A Dead Rising 2 Remaster Would Have to Go All Out To Live Up To Its Name

After nearly 20 years, the Dead Rising franchise has returned to prominence with the release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. A near-perfect recreation of the original Xbox 360 game, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster sees players embody photojournalist Frank West once again as he attempts to uncover the origins of a zombie outbreak in Willamette, Colorado and rescue as many survivors as he can. While the physical release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is still months away, Capcom should consider developing a Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster. If a Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster is made, Capcom should strive to incorporate or include every version of Dead Rising 2.

Dead Rising 2’s Many Spinoffs and Versions Explained

Before Dead Rising 2 was officially released in September 2010, Capcom and Blue Castle Games released the downloadable game Dead Rising 2: Case Zero exclusively for the Xbox 360. Serving as both a prequel and sort of demo for the main Dead Rising 2, Case Zero sees Chuck Greene and his daughter Katey struggle to recover from the recent zombie outbreak of Las Vegas in the small town of Still Creek. Here, players get to learn most of Dead Rising 2’s new mechanics, such as crafting new weapons, purchasing items from stores, and acquiring Zombrex for Katey after she was bitten by her zombified mother.

Three months after Dead Rising 2 debuted, Capcom and Blue Castle Games released the downloadable game Dead Rising 2: Case West exclusively for the Xbox 360. A sequel to Dead Rising 2’s Ending A, Case West sees Frank return and recruit Chuck to help investigate a nearby Phenotrans facility to find proof that the pharmaceutical company started the Fortune City outbreak. Here, two players can play as either Chuck or Frank and have both characters take pictures just as Frank could in Dead Rising 1. If people play solo in Case West, Frank will still appear as a constant companion to Chuck to help take down zombies, Phenotrans guards, and a psychopath.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Explained

In October 2011, Capcom and Blue Castle Games released a new version of Dead Rising 2 called Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. Serving as a sort of alternate take or director’s cut of Dead Rising 2, Off the Record has players embody Frank West as the protagonist for the Fortune City outbreak instead of Chuck Greene. Off the Record is essentially the same game and story as Dead Rising 2 with a few narrative changes, gameplay additions, and a new area of the resort called Uranus Zone, which is a space-themed amusement park. While Chuck is no longer the protagonist, he does appear as a psychopath and as the second player in co-op.

A Complete Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and Case West were largely inaccessible to players who didn’t own an Xbox 360 or later Xbox consoles. Even Dead Rising 2’s release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One didn’t include Case Zero or West on the disk or digital download. Due to this absence, Capcom should try to include Case Zero and West in Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster. Both of these games could be seamlessly added as the prologue and epilogue to Dead Rising 2’s main campaign and help make Dead Rising 2’s story be completely fleshed out for all players.

While Case Zero and West could be Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster’s bookends, Off the Record could serve as the remaster’s new game plus mode instead of a completely different game. This could increase Dead Rising 2 Deluxe Remaster’s replay value and allow players to experience all of Dead Rising 2’s stories in one complete package. Once the base campaign and new game pulse are complete, players could choose to replay regular Dead Rising 2 or Off the Record from the main menu to allow those who prefer Off the Record to play that campaign more often. These additions could continue Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster’s legacy of success and ensure the Dead Rising franchise continues for years to come.