Despite Capcom being best known for the Resident Evil series, it proved that zombies don't have to be a single one-note idea by creating what amounted to a zombie sandbox with the original Dead Rising. In doing so, they created one of the most engaging zombie games ever made. In the time since, there have been countless sequels, homages, and games inspired by the series. Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster aims to pump some new life into the shambling corpse of the franchise by taking the original and polishing it to a mirror shine.

Dead Rising is set in the fictional town of Willamette, a small American city that has gone off the grid and been cordoned off by the military. This strange story attracts Frank West, an independent journalist/photographer who charters a chopper to get in. Forced by military pursuit to abandon his ride, he ends up on the rooftop of the Willamette mall, and his ride won't be back for 72 hours. That might not be so bad, except it turns out that Willamette's problem is almost every single person in the city is now a rampaging zombie. Trapped in the mall and with little else to do, Frank spends the next 72 hours figuring out what caused this zombie apocalypse or face the worst fate of all: going home without a story.

Dead Rising isn't shy about taking inspiration from Dawn of the Dead, but it works in a way few other zombie stories have. It's a weird mix of utterly bizarre, incredibly horrific, and unashamed social commentary that would work well in a Romero film. The cast is largely likable and fun, with Frank West's distinct blend of sleazy reporter and genuine good guy making him feel like someone you want to root for; it's an improvement over how he ended up in some of the later games. DRDR doesn't change the plot much, but it doesn't need to. What worked then continues to work today.

The basic premise of Dead Rising is that you've got 72 hours in an early-2000s American shopping mall, and you get to do what you want. There's a core main story to follow, which is necessary to see the full plot and unlock everything in the game, but you're also largely free to wander around the mall, looking for photos, beating up zombies, and trying on different clothes. Should you fail the main story, you can still progress with the game. Reaching 72 hours or dying will allow you to restart the story while maintaining your levels.

The bulk of the antagonists in the game are zombies. Dead Rising doesn't go for "special" zombies; it's quantity over quality. Early on, there are only a few zombies in the mall, but as it progresses, there will be massive hordes to fight through. Any individual zombie is a total joke, but charging into a horde is risky because they can grab and bite with ease. This is especially true during the nighttime, when zombies are significantly more aggressive and dangerous than they were during the daytime. Therefore, nighttime adventures require more prep.

The zombies in the game seem a tad nastier than they did in the original version. They seem more aggressive, especially during the night, and a lot more prone to grabbing you if you carelessly rush in for an attack. Certain weapons that I favored in the original version are still fantastic, but they have a bit of added risk because their short range means that you're in prime grabbing position. They're still functionally cannon fodder, but there's more encouragement to think about how to approach an undead monster.

The biggest danger in the game, however, as in any good zombie story, comes from the humans. Not every survivor of the apocalypse has managed to hold it together, and quite a few have become Psychopaths. These Psychopaths function as the boss fights, with a variety of gimmicks ranging from a paranoid gun-store clerk to a chainsaw-juggling clown. They require a lot more effort to take down, especially since they'll use deadly weapons and traps.

The Psychopath fights have been improved over the original, partially due to the controls. Ranged weapons like guns can now be aimed and shot while moving, heavy objects like barrels or benches can be used as shields, dodge-rolling is significantly smoother, and the game just generally feels better. The bosses also seem to have had a number of adjustments, feeling like they have more fair hitboxes and AI, which prevents them from feeling quite as cheap and cheesy as they did in the original game.

While fighting zombies and the occasional human is important in Dead Rising, also important is the photography side of things. Frank can pull up his camera at any time and take a shot of his surroundings. Depending on what is going on, Frank will be rewarded with PP, the game's version of experience points. Just taking a shot of a single zombie will earn basically nothing. Get a shot of an unfortunate survivor surrounded by hoards of zombies is worth some points. Each photo is ranked on whether it is dramatic, gruesome or funny. There are even many chances for special shots, such as if you catch a boss doing a specific pose.

