Playable in Capcom Heroes mode on December 5

This latest batch of outfit reveals for Capcom Heroes mode in Dead Rising 4 is a doozy.

It warms my heart to see any acknowledgment that Viewtiful Joe a) existed and b) is worth celebrating but, beyond that, I'm also pleased to find that Arthur's exaggerated running animation is straight out of Ghosts 'n Goblins. There's also Amaterasu, Jill Valentine, Morrigan and her excellent bangs, and the big-eyed Bass. That's all in addition to previous costumes like Mecha-Zangief and Sissel.

In short, this dres?s-up-and-kill mode seems pretty dang good -- ??especially since it'll be free.

Capcom Heroes launches for Dead Rising 4 on December 5, which is the same day Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package releases for PlayStation 4. If you end up pre-ordering the latter (in North America, "at participating retailers") you'll score a free copy of the original Dead Rising for PS4.

?With these final Capcom Heroes Frank West is ready to take on Willamette's Resident Evil [Capcom-Unity]

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Hot Ryu too!

Here's a little more on Capcom Heroes, a free new mode in the works for Dead Rising 4 that'll let you don special costumes based on characters from other Capcom series. Last time, I was stoked to see Sissel from Ghost Trick. This time I'm all about that ??metallic wonder Mecha-Zang?ief.

Other costumes include Cammy, Akuma, M. Bison, and Ryu -- specifically Hot Ryu. Capcom knows.

Capcom Heroes is targeting a December 5, 2017 launch. It'll be a free update on PC and Xbox One, otherwise, if you're picking up the PS4 edition releasing that sa?me day, the mode will be included.

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Capcom Heroes

Sometimes, all it takes is an image. "That's it. I'm writing this up. Folks need to see." This screenshot of Frank West pulling off his best Sissel-from-Ghost Trick impression is one such example.

What's going on here? The Dead Rising series is no stranger to cameo outfits from other Capcom series and Dead Rising 4 is up next with a full-fledged mode, Capcom Heroes, an a??lternate take on the game's story. Once it releases for free on December 5, you'll be able to wear over a dozen re?ferential outfits based on the likes of Cammy, X, Dante, and more, and wield new special attacks.

"While progressing through missions and exploring the world, players will discover arcade machines," explains Capcom. "Interacting with these arcade cabinets lets the player equip a new 'Hero Outfit' that gives Frank the powers and abilities of that character. In addition to using the arcade machines, Frank can purchase some outfits from ven??dors and unlock others by finding coll?ectibles hidden throughout the world. Players will also want to look for 'Hero Training' side missions which award outfit variants and upgrades."

This doesn't magically fix Dead Rising 4, but I appreciate the absurdity of it all and am happy to see that it's a) free and b) not exclusive, timed or otherwise, to the upcoming PS4 port.

Capcom Heroes Brings Classi??c Capcom Characters ??to Dead Rising 4 [Capcom-Unity]

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Steam too

Capcom is fixing up former Xbox One exclusive Dead Rising 4 with an update of fan-requested changes timed to coincide with the release of the definitive Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package for PS4.

AI tweaks, new enemies, and new side-quests pair with an all-around tuneup to bring the Xbox One version -- which was a flop, sales-wise, for Capcom despite only reviewing slightly worse than Dead Rising 3 on average -- up to parity with the PS4 release, which Capcom is assuredly hoping gets off on a better foot and makes up for its predecessor's tanked sales. The PC version is getting the fixes, too. Check the Capcom Blog for a full explanation.

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$10 DLC on Xbox One and PC

If you never bothered to look into Dead Rising 4's season pass, I'm right there with you.

As a result, we both missed hearing about Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf, one of the included add-on??s. It's up-to-four-player co-op mini golf on an 18-hole course with oversized golf balls, customizable clubs, and zombies roamin??g around. Does that premise sound decent? I think so.

The DLC releases June 20, 2017 for Xbox One, Steam, and Windows 10. Mini Golf costs $10 on its own, or you can get it in the $20 season pass, or you can go all in for the $80 Dead Rising 4 Digital Deluxe Edition. The las??t option -- pay??ing full price so long after release -- is probably best avoided.

This might seem odd from the outside looking in, but it isn't -- at least not relatively speaking. Look no further than Dead Rising 3's reference-filled Super Ultra Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX + α DLC.

Also, the mere mention of mini golf reminds me that I'm unable to play Golf Story or Everybody's Golf, and that's bumming me out. I'm in a very particular video game golf mood a??ll of a sudden.

S?uper Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf i?s coming June 20 [Capcom-Unity]

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When hell is full, the dead will walk the Earth

Call me a hypocrite, but I think the trailer for Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising looks decent. The main game did basically nothing positive to change the Dead Rising formula, but playing as a zombie is something that was never even tackled. I don't think Zombie Frank will be using much in the way of? weapons, but this looks to be a lot more interesting than just the same crap all over again.

Apparently this is already available (for $9.99 separately or $19.99 in the season pass). Even though Capcom promoted this a little, the release seems awfully sudden. Maybe they are trying to surprise gamers i??nto buying the DLC without much reception?

POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING

I wonder if Frank Rising will end up being the canonical ending to Dead Rising 4. The game abruptly ends with Frank sacrificing himself to let the new journalist character escape with all of the information about Willamette. Since this DLC is about Frank finding a permanent cure to his new affliction, maybe Capcom is planning to have this work as the "true" ending. If so, it's pretty typical of them to sell it months after the game came out. 

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Paint the snow red

Something about Dead Rising 4?? is dead and it's not all the zombies (because they are actually undead, post-alive). It's Microsoft's timed-exclusivity. Capcom Vancouver's slapstick, Christmas-themed zombie survival game has broken f?ree of its shackles after just three months.

Dead Rising 4 is now available on Steam for PC players. Up until now, Windows 10 was the only option for playing on PC. Xbox One remains the sole console that Dead Rising 4 is available on. Microsoft has confirmed ??in the past that there's a one-year console exclusivity deal in place, so we'll have to wait significantly longer to know if there's an eventual PS4 port planned.

As for how this version performs, that's probably still up in the air but initial reports are reassuring. According to early Steam reviews (and this is entirely anecdotal), mor??e people are saying it runs great than are having troubles with it. If that holds up, it's quite the Christmas gift in March.

Dead Rising 4 [Steam]

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Windows 10 exclusive no more

Not content with just staying in the Microsoft "Play Anywhere" Xbox One and Windows 10 ecosystem, Capcom is moving Dead Rising 4 to Steam this coming M?arch. The port will come roughly four months after its December 2016 launch, hitting Steam on March 14, 2017. If you pre-order now you'll get it for 20% off, and the price will revert back to its full r??etail price after launch.

It's good that Microsoft didn't lock Capcom down in this deal with some egregious terms, like a one-year exclusivity of some kind. I mean, I understand why it happens, but the more platforms we get, the merrier. And while I don't agree with the stripping down of some mechanics for Dead Rising 4, I'd still like to see the series live on -- and Windows 10 alone on PC doesn't instill much con?fidence.

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Shoryuken!

Dead Rising 4 may not be that bad of a game, but it certainly is a terrible Dead Rising game. It eschews all of the hallmarks of the series to craft a generic open-world actio??n title with little to no connection to the previous entries in the series. The biggest problem, for most fans, is the lack of a time limit and how easy that seemed to make the game.

While the time limit isn't coming back in the next update, the game will at least become a bit harder. Launching on January 30, "Hard" and "Ultra-Hard" modes will severely limit the durability of all weapons and make health items restore much less vitality. That does seem more in line?? with the older titles, which asked you to blend health items and carry magazines to beef up your arsenal.

In a show of good faith, Capcom is also giving out some Street Fighter-themed costumes for Frank to wear. These include outfits based on Guile, M. Bison, Zangief, Cammy, and T. Hawk. I'm glad these are being offered free as I used to enjoy unlocking alternate attire in games (something Dead Rising has always done really well).

If you're still curious about the game, Xbox One users will also have the chance to download a?? timed trial version of the full experience. Limited to one hour, this trial will allow you to experience as much of the game as possible and carry your data over into the full version. You can also earn Achievements, if that interests you.

Dead Rising 4 is gett??ing new two new difficulty ??modes and a timed demo [Eurogamer]

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Dead Rising 4 is also on sale

Retailers acro??ss the nation will be holding promos for the slim system that include a bonus "gift" with the purchase. A few stores are also throwing in a $50 gift c?ard along with the console, so that sure is fun!

Sadly??, the console price isn't cut down (and the deal doesn't extend to the original model), but a free game kind of makes up for that.

• For console purchases at Best Buy, Amazon or Walmart.com, get a free Xbox Wireless Controller
• For console purchases at GameStop, get a free Xbox Stereo Headset in white or black
• For console purchases at Target or Microsoft Stores, build your gaming collection with a free game of your choice

Along with those deals, Amazon and GameStop have Dead Rising 4 for $30 today while Best Buy has it for $40. Note that the game is not an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so? buying the Xbox One digital code will not yield you with the PC version and the physical copy doesn't come with a PC code. Kind of a bummer, but if you're looking to tear up some festive zombies before the end of 2016, this will p?robably be your cheapest bet.

Clos??e out 2016 with a New Xbox One S and a Free ??Gift [Xbox Wire]

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Home Alone 2: Lost in Willamette

I actually enjoyed our break from Frank West.

Heading into uncharted territory with Chuck and Nick in the sequels was refreshing, and for a while, I thought that Capcom was going to create this giant shared universe with new faces over the course of my lifetime. But we all know nostalgia is a powerful drug (especially for a remake-happy publisher), and it's bringing back the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Marvel 3 star once again, on top of the original setting ??of Willamette, Color?ado.

I mean, Dead Rising 3 sold 2.1 million units to date, so it didn't do half bad for something that was never released on PS4, b??ut I get it.

Dead Rising 4 (PC, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Publisher: Capcom
Release: December 6, 2016
MSRP: $59.99

In case you're wondering how they bring him back, Frank is drawn once again into the city of his nightmares because of a current student's conspiracy theories (yeah, he's a teacher now), which sparks an old investigative itch of his. Before they kn??ow it things go to shit, and zombies have overwhelmed the town once again. Did you expect more than that?

