Summary
The nearly 18-year-oldDead Risingfranchise was suddenly resurrected thanks to the recent announcement ofDead Rising Deluxe Remaster. A graphical and audio upgrade to the original 2006 title,Dead Rising Deluxe Remasterwill have players embody Frank West once again to survive the zombie outbreak at the Willamette Mall and uncover its mysterious origins. While most fans are excited to see theDead Risingfranchise return after an eight-year-long hiatus since the malignedDead Rising 4, Capcom should take this rejuvenated interest inDead Risingto developDead Rising 5or aDead Risingspin-off game.
Dead Rising 1was developed in-house at Capcom, but most of the other entries in theDead Risingseries were developed byBlue Castle Games, which later became Capcom Vancouver. Vancouver oversaw the development ofDead Rising 2,Case Zero,Case West,Off the Record,3, and4before it was shut down in 2018. BeforeDead Rising 4was officially released in winter 2016, parts of Vancouver’s staff had already begun production onDead Rising 5, and this production would continue until the developers' closure. According to anonymous Vancouver developer interviews with video game researcher Liam Robertson, Vancouver intendedDead Rising 5to be more in line with the series' previous games instead of the controversialDead Rising 4.
Psychopaths, limited-timed missions, and recusing survivors to designated safe areas were all features planned to return, all of which were removed or were extremely limited inDead Rising 4.Dead Rising 5’s plot would have served as a prequel set beforeDead Rising 3but afterDead Rising 2. Here, players would have embodied Chuck Greene as the protagonist once more alongside an older Katey Greene as a co-op player. The game was set in the town of Santa Catrina, Mexico and would have seen the Greenes struggle to find Zombrex as they attempted to combat a new zombie outbreak and a drug cartel.
Dead Rising 5went through a lot of conceptsto determine how the title would shake up the series' gameplay to attract new and old fans alike. Originally, the game would have played closely toDead Rising 3but with fewer, stronger zombies. It would have allowed players to combine any and all items in the game together instead of a select few combos. Each character would have their own abilities and benefits, such as Chuck being bigger and stronger, while Katey would have been able to slightly control zombies and easily hack into devices. Later concepts would have allowed Chuck to climb buildings similar to gameplay inAssassin’s Creedand battle zombie variants in scenarios similar to those found inDark Souls.
IfDead Rising Deluxe Remasterproves to be both critically and financially successful, Capcom should use that momentum to consider developingDead Rising 5or a new spin-off. Capcom could revisit plot concepts fromDead Rising 5and use it as a basis for a new game centering around Chuck Greene. It seems Capcom still holdsDead Rising 2’s protagonist in high regard, since Greene’s iconic yellow Ijiek motorcycle jacket is apre-order bonus for Frank West inDead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Likewise, this story of Chuck Greene in Mexico could be reworked as a potential spin-off game forDead Risingwhile Capcom works on an entirely newDead Rising 5.
This newDead Rising 5could build on plot threads left unfinished from bothDead Rising 3and4,such as the zombie cure from Nick Ramos or intelligent clone zombies designed for labor tasks. IfDead Rising 5is set after4, Capcom could possibly give fans a game centering on both Greene and West as dual protagonists, functioning as a sort of sequel toDead Rising 2’s spin-offCase West. It could also center on a completely new story or setting with a fresh protagonist. A newDead Rising 5concept could explore other unexplored stories in theDead Risinguniverse, such as the Las Vegas outbreak before the events ofDead Rising 2or the Smithtown college campus outbreak mentioned inDead Rising 3.
With the upcoming release ofDead Rising Deluxe Remaster, there have now been nine games in theDead Risingseries, includingDead Rising,Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop,Dead Rising 2: Case Zero,Dead Rising 2,Dead Rising 2: Case West,Dead Rising 2: Off the Record,Dead Rising 3, andDead Rising 4.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
WHERE TO PLAY
Dead Rising returns with modern graphics!More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in zombie-slaughtering action game series “Dead Rising.“This remaster has also been fully voiced, supports auto-saves, and has various other quality-of-life features.Witness the unmatched mayhem and freedom for yourself!Story:One day, the peaceful town of Willamette, Colorado, found itself put under quarantine by the U.S. army.Frank West, a freelance journalist, smells a scoop and finds his way into the only shopping mall in town.Unfortunately, the mall had turned into a living hell, crawling with countless zombies.Help will arrive in 72 hours, so it’s up to him to find out the truth behind this incident before it’s too late!Realistic graphics reborn through RE ENGINE!All of the graphics, including the characters and environments, have been renewed, and greatly improved over the original.Character’s facial expressions, material textures, and blood spatter all look much more realistic.Overwhelming hordes of zombies fill the screen with completely remade graphics!
