhile. All the bosses are insanely strong and unbearable to even want to beat. The fighting mechanics need to be way better for the boss fights, you feel like you are in slow motion as they are wailing on you. Kill zombies, mission, psychopath..repeat! That is the game in a nutshell. I feel like i got way more of my money's worth with the $5 dollar arcade prequel. Better luck next time, Chuck.

    P.S. - This is xbox 360 and PS3 era... no excuses for 30s to minute long load screens!    … Expand
  16. ERB
    Jul 31, 2013
    6
    It should be 7 but because it is too lame to be 7 i made it 6.Story is not good but because It is a free world game especially that It is a zombie free world game I am still satisfied to play this game.
  17. Gerblanski
    Oct 13, 2010
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is Marmite. You love it or hate it, or both. Especially if you loved/hated the first, you will love/hate this one.

    I loved it. I do kind of miss the photography element, and although the construction element doesn't fully recreate the serene moments in a zombie apocalypse with Franks camera, it certainly replaces it with pure madness of a vast array of weapons. One example of that is the Defiler. Thats all i'll say.

    The gameplay is similar to the first, although this time you can move while aiming to shoot which is a plus, although i never had a massive problem in the first about it (you were a photographer who didn't have much firearms training).

    The timed nature obviously returns and peoples complaints about this are ridiculous, as its the point of the game, you should come into this prepared unlike the first, so should know about it. It makes sense to have it there because of the encompassing story, rescue chopper comes in 3 days, gather survivors, kill zombies, kill psychopaths, kill more zombies with the Freedom Bear.

    I'm not bothered by the loading times, or the save system, never had been, never even crossed my mind, and any sensible thinking person i have come across thinks the same thing.

    Blue Castle Games the Canadian developer obviously got the information from Capcom to not veer to far off the path that made Dead Rising what it was as it sold well, so if your looking for Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead in this, you won't find it, i wouldn't classify it as a niche game, but just because it doesn't match your preference, doesn't make it a bad game. It just gets one score less than the first game as i would have preferred it to be set in a small city or town, rather than another mall, although it is larger this time.

    Some people on here i know have their opinions but they should think about what they are saying. "it feels like a game from the 90's"; "the always on friendly fire". People complain about the "US social commentary" or the lack of logic. Its a game, about zombies. Its meant to be fun, its meant to be ridiculous, if your getting your head tied up about a game because of those reasons, then stop playing video games, because 99% of them lack logic, or are stereotypical in their portrayal of certain characters.    … Expand
  18. ReviewGod
    Mar 9, 2015
    6
    The reason I chose a 6 is that this game wasn't really exciting to me. Sure it was fun and all but after a day or two the game kinda got repetitive. But I'm still looking forward ti getting Dead rising 3 that one looks pretty good
  19. ExpertPL
    Dec 24, 2016
    7
    Dead Rising 2 is a very good sequel to the first Dead Rising. It's mechanics are very similar, with a few changes here and there.

    Generally, I can tell that Capcom choose to act safely with production of this game, not taking any chances with any dramatically big changes that could not appeal to the fans of Dead Rising 1. The problem is, that Dead Rising wasn't an excellent game and had    Dead Rising 2 is a very good sequel to the first Dead Rising. It's mechanics are very similar, with a few changes here and there.

    Generally, I can tell that Capcom choose to act safely with production of this game, not taking any chances with any dramatically big changes that could not appeal to the fans of Dead Rising 1. The problem is, that Dead Rising wasn't an excellent game and had many flaws, and the sequel was the perfect occasion to try to fix this by some dramatic changes.

    All in all, you could probably read some Dead Rising 1 reviews and you would exactly know what is wrong in Dead Rising 2.    … Expand
  20. Dragonfly44
    Oct 7, 2018
    6
    It’s such a weird game. It looks weird, feels weird and plays weird. It’s nto bad mind you, but its only so fun for so long. Somewhat mind boggoling how they were able to make killing zombies boring.
    Rating - 60%
  21. soldar
    Jun 26, 2020
    7
    Es un videojuego con una buena variedad de objetos y combinaciones que ayuda a entrenarte con la distinta forma de matar a los zombies, pero el movimiento del personaje es muy pesado y la forma de apuntar es muy mala

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
27
#27 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
46
#46 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 76
  3. Negative: 1 out of 76
  1. My Gamer
    Jan 11, 2011
    74
    Despite the problems, Dead Rising 2 is a fun and satisfying package overall.
    Read full review
  2. Video Game Talk
    Jan 11, 2011
    80
    That being said, critics of the first game are going to find problems with Dead Rising 2, namely the highly difficult boss battles and the poorly structured inventory system.
    Read full review
  3. GameCritics
    Jan 11, 2011
    60
    It can be said that the game is made for players to start over, but it doesn't seem like a fair or enjoyable trade-off that a person should be willing to go back to square one of the story mode as a result of experimenting with and enjoying the item-crafting.
    Read full review
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