Game: Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Reviewed: PlayStation 4
The Dead Rising franchise has come a long way since the release of the original title on the Xbox 360. Over the years, the series has seen a variety of sequels all of which has its own identity for the better or worse. Last year saw the return of the franchise as Dead Rising 4 released on the Xbox One as a timed exclusive. A year later the sequel has officially released on the PlayStation 4 consoles in the form of Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package. What comes in this version? How does it stack up against its predecessors? Find out here as we take a deep in-depth look into Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package on the PlayStation 4.
First and most important, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package comes with all previous downloadable content and bonus content and gear (Street Fighter Outfit Pack, My Bloody Valentine Pack, Capcom Heroes). Throughout my 20 hour playthrough, I felt like this was the definitive way to experience the game since there is additional story DLC (Frank Rising) that allows you to have access to the true ending of the game.
On the other hand, Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf is loads of fun, once familiar with the rules and regulations. As fun as the Mini Golf is, I think I prefer to stick the co-op multiplayer, as it has a bit more variety to it. All other bonus contents had enough to feel worthy when starting up the game for the first time. When it comes to content, your getting tons of it which is a big positive at the $49.99 price point.
Dead Rising 4’s story has Frank West return to the place that started it all, the Willamette Colorado Mall. For me, this was a huge selling point as I thought it would be a return to form for the franchise, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. The story takes place 16 years after the original and sees retired photo journalists Frank West return to the Willamette Mall as he uncovers a government conspiracy.
Dead Rising 4’s 15-20 hour story experience makes a lot of improvements over its predecessors but fails to capture its survival horror gameplay that it was known and loved for. Frank West has a brand new voice actor that makes the character fans of the series loved, feels a lot more different. This older variant of Frank is much goofier and comical to the point where I wished he felt a bit more serious at times.
Dead Rising 4’s gameplay is where the game finds the most success. From a gameplay perspective, Dead Rising 4 is loads of fun, as the world has tons of weapons, everything feels different. Introduced in Dead Rising 3, weapon blueprints makes its return and this is probably the best aspect of the game. For those who are unsure, weapon blueprints are found throughout the world and allow players to craft unique weapons to kill the undead with. This time around, Weapon Blueprints are mostly holiday-themed which makes things much more interesting, especially in a Dead Rising game, where things tend to be a bit over the top. Throughout my playthrough, I found myself exploring the open-world sandbox quite thoroughly just so I can find these blueprints.
Dead Rising 4 has a pretty big open-world sandbox areas for the player to explore. Multiple different areas including a suburban community, the mall, and more all helped keep things fresh. Out of the variety of locations to explore, the actual mall remained my favorite during my time with the game. Something about exploring a mall filled with zombies during the holiday season worked very well and it had me wanting more.
While most of the gameplay is fun and entertaining, Frank’s movement can be a bit clunky. This proves to play a factor when fighting loads of the undead and the gameplay isn’t as responsive as it should be. Playing on the PS4 Pro, I didn’t run into any frame rate or graphical issues, which is pretty impressive given how many zombies are on screen at once. Overall, most of the glitches and bugs from the Xbox One version made its way over to the PlayStation 4 port of the game. Zombies clipping through environments and inaccurate hit detection all seem to be present in this version of the game.
So who is this game for? Well, when it boils down to it, Dead Rising 4 is a game that swayed far from what the Dead Rising games were known and loved for. Survival horror elements, interesting boss battles, and a fun story all seem to be missing in Dead Rising 4.
While remaining mostly enjoyable, Dead Rising 4 feels like a game that fans of the series should definitely experience, but perhaps at a sale price. In other words, those who want to know where the Dead Rising lore heads next, should pick this up and enjoy a different spin on the classic franchise. Those who haven’t experienced this title yet and have the interest to do so, playing Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package is certainly the definitive way to play it.
