Dead Rising – (2006)
The original game that started it all is a clunky thing, for sure, and some of its boss fights and missions are extremely annoying. And yet, Dead Rising’s oddball tone, as well as the way it uses the zombie horde and a ticking clock to always pressure you to take risks, is wonderful. Being able to pick up nearly anything in its large, highly detailed mall and use it as a weapon was incredibly fun and impressive at the time. Want to toss plates at a zombie? Go ahead. Wanna use a chair as a weapon? You can!
Sure, a lot of people complained that the ticking clock ruined the game, making it hard to just have fun. (Dead Rising 2: Off the Record would “fix” this by adding a sandbox mode with no clock.) But while I get the frustration of missing a mission because time ran out or you got trapped behind a giant horde with no good weapons, I think that’s part of the game. It’s what makes it work. Besides, you should restart Dead Rising at least once or twice, taking your experience and skills into a new playthrough. In a way, it’s almost a roguelike experience.
