Dead Rising 2 - first impressions

David Brown

This past Tuesday, was a monumental day for gamers out there who love to mix their hobby with the undead. This is a great enough buy for the game alone, but for those of us who want to take our love of gaming and zombies further, Capcom has given us the Dead Rising 2: Zombrex Edition. Fans from other regions may say that they have better special editions than the one that we were given, but I would not like to compare editions, but look at the merits of the one we have been given.

The Dead Rising 2: Zombrex Edition retails for $79.99 at most major game retailers and in my opinion is well worth the extra money. When you look at the box you realize that you are not just looking at a special edition box, but are being grabbed by the throat and exposed to the virus that is the Dead Rising 2 experience. We are not given mere screenshot on the back of the box, but advertisements for Zombrex, a product vital to the Dead Rising 2 Experience.

The fun continues when you open the box and see all of the items that are included. We get a nice prescription pad for those who have to prescribe Zombrex to their friends, family, and neighbors. To go along with the nice prescription pad a Zombrex Syringe Pen has been included, along with a Zombrex branded bandage. The pen is a nice touch and reminds me of the pens we all played with back in high school and still see in Halloween shops, except filled with blue liquid. To further push the special advertising inclusions there is also an included Zombrex Prospectus catalog that helps sell the product by sharing its’ benefits and the testimonials of users. I think the greatest thing about this is that with all of the aforementioned products, Capcom has decided to print warnings about proper usage, and side effects on the syringe box and in the fine print in the books.

This brings us to the enclosed art book highlighting some magnificent artwork and character designs from the game. The game case itself is placed in a nice steel-book case made to resemble a pill book to show the victim that they must take one pill every 24 hours or suffer the damnation of an “eternal flesh eating hell”. The case is a great conversation piece and furthers the whole Zombrex angle that is big in the storyline to the game. Inside the case, we have a precautionary poster to show signs, prevention techniques, and cure techniques. In addition, a ninja outfit was unlocked with select pre-orders from GameStop. If the option to download this ever comes to the public I recommend that along with this great game and this great edition.