Christopher Setzer

I really enjoyed this as a fun little time killer. It was definitely a blast cutting through hoards of zombies with ridiculously over the top combo weapons and vehicles. I do unfortunately have a little constructive criticism regarding tone and content, however. They seemed to have dropped most of the dark humor, as well as the arcade-like feel of the first two games in favor of a grittier, more immersive stylish design. It's not a bad choice, but that type of game is a dime-a-dozen when it comes to games featuring Zombies, resulting in an otherwise decent style and story feeling somewhat lack-luster and overdone. The Dead Rising series, up to this entry, thrived on it's arcade-like gameplay and signature dark humor, so the change is not necessarily a welcome one, nor did it feel necessary from the start. If you're just here to make human waves in a sea of zombified people, which -- let's face it, you probably are, then the game still stands strong on its own merit. Chopping down hordes of undead with a katana, or home made electrified sledgehammer is still way more fun than it has any right to be, add in the vehicle combos and you'll feel like you're playing Grand Theft Auto: Undead Edition. The story serves to propell you forward into new schematics and more PP. There's still a notable absence of a camera mechanic, but the RPG style character skill tree is certainly a nice addition to the fray. The addition of manual skill points give the player a feeling of a more nuanced leveling path, in comparison to the first in the series. As far as visuals go, this game definitely has the look and feel of a late eighth generation console game (it's an early ninth generation title). It's pretty, but not so pretty that you would call it a top tier game of it's time. The lighting effects do the grisely dark atmosphere justice, and the particle effects are a real show stopper. There's nothing like unleashing a barrage of status effects on a horde accompanied by a visual light show consisting of dancing flames, electric arcs, massive shock-waves, puffs of dust and fog, and most importantly, buckets of blood and viscera splashing about this way and that. Speaking of viscera, the most satisfying part of this game at first has to be the awesome dismemberment effects. This series has never shied away from creative ways to disembowel your enemies, and this one delivers in spades. From limbs flying all over the screen, to random decapitations and disgusting visuals of zombies being split in half in seemingly ever possible angle and direction. The combo finishers are a blast, most weapons have a unique finisher animation, all of which are equally repulsive. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this game, regardless of whether you're a series veteran, or if your new to the fray. There's an unparalled feeling of joy that accompanies seeing up to seven thousand zombies on screen at once, and knowing that you've been given the tools of destruction to whistle those numbers down to nil, though unfortunately it never quite reaches the level of glory that its' predecessors claimed. 7.5 out of 10

This game is easily one of my all-time favorites. It's a culmination of all that made the old shlchool infinity engine games so wonderful. It transitions so much more smoothly into the third dimension than the likes of Neverwinter (I'm a massive fan of these games as well, especially Neverwinter Nights 2, but I have to admit that Dragon Age did what Neverwinter Nights took two games to build to on their first try!). The world building is absolutely phenomenal in this game, they take a classic Tolkien-esque approach and turn it on it's head. Just the fact that Elves are subservient and seen as lesser beings, rather than the supreme lifeform like all other fantasy games is enough to build an incredibly story on, but it's just world building fodder for this game. To top it off, a lot of your actions in this world will actually carry over and affect the world-state of the two sequels. Bioware sincerely cared about bringing this world to life, and it shows. The story is also top notch here, it has political intrigue, all the fantasy trappings you know and love, and a formidable species that serve as an antagonist. I won't spoil anything, but the story will suck you in and garuntee nights when you know you need to go to bed, but just can't bring yourself to shut down the game for want of seeing the journey through to it's eend! Do yourself a favor, and take the time to experience this masterpiece, as it truly is one of the greatest games of the modern generation. It does look a little dated, and a lot of people are quick to point this out, but it is eleven years old, yet despite this, it does actually look impressive for the time from which it came. It's easy on the eyes, so don't let it's age deter you!!

Incredible. There's something to be said about just how seamlessly the devs brought the entire concept of the original game into three dimensional depth without skipping a beat. Mist genres stumble really hard the first time they try to venture from 2d to 3d, with the rare few exceptions(here's looking at you, Super Mario 64). It retains all of the charm and greatness that accompanied the original, and adds a handful of new concepts made necessary by the leap to three dimensions. It's one of those games that is a blast to play as a party game, and is still fun enough to maintain the drive in single player. Honestly, I actually felt that single player was a little better, because it isn't marred down by the fractional damage numbers that accompany multiplayer, and you can end up with some of those rediculously overpowered combo stacks that made the first game such a blast. One of my all time favorites to be sure!