But before I delve into the nitty gritty, let's just talk about the polish. The story is delivered through a mixture of comic book-like animation and in-game cutscenes, and the former are a great pulpy way to get people invested without feeling pretentious, barring an obvious "consumerism = zombie" hand-wringing with the Black Friday motif, wistfully juxtaposed to the fact that Dead Rising 4 is, in effect, a mass-market product. The setting is also a good icebreaker, as the entire playg?round of Willamette (the rural and city zones) is holiday themed. The mall itself is actually one of the best indoor locations I've ever seen, as it's unconventional and lavish, almost like a theme park (or an equally lavish real-life? Gaylord or Disney hotel).

Hearing "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" during the pause menu with an accordion is full Dead Rising and the definition of a guilty pleasure. There really aren't a lot of Christm?as-th??emed video games, and although it does run the risk of overstaying its welcome during, say, the spring and summer seasons, I think this is something I'll want to go back to every year to re-experience, even if it's just for a few zombie beat-down sessions.

I actually dig the tone. There's still silliness abound, but the voice acting and animations teeter on the edge of camp quite well while feeling like there was a concerted amount of effort put into it. I'm not sold on Frank, though. He kind of reminds me of a less interesting Ash Williams (of Evil Dead fame), a parallel that's even ??more on point now that F??rank is approaching the same age as the boomstick-toting unlikely badass (Ash is in his 50s in the new fantastic Starz show, while Frank is 52). Capcom Vancouver has noted that it was going for a more "grizzled, mature, older take" on Frank here, but also incorporate elements like getting bonus points for taking selfies next to corpses. I mean, you have Servbot costumes and giant mechsuits -- just roll with it. Or better yet, just don't have Frank.

And while some things stay the same, others change. I straight up do not like that the timer is gone in the main mode -- there's no way around it. For those who are unaware (or all too aware, and were turned off by it), the original games had a time table, where you had to do certain things or risk either failing missions (cases), or worse, deal with a game over screen. It was annoying in some cases and thrilling in others, as it encouraged multiple playthroughs to really see everything. Even then, you'd hear about something exciting weeks later that you never even knew existed, and were spurred into finding it yourself. That sense of discovery was partially what made the Souls series special,  ;before F?rom Software helped make that concept a mainstay.

Plus, having an arcade mode in past games (yes, they existed) was a perfect way to indulge in doing whatever you wanted. It was an option that was always there, and taking away a large chunk of what makes Dead Rising, as a series, so interesting is a shame. The lack of story co-op and specific save points in this iteration I can forgive, but the removal of a timer takes away a lot of the suspense. Bringing back that timer in the upcoming Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising paid DLC (that's als?o part of a Season Pass) is a sleazy move.

The inventory and crafting system have been simplified to turn Dead Rising more into a beat-'em-up, but it still retains the finite durability of items. It's give and take. I'm into the instant crafting on the radial menu from the field, and the sheer amount of combo weapons and vehicles. It's an excuse to pick up everything and stay out of the menus and in the action as you're crafting right on the spot. But the side effect is that the new direction absolutely cripples healing items. Food is basically a health pack now instead of the elaborate mix-and-match cooking system of the past. It makes zero sense because there are also medkit items in the game, and to make matters worse, they don't even have their own dedicated slots -- they just show up as generic "+" symbols in your inventory (you start with ?two, and can unlock more).

What Capcom Vancouver has done is effectively gamified a lot of the natural elements that were present in the original. This is something that's been done in bits and pieces in the sequels and spinoffs, but never fully realized until this iteration. It's not that it's bad, mind, just less special when it feels like something you've done a hundred times before in other games. If you didn't like carrying five food items and one weapon just to survive in the past, you'll probably like this system more. Or, you'll forget about some shortcomings while you sprint down the city streets in an Exo Suit, ripping zombie??s in half as you stomp about.

But as off-kilter as the presentation is, there's a lot to love. For one, the best thing about bringing Frank back, in turn, brings back the camera and photo-shoot mechanic. The concept of taking pictures in a first-person mode to earn experience is lifted wholesale from the first game (and Off the Record), but it still hasn't gotten old, mostly because it doubles as an official p??hoto mode that doesn't have to be patched in months later. Selfies, as much as I dislike the practice in general, actually serve a purpose in granting you additional XP, and add to the thrill of taking a photo in a hairy situation. There's also some "investigative" sections that are like mini room-size seek-and-finds that?? help break up the pacing.

For the most part, the team at Capcom Vancouver got away with taking the existing lore and making it their own. They're allowed some liberties in retconning the original setting because it's been rebuilt after the initial disaster. There's no Psychopaths -- they're called "Maniacs" now, but they're basically the same. I never got why people carried water for Psychos in the first place as only a select few are worth talking about in each entry, and the same goes for Dead Rising 4. Although I'm not happy with the gutting of many core mechanics, it's important to realize that a lot of th??is iteration is business as usual, which is a good thing, ev??en if it does feel a little easier in general.

Multiplayer exists, but it's not really worth getting excited for based on my limited testing of the mode (and extensive solo-play sessions). It's separate from the core campaign as I touched on previously, and consists of four episodes that amount to a horde mode/Call of Duty zombies mashup. You have your safe rooms to buy items in, missions (challenges, really) to complete, and so on. It's boilerp??late co-op stuff for up to four players. I don't have any intention of sticking with it.

