E3 2013: Dead Rising 3 Behind Closed Doors

Dead Rising 3 was a title we perhaps only half expected to be shown off during E3 (ok....ok....maybe Chris expected it), and I personally didn't expect it to be in the list of Xbox One exclusives thrown at us during the Microsoft press conference. The look we received was of a darker, more brooding, and slightly more serious Dead Rising than we've seen historically, but a game that also showed off some impressive areas in terms of both scale and mass. Want to be chased through an entire city chased by literally hundreds of zombies? Then this title seemed to be the one to deliver.

I received a behind closed doors look at Dead Rising 3 today and honestly what we were shown was a more expanded version of the press conference demo. The new character -Nick Ramos- spends his time moving from safe zone to safe zone, crafting weapons (sans workbench since his pre-apocalypse occupation was a mechanic) and working through a story that so far has been kept under wraps. Surely this is simply a backdrop for the main actor, the technology that allows the player to move through an open-world city infested with thousands of zombies in real time. During our behind closed doors look Nick moved from building to building, raced through the infested streets in an array of vehicles and traversed subterranean sewers without ever having a loading screen getting between him and the action. It's great the way the world comes alive without this type of speed-bump getting in the way of the immersion. AndDead Rising is certainly better off for it.

The action is there, the backdrop is there, some of the crazy weapons are there. All-in-all sounds like Dead Rising right? Well, almost. As I said before, the tone is completely different. This world is darker, more gritty, more realistic...and that isn't always a good thing. The player still has the ability to wear any outfit they like, but in the demonstration we were only shown complete outfits that fit on all at once, without giving the player the option to mix-and-match individual items. It's great if you want to wear a shark costume -one of the options we were shown- but not so great if you want to wear a shark costume head with a pare of woman's underwear and a tank top that says “Shit Happens”.

Dead Rising 3 also seems a little more lenient when it comes to weapons and inventory options. All weapons you use throughout the game are saved in universal weapons lockers which are located in all the safezones throughout the map. Come in contact with a gun and a copy of it is automatically put into the locker for later access. It's a great option for those who want to run around blasting away from objective to objective, but maybe not so great for those looking for a more survival feel. Of course if you want that then you're probably not looking at a Dead Rising title since there are certainly better options.

Interaction with the game through Silverlight was also a feature, but that's something we've been seeing a ton of at E3 this year. The map, setting waypoints and even calling in things like airstrikes and support can all be done via Silverlight or the in-game menu. Personally, I prefer the in-game option since funding with my phone during play sessions doesn't seem like the greatest use of my time or hands.

Dead Rising 3 seems like a solid and fun title, but admittedly less fun in that zany way than its predecessor. If you're ok with a Dead Rising having a bit more of a frowny face...then you may be good to go with this one.