Dead Rising 2 details

Here’s something interesting that wasn’t quite apparent (to me) when Capcom let slip that a new Dead Rising was in the works: Frank West isn’t in the game. According to information released by Sega this week, Frank saved the United States from a zombie apocalypse, but outbreaks continue to happen. The latest outbreak is unfolding in Fortune city, a place that looks suspiciously like Las Vegas. Dead Rising 2 takes the action out of Wilamette and into the glitz and glamour of Fortune City, described as “America’s latest and greatest entertainment playground.” People go to this place to relax and win big, but you might want to talk to your travel agent about a locale that has less zombies.

The game sees the introduction of former national Motocross champion, Chuck Greene, as the hero. Capcom describes Chuck as a Motocross champion that had to work hard to get where he is. Starting small and of meager means, Chuck was forced to repair his own bikes, leaving him with an incredibly to fix things. A single father, Chuck has a young daughter Katey who he will do anything for. That’s our hero in Dead Rising 2, but it doesn’t sound like good old Chuck has a camera or a clue as to what about to happen to him or his daughter next.

Developed by Blue Castle Games, Dead Rising 2 promises hundreds of zombies on screen at any one time, new objects to use in new and exciting ways and lots of blood and gore. No details on actual game mechanics, but we’ll keep you posted.

The game is being developed by Canadian developer Blue Castle Games in close collaboration with Capcom and some of the original members of the Dead Rising development team. It currently has no tentative release date, but it will not be an Xbox 360 exclusive this time around: the game is coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Capcom Talks Global Success at DICE

Speaking at DICE this week, which is being held at the wonderful Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi spoke about the rise of Western gaming and the company’s formula for creating games that appeal to our market.

The fellow best known (at least currently) as the producer of Resident Evil 5 gave a presentation called “Un-Japanese Games: Creating Entertainment for a Global Gaming Audience” where he talked about creating games like Dead Rising and Lost Planet (and let’s not forget Okami), for North America and how the company pulled it off without losing its identity as an Eastern developer.

Capcom is one of the few developers from Japan that has managed to successfully crack the North American and European markets with many franchises like Street Fighter IV, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, and more. Many Japanese companies still struggle to get Western gamers to buy many of their products. The only games that seemed to do well in the U.S. for awhile were niche games or first-party console titles. Times have certainly changed but Capcom has always been on the forefront of tackling the global gaming market.

The biggest challenge Capcom has is in realizing the sensibilities and sensitivities of markets; one of the biggest question marks with Resident Evil 5 is whether or not the game comes off to western gamers as racist for the way it portrays Africans in the game.

Dead Rising 2 Screens

To go along with today’s Dead Rising 2 announcement, here are some fresh new screenshots:

Dead Rising 2: Zombies Do Vegas?

I’ll be the first to admit that one of the games I was first looking forward to when the first Xbox 360 rolled off the assembly line was Capcom’s survival horror, Dead Rising. Frank West’s harrowing, over-the-top 72 hour adventure in the Willamette Mall was one of the best times I had on the 360. Now, Capcom is returning to the world of Dead Rising, and it’s bringing PS3 and PC owners along for the ride.

Earlier this morning, Capcom officially confirmed that a sequel to the popular zombie game is in development at Canadian developer Blue Castle Games, working alongside a number of members from the original Dead Rising team, including producer, Keiji Inafune. Although Capcom has kept quiet so far on a possible release date for Dead Rising 2, one thing the company did confirm is the new game will not be exclusive to the 360 this time around, instead being simultaneously developed for the 360, PS3, and PC. Sorry Wii owners, it looks like you’re going to be stuck with the neutered port of the first game for the foreseeable future.

Details on the plot of Dead Rising 2, are still being kept under wraps, but the game is set several years after the infamous zombie invasion of Willamette. Apparently, the zombie virus was not contained at the end of Dead Rising and it ended up spreading unchecked throughout the United States. In Dead Rising 2, the latest outbreak hits ‘Fortune City’, and players will be gambling with more than just chips when they face off against the undead in the city’s massive hotel and casino. It looks like everyone’s favorite photojournalist, Frank West, might be a little busy this time around though (he’s covered wars, ya know), as both West and his camera are conspicuously absent from Capcom’s early screenshots.

More word on Dead Rising 2 is expected soon, and we’ll share what we learn as soon as information is released.

Dead Rising 2 Revealed?

New York Comic-Con is already paying dividends it seems. According to a conversation overheard at a Capcom meeting today a video has been leaked showing off the very first glimpse of Dead Rising 2.

While this has not been confirmed by Capcom as the real deal, we are inclined to believe that it is because they are talking about it amongst their own ranks. We’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s real or not until we get some official confirmation. Watch it after the jump.

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Dead Rising 2 Rumor and Denial

It all started with the translation of an interview in the latest issue of Japanese print magazine Famitsu and it snowballed from there. According to the bit gleaned and translated by Kotaku from an interview with Capcom’s Keiji Inafune, sequels to Dead Rising and Lost Planet are pretty much confirmed:

“We’re finally putting out new Dead Rising and Lost Planet games! As a main principle we’re thinking about multiplatform, and expanding upon both slightly from the Xbox 360 version.”

But Capcom was quick to try to minimize the rumor as a product of a “mistranslation.” Speaking to VG247, an unnamed Capcom representative offered the following quote:

“Dead Rising was a huge success for us and is obviously the kind of game we’d like to continue to make. However, at the moment we have made no official announcement regarding a sequel. As the source is Famitsu, I can only suggest that it was a mistranslation.”

Maybe Keiji Inafune misspoke, perhaps Kotaku mangled the translation (doubtful), or maybe he was speaking about another Dead Rising product. But it really doesn’t matter. We know that Capcom will make a sequel to Dead Rising, given the first game’s critical acclaim and respectable numbers. It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when.”