Dead Rising 4

Throw in the enhanced photography and investigations, and Dead Rising 4 is an unusually deep and well-rounded game built around zombies. Forget the zombies, though. The real monsters are those who won't give Dead Rising 4 a chance.

Dead Rising 4 is bloody, chaotic, and downright hilarious. If you’re looking to turn your brain off this holiday season, and de-stress with gratuitous violence, this is the game for you.

Dead Rising 4 is able to take the best elements of the older and newer games in the series and mash them into a spectacular open-world zombie-slaying experience. The game’s core gameplay is just so engaging and enjoyable that diving into hordes after hordes of zombies to wreak havoc never gets old, and having Frank West back in the action makes it even better. The series is certainly in a much different spot now than it was 10 years ago, but its future has never looked brighter.

The fourth addition of this open-world action packed game is the most zombie filled yet but don’t feel like you need to have played its predecessors to enjoy this one. With optional tutorials getting you through the basics you will quickly find yourself becoming distracted finding new and better ways to kill zombies before you realise that you have forgotten about the main storyline. So please excuse me, I have to return to humming Christmas tunes while I kill some more zombies!

I enjoyed getting dirty in Dead Rising 4’s madcap sandbox, and I’d expect that people who have kept up with the series will also have a great time wreaking havoc in Willamette. Players who wanted to get into it before but were put off by the time constraints should definitely give it a shot, too. In many ways, this is the game that people who just wanted to be a one-man zombie wrecking crew were probably hoping for all along.

Dead Rising 4 may not be the series’ high point, but it’s easily the second-best, and a great experience in its own right. Zombie slaughtering has never been this accessible or thrilling, and the developers at Capcom Vancouver have once again proven that they know exactly what to do with a winning formula.

Dead Rising 4 is a game for everyone that loves exploring, looking for objects and building new weapons. And killing lots and lots of zombies.

Dead Rising 4 is a continued testament to what makes the series fun, that being how it doesn’t take itself so seriously like many other zombie games out there. Capcom Vancouver has done a great job with this latest game in the Dead Rising series, and although some may argue that the omission of the 72-hour timer is a mistake, we think it was a great idea as it should make the game that more enticing to so many gamers.

Dead Rising 4 is easily the greatest game in the franchise. It basically offers the same addictive concept from the previous games but with many corrections, changes and additions that refresh the overall experience. It doesn’t matter if you are a veteran fan from the series or someone who is just starting with it, the game will make you understand the delight behind killing hordes of zombies.

Saga fans and newbies will both enjoy Dead Rising 4. The first will enjoy it because there are zombies and a thousand ways to finish’em. The newbies because it is not a Dead Rising at all. Capcom Vancouver has left behind the elements that made great the original Dead Rising, but presents a more classical (and western) system, which will hook those players looking only for a good time in front of their consoles.

The franchise recovers its energy with its most comfortable game, which shows a genuine sense of humor. It's also the easiest iteration, though.

It’s a different take on Dead Rising than most would expect, but works better than you would think. It may get stale after a while, with only four cases to choose from. At the same time, Dead Rising was always a single player experience and DR4 successfully takes a little from each game in the series, and does its best to give something for everyone. Is it what the hardcore fans want? Not all of them. Games change with time, for better or worse, and right now is Dead Rising’s time to shine.

Dead Rising 4 does exactly what we were asking for. The game is fun, especially considering its sandbox soul, despite a slow beginning and a too-compliant difficulty level.

Dead Rising 4 is an outstanding iteration: the sense of humor, the blood and Frank West make a comeback and give the series a much needed breath of fresh air. If you are a veteran of the franchise, you may dislike some of the changes at first, but as you play it you will appreciate the irreverence that the series is known for.

Dead Rising 4 has the best core gameplay the series has ever seen. Its inventive and humorous ways to put down the dead are something I still haven’t tired of, and its surprisingly interesting plot is more than just a zombie-killing delivery system. Despite the technical blemishes that come with the series, its lack of co-op story mode play, and the fun-yet-unreliable multiplayer, Frank West’s return brings the series some fresh ideas, a ton of bloody mayhem, and a whole lot of cracking wise. Here’s hoping he sticks around for a while.

Doesn't reinvent the zombie-killing wheel, but it's the most polished Dead Rising yet. [Feb 2017, p.74]

Dead Rising 4 brings a lot of varied zombie-slaughtering fun to your living room but it also takes a couple of steps back for the series.

Dead Rising 4 won’t win any awards nor is it the best of the series, that for me is still the Dead Rising 1, however, it’s a strong entry and worthy of your time. I mean putting comedy heads on zombies will never, repeat never, get old!

Boredom, simplicity and lack of challenges in later stages of campaign force us to run around without much purpose, consider the meaning of life, analyze yesterday's events or just plan tomorrow's dinner. That's how you know it's time to turn off Dead Rising 4.

Mindless, stupid fun.

We wanted to love Dead Rising 4 but it has plenty of little fails all over the game that made us love it less than we were desiring.

