I love to pick the brains of developers when given the chance, so I knew the opportunity to interview the developers of Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster ??was too good to pass up. However, something was lacking in this of?fer.

The offer was to ask “the development team�questions via email. Pressing for more information, I wasn’t told who my questions would be going to. That makes it difficult for me to know what sort of questions I should ask. Would they know anything about the development of the original? Whatever, I though?t, it could be interesting.

As it turns ou??t, my questions were answered by Producer Kei Morimoto, Art Direct??or Satoshi Takamatsu, and Director Ryosuke Murai. What’s more, I found their answers to be very insightful, so I am more than happy to share them with you. Stick around until the end to learn what is up with those convicts in the courtyard.

Zoey: With the original version of Dead Rising still available on modern platforms, ?why did it seem like a full graphic??al overhaul was necessary?

The original Dead Rising had an excellent game design when it first rel??eased, and even now, I think the game feels unique. That said, Dead Rising is an 18-year-old game with ce?rtain “usability�challenges by today’s gaming standards. The controls aren’t the most user-friendly for an action game either. Our goal was to preserve the original’s gameplay experience as much as possible, so we took a careful look at every element of the original game. I think the visual enhancements in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster are the most obvious change from the original game. The development team wanted to renew characters�aesthetics and background graphics and elevate the game’s visuals to modern standards in hopes of sharing the appeal of the Dead Rising series with an even wider audience of gamers.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: Was the goofy, B-movie tone of Dead Rising intended from the start, or did it happen organically as the gameplay began to develop and take shape? I guess what I??’m asking is: what’s up with that dark-?as-hell opening prologue cutscene?

From early stages of development, our goal was to create vi??suals with inspirations from the medium of film, but we were only able to achieve a B-movie level ??of production based on hardware limitations at the time.

For Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, we were able to create a creepy atmosphere, more realistic lighting effects, area-specific thematic designs, and even the finer details of a zombie outbreak �none of which were possible in the original game. Based on this, I think DRDR offers players the chance to experience the atmosphere of a horror movie. I was in charge of lighting design for the original game, so I’m elated to be able ??to reflect my learnings and know-how of the last 20 years in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Players often emphasize the more comical elements of Dead Rising, but the story itself is a serious one. Thus, I think it’s only natural that the prologue would set the tone with darker contents that make viewers feel like they’re stepping into dire Hell-like circumstances.

Satoshi Takamatsu (Art Director)

Zoey: Was there anything that you wa??nte??d to change or add to the remake that didn’t get implemented?

There are certain aspects of Frank’s move set and the Psychopaths�battle designs that could use some fine-tuning when compared to the breadth of action games available to gamers nowadays. We considered making significant adjustments to these elements, but we ultimately decided against major changes such as adding new skills to focus on creating a remaster that values players�memories of the original game. Instead, we made detailed adjustments to item and skill parameters, increased “usability�for some of Frank’s skills, and tweaked some of the Psychopaths�routines among other things to make it easier for players of all backgrounds to feel and appreciate the charm of the original game. If another opportunity presents itself, I’d love to take a stab at creating a unique and ex??citing action gameplay experience that preserves the essence of Dead Rising.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: Was it difficult?? to maintain the density of the zombie crowds when porting the game to the RE Eng??ine?

It was difficult trying to maintain zombie de??nsity while keeping gameplay elements intact. The engine and programming language used to develop Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster were both different from those used for the original ??game, so naturally we encountered some problems.

There were definitely some accidents with imaging where the number and density of zombies on screen didn’t match our expectations, but we plugged along and made corrections while cross-referencing the appearance and actual code of the original game. In addition, rendering a large number of zombies with higher polygon counts than those in the original game naturally?? impacted performance. Since reducing zombie count and density goes again??st DRDR’s concept, we made various optimizations to ensure we could maintain performance in the final product.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: One of my memories of the original Dead Rising on Xbox 360 is how frustrating it would get to try and lead survivors to safety. I didn’t have that same issue with the Deluxe Remaster, but I had trouble identifying what the specific improvements were. Can?? you explain what was changed?

