Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hello. The topic for today is:
A little history about Dead Rising first. Dead Rising is an action-adventure, survival horror game with role playing game elements added to it. It was developed by Capcom, and it was released in August 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360. A scaled down version of the game will be released this year for the Wii.
This story of Dead Rising goes like this. You play as veteran photo journalist Frank West. He gets informed that something big is happening at Willemette Park View Mall. Big enough for it to be the story of his life time. So he hires a chopper, and he tells the pilot to come back and get him in 72 hours.
Once Frank gets into the mall, he quickly realises that things aren't right. The mall is awfully quiet, and when he finally finds people, they ignore him and focus on barricading the front door. Frank at first thinks that they are barricading the door from the people rioting outside, but upon a closer look, he discovers something much more sinister.
Zombies.
Frank has no idea what is going on, but from the second the barricade gets broken and the zombies spill in, it becomes a fight for survival. Frank may have come in unprepared, but he knows his stuff since he has covered a war before. Anything and everything found in the mall must be used as a weapon.
Here's the debut trailer of the game. It is still one of my favourite trailers of all time. The tag line at the end is so awesome:
So basically, Dead Rising is a game about killing zombies. And to kill zombies, you have to use weapons. Fortunately for you, you have the entire mall at your disposal. Everything from a dead fish to a stuffed toy a can be used as a weapon. In fact, Willemette Park View Mall itself is probably the biggest, baddest weapon in gaming history.
With so many weapons at your disposal, it can get a little overwhelming at times. While all weapons are fun to try out on zombies, I'm going to make a list of my favourite weapons in the game. This weapons are either really powerful, or they make a hell of a mess when you take them through a zombie. Enjoy.
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MELEE WEAPONS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2x4
It's a piece of wood that is usually used for construction, but apparently, it can also be used to remove large portions of zombie in a single hit. It is a blunt weapon and it is probably on of the first few weapons you will use in the game. It isn't exactly that powerful, but 2X4 is a classic zombie killing weapon, so it has to be included.
Baseball Bat
It's like a more powerful 2X4. It lasts longer and hits harder. Once again, the reason why I included it is because it is a classic zombie killing weapon.
Battle Axe
Now we're talking. The battle axe is an extremely powerful weapon that can slice several zombies in half with a single swipe. However, since it is an antique weapon, it will get worn out quickly.
Chainsaw
This is one awesome weapon. The first time that you get your hands on one is something you will remember. Fire up the motor, hear that familiar roar, and go crazy. The chainsaw is a very powerful weapon that causes blood to spew everywhere upon contact with zombies.
Cooking Oil
This cannot damage zombies in any way, but when you throw it at them, the cooking oil bottle will break and the oil will spill onto the floor. When zombies walk on the oil slicked floor, hilarity ensues.
Excavator
This is one of the most awesome weapons in the game. Awesome in terms of power, and awesome in terms of the mess it creates. When you use it, Frank will stab the spinning shaft into the nearest zombie. The zombie will start spinning too, and you can walk around and hit other zombies with the spinning one. The zombie will produce a constant spray of blood and gore until its body finally disintegrates.
Frying Pan
It isn't that powerful, but once you heat it with a stove, it becomes one lethal weapon. Stick the bottom of the heated pan onto a zombie's face, and his WHOLE FACE MELTS OFF once you pull the pan off.
Gumball Machine
I included this for the same reason I included the Cooking Oil. Apparently, zombies don't balance too well on gumballs either.
Guitar
The guitars in Dead Rising take headbanging to a whole new level, if you get what I mean. They are reasonably powerful, but it is pretty cool to be able to do two good things at the same time. Beat up a guitar and beat up a zombie.
Hedge Clippers
The Hedge Clippers are bad news for zombies. This are basically giant scissors that can easily cut a limb or two off a zombie. It isn't that durable though, so use it wisely.
Katana
The katana is a highly effective weapon that should be in your inventory at all times during the start of the game. It has the same damage as the Battle Axe, but it lasts much longer. However, it can only be used to attack one zombie at a time. Zombies do not stand any chance at all against Samurai.
Laser Sword
This is one powerful weapon. Not counting the use of weapon buffs, it is the longest lasting weapon in the game. It's basically a sword that can be worn on Franks arm, and it looks something like the swords in the Megaman series. One hit is all it takes to permanently put a zombie down.
Lawn Mover
The Lawn Mover is a piece of art. The guy who created it should be given an award. When you get a hold on this beast, it's like having god mode turned on. It simply mows down zombies. Anything that gets in front of it will get spewed out the sides, painting the area crimson in the process. It cannot actually be stored in your inventory since it is too large.
Lead Pipe
The Lead Pipe is a powerful weapon, but it doesn't last too long. When you throw it at a zombie, the pipe impales it, and blood will flow out of the pipe.
Potted Plant
These can only be used once, because they break upon impact. However, smashing a pot onto a zombie's cranium is so cool to watch.
Shower Head
This is one of the most violent weapons in the game. When you attack a zombie with it, Frank will ram the Shower Head into the skull of the zombie, right at the top of its head. After a while, blood will shower out of the weapon.
