The concept of Dead Rising is simple: an annoying yet charismatic photojournalist Frank West is after the scoop of a lifetime, leading him to a zombie-infested shopping mall, right out of George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. But to release that scoop into the wild and expose a sinister government conspiracy, Frank needs to escape the shopping mall alive within 72 (in-game) hours with all the proof needed to validate his story.

The Willamette shopping mall is a huge sandbox of mayhem packed to the brim with thousands of zombies, and the entire mall is your playground. You can enter pretty much all shops and grab just about any item to use as a weapon or change of clothes, that’s when you’re not seizing epic photo opportunities with the undead. You just have to remember not to get too distracted, otherwise you’ll soon become zombie food.

Check out the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster trailer below!

In 2006, Dead Rising wasn't without its flaws. Frank West was clunky to control and was not even able to strafe when using a weapon, which presented unwarranted frustration when battling its many bosses. An awkward user interface and dated AI also mean the original is less than ideal to play today.

The first thing that you’ll notice about Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is just how great it looks powered by the RE Engine, which brought Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes to life. Having played the original Dead Rising a few months ago, the visual improvement is substantial, though there are some lesser detailed textures such as walls at close inspection and there are no graphics/performance modes other than the option of HDR, but shouldn't put you off.

Frank West does have a new design and it’s received a mixed reaction from fans. His updated look and voice do take some getting used to but after about 30 minutes or so, you’ll be so immersed in zombie slaying, that you probably won't give the new Frank a second thought. While Frank’s new voice resembles the original actor, Terence J. Rotolo, it does make me wonder why Capcom never rehired his services. Speaking of audio, one of the most impressive features of the remaster is that NPC survivors are now fully voiced which helped me feel more of a connection towards them. The game is also accompanied by the OG soundtrack and yes, it includes that convict music.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster/Capcom

The AI is also more manageable. When rescuing survivors, they are a bit more capable when it comes to defending themselves and staying out of danger. Yet, they will still act like plebs and you will likely fail to rescue many of them. Speaking of defending, you may be pleased to know that weapon durability has been greatly improved, which means items such as baseball bats and golf clubs (sorry Joel) will last a bit longer when smacking zombies over the cranium.

Frank can also now strafe when holding a weapon such as a firearm and the same can be said when he’s taking photos. This makes Dead Rising feel a bit easier but not in a cheap way. Frank moves more naturally and the combat feels fair and far less frustrating. When starting the game, you will be offered the choice of standard or classic controls. Standard is a modernised choice that allows Frank to strafe and will let you customise the controls. As for classic, this does exactly what you’d expect and replicates the original gameplay experience which means no strafing or control customisation.

Moreover, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster features an autosave, so you don't have to rely on remembering to visit a bathroom to save before a boss fight. The autosave is quite forgiving, so if you die, it shouldn’t put you back too far. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea and you want that old-school experience, you can turn auto-save off, so you will have to remember to manually save.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster/Capcom

Another quality-of-life feature new to this remaster is the ability to fast-forward the game at save points. I was initially put off by this, but as I approached its endgame with no side activities left to complete, I skipped forward to the last missions and soon realised its usefulness.

This remaster also has a new Infinity Mode. The purpose of this mode is to keep Frank alive as long as possible with increased hordes and a constantly depleting health bar, which you’ll need to keep on top of. In a twist, every NPC in this mode is an enemy and that includes survivors. If Capcom adds a leaderboard to this mode, I can see it getting very competitive.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster still isn't without its flaws yet, it retains that gruesome, comical charm that only Frank West let loose in a zombie-infested shopping mall can provide. With the visual and gameplay improvements, there’s more than enough to encourage veteran fans to reinvest in this remaster while making those new feel welcome. In fact, considering all the improvements made to the 2024 version, I’d say it resembles a remake more than a remaster. Nearly two decades later, Dead Rising is more fun today than it was in 2006 and that is nothing short of…. FANTASTIC!

Pros: Looks great, accessible controls, brainless fun

Cons: Don’t expect drastic improvements

For fans of: Original Dead Rising, Resident Evil

Score: 8/10: Excellent

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster releases on 19 September 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A review code was provided by Capcom. Find a complete guide to GAMINGbible's review scores here.