The other issue is that the first time through a mission youll most likely have an incredibly hard time completing the objectives seeing as your level really influences how well you slash enemies. So youll most likely fail quite a few cases the first time through only to breeze through them later on due to being much higher level and quite a bit stronger. To get stronger before core missions you can of course kill randomly, take photos, and do side quests to save innocents. These actions give you PP, Dead Risings XP, which then level you up and give you more health, more speed, more attack power, the ability to throw farther, and even more inventory slots.

Ok so the case system isnt too bad but couple that together with the save system and youve got problems. You can either save once you complete a level or you can save your PP and restart the level. So if you get in a tough spot where youre pretty sure youre going to die youll have to just bite the bullet, take your PP, and try again. This all feels like a cheap way to lengthen the game and really gets annoying when you have to restart a mission several times just to level up to complete it. I for one hope they change this for the sequel.

Structure and save system aside, Dead Risings strength of course lies in its huge mall filled with an insane amount of zombies and items along with its expert storytelling and its keen sense of twisted humor. There are so many items and combinations of items available to aid you in attacking and boosting your abilities its daunting at times. Just the fact that Capcom has included items like the water pistol, CDs, plates, and other objects that you would think to find in any mall but do little to no damage to enemies makes things a whole lot of fun. I guess my only gripe about objects is that environments still feel very static. You can pick up a chair but tables dont move. You can pick up a plate but the salad bar is off limits. Heres hoping that the sequel delivers on the advertising quote that, Everything is a weapon.

The controls in dead rising are very simple and are very much on par with any typical 3rd person shooter. Inventory management is a bit odd and tricky at first but other than that the controls are perfectly fine. Also, every time you find a new book in the mall youll learn something new which will enable even more controls. For example, there are actually books that allow you to learn tricks to perform while riding a skateboard.