Sickle
As it turns out, the Grim Reaper's tool works just as well on the undead as it would for the living. This is a one hit kill weapon. Basically, you can use it to lop the heads off zombies.
Sledgehammer
I don't really need to explain why this is one the list. Sledgehammer + any organic matter = pwned.
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RANGE WEAPONS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bowling Ball
It be used both as a melee and a range weapon. If zombies get too close, the Bowling Ball is able to crack open skulls with ease. When thrown, Frank will fling it at zombies as though he was really bowling. As the zombies get knocked down, there is the sound of bowling pins falling.
Heavy Machine Gun
This is the second most powerful gun in the game. It deals very high damage, but it has very limited ammo. It can only be obtained and used twice in the entire game, from the two boss fight with the Convicts. After killing them, you can approach their jeep and yank the gun off. The HMG is an excellent boss killing weapon. However, it cannot be stored in your inventory as it is too large.
Real Mega Buster
Well, this is basically Megaman's hand cannon. Frank can wear it on his arm. It the most powerful ranged weapon in the game, with both high damage and ammo. It can take down a boss in about five shots. Zombies are as good as dead once you get your hands on this. However, to unlock it, you have to get an Achievement that requires you to kill about 54,000 zombies. Easier said than done.
Saw Blade
The Saw Blade can be thrown at zombies like shuriken. It can slice off limbs, and if you are lucky, it might even behead a zombie.
Shotgun
It is a well know fact that zombies don't do too well against a boomstick. The Shotgun can be used to clear hordes of zombies at a go, and if the zombies get too close, it has a melee attack that can shove them away. The Shotgun is a great boss killing weapon, especially if you manage to fire a round point blank. That would really hurt.
Sniper Rifle
The Sniper Rifle is not particularly effective at taking out zombies, since you have to be at quite a distance away from the zombie before you can actually use it. It is kinda satisfying to see a zombie's head explode into a shower of blood upon landing a head shot, but this weapon is really meant to be used on bosses. Nothing can withstand high calibre bullets to the head.
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SPECIAL WEAPONS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ceremonial Sword
This weapon is obtained by defeating a boss named Sean. It is like an amped up version of the katana. Higher damage and durability, but with the same striking speed of the katana.
Small Chainsaw
This is by far the most powerful weapon in the game. In fact, you don't need any other weapon after obtianing this. It is obtained by defeating a boss named Adam. It can kill a zombie in one hit regardless of your stats, and at the maximum level that Frank can get to, the damaged dealed by the Small Chainsaw is enough to kill a boss in two hits.
The Small Chainsaw can kill a 100 zombies before it gets destroyed. However, you can pick up three books from the various bookstores. With these books in your inventory, the Small Chainsaw will last 27x longer, meaning it can kill 2,700 zombies before breaking. What's more, the Small Chainsaw will constantly respawn at the same spot that you pick it up from, so you can carry up to nine of them at a go.
Machette
This weapon is obtained by defeating a boss named Cliff. It is has a short range, but it lasts long and deals high damage.
Wasp Queen
It's a bottle which stores a Wasp Queen. When you use it, Frank will smash it onto the ground and release the queen. Any zombies in the surrounding area will die instantly. I know it is ridiculous that an insect can be so powerful, but it has something to do with the story of the game.
Weapons Cart
This weapon is obtained by defeating a boss named Steven. It is basically a trolley with a whole lot of sharp weapons sticking out of it. It makes a great battering ram, so it is ideal for use if you need to clear a path through a horde of zombies.
Frank West
Yeah, there's ton of weapons to be used in the game [141 to be exact], but let's not forget about Frank. If all else fails, he is still armed with tons of deadly combat moves. Frank can perform a suplex on a zombie, smashing its face into the ground in the process. He can perform a rugby tackle which can knock back multiple zombies. He can even plunge his hand into the rotting abdomen of an undead and pull its freakin digestive system out. Don't mess with photo journalists.
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Dead Rising is a great game and it still remains as one of my favourite games to this date. Killing the zombies is extremely fun, but the strict time limit can get annoying at times. The game is fast becoming extinct here in Singapore, but it is much easier to find than games like Oblivion.
Dead Rising 2 was announced to be in development a few days ago. This time, instead of just playing within a mall, it will be an entire town that is infested by zombies. So far, a trailer has been released for the game, but it was captured by a handheld camera, so it is really shaky. Anyways, I embedded it here if you want to watch it:
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I didn't really do much today because my parents are not allowing me to go out since I've been going out excessively recently. So I just stayed at home and played Oblivion for about 6 hours. I completed the entire Arena questline. In that questline, you have to play as a gladiator in an arena, and you have to challenge opponents in fights to the death.
As you mow down the competition, you get gold, and you also increase in rank after winning three matches. Each rank advancement bags you an Achievement, and completing the whole questline will get you 50 points.
I think it is very possible to get all 1000 Achievement points from Oblivion because all the Achievements are offline based, meaning there isn't any "Kill 1000 enemies in online multiplayer" kind of Achievements. There are also no difficulty based Achievements, meaning you can get the full set of Achievements even if you play the game on the easiet difficulty.
Ok, I'm done for today. Thanks for reading. Ending off, see you tomorrow.
posted @ 11:52 PM
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