Dead Rising 2 begins several years after the events of the first Dead Rising: the experimental virus that transforms live beings into the undead has gone beyond Willamette and afflicted most of the United States. When the issue became dire, the pharmaceutical business Phenotrans created a synthetic medicine called “Zombrex” that delayed zombification and promptly sold out.
The player controls Chuck Greene, a former national motocross champion who, together with his daughter Katey, flees to Fortune City, a city erected from the ruins of ancient Las Vegas but unaffected by the zombie virus. Her zombified mother bit Katey, and she needs a Zombrex shot every 24 hours to prevent zombification. Chuck is desperate enough to participate in a game show called “Terror Is Reality,” where he needs to murder the undead for entertainment to get his hands on more Zombrex – or at least the money to acquire some. Immediately following the show, several of his “victims” escape into the city, triggering a widespread outbreak. Chuck learns via a news report that he is accused of creating the attack and that the military will arrive in three days to catch him and purify the city.
Most of the game, like the first Dead Rising, takes place over 72 hours, but once the player has finished all of the ‘cases’ (small pieces of the plot that compose the game objectives), Overtime Mode is unlocked, adding extra time and goals. During the first 72 hours, Chuck must find a method to flee Fortune City, cleanse his name of wrongdoing, and ensure his and Katey’s survival.
The game is played in a sandbox-like setting. The player can freely wander around in zombie-infested Fortune City and select how the game will go by accepting or rejecting missions (plot-related and side objectives, which usually involve protecting survivors from zombies). The player can bypass the main story entirely, allowing all survivors to perish and instead combat the undead wandering the streets or exploring. This will result in an alternative ending rather than a “game over” screen. If the player fails to get Katey a Zombrex shot every 24 hours, the game will not terminate (unlike Dead Rising 2: Case 0). If the Story Mode is completed with the true ending (which necessitates achieving all plot-related objectives, known as “case files”), Overtime Mode will be unlocked, extending the main narrative.
Zombrex can be found throughout the city or purchased from traders eager to profit from the zombie pandemic. Chuck earns experience points (called “Prestige Points” in the first game) for rescuing survivors, defeating psychopaths (survivors hostile to Chuck), and chopping zombies. These points are used to level up and gain more strength, an extensive inventory, or new abilities (like faster movement or additional combat techniques).
The first game was notable for its elaborate zombie-killing methods. The majority of the surroundings could be utilized to defend oneself, from standard pistols and shotguns to various gardening tools, food (throwing soda cans at zombies), or plastic light sabers that flash in the dark from a kid’s toy store – nothing seemed too out of the ordinary for Capcom’s developers. Blue Castle Games, the new developer of Dead Rising 2, continued this tradition by introducing a new combat element: the workbench. Chuck can now create personalized weaponry from items he finds throughout the city. The player may simply experiment to learn how to make a unique weapon or gather blueprints to construct them, known as combo cards. These can be obtained through leveling up, doing side tasks, or continuing through the main story. Custom weapons deal far more significant damage than standard weapons, and Chuck receives experience for each opponent killed.
If an Xbox 360 owner has a save file from Dead Rising 2: Case 0, the level, abilities, and unlocked combo cards can be imported into the Xbox 360 version of Dead Rising 2.
