Is Dead Rising 2: Case Zero a bad thing for gamers?

The original Dead Rising was an instant hit. You play Frank West, a sarcastic photojournalist, who gets dropped into a mall filled with zombies. What made this game stand out is that the player can use anything he can get his hands on to mow down the zombie horde.

That's as close to a sure thing as you can come in video games.


So, zombie loving gamers have been waiting patiently for Dead Rising 2 to be released. And when it was announced that there would be a prequel called Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, to be released as DLC only on the Xbox 360, people didn't know how to react. On the surface it seems great. A stand alone story that will bridge the gap between the events of the two games, and basically be the demo for the sequel. The problem is many are afraid that this will inspire the industry to start charging for people to play their demos.

Bill Harris, one of the few writers who I feel is required reading, is not a fan of this trend. Not at all.

He writes:

Again, and I hate to harp on this, but it just seems to be the dominant theme day after day after day: big gaming companies are giving us less and less value.

I've had free demos last much longer than three hours. This isn't any new kind of content category: it's a price increase. A price increase on top the price increase that DLC gave us if we wanted to experience the "full" game. A price increase on top of "one-time use coupons" included in new games that are intended to gut the resale market. A price increase on top of the change in game price from $50 to $60 when the 360 and PS3 launched.

Good grief.

While I feel that Harris' has a point when he says that "big gaming companies are giving us less and less value," at this time I can't agree that Case Zero is a good example of this. The reality is that Case Zero promises to provide a unique story that bridges the two games. What's the difference between it as a stand alone game/demo, and releasing it as DLC for the original game?


Grand Theft Auto IV has two big DLC games, that have little to do with the main story. If Rockstar announces that they are going to release another piece of DLC that bridges GTA IV to the eventual GTA V, would anyone object? I don't think so. In fact, I have a feeling the opposite would be true.


If done properly, and that's a big if, this can only add to the experience. There's a lot that Capcom can do to screw this up. The main thing is that the DLC needs to be affordable. Anything more than $5 is going to be tough to swallow. The story also needs to be good. This can't feel like a tossed together, last minute idea. And finally, it should not be required for people to be able to play the prequel in order to get the full experience of the main game.


Do I think Capcom will do this properly? Probably not. I'm sure they will violate one of, if not all three, of the points I listed. Still, lets find out some more information before we decide whether or not Case Zero is a good idea.