It all adds up to a zombie game that manages to stand out. Yes, the pool of zombie titles in gaming continues to be deep, but Dead Rising 4 still finds its place, striking a unique balance between deep story and the wildest zombie open world of them all.

The "use anything, make anything" mechanics that have made zombie-smashing so fun are still intact, and some changes only amplify the experience when dealing with the expansive world. While the story is good on its own, Frank's presence provides a nice balance between silly and serious, and the multiplayer also finds a sweet spot. The title has some issues, but they aren't enough to dampen the sheer fun this game provides.

While Capcom Vancouver enhanced the melee combat with the new exo-suits, sadly the shooting mechanics aren’t improved. Dead Rising 4 is a Dead Rising game, warts and all. A zombie slaying experience unlike anything else on the market. It’s a riot, it’s a hoot and it’s on Santa’s nice list.

Dead Rising 4 is undoubtedly a great zombie game, with Capcom Vancouver nailing the open-world and tone once more, but the lack of true psychos in the world does detract from the overall experience. It’s no Dead Rising 3, but it’s still a bloody good game.

Dead Rising 4 is the worthy heir of its predecessor. The return of Frank West does not change the gameplay introduced three years ago maintaining all the non-sense on which the saga has built its fame. The price, however, is a lowering of the difficulty far beyond an acceptable sense of challenge.

Dead Rising 4 is fun, silly and gleefully absurd in its execution of thousands upon thousands of undead fodder as it aims to make the apocalypse fun again.

Dead Rising 4 continues the idea of mainstream accessibility that started in Dead Rising 3. While the first two games were about watching the timer and making efficient choices, Dead Rising 4 is about killing zombies in silly costumes with cool weapons. If that's what you want, Dead Rising 4 delivers good, gory zombie fun in a Christmas-themed wrapper. If you're looking for something more like the first game, I'd pick up that re-release. If you liked Dead Rising 3, you'll get a kick out of this.

Dead Rising 4 is definitely a step up from Dead Rising 3 and the technical improvements stand out the most. If you look at the game as a whole, it’s a great package which should entertain anyone looking for a title where they can go on murderous rampages without thinking too much. I just wish I could continue it while I waited for the expansion.

Not always thrilling, but Dead Rising 4 feels like the series getting its sense of fun back. And that's a great thing.

While there are some disappointments and archaic clunkiness, Dead Rising 4 is a great time that makes smart improvements over Dead Rising 3. The comedic beats are surprisingly well executed, especially early on in the campaign, and while the conclusion may be hugely disappointing to some, I can’t fault the series its boldness.

Dead Rising 4 took everything that was great about Dead Rising 3, removed the timer, and brought back the franchises most prominent protagonist in a big way. The game isn't without it's faults. You're more than likely going to encounter the occasional glitch, some of which may require reloading a previous checkpoint. Also, the lack of co-op in the main campaign is a huge disappointment, but the separate co-op campaign is an okay compromise. Dead Rising 4 is an absolute must for fans of Dead Rising.

Dead Rising 4 promises a lot of change in the Dead Rising series. While at points this feels awkward and strange, the Dead Rising experience still stands firm due to its enticing story and exaggerated action.

Despite several flaws, Dead Rising 4 is an engaging and entertaining product, recommended for fans of the series and for those looking for over the top humor and action.

Full of original and devastating weapons, a new and brutal exosuit and Frank West as main character. Dead Rising 4 is an entertaining option, but it's easy to beat, has disappointing psychopaths, some technical issues and less backtracking than others in the franchise.

Dead Rising 4 is not amazing, as it seems to be struggling with both identity and technique. It does offer a fantastic joke on the genre by throwing us in the deep end with some very bizarre weapons.

Dead Rising 4 does the series justice in many ways, but the game gets dragged down by some very noticeable shortcomings that deter from the usual Dead Rising experience.

Dead Rising 4 is, above all else, surprisingly bland, and that’s not something I ever thought I’d be able to say about a game that’s largely about running over zombies in a tractor. It doesn’t feel like an entry in its series, but like some kind of Dead Rising-themed expansion for a different franchise altogether.

Dead Rising 4 brings back the fun of its previous installments, but does not risk at all. It needs serious changes in its gameplay mechanics for better results.

Much like the “Roaring Thunder” weapon, Dead Rising 4 banks on nostalgia and humor. While not much new exists in the beat ‘em up genre, this title has a lot of fun moments, delivering an enjoyable return to a zombie-infested Willamette.

Dead Rising 4 marks the end of the series for as we knew it. It is a new starting point for a saga that has decided to abandon any survival elements, transforming itself in a rowdy and light-weighted action game.

Dead Rising 4 provides a very entertaining experience and the gameplay is still simple and solid. Unfortunately the Capcom title has the same “old” side missions and the usual AI issues. Even with its problems, the game is a ton of fun to play.

Dead Rising 4 is a lot of fun, but the challenge and tension that made the first few games so unique are dead and buried.

For those of you who have been scared off by Dead Rising in the past, maybe this is your time.