Capcom is giving the original Dead Rising a new remaster, the publisher announced Wednesday in a surprise teaser trailer for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster — or DR DR. The remastered version of Dead Rising will be available for “the newest generation of platforms,” according to the trailer, likely meaning PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
Details on Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster are scant, but the remastered game will launch sometime this year, Capcom says in the trailer. The teaser promises an “updated release with a brand-new look.” Indeed, freelance photojournalist Frank West looks completely remodeled — and sounds like he’s sporting a new voice actor. The town of Willamette, Colorado looks much crisper, more detailed, and more overridden with zombies.
Dead Rising, like the original Resident Evil, draws inspiration from George A. Romero’s zombie films, specifically Dawn of the Dead. As Frank West, players spend three in-game days in the zombie-infested Willamette Parkview Mall, using anything and everything one can find in a shopping mall as a weapon to survive. As Frank investigates the outbreak and snaps photos, he comes to the aid other survivors, helping them escape while fending off hordes of undead and evil humans known as psychopaths.
Created by longtime Mega Man creatives Keiji Inafune and Yoshinori Kawano, Dead Rising was lauded for its unique, real-time gameplay structure and campy combat scenarios. Frank could dispatch the zombie masses with a gun or chainsaw, or battle while riding on a skateboard or wearing a full Mega Man battle suit. Or he could beat zombies into submission with a flaming-hot frying pan from the food court while sporting a Servbot head as a helmet.
The original Dead Rising was released for Xbox 360 in 2006. An HD re-release followed in 2016, for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. Capcom released three mainline sequels to Dead Rising, but we haven’t seen a new entry in the franchise since 2016’s Dead Rising 4, which also starred Frank West. The studio behind the Dead Rising franchise, Capcom Vancouver, shut down in 2018.
