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The First 33 Minutes of Dead Rising 4

Why do I get the feeling that you aren't actually playing Frank West, but some guy pretending to be Frank West?

If that's what they're going for, then that sounds pretty cool.
 
Man just dig up any interview they've done about the game on YT. Specifically any PAX or E3 video. All they talk about how is how they're going back to the roots of the series, going back to the og main character, going back to the og setting, all of this while turning around and presenting the game that neither has an accurate representation of the og main character, nor is anything even remotely similar mechanically, tonally, and level design wise to the original other than it letting you take photos in a generation that every single platform has a built in photo mode anyways. It's frankly insulting to listen to the tripe that spills out of their mouths when they talk about the game.

Can you point me to a specific one? You genuinely had me curious so I just sat through an interview from E3 and I didn't see anything like what you're saying. When asked about things like 7-day survivor for example dude is totally open that survival gameplay is only part of the co-op mode, for example. Same thing with differences around survivors, zombies, timer, etc. -- he's pretty damn clear on what has changed and never implies it's back to the way it was in the original game.
 
What an emotional rollercoaster that was. Hated the immediate opening, but the second they started to dig into the stupid over-the-top but played straight lore they've built around Dead Rising I began to get interested. And while this still isn't Frank, a bit of his rapport with the girl was interesting...

And then you get to that scene where Frank's recruited, and they use a bit of a Dead Rising 1 music cue... and fuck, I'm in. I need to see what they do. I hope it's better than what I played at E3/Gamescom/etc.
 

Chobel

Member
Seriously, people. Go play Dead Rising 3. How can people have this reaction to this game when DR3 has been on the market for 3 years.

It was the best selling version, why would they go back to the formula of the versions that sold less? Especially when most of those attributes from the old games made the games not very fun.

It's not though.
 
Seriously, people. Go play Dead Rising 3. How can people have this reaction to this game when DR3 has been on the market for 3 years.
I don't see how this post relates to the main point of my comment. I get that the visual style and tone of the series has changed, I don't like that but I can accept it and understand it's a case of subjectivity, but animation, timing, and flow have an objective impact on how a game ends up playing. Feedback is also paramount in making combat in video games "fun." The importance of these things matter more in some games than others, but I think they're very important in a game where you are going to spend the majority of your time wading through large groups of enemies.

To get a bit more detailed, I'm not just upset that DR4 is slower than DR1 (even DR2 felt slower than DR1 and I still really enjoyed it) I'm upset that the game doesn't seem to be as deliberate when it comes to weapons, their properties, player agency, and feedback. To use an example, in earlier Dead Rising games zombies would knock other zombies down after being hit, usually causing a domino effect. This doesn't seem to happen at all in Dead Rising 4, despite hordes looking larger and denser than ever. At a glance, this feature might seem like it's just there for comedic effect, but I believe it's a lot deeper than that; it's a way to control the pace of combat and allow the player to make more decisions about how they play. Large, slow weapons would usually clear lots of space for the player to move in, allowing them to clear more ground in return for slower attack speeds, and sometimes making it easier to navigate or escape hordes. Smaller weapons wouldn't usually affect as many zombies, and are generally a bit faster. Some weapons like the golf club, chainsaw, or baseball bat, while seeming like ordinary items, are actually quite special and would knock down or affect enemies in unique ways, allowing even more choice for the player. This is good design. Players are rewarded when they make decisions because those decisions have different outcomes; the player then uses those outcomes to solve problems. In turn, the game is less about killing zombies and more about navigating scenarios, solving problems, and having a diverse toolkit to do so. The abilities you'd gain reflected this, too.

Compare this to Dead Rising 4. Aside from the special attacks, weapons of different classes seem to work largely the same, hordes aren't situations to navigate so much as roadblocks or "buffers," creating large spans of stop and go gameplay. Yes, you can go around hordes, but going through them seems to be a bit of a chore. While weapons might have different properties (explosive, electric, fire... where have I seen this before?) and therefore kill zombies in different ways, they don't seem to do so in a way that will really change how you end up moving through the game. The effects seem largely cosmetic or copy/pasted, and no matter what you use it seems like the pace of the game stays more or less the same because your decisions do not have as much impact from a gameplay perspective. Even if the animations were snappier, the game would still feel slower because you are making less moment to moment decisions with meaning behind them. This is important. More important than the timer, Frank looking younger, or the characters looking weird or acting off tone. It isn't just about zombies knocking other zombies down, or moving through hordes, either. It's about designing a game that engages and challenges the player in order to hold their interest. It's about being fun and creating a game that feels good. Cosmetic baubles and silly weapon combinations might entertain some people, they certainly entertain me, but they do not make a good game.


