Dead Rising 3 is one of the best‑known entries in Capcom’s zombie series. Released as a flagship exclusive for the Xbox One, the game delivers its signature dark humor to a new generation, set in a vast city overrun by ravenous undead. Here’s my analysis!
The plot of Dead Rising 3 is straightforward: a guy named Nick (no last name given) miraculously survives the epidemic that has laid waste to Los Perdidos (a stand‑in for Los Angeles). Together with a small band of survivors, he has just six days to find a way out of the city.
To achieve this, Nick and his friends tackle a variety of missions scattered across Los Perdidos—eliminating hordes of zombies, scavenging items, and completing assorted tasks. Unfortunately, the story never does much to keep you engaged beyond its basic premise.
The biggest issue with Dead Rising 3 is that, despite a reasonably lengthy campaign, its dozens of missions quickly feel repetitive—and downright dull after just a few hours. Those long treks on foot (or by the few vehicles available) across the sprawling city grow tiring fast.
Moreover, the campaign’s difficulty swings wildly. Periods of smooth progression are abruptly interrupted by brutally hard sections that often require dozens of retry attempts. To make matters worse, the minimap—showing only a single marker with distance in meters—is confusing and unhelpful when navigating to objectives.
Like an RPG, Nick earns experience points by killing zombies and completing missions. These points unlock new abilities and upgrades—boosting health, expanding inventory slots, or specializing in crafting weapons and vehicles.
A high point is the sheer creativity of weaponization: in Los Perdidos you can turn almost anything into a zombie‑slaying tool—chairs, tables, ladders, rifles, knives, and more. You can even combine items to craft more powerful gear, in the spirit of games like Destiny.
Camera control in the third‑person perspective is another weak point—your field of view often feels cramped, making firefights tiring. Some controls that should be straightforward instead feel awkward, especially during frantic combat.
Performance is surprisingly solid: you can fight through crowded streets full of independently moving zombies without significant FPS drops. The game’s textures, stable framerate, and some nice visual effects put Dead Rising 3 on par with other open‑world action titles.
The sound effects are crisp and well‑done, though they rarely stand out. The background music is generic and repetitive, but it sits low in the mix so your focus stays on the zombies, not the tunes.
Dead Rising 3 includes full Brazilian Portuguese dubbing and subtitles. The voice work has occasional volume issues but is generally professional. Beyond the campaign, the only extra mode is online multiplayer—either with a friend or via Capcom’s multiplayer matchmaking.
As an open‑world (sandbox) game, it’s easy to get lost—whether you’re hunting zombies or tracking down collectibles. Yet despite this freedom, the game’s overall content feels somewhat limited.
Verdict
- Graphics
- Interface
- Entertainment
- Gameplay
- Features
Summary
Dead Rising 3 is a launch game for new generation consoles, in this case, the Xbox One. With some innovative ideas and discreet improvements over the last generation, the game is fun, but it slips (literally) in basic principles, such as a problematic map and inconsistent difficulty throughout the campaign.
However, Dead Rising 3 can be an excellent option for players who have already purchased Microsoft’s console and are looking for an “interesting” zombie game. However, it is worth venturing into the city of Los Perdidos and checking out everything the game has to offer.