For those of you who have been scared off by Dead Rising in the past, maybe this is your time. No, I'm not happy about a lot of the design changes, but the fact of the matter is Capcom Vancouver has created an amazing world to slice and dice in, even on par with my favorite setting so far -- Fortune City. If you absolutely abhor the idea of changing Dead Rising, I would stay away from 4, ??but coming in with an?? open mind will serve you well.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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So out of touch with fans it's not even funny

I'm mad. I'm so peeved reading the interview between Capcom Vancouver and GamesInd??ustry.biz I don't even know where to begin. How about a series recap? Dead Rising was an amazing Xbox 360 exclusive titl??e that came out of nowhere in late 2006 and became an instant classic.

I remember going over to my friends house before I even had a 360 to not only play it, but get all 1000 Achievement points that weekend. The idea was so simple but so fun. Walk around a mall like Dawn of the Dead and? use anything and everything to ward off zombies, including boxer shorts and beam swords you unlock in the fun survivor mode (which I didn't get to keep because my game froze upon letting a zombie kill me after spending 14+ consecutive hours getting the 7 Day Survivor Achievement). The best part is the humor they imbued the game with. When so many games try so hard to be so serious all the time, it was refreshing to have something goofy to just mess around in. The humor wasn't in-your-face and obnoxious, but subtle: mall music, silly costumes that showed in cutscenes, the eating animations, and Frank West's quippy one-liners. 

Dead Rising 2 was, to me, somehow even better. Not everyone agrees, but I think Chuck Greene was a perfect fit for the the subtle humor. His one-liners topped that of Frank West, and his more serious stone-cold face made goofy costumes even more hilarious. The biggest improvements were survivor AI, lowered difficulty, combo weapons, an??d online multiplayer. The combo weapons were stroke of genius that fit the series so perfectly it makes you wonder how they weren't in the first game. The online multiplayer was surprisingly excellent. Getting into crazy zombie antics with a friend in co-op made the experience that much more insane, memorable, and most of all, fun.

Competitive online was a contest on the in-universe reality show Terror is Reality with fun zombie-slaying mini-games, and the cash you won transferred to your campaign save. Off the Record was an update that added new weapons, replaced the superior Chuck Greene with Frank West because too many people complained about not having West, changed the story slightly, and even added a whole new amusement park area. Dead Rising 2 is seriously? one of my favorite games of all time.

And then Dead Rising 3 happened. I didn't even buy it or play it myself and it has sold about 500,000 less copies worldwide than its predecessors. They sucked out the camp, humor, and color. They took out the mall aspect and threw you into some brown neighborhood. Instead of a pretentious, campy story that you don't have to give much thought to, they tried to make it deeply serious but it came out boring. The only goofiness that remains is some absurd weapons and costumes that feel more like tacked-on excuses to say "You see guys, we're still silly!" rather than heartfelt effort. The costume changes still reflect in the cutscenes but the humor of it is not as effective when your story is actually taking itself seriously. It reviewed fine, and plays fine on a technical level, but when talking about classic Dead Rising experiences, no one is going to be talking about Dead Rising 3.

Capcom Vancouver was originally called Blue Castle Games before being bought out by Capcom following the release of the last good Dead Rising game, Dead Rising 2. It shouldn't surprise anyone the series transformed into a generic, creatively-?barren husk after such an acquisition.

Dead Rising 4 looks to be headed further down the line of Dead Rising 3 and further away from what made this series great. For a while I was excited. "Hey maybe they'll learn that people want to have fun and go back to the old games." Boy was I wrong. Just look at the header of this article; does that look like Dead Rising to you? Besides the lack of color, they ripped out co-op altogether, brought back Frank but replaced his voice actor despite fan requests, and removed the time factor that only peo??ple who don't understan?d it complain about.

It's not a time limit because like in Majora's Mask, you have always been able to reset back to the beginning and keep everything but your expendable inventory. If you just wanted to explore and fuck around you did not&??nbsp;have to do story missions. It will let you continue to play even once the main missions fail. When you want to do the main story, they give y?ou ample time.

The time component, much like in Shenmue and Majora's Mask, allows for the open world given to you to be dynamic and change. Environments and weather change and quests and NPCs are available only at certain times. Some people go on to complain about Zombrex in DR2, but once you find a few locations it takes no time at all to get them for progressing through the story. Sometimes it's good to listen to fans, but sometimes it's better to stick to your original vision. Not that Capcom listens to its fans; otherwise Frank would have his original voice actor in Dead Rising 4, it would be ?a colorful campy again again, and it would include ??co-op.

So finally let's get to the interview that I've bee?n putting off for the sake of my health. Grab your emesis bags. Capcom Vancouver studio head Joe Nickolls explains the series' directi??on to GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring.