While the frustration of guiding survivors in Dead Rising was certainly an issue, I think the humorous moments and the sense of achievement players felt when successfully rescuing survivors were also very memorable. For this reason, we’ve done our best to preserve survivors�original behaviors as their personalities, actions, and disregard for Frank’s requests illustrate how panic-stricken individuals would probably respond in a zombie outbreak. That said, we’ve made some adjustments to frustration-inducing elements that players can’t solve on their own, such as friendly fire among survivors o?r survivors getting stuck in certain areas due to a poor navigation system. I think these types of improvements have helped create a less frustrating ga??meplay experience that stays true to the original game.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Zoey: Did the mechanics and controls (good or bad) in later entr?ies in the Dead Rising series influenc??e what was changed in the Deluxe Remaster?

We made sure to analyze the gameplay systems and mechanics in previous Dead Rising games, but our priority for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster was to preserve the unique charm and appeal of the first mainline entry and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that modern action game fans can play the game comfortably. For this reason, we’ve made some changes to controls that make it easier to execute skills and commands characteristic of modern-day third person shooters. However, we have not made any adjustments that would drastically affect the gameplay loop and feel of the original Dead Ri?sing such as combo weapons or changes to item slot specifications.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: I’m sure there’s nothing to announce, but is there any desire to remake Dead Rising 2 in a similar way?

As part of Capcom’s strategy, we?’re always looking for opportunities to reactivate Capcom-owned IP’s, and we believe that Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is one title that fits well within that strategy. If Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster performs well, I think it could open up various possibilities for the Dead Rising series in the future.

Kei Morimoto (Producer)

Zoey: Why do the convicts keep coming back to life?

Similar to the original game, the convicts that players face after the i???nitial encounter on Day 1 are

supposed to be different peopl?e than the original trio.

Ryosuke Murai (Director)

Wow, I’m not sure if I considered the possibility that the respawning convicts were meant to represent different people. I think they technically have names and prisoner numbers, but perhaps their appearance wasn't vari??ed with the li?mitations at the time.

I also found the information about the game’s technology and art to be interesting. Satoshi Takamatsu suggested that the team was aiming for the feel of a higher-budget film and landing in B-movi?e territory to be fascinating. That makes me wonder about how Servbot heads and zombie bees came into the original vision, but I’m happy they did. Meanwhile, I imagined the challenge of getting the zombie hordes to fit on the RE Engine would be difficult, and the response from Murai certainly confirms it.

I really enjoyed Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. I have a soft spot for the original, but found as?pects of it to be frustrating, but in its overhaul, they’ve all been polished over making it closer to the experience I was hoping to have in 2006. Not every glow-up turns out quite as well, but it’s obvious the team knew the mission.

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I’ve often wondered: if Dead Rising had released a few years later, would it have done as well? Releasing in 2006, it was at a time wh?en people were just getting acquainted with the Xbox 360 and the new generation of hardware. Games released in that window often get a bump, both critically and sales-wise.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a massive soft spot for the original Dead Rising, partially because I played it during the 360’s honeymoon period. It was a convincing display of what would be possible in the new console generation with its hordes of zombies. However, I had my frustrations with it. Enough that my attempts to return to it years later never went very far. Well, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster addresses almost all of those complaints.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (PC [Reviewed], PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: September 18, 2024
MSRP: $49.99

If you haven’t played Dead Rising in the past 18 years, I’m going to remind you that it has a ridiculously dark opening cutscene before the game even starts. After that, it introduces Frank West, and less than an hour later, you might be dropping Servbot heads onto zombies or driving a lawnmower over the?m. It feels like one of the designers really hated the writer and wanted to undermine them at every turn. As such, Frank West has a character arc where he goes from seedy paparazzi to determined hero while also chugging back entire jugs of creamer.

The story involves said seedy paparazzi arriving in Willamette, Colorado, pursuing a story abo??ut strange happenings in the town. Upon arriving, he finds it infested with zombies. He clearly exists in a world where zombie movies exist, so either he’s never seen one, or he has terrible eyesight, because he drops onto the roof of a mall for closer inspection.

Despite having no ide??a what the situation is, he asks the helicopter pilot to pick him?? up in exactly 72 hours. Then, as he watches the helicopter pilot get chased off by the military, he just assumes that the guy will totally be back at the promised time.

Anyway, the mall gets filled with zombies,??? and Frank West searches for answers among the tide of undead. Weirdly, despite Willamette being a town of over 50,000 people, the answers are located exclusively in the mall.

The mall itself is a sandbox. With rare restrictions, you can roam and explore it as much as you want?. The whole town has shown up, so it’s packed wall-to-wall with walking carcasses, but with society temporarily suspended, you can help yourself to whatever you want to wield as a weapon.