Edit: Also, the "it sold better" excuse is a bullshit defense for a game. I'm not going to challenge you on whether or not DR3 sold more than the other DR games because I honestly do not know, regardless of the fact that I'd believe you're wrong, but I will say that if game sales truly reflected the quality of a game Titanfall 2 would be selling millions right now. If you have an objection to people criticizing video games, you probably should not be on a video game forum.
 

batfax

Member
Broken record and all, but man they really didn't "get" what made Dead Rising. It still looks sort of okay, I guess, but it sucks they keep throwing it in the fans face that "This is what you want!" when it really isn't.

and yet, I'd've probably still bought it if Frank West was actually Frank West. At least the new camera gimmicks seemed cool.

That phone joke near the end of the video seemed like it belonged in another game.

Yeah, I felt that way too. At best, it seemed like something that should've been an easter egg rather than in a cutscene. Like, say, he hands you the phone, you swipe through photos of Vick investigating and if you swipe the other way, or loop before the dialog is done, you'd see that and have the phone snatched away.
 
Frank: <frustrated>

Not that I should be surprised anymore given everything else the devs have shown and said, but that was abysmal. Sound design took a step back with how nothing has any impact anymore - how do you create less oomph with each subsequent sequel? - on top of the animations not conveying much weight anymore either. The hammer stuck out immediately regarding the latter: not that DR3 was top notch either with the latter, but at least in that game Nick reeled back due to the force of the explosion like you'd expect. Writing as well as the voice acting deliveries are awful too, in between the poor comedic timing and the obnoxiously snarky (sorry, 'witty') demeanour, be it for tutorials or so-called character building. There's more that stuck out in the negative sense like the on-screen jello filter instead of injured animations to highlight current vulnerability, so man... what a mess.

Literally the only thing that seemed okay were the menu transitions and accompanying music.
 

Aaron

Member
Wow, they completely changed Frank West for the worst, and doubled down on the worst aspects of DR3. I'm kind of astonished really. DR3 was an okay game overall, but there were certain aspects that were straight up horrible. I had assumed the devs would have realized that and avoided them for the next game, but they're already on display in this short clip. I guess I'll go back to playing the original. Maybe the devs should look into that too.
 
Really sick of the ongoing banter formula where people never shut up in game. Better keep talking and making wise cracks or the player may get bored!
 
Fuck the Fans: The Game

Getting rid of everything that made DR a beautifully well realized time management simulator and just making a shitty Dynasty Warriors game is a real downer, but not terribly surprising after DR3.

Expect people to come in to this topic going "Well, I never liked the timer, or the survivors, or managing health, so fuck all those things! I'm happy an entire franchise lost it's identity in order to appeal to me and my low standards!"

10/10
 

fhqwhgads

Member
Even putting my dislike for the direction DR has taken, that is not a strong opening at all. Unless Capcom goes all guns blazing with the advertising, this has bomb written all over it.
 
I don't recall them being threatening in 1 or 2 (didn't play 3). Makes the games better I think. Makes them all target practice for the cool weapons and pranks you can pull lol.
They were a threat in 1 (primarily during the early game and when attempting to complete everything) if you didn't watch your step, 2 / OTR not so much.

Seriously, people. Go play Dead Rising 3. How can people have this reaction to this game when DR3 has been on the market for 3 years.

It was the best selling version, why would they go back to the formula of the versions that sold less? Especially when most of those attributes from the old games made the games not very fun.
DR2 eclipses its sales, and what's even sadder is that DR3 struggled to get past DR1 well before the original game got ported over to new platforms. To add insult to injury: it took DR3 months to beat its (previously) one-console-only predecessor after having received a Steam release. Not sure why you repeatedly insist 3 is the best-seller out of them all.

Apparently there was a petition to get Frank's original voice actor for this game.
Why Capcom Vancouver didn't get him, I have no idea.
Legit answer: they "wanted him to be more mature."
 

statham

Member
Fuck the Fans: The Game

Getting rid of everything that made DR a beautifully well realized time management simulator and just making a shitty Dynasty Warriors game is a real downer, but not terribly surprising after DR3.

Expect people to come in to this topic going "Well, I never liked the timer, or the survivors, or managing health, so fuck all those things! I'm happy an entire franchise lost it's identity in order to appeal to me and my low standards!"

