Tuesday was the release date of the blood spilling, gut splitting, brain eating, banana hammock wearing, axe swinging, McGuyver weapon rigging, Dead Rising 2 of a good time!

From the original Dead Rising which was released waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy back on August 8th, 2006 and still gets giggles when played, to this release over 4 years later, a lot has changed. Dead Rising 2 has instituted a new co-op mode so you and a buddy can partake in your slaughterfest together. One of my favorite new additions to the game is the fully customizable wardrobe and complete McGuyver rigging of almost any weapons.

This means you can wear the clearly Borat inspired banana hammock of a bathing suit, a nice pair of 80’s shades all the while swinging a swordfish and using its beak to spear the walking meat targets to a brutal end. You even have the ability to combine weapons such as duct taping 2x4’s like handles to the top of a lawnmower so you can decimate these zombies from the top down to a smoldering pile of hamburger meat.

Dead Rising 2 does have a storyline, loosely relevant while playing the game but there none the less. You are Chuck Greene, in a world of zombies and your daughter has been bitten. You are working the entire game to make sure your daughter continues to get the wonder drug Zombrex, at a minimum once every 24 hours, to prevent her from turning into a mindless creature herself. Not only do you have to deal with the zombies but you also have to deal with CURE. CURE is an organization for the humane treatment of the living impaired, yeah they are trying to “Save the Zombies”(good luck with that).

With exciting and interesting boss battles, against some seriously unique nutjobs, the game always finds a way to keep you laughing. Of course there are wonderful zombie movie references which will allow you to reminisce, but I won’t ruin any of those for you. Another addition to this edition of Dead Rising is an American Gladiatoresque, player vs. player battle royale. From the joust game to the rolling ball cages you get to splatter zombies while you compete against other players. You even have the ability to take a few swings at some golf balls for a little leisure.
Now that this game has given us seemingly limitless possibilities with weapons, clothing and even a leveling up system, hours of our life will be lost in finding creative ways to reduce the population of mindless wandering brain munchers . I mean c’mon, you can wear a pair of red long johns, a coon skin hat with work boots and push around a wheelchair with a live zombie in it, electrified with car batteries and shock all the zombies you touch to a quick demise. Super Soakers, chainsaws, axes, swordfish, lawnmowers, 2x4’s, boxing gloves, broom handles, gasoline, wheelchairs, golf clubs, light sabers, shovels, baseball bats, sledge hammers, ok you get my drift, I’m a little excited, let’s kill some zombies!!!