Review: Dead Rising 2

Dead Rising 2 is jam-packed with zombie-chopping goodness. Photo / Supplied

Capcom has reprised its acclaimed Dead Rising with another meaty zombie-fest, following ex-motocross racer Chuck Greene as he dispatches hundreds of nasty brain suckers.

It is the sheer volume of zombies that you need to bash, smash and chop up to survive each mission that turned the original into such a success.

But as Greene - who has been blamed for a zombie outbreak in fictitious Fortune City - fights to clear his name and find Zombrex, a temporary cure for his infected daughter Katie, it all gets a bit samey.

Especially considering Dead Rising 2 follows the same "make it through 72 hours until the cavalry arrives" formula. Again, there is a staggering array of items to be used as weapons, from beachballs to chainsaws, but a tasteful new feature is the ability to customise weapons, which can only be done when you've unlocked a card for specific combinations - a bunch of nails and a bat makes a spiked bat, and a kayak paddle and two chainsaws makes multiple monster dismemberment a breeze.

Vehicles throughout the game prove an easy way to get rid of a lot of the undead in a hurry.

While the 72-hour deadline works well - it equates to six hours of real time - there are definite lulls in gameplay as you complete "cases" and try to time your return to the safe house in order to give Katie her medicine.

It's all about balancing missions against how much time you've got to administer the Zombrex and how long you can survive between visits to rest rooms to save your progress.

In what is essentially a game about chopping lots of ugly lumbering things up, the story could have done with a bit more actual story. Graphics aren't bad, but when there's a large amount of onscreen action the frame rate does take a battering.

Verdict: Overall, there's no doubt that taking zombies apart with ordinary, everyday items is good, wholesome entertainment, but I found it got old pretty quick.
Rating: 3/5
Format: Xbox 360
Rated: R18