It’s fun. The freedom the sandbox provides was always the best part. It leaves lots of room to experiment with the many, many things you can find. Frank West’s camera provi??ding extra experience points for certain compositions just gives more incentive for screwing around. You will also no doubt learn where all the bes??t stuff is, going back whenever you need more wine to chug.

What got stuck in the craw of many, back in 2006, is the fact that you’re on the clock. Frank West is expecting his ride out 72 hours after he arrives, and there is an in-game day/ni??ght system constantly ticking. The main story objectives have to be done within a certain time and within a certain window. If you miss them, you’re lining yourself up for the bad ending.

On top of that, people will occasionally materialize. These take t??he form of survivors and psychopaths. The survivors are hapless people who have taken shelter in the mall. You can, optionally, save them and take them to the security room where everyone is holed up. The psychopaths, you can’t reason with. They’re also optional (for the most part) and take the form of boss battles. Your ending doesn’t depend on them, but? there are bonuses you can get for taking care of them.

What annoyed me most about the original version of Dead Rising wasn’t the time limit. In fact, I think the time??r is a great mechanic that adds a sense of urgency. No, it was trying to get the survivors to safety that vexed me greatest. Eventually, I just stopped trying to save them at all.

The survivors in Deluxe Remaster are not a whole lot brighter, but they’re much better at, well, surviving.?? I’m not entirely clear on what entirely changed with them. They will still follow you directl??y into a zombie horde, but they’ve got a Teflon coat on. Zombies don’t seem as eager to attack them, and they can easily slip through even tight packs. The result is that saving survivors is actually an enjoyable experience. Instead of avoiding them, I would plan my route through the mall to grab as many as I could to take back to the security room.

Speaking of the security room, the second most annoying problem I found with Dead Rising 2006 was Otis. This is largely because I originally played it on an SDTV where it had the notorious problem of having an unreadably small font for subtitles and Otis did not have a voice-over. He'd call constantly about survivors and mall locatio?ns, and I couldn't even read what he was saying. Now, not only can I read the subtitles, b?ut Otis talks. He’s no longer a nuisance, but a friend.

Deluxe Remaster is a much better experience overall??. The big graphical glow-up manages to make things look a lot more modern without losing the overall feel of the original, but the subtle? tweaks are what really make it so much more enjoyable.

There are some changes that got highlighted by others that didn’t really bother me. The voice actors, for example, have changed. TJ Rotolo was replaced by Ja??s Patrick as the voice of Frank West, which doesn’t sit well with some. I understand why some fans would be disappointed, but I barely noticed the di??fference. Likewise, one character was changed from what could be interpreted as an offensive stereotype into something more generic, and another had their lines replaced with something subtler. Personally, I don’t think these are big, upsetting changes, even if I don’t really think they’re necessary. It all depends on where you’re coming from.

One place that I did have an i?ssue was with performance. While playing on the PC version, I found that things ran very well for the most part, except it would hitch and stutter frequently. Usually, if a camera angle changed, it was accompanied with a visual pause. I’ve read some possible fixes?? online, but have yet to try them. There’s also a good chance you won’t see these at all, considering that PC environments vary substantially. It wasn’t even a deal-breaker for me, but it was intrusive.

For me, the benefits of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s modernization far outweigh the problems. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I was fondly lukewarm of the original version. Deluxe Remaster makes enough changes that I can say without?? reser?vation that I enjoyed it. A lot.

When Dead Rising launched in 2006, it was an inventive game. It felt like a game that was informed by the new possibilities afforded to it by the new generation of hardware. But it had a lot of problems that were easier to overlook through the lens of the time period. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster retains the things that made it great while addressing everything that held it back. The gra??phical upgrade just helps it shine brighter.

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

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If wandering around a mall filled with the undead, armed with whatever you can get your hands on, sounds like a good time, then Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is wha?t you need to be playing. In the game, you’ll come across plenty of zombies, but also plenty of people who need your help dealing with them.

On??e of these scoops is the Japanese Tourists you’ll find in the mall with you. Getting them to safety can be tough if you don’t know how to do it. If you need help rescuing these two travelers, we’re here to give you all the answers you need.

Where to find the Japanese Tourists in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Otis will call you about these two Japanese tourists on the first day at 10 PM. The p?air you’re looking for can be found inside of the Sir Book-a-lot store in ??the Wonderland Plaza. These two men, Yuu and Shinji, are trying to get out of the store.