They first talk about the writing and Nickolls mentions how they not only have three writers, but mentions how much better they are than their previous writers because one worked on Deus Ex. He explains, or perhaps relays from corporate, "This time we ??got a proper video game designer/writer. Anyone, theoretically, can write a story, but writing a story that makes sense and that you can play, that's a real skill. Right down to getting behind why these characters are doing this, why would that guy snap and wear that stupid costume? Those are the sorts of questions we're asking. 90 percent of the con?sumers who play this game, they don't think as much as we do about these things, but for the 10 percent that do want that depth, we've got it."

First of all, why are you even hiring someone who wrote Deus Ex instead of, say, the writer for King's Quest (2015), let alone the writers of the first two games? That's almost as bad as BioWare replacing Drew Karpyshyn with Mac Walters for Mass Effect. More importantly, you want to write more into why he puts on costumes? Pardon my Al Bhed but who the fuck wants something like that explained? Oh, Nickolls answered: no one but we did ??it anyway. He even says later on, "The internet has allowed everyone to become a critic, and everyone is equal on the internet. I think the way that Capcom, and our studio in particular, wins is by talking to them." Which is it, guys? You say you listen to fans when it comes to stupid decisions, but when it goes against what the fans want you just shift away and say "well we're the developers with experience so were doing it anyway."

Nickolls continues to talk in circles, seemingly unsure if they really should listen to fans or not and sometimes sounding like he's complaining about them. "One of our goals is to really make a product that means we can make Dead Rising 5, 6, 7. That involves expanding and changing the franchise, and therefore sometimes we need to take risks. That means some people will be upset with what you did...Bryce and I have been doing this for such a long time that we remember the very first time that a second analogue stick came out. I remember working at EA and they were making NHL, which was the first sp??orts game to use the right stick. And people were like: 'I hate it. I'm not using it.' Now everyone uses it. Steve Jobs said it best when he said: 'A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.'"

Oh okay, so we don't know that we don't actually want color, camp, fun, original voice actors, and co-op, right? Deep down we actually want what Capcom market research deems we should want: brown and grey color palettes, an overly serious stories, and a lack of features. Are they seriously implying gamers don't know what they want? This just c?omes across as an excuse to ignore fans whenever it is convenient for them.

When they bring in testers to try out the game and comment on changes such as making a button to automatically consume food from your inventory instead of having to m??anually select it in your inventory, Nickolls remarks, "Some people didn't like that, they said it took things away from the original game. But everyone asked for it, it tested really well... we don't just do it and hope for the best."

Dring counters that "there is a risk of over focus-testing your products, and stripping out great ideas or moments just because a small group of players didn't appreciate it" to which Bryce Cochrane agreeably states: "That's why you have to go with your gut a little bit, too. You have to be committed to the franchise, and you have to listen. But you also have to push through when you think something is right. So even if it doesn't test well to begin with, as you keep pushing and revising it, ?you get somewhere."

So there you have it. They aren't ?stupid, they know what's dumb and who shouldn't be influencing game design decisions, but they don't apply this logic to changes that are obviously made to cater to casuals ?and attempt to widen the audience.

Who exactly is play-testing the games? If you harp so much on gamers not knowing what they want and deferring to your experience as a game developer, these decisions to make it more casual that longtime fans don't want to see changed should be the place where you say no to demand. This is where you "push through when you think something is right." But I get it; Capcom is in charge of the castle now, and it needs to make it like every other brown action game to make even more money. Even though Dead Rising 3 didn't sell as well as the first t??wo. Logic!

So what's the g??ame about, then? "The message behind the game is around consumerism and Black Friday, and we're asking: who is the monster? The zombies running around or is it what caused everyone to f??ight each other and demand these products and services? I often say this is not the thinking man's game, but there are some messages in there that might make you think a little bit more than usual." 

Is this a dream? Am I alive right now? Do they really think people care at all about the most generic, cliché "who is the real monster?" crap in a series where you put a Rambo-inspired teddy bear on an automated wheelchair equipped with machine guns? If I want to see the more serious side of a zombie apocalypse and the sort of choices humans make in such a scenario, I'll go watch The Walking Dead or play the Telltale games, thanks. 

In response to the Black Friday theme and question of who is the real monster, Dring completely misunderstands South Park, saying, "Having made their statement on the evils of consumerism, the South Park writers wryly end the story by promoting their upcoming consumer product, the video game South Park: The Stick of Truth. I had to ask if Capcom Vancouver is embracing that same deliberate, comical hypocrisy, on one hand condemning how Christmas has become about buying things, whilst simultaneously making a game for people to buy that comes out just before Christmas." South Park never takes a strong stance either way on certain topics, but makes fun of all sides equally to literally make fun of th?e situation for the sake of entertainment, not political messaging.

Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker go so far that you sometimes can't even tell if they are mocking something directly, or mocking people's perception of that thing. For example, there are people who think Manbearpig is making fun of Al Gore and global warming as a chimera of different things whose resultant entity is not real (or is it?), but there are just as many people who think it is instead insulting that very idea: that people view global warming as an imaginary chimera. This ambiguity is intentional and consistent across the history of South Park. As you'd expect, Nickolls hesitates and avoids addressing the question posed to him about whether or not they are being hypocritical by selling a product that may critique consumerism. Maybe because Dead Rising doesn't, or a??t least shouldn't, discuss politics.