I don't think I have low standards just different standards then yours, I hate all those things. I also like heatlh that regens instead of finding pack, hate escort missions and ANYTHING that is timed, let me enjoy the game instead of you will play this certain style for the next 2 minutes or you will die.
"DR a beautifully well realized time management simulator" this is a turn off for me.

In all games I;ve ever played, I hate two things, time limits and escort missions.
Forza Horizon 3 even has it, and I hate those, I will not play FH3 sidequests that feature these. luckily you don't need to play these in FH3.
 
In all games I;ve ever played, I hate two things, time limits and escort missions.
Forza Horizon 3 even has it, and I hate those, I will not play FH3 sidequests that feature these. luckily you don't need to play these in FH3.

Fortunately there would stil be a bunch of open world games out there for you if they didn't strip DR of everything that made out unique.
 

ev0

Member
I don't think I have low standards just different standards then yours, I hate all those things. I also like heatlh that regens instead of finding pack, hate escort missions and ANYTHING that is timed, let me enjoy the game instead of you will play this certain style for the next 2 minutes or you will die.
"DR a beautifully well realized time management simulator" this is a turn off for me.

Okay so your standards arent low. Just different. I can agree with that.

However based on how you feel seems this part still holds true

so fuck all those things! I'm happy an entire franchise lost it's identity in order to appeal to me
 

Jawmuncher

Member
I'll always find it odd how Dead Rising losing it's timer is a good thing.
Most games that offer something that radical, usually do so as a option. Such as platinum games auto assist mode if you suck at action games. They don't dumb down the game entirely.
 
Glad I bought the remaster of DR1. I'll definitely be skipping this one, though.

It's cool if this is what you're into, but they pretty much gutted the series of everything that made it interesting and unique in the first place.
 
The dialogue is half kinda smirk worthy half awful. I don't mind the new voice actor, but Frank's personality seems better suited for a movie rather than a game.

The tutorial is too long and, design wise, doesn't make sense. You practice fighting a dream but then they do a stripped down version ten minutes later? Capcom is usually far better about this.

Definitely looks more like a character action title than the previous games which were more about management.

One thing I do think is better is the combat. The hitboxes look far better, you don't seem to get interrupted on ridiculous stuff, and moves like kicking them back look more useful. The problem with that is the game has to keep up with you. The jumping zombies or whatever they are in addition to other types could solve this issue, but I can see why people think Frank is already overpowered.

This does not look replayable. Like the intro section for DR1 was already annoying enough but this is on a new scale.

I don't have high hopes for this game. If they can make the zombies more of a threat than last few games, then they'll be onto a decent action adventure game. But it still feels like a game that's not really DR other than the name, returning characters, and some returning themes.
 

Astral Dog

Member
This is a reboot?

Everything looks so drab and gray, not the Dead Rising i know and love.

Also too much Frank West imo.i like the other protagonists more
 

Flui111

Banned
If what they did to Dead Rising happened to Dark Souls, half of neogaf would revolt and protest From.

They really really messed this up, now it just seems like a really boring open world where you kill zombies with "funny" weapons, that aren't really funny.

All of you sayin that this is amazing, I would want this to happen to your fav series and you'd feel what those that are mad at this are feeling. Dead Rising used to have an identity now it looks like GTA V with zombies and "funny weapons"
 
I'm really confused, I thought the whole point of Frank West was how opposite he was of a typical action game hero, he was kinda goofy looking & overweight.

I enjoyed Dead Rising 3 in some regards, but it was ridiculous how abusable the leveling system was and you could build a super powerful weapon right at the start of the game (the scythes) and just use that weapon all the way through. I never used 99% of the weapons in the game, why bother when you can just create ridiculous OP combo weapons - and without even picking up components (once you create it, you can just create it at a safehouse for free basically)
 
I'm really confused, I thought the whole point of Frank West was how opposite he was of a typical action game hero, he was kinda goofy looking & overweight.

I enjoyed Dead Rising 3 in some regards, but it was ridiculous how abusable the leveling system was and you could build a super powerful weapon right at the start of the game (the scythes) and just use that weapon all the way through. I never used 99% of the weapons in the game, why bother when you can just create ridiculous OP combo weapons - and without even picking up components (once you create it, you can just create it at a safehouse for free basically)

holy shit, are you serious
 

Dragun619

Member
Even putting my dislike for the direction DR has taken, that is not a strong opening at all. Unless Capcom goes all guns blazing with the advertising, this has bomb written all over it.

Is Capcom really in charge of marketing it? Kinda thought that's all on Microsoft?

But yea, either way, It didn't really look too hot. Curious to see how it'll do in December.
 
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