Dead Rising 4 review round-up

Capcom’s Dead Rising 4 doesn’t just bring back Frank, but also the silliness. This appears to have come at a cost, though – it’s more mindless than ever before.

If you want nothing more than to slay zombies while dressed in daft attire, then Dead Rising 4 is an incredibly safe purchase. A few critics did however warn that by diluting the formula – Dead Rising and its sequel were rather challenging in places – it does feel as if it has lost its way a little.

It’s also interesting to note that some refer it to as a franchise reboot. Odd, considering that when it was first revealed, some mistook it for a remake due to Frank’s return and the use of the original game’s setting.

Is this one slay ride you should embark on? Take a look at these critical views:

90% – GamingTrend: “Dead Rising 4 is bloody, chaotic, and downright hilarious. If you’re looking to turn your brain off this holiday season, and destress with gratuitous violence, this is the game for you”

4.5/5 – Windows Central: “The game world is vast and beautiful, filled with countless things to see and do, and all the time you need to do them. Not only does the game look fantastic and colorful (although some parts of the mall aren’t lit well enough), but the story and writing are strong enough to match”

8.75 – GameInformer: “In many ways, this is the game that people who just wanted to be a one-man zombie wrecking crew were probably hoping for all along”

8.1 – IGN: “Dead Rising 4 has the best core gameplay the series has ever seen. Its inventive and humorous ways to put down the dead are something I still haven’t tired of, and its surprisingly interesting plot is more than just a zombie-killing delivery system”

80 – Xbox Achievements: “Dead Rising 4 is undoubtedly a great zombie game, with Capcom Vancouver nailing the open-world and tone once more, but the lack of true psychos in the world does detract from the overall experience. It’s no Dead Rising 3, but it’s still a bloody good game”

8.0 – Lazy Gamer: “Dead Rising 4 is fun, silly and gleefully absurd in its execution of thousands upon thousands of undead fodder as it aims to make the apocalypse fun again”

8/10 – The Jimquisition: “Those who remain saddened at the series’ removal of key features will likely not find themselves happy about DR4, and the return of Frank will be a poor exchange given the overhaul of not just his voice, but his character. Those looking for an enjoyable zombie-smashing romp, however, will find a choice example in this Christmassy take on the Dead Rising franchise”

4/5 – US Gamer: “While the first two games were about watching the timer and making efficient choices, Dead Rising 4 is about killing zombies in silly costumes with cool weapons. If that’s what you want, Dead Rising 4 delivers good, gory zombie fun in a Christmas-themed wrapper”

4/5 – GamesRadar: “Not always thrilling, but Dead Rising 4 feels like the series getting its sense of fun back. And that’s a great thing”

7.5 – God is a Geek: “By increasing the fun factor and stripping back the busy work, Capcom have diluted the quintessential Dead Rising experience to the point where it has lost some of its identity and a lot of what made the franchise so unique”

7.5 – Destructoid: “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”

7/10 – The Metro: “At times it feels like a reanimated corpse itself, but as mindless and predictable as it may be Dead Rising 4 is as much fun as the series has ever been”

7/10 – GameSpot: “Dead Rising’s zombie-slaughtering formula has started to wear a bit thin after all these years, especially since its combat remains largely routine. The surprisingly well-crafted story, wild new combo weapons, and expansive open world elements, however, turn Dead Rising 4 into an over-the-top piece of popcorn entertainment that captures the series’ best elements”

4/10 – CGM: “Everything that made this series so beloved, and everything that made me fall in love with the first game when I first bought my Xbox 360 a decade ago has officially been murdered”

2/5 – Trusted Reviews: “For me, Dead Rising 4’s surface schlock quickly became tedious shoddiness, and the result is a disappointingly dull open-world game that simply can’t hold a candle to this year’s best”

Dead Rising 4 is out today on Xbox One and PC.

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