Gaming News: Gamespot Reviews Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

This title is also available on Xbox 360

Be careful what you wish for. Since Dead Rising's release in 2006, players have been clamoring for a sandbox mode. In Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, you finally have a chance to tear through Fortune City without a leash pulling you through, and it's now clear why such an option was absent in the past. It's boring. Finicky controls and shallow combat have been a part of the series since the beginning, but it was possible to look past these problems because you were constantly pushed from one ticking objective to the next. Once the handcuffs are removed in Off the Record, these quirks become more apparent, and it only takes so long before the thrill of killing zombies dissipates. Story mode isn't much of a draw for series veterans, either, because it's virtually an identical retread of Dead Rising 2. For people who have never touched a Dead Rising game before, Off the Record is as good a place to start as any, but it's far too similar to the previous game to make it exciting for longtime fans or those who have never had interest in these wacky adventures.