This adjustment is more nuanced than it may seem, especially with Off the Record free of its dubious origins. By sheer virtue of having more content—a few new weapons, the return of photography, some new weapon combinations, and an entire new environment—it qualifies as a better game. Mechanically, it’s everything Dead Rising 2 was, and slightly more. Just a year after Dead Rising 2’s release, Off the Record’s conception felt cynically conceived. Why was Capcom asking $40 for a remix of a game that already exists? In 2016 the answer to that question is moot. Five years positions Off the Record as an option instead of an opportunity.
People, somehow, missed Frank West. Hero of Dead Rising, featured player in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and late addition to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Frank was the previous generation’s most unlikely hero. Dead Rising 2’s original protagonist, Chuck Greene, was technically fine, but his selfless tendencies and moral compass opposed Frank’s narcissistic dipshit persona. Frank, as evident by another return in the upcoming Dead Rising 4, was truly the people’s hero.
By the time Off the Record came to market, it was clear the folks at Capcom Vancouver were in on the joke. In the game’s opening cinematic, Frank isn’t positioned as a man striving to take care of his daughter, but rather a failure dead broke after coasting off the success and fame of the Willamette incident. Trying to drum up some cash in Fortune City, Frank opens in a unitard performing professional wrestling moves on throngs of zombies for cash. His complete lack of dignity is pretty funny, even if it is morally reprehensible.
From there Off the Record more or less flowed into the mold cast by Dead Rising 2. It was 95% of the same open-world zombie murdering/humiliating mayhem. Frank winds up at the same safe house talking to most of the same people. Scouring Fortune City for survivors and dragging them back to safety remained the game’s central loop. Stores full of wacky items, psychopaths nursing their blood lust, and over fifty different weapon/item combinations remained in place. Frank was even infected, requiring him to find the miracle cure Zombrex somewhere in Fortune City every 24 hours.
Off the Record wasn’t a new game, but it made room for plenty of new additions. Locker keys scattered throughout Fortune City gave Frank something new to collect. There were also fifteen new potential item combinations, granting Frank with some incentive to try and cram two seemingly unrelated materials together. There was also an entirely new expansion of Fortune City, the Uranus Zone, which functioned as its own mini-theme park. It’s basically a weird, rundown neon carnival, though there is a certain charm in removing the barricades and watching the pirate ship ride wreck shop on the unsuspecting living dead. Lastly, Frank’s basic combat loadout was more in line with his repertoire from the original Dead Rising.
Off the Record also made room for a few quality-of-life updates. Receiving calls from friends with scoops and other information was transmitted to a wireless headset rather than a walkie-talkie, allowing Frank to remain mobile during the call. Time also freezes when Frank checks his watch, ensuring he isn’t mauled by zombies while trying to sort out quests.
The biggest addition to Off the Record was a formal return of Dead Rising’s signature mechanic; photography. The player is free to whip out Frank’s camera at any time and try to shoot zombies in proactive positions. Doing so rewards the player with PP, particularly if they can snap one off while giant yellow PP markers pop onto the screen. Photography wasn’t as finely woven into Off the Record as it was in the original Dead Rising, but it’s a nice distraction and a somewhat useful way to rack up additional PP.
The timer had long been a point of contention in Dead Rising. Since the very first game there was always a wild contingent of fans that demanded a true open-world “sandbox” style of experience. Capcom and Capcom Vancouver never gave into these demands because it would have destroyed the game. Perhaps as a value-add to Off the Record, they finally caved. The campaign, so to speak, remains intact, but off to the side was a separate sandbox mode where the player could just screw around in Fortune City. It came with its own specific challenges, and all acquired PP was actually shared with canon Frank over in the normal game mode. Sandbox mode wasn’t really a game, but it was a nice concession if you wanted to play Off the Record without playing Off the Record.
Xbox One makes a good home for Off the Record. 1080p resolution and sixty-frames-per second both exceeds the game’s original performance on console and looks quite nice on the current generation of hardware. Like the other two Dead Rising reissues, Off the Record is projected as preservation instead of a complete remake. This is the definition assumed by a $20 price-tag, and Off the Record obliges willingly.
In the context of its time, there was virtue in the way Off the Record handled Dead Rising 2. Games were (and still are) delivering questionably necessary Game of the Year Editions one year after release. These typically bundle up all of the downloadable content and (if you’re lucky) patches on a rebranded disc. Off the Record took it a step further and lightly remixed the entire game, opting to sell the player something different than what they had experienced before. Changes were marginal, sure, but at least you weren’t paying for the same game over again.
In 2011, a replacement hero and a faintly redressed experience may have seemed crass. Now, with both Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record released simultaneously and priced identically, it’s a simple matter of choice. Do you want Dead Rising 2 as it was conceived, or a genetically modified clone that’s less inspired but, technically, a lot more fun?
