While Capcom’sDead Risingmight not quite have the same following as the publisher’s other zombie-themed IP, the game series nevertheless has managed to amass a dedicated following. Debuting in 2006,Dead Risingfeels like a throwback to zombie stories of yesteryear, as players must use the tools at their disposal to survive seemingly endless hordes of the slow but dangerous living dead. The game was a big enough success to spawn three direct sequels and a few remakes, although the series has lostsome of its luster in recent years.
RELATED:The 10 Best Survival Games That Don’t Feature Zombies
With the originalDead Risingbeing included inXbox’s Games With Gold lineup for January 2021, this marks the ideal opportunity to explore some lesser-known facts about Capcom’s series.
Resident Evil 4was a game-changer for not only Capcom’s franchise but the zombie subgenre in general. While the series had been shifting away from survival horror for quite a while,Resident Evil 4was the first numbered game that truly prioritized action.
In response to the enemies inResident Evil 4moving much quicker to match the combat’s tempo,Keiji Inafune decided to put together a gamethat would honor the terrifying (and slow-paced) roots of zombies. This project would become known asDead Rising.
Dead Rising’s premise of locking a group of humans in a single location that is surrounded by zombies is a nod to George A. Romero’s classicNight of the Living Deadseries. The similarities are particularly striking when it comes toDawn of the Dead, as that film’s main setting is also a shopping mall.
For thosewho own the rights toDawn of the Dead, the similarities were a touch too obvious to ignore, leading to a suit being filed against Capcom. The case was ultimately ruled inDead Rising’s favor.
8Reused Assets Of A Canceled Sequel
Prior to producingDead Rising, Keiji Inafune served as the executive producer for 2005’sShadow of Rome. An overlooked gem inCapcom’s library, the hack and slash title failed to attract a large enough Western audience, leading to asequel being canceled.
RELATED:Top 10 Capcom Beat-Em-Ups, Ranked
Some remnants of this project can be found inDead Rising, as assets originally intended forShadow of Rome 2found their way into the zombie game. Inafune said thatDead Risingstarted out asShadow of Rome’s sequel, albeit one that nixed the latter’s stealth elements in service of focusing only on the violent action.
7Mega Man & Protoman’s Armors
Just in case someone was not aware thatCapcom also madeMega Man, theDead Risingfranchise opted to include a few not-so-subtle nods to the iconic franchise. In all four games, it is possible to unlock outfits based on Capcom’s series, although some require a bit more work than others.
For example,Dead Risingsplits its Mega Man outfit into three parts (plus the Real Mega Buster), each of which requires completing different things.Dead Rising 2: Off the Recorddoes something similar with Protoman’s armor.Dead Rising 3’s X-Buster requires getting Ending S in Nightmare Mode, while Mega Man X’s outfit is a reward for obtaining that same ending on the standard difficulty.
For the most part,Dead Risingtends to walk the line between horror and comedy. Out of all four games, the second entry is the funniest. In aninterview prior to the game’s release, producer Mike Schmittsaid that Capcom hoped players would feel “excitement” while playingDead Rising 2and that they would also pick up on the humor.
Dead Rising 2is more of a comedy than a horror game, with Chuck serving as a likable replacement for Frank West.
A launch title for the Xbox One,Dead Rising 3marked a stark departure from the previous entries in the series. While the game ramps up the speed of the combat,Dead Rising 3also takes itself more seriously than its predecessors.
RELATED:The 10 Best Zombie Games Ever Made (According To Metacritic)
Capcom Vancouver wantedthe zombies to come across as genuine threatsrather than “toys,” andDead Rising 3reflects this mentality. The goal was to show players thatDead Rising 3is, first and foremost, a horror game.
Dead Rising 4is mostly a continuation of its immediate predecessor, albeit featuring a lead who desperately wants to be funny. It tends to be polarizing among the fan base, especially those fond of the earliest entries in the series.
Dead Rising 4did not start out as a safe and uninspired entry, as Capcom Vancouver originally sought to give the franchise the gritty reboot treatment.“Project Climber” was described as something akin toThe Last of Us, but plans for this reboot fell through andDead Rising 4rose from its ashes.
3The Timer
A key ingredient of theDead Risingexperience is the timer, a feature most people tend to either love or hate. Although tweaked from entry to entry, the first three games all include a time system in some form or another, adding a degree of pressure to missions.
Dead Rising 4’s main campaign ditched the timer entirely, a change designed to allow players the freedom to explore at their leisure. While the shift to a larger sandbox did not always mesh well with the timer system,Dead Rising 4’s complete removal of this feature made this entry feel out of place in the series.
LikeResident Evil,Dead Risinghas also made the jump to the film industry. The series has spawned three productions:Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun,Dead Rising: Watchtower, andDead Rising: Endgame. WhileZombrextells its own story based on theDead Risinguniverse,WatchtowerandEndgameare directly connected to the games and even feature appearances by Frank West and Chuck Greene.
Although far from masterpieces,WatchtowerandEndgameare perfectly watchable, even if they very much feel like movies designed for a streaming service and not theatres.
In 2018, Capcom Vancouver was shut down, leaving the fate ofDead Risinguncertain. Following the studio’s closure,rumors started circulating about a canceledDead Rising 5, a concept that would have seen the return ofDead Rising 2’s Chuck Greene as the protagonist. It would have been set between the second and third entries in the series.
Dead Rising 5was reportedly taking a page or two fromDark Souls' book, a change that could have resulted in an interesting shift for the franchise. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whetherDead Risingstill has a future or not.
