Take everything that you love in Capcom beat’em ups throw in the base of Dead Rising 3, add a slew of Capcom fanfare and what do you have? A game called, Super Ultra Dead Rising 3′ Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX + Alpha or one of the most enjoyable DLC to come out in a long time. As much as Dead Rising 3 is the base of the game, it doesn’t quite play in a DR fashion. It takes the beat’em up formula and runs wild with it. In a four player co-op staple, you pick from the main DR cast with Frank, Chuck, Nick and Chuck’s daughter Annie. All of which carry different stats-- be it health, attacking styles and super moves. Their fighting styles vary in one of the most interesting parts of the game, the costumes. Which alter each players fighting style and play tribute to other Capcom properties. The costumes rage from Chun-Li, Sigma from Mega Man X, Mike Haggar, Little Red Riding Hood and Captain Commando, to name a few. Big shouts to Capcom for adding one of my favorites, Regina from the PS1 game Dino Crisis. While the attacks don’t vary too much it does spice things up a lot.
The action is varied and spread out through four "districts" that play to the DR 3 layout and are a nod to Final Fight. In the said areas there are tasks to complete. Destroy some massive bombs, kill this special zombie, kill a certain number of zombies and so on. There’s plenty to do within the levels but be warned there is a time limit so you’ll need to shake the habit of DR 3 of looking in every nook and cranny. On the other hand you need to so you can find some of the hidden goodies like classic arcade cabinets like Street Fighter and Dark Stalkers. Even though you can play the cabinets they add greatly to the fan service.
There are also “power-ups” sprinkled thought the level to give you the upper hand for a limited about of time. The Yashichi and plane icon from 1942; one releases an aerial assault that results in bombing barrage, while the other adds invincibility, Strider’s ouroboros that fly around thrashing about and Arthur’s armor from Ghouls and Ghost that adds defense, Mega Man’s energy tanks to power up special attack.
While navigating through the levels there are coins called “Zennys” that you collect to unlock more costumes and let you jock for a position on the leader boards because we still do leader boards in games.
Playing for a few hours and on multiples play troughs it’s evident that the game shines with multiple players. The pure anarchy that transpires will put a smile on your face. A drawback is when the game is played alone or with two players it can feel a bit slow due to speed of the characters and the size of the maps can be a bit daunting to travel from spot to spot.
This game is drenched in Capcom fan service and it’s awesome; from the vibe to the colors to the music. It’s all a treat. Sure there could have been more mashed in there but you’ll be astonished to how much make it in; Dino Crisis man, Dino Crisis for craps sake! Come on now, that’s awesome! The best part is that you don’t have to know anything about Dead Rising or Capcom, you can just sit back grab a couple of buddies and kill some zombies and sometimes that’s all you need.
Score: 3/5
Rated: Mature Developer: Capcom Vancouver Publisher: Microsoft Studios Price: $9.99 USD Release Date: June 09, 2014 Platform Reviewed: X-Box One