Hardcore Zombie Slaying

Why is it that the most hardcore horror fans always seem to have a special place in their hearts for zombies? There's just something about them that ranks the undead higher than any other horror monster on the fun scale.

Is it because they're so easy to mock? Maybe it's because they make such satisfying noises, especially when you shoot them with a shotgun. Could it be because they never work alone, so there's always plenty of targets?

Zombie Fest '06
In any case, Dead Rising™ finally brings the zombies to Xbox 360 ™. It's all here, the blood and the guts, the stupid victims who deserve what they get, and the heroes who have the cojones and the smarts to stay one step, hell, ten steps ahead of the shambling, growling undead.

It's these heroes who interest us the most because we'd like to think that if we stumbled into a town of brain-gargling zombies ourselves, we'd be on top of the situation. We'd be smart enough to outwit and outfight them, wouldn't we?

Now the question becomes, "Just how clever are you?" Anyone can take on a few zombies with a chainsaw, but where's the challenge in that? Let's talk about ways to show just what a hardcore zombie survivor you really are.

Hardcore zombie hunting is a walk in the park.

Keep the Innocent Alive
It's very easy to skip over some of the elements in the game, such as rescuing survivors. It is inexcusable  for a hardcore player to let the innocent die. If even one of them dies, you're demoted from our ranks.

There's a great many hardcore challenges in this game, and many do double duty as achievements. While there are some standard achievement goals that are typically wussy, Capcom should be applauded for pushing gamers into the realm of the hardcore with some of the tougher achievements. With a total of 50 achievements to choose from, you can easily use them as a guide for challenging yourself.

One of these achievements dares you to off at least a thousand zombies with your bare hands. Now, if that isn't hardcore, I don't know what is. However, if you're truly hardcore, there is only one real challenge. Kill every zombie in the town, all 53,594 of them. Then you'll really have something to brag about.

How nasty do things get?
Aren't you even a little bit curious?

Push Your Luck
One of the best aspects of Dead Rising is its replayability. You can start the game over and play it with different limitations and criteria for success as your guidelines. There's no limit to how many different ways you can approach this game.

If you really want to push the envelope, though, you're going to have to get creative. You know everyone wants the Gamerscore, so they're all going for the achievements. If you've already plowed through the achievements and want a different challenge, here are some ideas for you.

Become a psycho yourself. How crazy can you get? There are certainly plenty of interesting outfits to choose from, not to mention the fantastic accessories lying around. Why care about other survivors when obviously the world is doomed? Join the zombie hoards and attack your fellow survivors. If Darwin knew his stuff then you're just serving science anyway, right?

Don't forget you're a photojournalist. Isn't there some code somewhere that says you document, but don't get involved? Each photo you take earns you points, so why are you bothering with saving people? None of this is your doing, and you have a responsibility to document it all for posterity.

Aim for high PP scores with your photos. Find the best vantage points. Watch the drama unfold through the lens of your camera with an impersonal, professional attitude. How nasty do things get if you don't help? Aren't you even a little bit curious?

Crazy is as crazy does.

Find Them All
If you make it through the game more than once, you'll discover that there are multiple possible endings. In fact, at least five different endings await you. Can you get each one? How well you do determines which ending you see, but the truly hardcore zombie master will want to see them all.

This may mean that you have to purposely tone down your success at times in order to see all five. Just think of the bragging you can do when you're the only one among your friends who has the first-hand knowledge to compare each of the endings, from the worst to the best.

No matter how you slice and dice it, Dead Rising is a hardcore gamer's dream title. You can't ask for more than mass death and gore. As a true fan of the zombie genre, you can appreciate the entertainment value of watching a zombie chow down on a suburban housewife. That's hardcore.

Article by Hardcore