First impressions of Dead Rising

I went to this big mall here in D.C. the other day and picked up a copy of Dead Rising. I've haven't been playing for that long but here are my first impressions. This game is awesomely violent and full of gore. I wasn't really surprised since you play as a freelance photojournalist stuck in a mall for 72 hours fighting off zombies with anything you can find. It's not to be played in close proximity to your grandmother and it's definitely not for kids.

The sheer number of zombies on the screen at any giving time is staggering. The Xbox 360 processes dozens of bloodthirsty undead along with smooth environmental textures and lighting. The graphics are realistic but have an excellent style to them. The sound also contributes a lot to the overall mood the game. You’ll hear a clever mix of silence, moans, and zombie footfall.

At first I found the game play to be complex. Dead Rising had me juggling terms like "case" and "scoop" for a period of time before I realized that I can just do whatever the hell I want--which happens to be beat zombies to the ground. The more zombies you kill, the more points you get. And finding new ways to beat zombies--such a burning their faces with hot frying pans--calls for bonus points. The points go towards leveling up your character, which improves skills and ultimately allows for cooler zombie bashing moves. Every time I need a little health recharge, I head to the mall's abandon food court, where I find items like juice and bread. I can mix different juices to create a frosty beverage that has various affects (the most common affect I want is a health boost). Before leaving, I also grab a cleaver because it comes in handy while killing zombies.

My main problem so far is the saving system. Every time you want to save your progress you have to find a public restroom. It just doesn’t match up with the openness of the rest of the game play.

A secret note if you get Dead Rising: Watch carefully for the typo in one of the game's opening cinematic. At one point, we here the game's protagonist say, "Yeah!" But the subtitles clearly read, "Year!" It's great.