This element of the game has largely been retained but has seen some improvements. For one thing, Frank can upgrade his camera with features like a focus lens or flash lens, allowing you to get more advanced pictures. Another improvement is that the game removed the original's "erotic" photo category, which thankfully prevents any shots of female characters from being labeled as "erotic" because you caught a glimpse of cleavage. It's a small change that emphasizes the photography aspect is about zombie survivors, not being a perv in the middle of the apocalypse.

One of the biggest challenges in Dead Rising were the survivors. Frank, being a relatively good guy, will go out into the mall and find survivors from the apocalypse who need to be rescued. Each survivor tends to be in their own dilemma, ranging from being trapped in an out-of-control amusement park ride to being from Japan and not speaking English. Once you figure out how to rescue a survivor, they'll follow Frank as NPCs and must be led back to the safe house. Some can walk on their own, while others might need to be carried due to injuries. Every person you safely return yields a massive boost to your PP meter.

In the original Dead Rising, saving survivors was more difficult because of how dumb they were, as opposed to the zombie hordes. Short of giving them a bunch of shotguns, you had to struggle with their AI and inability to fight. DRDR goes above and beyond in fixing this problem. Not only is the AI better and the characters more capable, but each survivor now also has their own Likes meter. Give them items or weapons they like or help them out of a jam, and their friendship with Frank will rapidly increase, and the higher their friendship, the more capable they are. At max friendship, they basically become unstoppable allies. You also can bring more survivors with you at once, so you don't have to make multiple trips to the safe house. Now, survivors can also point out secrets and drop hints to Frank as he's traveling with them.

This also contributes to an overall sense that the game is easier. There are a lot of small adjustments that make things more modern. For example, the original game had more limited save spaces and had you lose a fair bit of time if you died. Now, there are more save points, and if you die, you can reload from an auto-generated checkpoint (usually each time you zone into a new area). You level up significantly more quickly, especially if you're using photography to amplify your gain. Early on in the game, I gained multiple levels from a single photo!

It is odd to say, but arguably DRDR's biggest flaw is that it is too polished. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but so many of the game's rough edges are sanded off that it loses some personality with them. I absolutely don't miss the inept survivors, but the new hyper-competent ones almost feel like they've gone too far in the opposite direction. Likewise, the adjustments to saves, timing and checkpoints are far more user-friendly but drain some of the tension from the game; a serious misstep now has relatively minor consequences. I can't help but wish they'd found a way to keep some of Dead Rising's unique foibles in addition to fixing its flaws. On the other hand, I can't imagine going back to playing the original version after this one. While it may be easier, it's also notably less frustrating in ways that also detracted from the game. The mere fact that receiving a radio call no longer interrupts you mid-zombie fight is a huge improvement on its own.

Overall, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster solidified the original game as my favorite. It lacks the scope and variety of its sequels, but I think that works to its favor. The confined mall setting and greater emphasis on using goofy stuff from the environment instead of creating super-weapons evokes the Dawn of the Dead feel the franchise is going for. Just in terms of tone, structure and character, it stands above and beyond its sequels, and it's worth playing even if it's technically a "smaller" game.

DRDR's graphics are a massive improvement and still retain most of the same flavor. The character models look a lot better, the environments are more detailed, and the game runs smoothly, even with a massive swarm of zombies on-screen. There have been some adjustments to character designs, but they're almost universally for the better. Likewise, the game is fully voice-acted, which adds extra flavor to the game. It means there has been a full recasting, but I think all of the actors do a great job, and while I needed some time to get used to it, Jas Patrick's Frank West is just as charming as the original.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is easily the most accessible and enjoyable version of the game to date. It retains the same basic feel but adds an extra layer of polish to everything. The game's still as wacky and enjoyable as it ever was, but with less frustration and annoyance. There are a couple of areas that perhaps went a bit too far, but by and large, the development team has just created a more fun version of the original. If you're a fan of Dead Rising or want to smash some zombies, Capcom's other zombie franchise has you covered.

Score: 8.5/10