Unfortunately, since Frank doesn’t speak any Japanese, and t??hey don’t speak any English, there’s a problem.?? They don’t trust Frank and won’t go with him to the Security Room. 

How to get the Japanese Tourists to follow you in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

In order to communicate with the Japanese tourists and get them to follow you for a rescue, you’ll? need to find the Japanese Conversation book. Luckily, this book can be found in the same bookstore you find the tourists in —Sir Book-a-lot. 

As mentioned, the Japanese tourists are ?inside of the Sir Book-a-lot store, so go back to the entrance to find the book. Be aware that it can spawn in different spots, but it will most likely be behind t??????????????????????????he counter, on the shelf just to the right. It will be a yellow book and labeled clearly. Browse the shelves until you find it, then pick it up.

Be quick when locating the book, and don’t abandon the tourists once you find it. They might wander outside, and be at a much higher risk of being killed. Luckily zombies aren't as difficult to fight as the Special Forces. As soon as you find the Japanese Conversation book, head back to converse with t?he tourists. They’ll argue for a moment, then decide to follow you.

Feel free to dump the book when ??you’ve successfully gotten them t?o follow you, to free up an inventory slot.

All that’s left is to get them to safety. Sinc?e you can pick up this scoop while completing Out of Control, we recommend doing them together so you can take the shortcut from Wonderland Plaza to Paradise Plaza. This will make their rescue much easier.

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Zombies are one thing, but when the Special Forces show up in Dead Rising, it’s a whole ‘nother ball game. It does?n’t matter how well-armed you are; they will shoot back. More frustratingly, ??they’re armored. So, what is the best way to defeat them?

The Spec Ops soldiers are a heavy presence on the fourth day: Overtime Mode. They arrive at the Willamette Mall and immediately start gu?nning everything down indiscriminately. On the plus side, they do ??a lot to thin the hordes of zombies, but they’re also a lot more dangerous. They largely travel in pairs, and they can easily be identified by their flashlights and laser pointers. They’ll also loudly proclaim that they’ve spotted you, so it’s hard not to know when one is nearby.

They’re all armed. Most of them carry automatic assault rifles, while some go as far as packing a rocket launcher. Again, this comes with the advantage that you can take their weapons, which are very effective against zom??bies. However, they’re armored. It takes quite a number of bullets to take them down, and headshots don’t work against their helmet. It can still be an effective strategy to just unload on them until they drop, but not the faster, and it leaves you open to attacks from elsewhere.

How to one-hit kill Spec Ops soldiers in Dead Rising

There is a way to instantly kill Spec Ops soldiers in Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster, and it isn’t very hard. It won’t take any uses off of your weapon, and i?t can be done quickl??y.

By the fourth day, you should have significantly leveled up Frank. If you’re above level 20, you probably have the “Lift Up�skill, and if you’re above level 26, it’s possible you have “Suplex.�Both of these skills are used similarly, and both will eliminate soldiers with one hit. They’re also performed rather easily. You hold RB and press X next to the soldier on Xbox controllers and R1 and Square on PlayStation. The difference is that Lift Up is done when the soldier is facing you, while for Suplex, you need t??o get behind them. Suplex is a single move, however, whereas Lift up is the action of first picking the soldier up, then another to throw them.

To get close to the soldier, make use of your roll. Keep moving and zigzag while rolling, and you should be able to close the distance rather quickly. Once you’re next to them, the soldier is help?less. If you’re lucky, you can simply walk up behind them and grab them before they notice you. You don’t even have to be careful about it; their situational awareness?? is not very impressive.

There are ??o??ther skills that Frank learns, such as Face Crusher and Disembowel that are just as effective, but you don’t learn them until later on at levels you might not even reach until New Game+.

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I was in college in 2006 when Dead Rising came out. HDTVs were already not in the majority of homes, but they were definitely a rarity in?? dorms. It was years before I learned what Otis was trying to tell me.

There was a common issue with Dead Rising: the font on subtitles was too small to read on SDTVs. You could often make out what was writt??en on screen, but it would take effort. More effort than you could fit into the timeframe it remained ?visible.

Otis was the worst. He contacts you regularly to tell you the location of survivors and would talk to you ??as you try to safely navigate past hordes of zombies. Trying to discern the microscopic text while watching your movements was next to impossible. Then, he’d get offended if he was interrupted for any reason. We all hated Otis.

