Last year when my buddy Steven got his 360, there was one game he wanted in particular. As made obvious in the banner, it was Dead Rising. He was unable to find it ANYWHERE. So when Nikki and I were visiting the Louvre in Paris (of all places), we came across its small shopping area, which had a Virgin Megastore.

Yeah, a Virgin Megastore in the freakin’ Louvre.

But it so happened to be that they DID have Dead Rising. I grabbed it, bought it and sent him a text message, saying he owed me €29,95.

He still owes me that much.*

I played it a little bit at his place when we got back from our trip to Paris. Amusing, to say the least. Now Capcom’s porting it to the Wii? With “meh”-graphics, less zombies (the fun thing about Dead Rising as that there was an overwhelming amount of zombies after you), they hope to bring success to the Wii title with some new mechanics. I think the new subtitle “Chop Till You Drop” may give you a hint as to what the new mechanics are.

Who knows, maybe Steven will pick it up. I understand the need to port Okami to the Wii, with the whole simulating of brushes thing. But swinging a lawnmower with the WiiMote + Nunchuck? I think that prospect is almost interesting enough for me to try and convince him to get the game.

UPDATE: Seems like he isn’t going to get it. He has yet to beat the 360 version.  I don’t want to be the pot calling the kettle black at all. So I’m not going to say anything about “not finishing games”.

*I was kidding. Press release when you continue reading below.

CAPCOM® ANNOUNCES DEAD RISINGTM: CHOP TIL YOU DROP
Wii Gamers Prepare For a Zombie Invasion

SAN MATEO, Calif. — July 21, 2008 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Dead Rising™: Chop Till You Drop is in development for the Wii™ home video game system. Based on the critically acclaimed Dead Rising™, which has sold in excess of one million units since its release in 2006, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop is scheduled to hit store shelves this Winter.

Taking advantage of the same proven technology that brought Resident Evil® 4 so successfully to Wii, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop delivers a more immersive, intuitive and interactive experience as players use the Wii Remote to shoot, slash and bludgeon their way through a zombie infested shopping mall, fighting for survival.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance journalist on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. In pursuit of a juicy lead, he makes his way to the small suburban town of Willamette only to find that it has become overrun by zombies. Frank escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be a bastion of safety but it turns out to be anything but. It will be a true struggle to survive the endless stream of enemies, but players will have full reign of a realistic shopping centre and its varied stores offering an endless supply of real and makeshift weapons to fight off the flesh-hungry mob. If Frank is running low on health he can pay a visit to one of the many restaurants or cafes for a meal in order to restore his energy and continue the fight.

The game is split into a series of individual cases, all of which Frank must complete in order to gain vital information that will allow him to piece together the truth behind the horrendous epidemic. In addition to the cases, players will be faced with the dilemma of deciding the rescue priority of the residents of Wilamette who also sought sanctuary in the mall. Depending on the player’s skill, some may not be so fortunate as each rescue needs to be undertaken in a set time period, therefore players may need to delay completion of a case in order to save a fellow human.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop’s infectious humor delivers some welcome relief from the incessant tide of zombies with players able to dress Frank up in a variety of comedic costumes and take on the undead hordes with a selection of improvised and sometimes highly ineffective weapons such as a toy sword or a football.

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop includes the following features:
• Utilizes the same engine as Resident Evil 4 Wii edition.
• New level of interaction – aim and fire guns, swing and throw weapons and shake off zombie attacks with added Wii Remote functionality
• Huge environment – expansive indoor and outdoor areas of the mall provide a variety of different locations to explore
• Improved save functionality allows for more seamless gameplay
• Hoards of enemies on screen at once resulting in non-stop, pulse-pounding action
• Anything in the mall is at Frank’s disposal
• Grab environmental objects like umbrellas and benches to use as improvised weapons
• Snatch items from different stores to use as weapons including golf clubs, lawnmowers, frying pans and more
• Consume food and drink to revive health

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