DeadRising (18)
Verdict: You've got a bit of red on you.
Platform: Xbox 360
Rating: 4 stars
Ever wondered what it'd be like to be trapped in the Victoria Centre on the last shopping day before Christmas and all the irate shoppers have turned into a hungry horde with a blood lust for human flesh? No? Oh, maybe that'll explain why i'm writing this from the comfort of a padded cell...
Anyway, wonder no more because DeadRising allows you to live out that fear/fantasy for a rabid, tongue-in-cheek 72 hours as you seek to gain the inside scoop on the zombification of a middle American town.
As Frank West, Photo journalist, you can either chase the story and find out why the town's folk have developed a lumbering gait or spend your time helping survivors. With a punishing time limit, save structure and a mall full of zombies it's hard to tackle both so which do you choose? That moral dilemma is yours.
Initially armed with just a camera, Frank has to make do with some DIY tactics and the shopping mall is a veritable cornucopia of makeshift weapons - handbags, skateboards, boomerangs, plant pots, frying pans, chainsaws, toy swords, lawnmowers...the list goes on and on, not to mention the inevitable arsenal of guns at your disposal.
Controls are satisfying, if a little clunky and the game uses the weapons to create diversity in combat while an RPG style levelling up system gives you new moves and upgrades as you progress. With obvious nods to GTA and Resident Evil 4, it's a sandbox style game that exudes B-movie charm and is full of hidden minutiae that only hours ofexploring, slaying and experimenting will unearth.
The multiple endings, crazy bosses, freeform missions, improvisational gameplay and a unique save system that keeps your upgraded character for each restart, means you'll be taking photos and bashing zombies right though the dawn of the dead.
With such blood red confidence it's a shame that it's held back by some annoying problems - the poor inventory system, weak AI, illegible on-screen text (for the majority of us without HD TVs) and an awkward save system mean it's a flawed but immensely fun game that'll make you see shopping in a whole new light.