Nickolls isn't wrong when he offers a bit of wisdom to criticism in general: "Often, the people that are the most vocal are the ones that have something negative to say. It is always the way." That's no doubt true of me and this article, to be sure. But the most vocal and most negative are often the people who care the most, the people who most want to see you succeed. I don't talk about Deus Ex and each new entry's flaws because I don't care. I care about Dead Rising because I love the older games so much and I just want to see them return to form, but I am really losing hope. Especially with comments like, "This game needs to compete against Call of Duty, and it also has to compete against South Park." No, your game does not need to compete against Call of Duty, and it won't even come close.

If you feel sick, you should, though I wouldn't direct any hate at either Mr. Nickolls or Mr. Cochrane as they are probably just relaying what Capcom tells them to say. Dead Rising 4 releases for Xbox One and Windows on December 6, 2016, otherwise known as my birthday. You know what else releases on my birthday? The Last Guardian. Take a guess which one is getting my birthday yen. Hint: the one made with hear??t.

Capcom Vancouver discuss fan fury, Black Friday consume?rism and why triple-A studios should support indies [GamesIndustry.biz]

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21 minutes of searing entertainment

The yule log was always a curious tradition to me. I could understand burning your own piece of wood (fire is awesome), but why do people put on a video of someone else torching crap? Heck, there are numerous DVDs you can buy from Amazon just to ?get into the season. My friend's dad pr?obably owns all of them, too.

Well, if you're one of the few who does partake in this past time, Capcom certainly has a treat for you. To promote the soon-to-be-released Dead Rising 4, there is a new 21-minute-long yule log video that features zombified body parts being thrown into a fire with Dead Rising themed Christmas music playing. The idea is cute, especially if you actually like watching a fire pit for extended peri??ods of time.

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Frank goes solo

With each new update for Dead Rising 4, my enthusiasm diminishes. In what is sure to be the final nail in the coffin for most, Frank West's new adventure won't feature campaign co-op. In a special stream on the ExpertZone_Community Twitch channel, Capcom Vancouver played a demo with some employees answering q?uestions about the upcoming zombie action game.

David McAnerin (who was surprisingly hard to find on Google) gave a definitive response on whether or not the story mode would feature co-op of any form. The short, sad answer is no. The longer answer can be read in this transcript (or in the video at the 18:10 time stamp);

Fan Question: Is this game going to be four player co-o??p and if so, what&?rsquo;s the type of mode is it?

Capcom (David McAnerin, Producer): Yeah, we have an online four player mode. So, in th??e story mode, it’s a single player story mode, you’re going to play just as Frank…The four player co-op is our multiplayer mode. It’s a little bit inspired by the original Infinity mode for the old school fans.

It’s four player co-op. It takes place in the mall. You play as four survivors who are also featured in the story as well. You get a little more backstory on them, as well. You go into the mall and take part? in crazy missions, trying to survive.

The structure is, the four of you start the game together, you start in a safe house; you get a load up, get some weapons, get yourself ready to go?; we unlock the doors, it’s killing, mayhem, madness lots of interesting missions that take advantage of our systems…You have to get to the safe house to survive the end of the day.

To me, that sounds more like Left 4 Dead or some lame throwaway bonus mode. The true joy of Dead Rising 2 was experiencing everything with a friend. While I've certainly enjoyed the series on my own, I had a transformative experience with both 2 and Off The Record when playing with friends, so to lose that jus?t ?hurts.

I'm not sure I can even muster up the energy to care about this title anymore. With T.J. Rotolo being replaced and the time limit getting cut, what is left in Dead Rising 4 to even tie it back to the main series? ??No two games in a series s?hould be the same, but this seems to be catering to a mainstream audience.

I'm really tired of reading about companies turning their backs on the fans that made them famous. Dead Rising was successful because it offered something new and hilarious during a period where the Xbox 360 was still making a name for itself. Fans liked all of the crazy opportunities present along with the rigid and u?nforgiving structure of the title.

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Little mall of horrors

Dead Rising 4 ??releases on December 6 and has a Christmas bent. That means Frank West is left counting down the holidays. Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving...

While patiently waiting for his turn, Frank likes to get creative. Like in this video where he puts the reason for the season to good use and slays zombies while in themed apparel. "More tricks, more treats" the traile??r promises as he holds an electrified battle axe high while wearing a pumpkin on his head. 

Costumes and killing aplenty, both now and when Dead Rising 4 actually releases. Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean?? that it isn't a good time to play dress up.

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(Not so) FANTASTIC!

Microsoft has announced through Xbox Wire that Dead Rising 4 will be receiving a season pass. Th?is all encompassing DLC pass will be included in the Digital Deluxe edition of the game and will feature two major add-ons along with some cosmetic items and w??eapons. The joy can be felt around the world (in the morgue).

For one small purchase of $19.99 USD (available to buy at Dead Rising 4's launch) or $79.99 USD for the "deluxe" bundle (currently up for pre-order), players will be given access to the Stocking Stuffer Holiday Pack, Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf and Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising. Details for each are as follows:

• Stocking Stuffer Holiday Pack: Frank West is home for the holidays and he’s got a naughty list the size of Willamette, Colorado. Tear up the streets with festive weapons, zombies, vehicles, costumes and more.

• Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf: You’ve mastered the outbreak – now it’s time to master the green, with eighteen holes of pure wanton destruction you can play with up to three friends online. Flip zombies the birdie where bloodthirsty, over the top zombie mayhem is par for the course. The world of Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf is extreme and the fairways are the town of Willamette, Colorado, including the iconic Willamette Memorial Megaplex Mall. Use Frank West’s favorite weapons as your set of golf clubs. With an oversized golf ball, drive down the fairways, reaching for the green to nail the perfect putt. Watch your score as you do not want to bogey in this zombie filled eighteen-hole golf course. Mini golf is made crazier with the zombie horde as obstructions and hazards. Dead Rising Fore!

• Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising: In this DLC, Frank West is freshly infected and needs to find a cure before he becomes a zombie and is lost forever. While searching for a cure, Frank discovers that everything is not the same as it was; zombies are getting smarter, people cannot be trusted and paramilitary forces are plotting to wipe out Willamette. Frank has a limited time before he reverts to the full zombie state and the city is wiped out. Frank will have to get to the truth first… or die trying.

Honestly, the mini golf add-on sounds really funny, but the others are just sad. The last one sounds like the original game and the first is just lame. How does this all justify $25? I suppose you can save $5 by getting the deluxe bundle, but even t??hen...

For anyone who actually wants to get this season pass, the game will be releasi??ng (with the pass) on December 6 in the US for Xbox One and Windows 10 (with a cross-buy purchase). Japanese gamers will have to wait until December 8, but they probably won't bother until this eventually makes its way to PS4.

Dead Rising 4: Deluxe Edition Available for Pre-Order and Season Pass Con??tents Revealed [Xbox Wire]

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Faaaaaantastic!

Savvy fans will have noticed that Frank West's voice has changed in Dead Rising 4. Longstanding actor, T.J. Rotolo, was not asked to return for the role and many fans were puzzled. Capcom has now let out some details about its plans with Dead Rising 4.

Trant Lee-Aimes, Dead Rising asset manager, stated in a fan Q&A, "We wanted to work with someone to provide a more grizzled, older take on Frank at this stage. I??t's no disrespect to history or previous actors--TJ has done a bang-up job."

While I normally won't harp on changes in actors, this paints a picture of being misguided with regards to the series. Fans liked a particular aspect and Capcom seems to be ignoring its audience. That wouldn't be new territory for the company, but it still sucks to hear.

Splinter Cell Blacklist did something similar with Sam Fisher and the results were a character that, for all intents and purposes, was a different person. It felt like Ubisoft didn't have enough confidence in a new series, so it tacked-on the Splinter Cell name.

As for why Frank is now a grizzled veteran, I don't really have any answers. I suppose characters evolve over time, but Frank was nothing more than a caricature. I may have taken the first Dead Rising too seriously when I was 18, but t?he?? games are mostly B-grade conspiracy stories.

Hopefully this and the loss of the time limit aren't spelling a bad turn for the series.

Dead Rising 4: Why Capcom Went With Different Frank West Actor [GameSpot]

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Generation Me

[I've never unleashed a scalding hot "Millennials are ruining the world" take before. Bear with me as I perfect the artform.]

We all shudder to think what would happen if there was an honest-to-god zombie ??apocalypse. Panic in the streets, screams of terror ringing through the night, the total collapse of society.

There may not be any flesh-eating monsters yet, but I think we've already reached society's collapse. Millennials are roa?ming the streets with their heads buried in their phones. They don't crave blood, they crave likes and favorites. They don't interact with the people around them, they interact with Khloe Kardashian. Millennials are just zombies by another name.

This Dead Rising 4 trailer is Exhibit A. Frank West, a professional photographer of all things (making use of that liberal arts degree!) would rather take selfies than fend off the undead horde. As the kids say, "SMDH." That's a level of vanity that's unfathomable ??to anyone who was raised as a part of this country's greatest generation. Humble and hard-working, Frank West is not.

On the off-chance that West escapes that mall alive, what do we have to look forward to? Him and his like bumping into us on crowded streets, never courteous enough to acknowledge our existe?nce? Millennials don't deserve this great world we made for them, so I'll take my chances on the zombies.

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Right on time!

Dead Rising has always been a divisive series among gamers for one specific reason; it fostered a strict tim??e limit. Instead of being given free reign over the game world, pla??yers were forced to complete tasks on time with harsh penalties for failure (often a game restart).

The upcoming fourth game is forgoing the entire system. Unlike Dead Rising 3 which o?ffered the time limit as an option, Frank West is going to have all the time in the world to explore Willamette in the upcoming sequel. I'm not sure how I personally feel about this.

Dead Rising 3 wasn't bad (and the time limit was pointless), but stripping the series of its most iconic feature feels wrong. If the first Dead Rising didn't feature a time limit, it wouldn't have been much different from something like Grand Theft Auto.

Then again, the most fun I'??ve had with each game has been experimenting with different weapons and trying on all the absurd costumes. I'm not sure I would care without s?o much urgency.

