Capcom on Dead Rising

The walking dead are coming … next-gen gamers will soon get to dive into intense, screen-filled zombie action in Capcom's Dead Rising™.

To get the details, we sat down with Capcom producer Mr. Keiji Inafune to ask him what it was like creating the upcoming Xbox 360™ title.

Don't think they're here to shop …

Xbox.com: What was the genesis for this project? Did the idea for a zombie game inform the gameplay, or did the basic game design just lend itself towards a zombie game?

Mr. Inafune: Originally the zombies were not there to be a source of fear. The basic idea was to take zombies, recognized as slow-moving "obstacles,"and transplant them into a game environment. However, to make it interesting as a zombie game, we needed to be able to show hundreds of zombies and make them move naturally (like a "real zombie" would).

We also knew that there needed to be a wide variety of ways to attack the zombies and that they had to show a wide range of reactions. So we had been waiting for a hardware platform that possesses both advanced hardware specs and graphical rendering capabilities. In other words, we have been waiting for the Xbox 360 to make this game a reality.

You'll hit, kick, slash, and destroy zombies
by using anything and everything you find.

Xbox.com: What has impressed you most about Xbox 360, and did any particular feature help sway the gameplay in one direction or another?

Mr. Inafune: I am most impressed by the advanced processing and graphical capabilities that make showing large numbers of zombies a breeze, along with high-definition graphics that show all of these zombies in stunning detail. I'm also impressed by the ability to play [online via Xbox Live®] so easily.

Xbox.com: Have you derived any inspiration from classic zombie films or filmmakers like George Romero?

Mr. Inafune: I have been inspired by many movies and many filmmakers over the years, not just by George Romero or his movies specifically.

Meet Frank the photographer. He's about to learn some new skills.

Xbox.com: Can you give us an impression of the story and where it will take us in Dead Rising?

Mr. Inafune: The story begins when the main character, Frank, a freelance photographer, comes to a peaceful town called Willamette in Colorado to cover a (mysterious) "riot" going on there. The National Guard has already sealed off the town. Frank arrives at the shopping mall, which is the tallest building in the town, by way of helicopter. And when he arrives, he realizes that zombies have started the riot in Willamette.

So Frank, who is on the verge of scoring the biggest scoop of his career, suddenly gets attacked by a group of zombies. One single photograph he unwittingly takes when he is first attacked will end up having a big effect on the story. Someone who is interested in that particular photograph will appear, but that person is not interested in solving the mystery behind the photo/incident.

Frank sets out to search the huge shopping mall in an effort to search for clues and answers. Along the way, many mysteries of this zombie outbreak are revealed. Frank's character and his humanity are also tested through the conflict as various people clash and the situation worsens. Does he sacrifice other people for his desire to succeed or does he help people in trouble without thinking about his own safety to try and save as many people as he can? This is all up to the player.

Xbox.com: Can you explain, in a broad sense, just what style of gameplay Dead Rising provides? Is it a beat-em-up at its core? What kind of fight mechanics and items do you find yourself using?

Mr. Inafune: It is an action-survival type of game. You'll hit, kick, slash, and destroy zombies by using anything and everything you find in the mall, all while cooperating with other survivors to find out the truth behind the mystery of the massive zombie outbreak.

Xbox.com: Do you have any immediate plans to use the Xbox Live Marketplace? If so, what kind of content do you anticipate providing?

Mr. Inafune: There will be trailers, gameplay footage, themes, and gamer pictures.

Xbox.com: What has been the biggest challenge in development so far?

Mr. Inafune: I have never before created a game that offers such a high degree of freedom to the player. Players are free to do virtually anything they want. However, with that level of freedom comes a lot of hard work and long hours to bring it all together.

Cleanup on aisle four.

Xbox.com: From a design standpoint, what would you say is the most impressive achievement you've managed so far? Is it the sheer volume of detailed creatures on screen at once, the mob A.I., the physics?

Mr. Inafune: I'm most proud of the fact that we have been able to get so many zombies on the screen and actually make them all move so naturally (as much as zombies can, anyway). The more zombies that are on-screen, the harder it is to render in real-time. Collision detection between all the zombies becomes a big task and we have to make sure there are enough A.I. algorithms to keep things interesting.

There's also a lot of real-time physics at work to make all of the movements so natural. So it's not just about having a huge number of enemies on the screen. You have to make them all move and act naturally, so every aspect of that becomes very important if you want to make it convincing.

Xbox.com: Thanks for talking with us, Mr. Inafune. We can't wait to see Dead Rising when it hits stores later this year!