But not anymore, because Otis�dialogue is voice acted in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Too bad?? my days of playing it on a standard definition display are long past.

Dead Rising was an impressive, influential, and ambitious game for 2006, but it was also a flawed one. I loved it when it was first released, but I can clearly remember a lot of frustration. Beyond Otis calling my a jerk for getting interrupted, the controls weren’t great and escorting survivors was also a quick sh??ortcut to going mad.

If you weren’t around, Dead Rising is the story of boastful an??d somewhat? sleazy photojournalist Frank West, as he drops into a zombie-infested mall to try and uncover a scoop that will make him famous. Unfortunately, he has to wait three days for his ride back to safety to arrive, and when it comes to finding a story, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

You’re left to run around a sandbox-ish mall full of zombies. There’s a persistent clock running, counting down 72 in-game hours u??ntil you’re saved. There’s a central plot that requires you to be in specific places at specific times, but you’re otherwise free to explore, save people in need of help, or take down “psychopaths�who have s??napped beneath the weight of zombie-induced stress.

Deluxe Remaster doesn’t really change that. Well, ??aside from re??ducing the frustration.

Many of Deluxe Remasters�changes aren’t even immediately noticeable. In fact, if your memory is flawed, or you just didn’t play as much of the 2006 version as I did, you might only notice that it looks nicer. But that’s only because Capcom has been sly a?bout what got upgraded in terms of gameplay.

You might think that weapons always had a durability gauge, but the truth was that you just had to guess. Your katana would doubt??lessly let you down by snapping when you needed it most. Now you can tell when it grows brittle. You can also move while looking down the sights of your gun. As I mentioned earlier, Otis can actually talk, so you don’t need to watch the subtitles while you hear about who isn’t looking too good in the cosmetic store in the entrance plaza.

Most importantly, the survivors that you rescue are better at defending themselves and staying out of harm’s way. They aren’t super-capable, so you still need to lead them through safe routes and trim the zombies so they can get through. But they won’t immediately get swarmed the moment you take your eyes off of them, as they often would back in �6. I remember growing so frustrated in the original version that I stopped rescuing people, but it doesn’t look like it will be an issue with the Deluxe Remaster.

I played through the Deluxe Remaster from the beginning to 11 am on the second day; the length that Capcom would let me play through. Much of it felt familiar. The graphics have been glossed up with the RE Engine, but you can tell they’re applied over an older game. Dead Rising was impressive when it was released. The characters had more detailed movement and expressions than what you’d often see in cutscenes at the time, but there’s still some of the telltale stiffness? of the earlier days.

Impressively, the new assets and effects work extremely well overtop the dustier parts of the game. The graphical effects and character models still have slightly exaggerated qualities to them that make them feel familiar. The mall is also a nicely sterile consumer environment that incorporates the upgraded lighting and reflection effects well. It avoids looking too much like a fan-made HD mod, and instead seems to understand Dead Rising’s aesthetics.

I’ve heard that some don’t really dig Frank West looking so much older in Deluxe Remaster, but I think it fits the c??haracter. He’s covered wars, you know.

On the other hand, I did notice a number of graphical weirdities in the PC version I played. I had a lot of issues with the framerate stutterin?g, though it typically ran fine. More noticeably, the depth-of-field blur wouldn’t mind its own business. Focusing in the camera mode was unreliable. More distractingly, the blur would sometimes cover characters in cutscenes. We’re still over a month out from release, which is usually the period of heavy bug squashing, so, with all likelihood, this will be fixed by launch.

With only a day of gameplay under my belt, it’s hard to say if this quality holds up throughout Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s runtime. While I’m happy to see better survivability among the, er, survivors, I’m not certain how they will do in later ??sprints back to the security room. Likewise, I’ve always kind of hated the “Overtime Mode�of the original and want to see how ??it feels this time around.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long to find out since Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster releases on September 18, 2024. If you’re savvy, you’ll notice that this is t??he day before the?? events in the game took place (September 19, 2006).

I’m optimistic, to say the least. I’ve been putting off a replay of Dead Rising for quite some time now, and this glossed-up version of the original seems like it will be the ticket. It was never a perfect game, and it’s unlikely that Deluxe Remaster will be, either. However, it does nudge the classic tit??le a notch closer to perfection.

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