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Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
Developer Capcom Vancouver teased an all-new area in the Dead Rising 2 what-if story, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record back in April, and today I got to play it. Uranus Zone is an amusement park with a space-age theme, new weapons combos, and plenty of opportunities for crazy zombie mayhem.
The hands-on demo gave me 10 minutes to basically run around and cause trouble. Capcom still isn't talking about new psychopath encounters, but there was plenty to keep me occupied. Here's a slice of what I saw and played:
- The park itself is themed to be like a '60s-era interpretation of science fiction. This stretches to include the color palette (soft greens and blues), as well as the general design. During my quick adventure, Frank West wore both male and female versions of a space suit. He looked particularly fetching in the one that included a minskirt and boots.
- New combo weapons included a laser-firing alien mask, which set enemies on fire. When charged, Frank fired an extended blast and panned back and forth. Another weapon combined a space-capsule shaped garbage can with fire extinguishers. After jamming it over a zombie, it hovered around, freezing zombies who got close to its exhaust. The funniest one I saw had to be a rocket-powered hobby horse. After stabbing it through a zombie, he took off into the air. I earned some extra prestige points for snapping a shot of the flight, just before he zoomed out of sight.
- There are a variety of silly minigames that are appropriate to the theme. There are a few shooting galleries (including one with an Easter egg referencing Capcom Vancouver's former Blue Castle Games logo of a flying castle), and a whack-a-mole game. There are rides as well, but Frank has to sit them out. That doesn't mean they aren't interactive, however. He can lure zombies into the paths of deadly teacups, a swinging ship, and other rides. Let's just say that Uranus Zone probably isn't up to OSHA standards.
Overall, the demo was a nice taste of what's ahead. I'm still curious to see how the story is changed, but the new weapons and environment are encouraging signs that there's more to the game than just plopping Frank into the world and calling it good.
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