cjmelendez_Dead Rising 2: Off The Record is a strange game. Releasing a year after Dead Rising 2, Off The Record aims to retell the story from a “What if?” scenario. OtR drops players back into Fortune City as the washed up photojournalist Frank West. With new bosses, new weapons, and a new story, is OtR worth getting if you’ve already played Dead Rising 2?
Off The Record picks up a few years after the Willamette incident. Frank found much fame after his scoop there, but after a few bad career decisions, he lost it all. A bit overweight and hairline receding, Frank West once again ends up in conspiracy surrounded by the undead. Frank meets mostly the same characters as Chuck did, although, some of them have different agendas or goals this time. The story changes are either miniscule—simply replace Chuck with Frank—or different.
Off The Record takes place in Fortune City just as its predecessor. So, not much is new. There are a few new areas which add something to look at, but it’s nothing major. Uranus Zone is a small theme park that brings a few new objects and standard zombie variations. I was hoping that this area would do something interesting with its rides, but they can not be interacted with. If you’ve played Dead Rising 2 and Fortune City already bores you, then you may have a tough time wanting to come back as Frank. Instead of focusing on the core mechanics of Dead Rising, I will cover the changes since last years release.
There are a few improvements to the gameplay that I was not expecting. The map now allows for custom waypoints; the clock and mission select screen are combined with the map; and an extremely useful new checkpoint system has been implemented. The Dead Rising series has often been considered somewhat difficult. Forcing players to save their progress would provide a challenge but also frustration for those who don’t save at any chance they get. The inclusion of a checkpoint system–which occurs after every loading screen—makes the game more pleasant to play. I had no real issues with the save system before, but I know a few people who have denounced the series because of it. They considered it dated and annoying.
Do I think having checkpoints make the game better? For me, yes. Not having to retread my steps does wonders. Dieing in a boss fight no longer sends electricity of frustration from my eyes. With the checkpoint system, you are now allowed to reload right before a boss fight. This saves precious time and patience.
Off The Record brings back a much demanded free mode that was missing from Dead Rising 2. In Sandbox Mode, players can jump in and out of a story free Fortune City when ever they see fit. Each save file contains a campaign save, and a Sandbox save. Both carry over player stats and money. Having Sandbox available from the start made this game more enjoyable, and easier. Instead of avoiding the story just to level up Frank, players can simply hop into Sandbox mode for a few hours and return later with more experience and skills. As with the checkpoint system, Sandbox Mode streamlines the Dead Rising 2 experience and makes the game more enjoyable that its predecessor.
In Sandbox mode, there are optional tasks. Challenges are spread out across Fortune City and offer up medals. This provides activities that extend the fun without feeling like a chore. Fooling around with a co-op buddy in Sandbox mode is great fun.
Frank’s camera has finally returned to the series. In the downloadable Dead Rising 2 continuation, Case West, co-op players were given access to Frank’s camera. With that came the return of PP stickers and PP gaining photos. This same system carries over into Off the Record. At first, I had forgotten all about taking pictures in Dead Rising, but I got back into the photojournalist groove. Taking event photos, reaction pics, and finding PP stickers increases Frank’s PP meter. Having yet another means of leveling up allows for Frank to reach new levels at a quicker pace.
Frank can also follow in the handy man footsteps of Chuck Greene and create his own weapons. New weapon combinations have been added to Frank’s dispose as well. Again, you won’t be floored by the inclusion of new weapons, but they are very welcome.
In a strange but quite awesome addition are two new zombie stances. Throughout Fortune City you may stumble upon a zombie lying on the floor. These possum zombies will bite Franks feet in a classic Resident Evil fashion if walked over. The other type of zombie stance comes in the form of a surprise around a corner. The developers added these two new standard zombie actions to liven up an undead world. I thought this was pretty cool. Very basic but a nice treat to add some variety to the masses.
Another tiny little addition is the inclusion of more looters. These guys were occasionally spotted in Dead Rising 2, but more of them have been added to the environment. They can even steal your weapons. Like the zombies, this little addition makes sense and keeps things a tad more interesting.
Despite some welcome additions to the series, Off The Record still has its flaws. Loading screens may have been improved, but accessing the save screen or starting a game still results in a frozen screen for a few seconds. This is a minor issue, but gives a bad impression when the engine lags that badly for a simple task.
Although custom waypoints have been added, the GPS system is still awkward. Quite often the navigation arrow would direct me up or down stairs for no reason whatsoever. It also takes a few seconds to realize which direction is the right way to go. The navigation arrow takes a bit too long to become trustworthy. In a game about doing tasks on-time, this is a big annoyance.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record puts its self in a strange position. It’s essentially the same experience, but with positive—while small—improvements and additions. I found myself pleasantly surprised that the developers streamlined the game by adding checkpoints; it made the game more enjoyable. Despite the new additions being slim, I find this version of Dead Rising 2 to be superior. Frank West is a much more enjoyable character than Chuck. Sandbox mode adds a lot more incentive to play the game and rank up. Playing with a friend through co-op makes that even better.
If you can’t get enough of Dead Rising, then this game is for you. If you are like me, and enjoyed Dead Rising 2, but felt unfulfilled after completion, then you may want to give Off The Record a try. I was not expecting the small additions to affect my judgment that much, but it’s the small things that make this game a more pleasant experience that its predecessor. While I’m sure some will miss the difficulty that came with the save system, I think the checkpoint system is a welcome addition.
Despite the game being sold at a budgeted price, there are many factors to consider. Is this game different enough for you? Is Sandbox mode and a few additions enough to warrant a purchase? These things are entirely up to you. But as a game, Off the Record is good fun even if most of that fun has been recycled from Dead Rising 2. I would say that if you ducked out of Dead Rising 2 for whatever reason, this is the game to get. Never mind the canon story.
Reviewing this game is tricky. I do enjoy it, but the decision to re-buy a game that’s about 70% the same is difficult. But in the end, I will give you the score of this game as it stands alone. Feel free to look passed the below numerical value if you wish to approach the game in a different light than I did.
(8.5 / 10)
Great
(8.5 / 10)