Why Dead Rising 4's ??Campaign Ditches the Series' Most Divisive Mechanic [GameSpot]

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Sharpen up those candy canes

There are certain games I categorize as "gloriously stupid," and the Dead Rising games fit into that category. Games like this emphasize fun over reality, and are an excuse for weapon designers and modelers to let their imaginations run free. You definitely get a sense of the fun they had making stuff up when looking at Dead Rising 4's weapons. ?Earlier today, we received a listing of t??he retailer-exclusive DLC incentives. Except for the Microsoft Store bonus, all of these are for North American stores only.

Pre-ordering the game from the Microsoft Store grants access to the X-fists. These oversized legally-distinct-from-Hulk Hands are a melee weapon that can be used while in Frank's Exo Suit. One of the other promotional images shows a similar set of fists, so this item may be available as a palette swap?? in the main game without pre-ordering.

Ordering from GameStop gets you the recipe for the Steampunk Snowman, which freezes ?enemies in place and sets them up to be shattered. Since this is a combo weapon, you'll probably have to find the parts y??ourself and combine them at a workbench.

Buying the game at Best Buy before launch will unlock the Candy Cane Crossbow. Since Dead Rising 4 is set nea??r Christmas, ammo for this thing will probably be plentifu?l, at least.

Finally, pre-ordering the game from Amazon will net you the Slicecycle, a motorcycle with twin chainsaws strapped to the handlebars. This one made its debut in Dead Rising 2, which starred professional motorcyclist Chuck Greene. It's a great way to pump up your kill count if you're working on the "Zombie Genocidest" achievements that alway?s make their way into these games.

The press release also provided a little more information about one of Dead Rising 4's power-ups, the ??Exo Suit. This see?ms to boost Frank's strength immensely, but only lasts for two minutes.

Personally, I'm not a fan of splitting up content like this, but in previous Dead Rising games, all of the reta??il-specific pre-order bonuses became available later on as paid DLC. Here's hoping this game follows suit after it launches on December 6.

Dead Rising 4 Pre-Order bonuses detailed [Microsoft]

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It's the most wonderful time of the year

Dead Rising 4 is not a remake as some of us initially thought and some folks still think, b?ut it does lean on fond memories of the 2006 original. Photojournalist Frank West is back in Willamette, Colorado following another zombie outbreak and he's picked up a few new tricks: selfies and "military grade" exo suits.

The E3 demo was set in the snowy streets of Willamette, and its lone story mission had me tracking down a patrol of lost soldiers??. They were in a fire station, which meant Frank (and I, living vicariously through Frank) got to slide down a fireman's pole. Nice.

Even better? A cryo-sword that turned zombies? into oh-so-breakable ice sculptures. After joyfully smashing them all to pieces, I found the lost ??(but totally deceased) soldiers strung up on a wall and did what any hip, camera-wielding maniac would do: posed next to their bodies with my tongue stretched out. You have control over Frank's facial expressions, which is something I didn't even know I wanted.

You can also still take photos of, say, a helicopter firing down on hundreds of infected and you'll score a bunch of points because that's a cool, chaotic shot. And while I didn't get to experience much of it, Capcom Vancouver will have players using the camera's spectrum analyzer for clue gathering in the vein of something like Condemned.

What's up with the exo suits? They're time-limited power-ups, essentially. There will be customization similar to how you can craft far-fetched "combo" weapons, but for the demo, I just had access to a basic frame. Still, it was powerful enough that I could rip a parking meter out of the ground and repeatedly smack cars into the squishy horde. Dead Rising 4 is ridiculous, and thank goodness for that.

There was so much I didn't get to see and only heard about, including new types of infected and the mall itself, but I like the foundation. Especially the Christmas decorations. I mostly just got a general feel for the action (shooting, swinging, and throwing is streamlined) and the tone (we're back to Frank's brand of silliness), but for now, that's enough to go on. I skipped Dead Rising 3. I won't miss this.

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Fine

In this era of immediacy, we don't have to wait too long for companies to break their silences -- we can just bug them on Twitter.

After being asked about the exclusive terms for Dead Rising 4, which debuted at the Microsoft conference, Capcom Vancouver responded, "You'll be able to play it first on Xbox One and Windows 10." The rep didn't specify if a PS4 port was in the cards when questioned, but the timed deal indicates that it is possible, and that it will most likely be available as a PC wide release outside of Windows 10 at worst. Daily Mirror writer Ryan Brown has elaborated on this claim, stating that he was told this exclusivity is said to last one year, similar to Dead Rising 3, which eventually hit Steam.

With Microsoft pushing their "Play Anywhere" initiative though it won't be relegated to just the Xbox One right away, as people can ??look forward to picking it up on Windows 10.

Capcom Vancouver [Twitter]

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Gotta love that 'Die Hard Christmas' vibe

Those leaks were on point. Capcom unveiled Dead Rising 4 today at ??Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference and it's set during the holidays, with Frank West returning to bust up some zombie heads using a candy-cane launcher. I didn't play the last game, but I'm so into this, tonally.

The series' wackiness is in tact. At one point Frank wears a fire-breathing dinosaur head, and at anoth??er, he's in a super-powered suit smacking the horde with a cement-block hammer. And selfies. Gotta take those selfies.

Dead Rising 4 is headed to ?Xbox One and Windows 10 late?r this year.

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