Dead Rising is a satirical outlook on American society and stereotypes. It embraces these in such a way that highlights the inherent issues with such generalizations. It takes everything to the extreme, resulting in an experience that has not been matched by any other.

The premise is that a nosy reporter (Frank West) is going to investigate what’s going on in a small town. He lands at the local mall and begins his investigation. Frank has three days to get the scoop and get out, or be left behind. The mall is surrounded by zombies and the survivors have barricaded the doors to keep them out. Everything quickly goes haywire when an older woman lets the zombies in because her dog was stuck outside with them. She overpowers two grown men and as soon as she opens the door, it’s over… but really it is just beginning. From then on Frank works with Jessie and Brad to uncover the source of the outbreak in an initially unsteady partnership.

The story really goes off the rails when we find out about the parasyte and why the virus was created in the first place. It was created to help mass produce cattle for American consumption. The government experimented on the Keyes family’s village Carlito released the virus to get back at America for the murder of his people. “Why did my people have to die to feed your fat bellies?” His goal was to expose zombies and the Santa Cabeza incident to the world. He does end up succeeding, but does perish when you finally take him down. Unfortunately his actions cause the deaths of many people, including Brad and Jessie, but Isabela and Frank both get to escape, if you play it right.

The game runs on a time limit; the deadline imposed by the game forces you to make decisions as to what side missions you want to do and when. This clock keeps you moving, for the most part, and serves to create a sense of urgency and importance to every action you take. It is a divisive feature for sure, but for me it gives credence to much of the side quests and a tension that I have not felt in any other game.

Side quests are a mixed bag, but are generally quite interesting. Survivors are scattered throughout the mall, begging for some of your precious time. Some require you to find a specific item before they join you, beat some sense into them or defeat a Psychopath. The Psychopaths in this game are just as outlandish as the premise. There’s a female mall cop who is jealous of thin girls, so she ties up six of them and tortures them for entertainment; a supermarket manager who takes way too much pride in his work; a clown with dual chainsaws that lost his mind and a group of escaped convicts driving a stolen military humvee with a machine gun. Many more of these Psychopaths are littered around the mall and while some are part of the main story, others you will want to defeat for their weaponry or to save people. This is all if you have time, the game is designed so that you will not be able to experience everything on the first run, encouraging New Game Plus where you can continue with the same level you had at the end of the game.

Combat in the game is frantic. Frank can use many different items throughout the mall as weaponry, and they all have limited durability. This aspect makes combat feel frantic at times, especially if you’re down to your last weapon and the horde is closing in. It can feel overwhelming at times, but the scramble to find a weapon keeps the player engaged and further contributes to the idea of the time limit mechanic. It also allows you to utilize items that you normally wouldn’t. One of my personal favorite moments is the fight with Carlito on the raised walkway in the entrance plaza. I ran out of kitanas and handguns, but there was a sporting goods store right there. I grabbed a hockey stick and started thwacking him with pucks, but he kept shooting me and it was clear I was going to die. Then I realized if I stood around the corner of the balustrade he couldn’t shoot me. From there I wailed on him with pucks until his health bar hit zero. This example is one of many ways that Dead Rising’s sandbox creates one-of-a-kind experiences.

I love this game. From the absurd characters and plot, to the time limit, to the psychopaths and the sandbox, everything comes together to provide an experience like no other. It is a wild ride that never fails to put a smile on my face. The charm was never matched again and while DR2 and DR3 are solid games in their own right, they do not compare to the complete package of the original.