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Dead Rising

(2006, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated M, Play it on: Xbox 360)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Campy, violent zombie mash for mature players.

In this game kids can:   battle others, kill non-humans (with blood), live vicariously

Why We Rated This not for kids

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    Not an issue.
  • Educational value:

    None.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    This is a game that rewards your creating gory and graphic violence by letting you earn points for taking photos of the most horrific scenes. You play the role of a photojournalist in a situation where a whole town has somehow turned into Zombies. Before you can film the graphic violence,  you have to help create it by attacking zombies.
  • Role models:

    As a photojournalist, you don't just record mayhem, you participate in it to create it.
  • Violence:

    Right from the get-go, this action-heavy zombie-smashing game is both bloody and gory. Players use chainsaws, shotguns, and hand-to-hand combat to dispatch the undead.
  • Sex:

    Some images of nude women on various objects in the game, such as a t-shirt and paintings. You earn rewards for taking photos of partially unclothed zombies.
  • Language:

    No use of "f--k," but "hell," "damn," "s--t," and "bitch" flow freely.
  • Consumerism:

    Based on the movie Dawn of the Dead.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Players can drink wine in this game, and will encounter an inebriated man.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Dead Rising was written by Marc Saltzman

Parents need to know that this game is based on the 1978 Dawn of the Dead zombie splatter flick and is not for the faint of heart. This game is ultra-violent and gory, featuring plenty of shotgun blasts, chainsaw dismemberment, and hand-to-hand combat as the player takes on legions of the undead. It's another rated-M game that is definitely for those over 17. Other possible concerns for parents include profanity (the character may utter curse words including "hell," "damn," "s--t," and "bitch"), some nude imagery on paintings and T-shirts, and the ability to carry and consume wine.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the campy appeal of old horror movies and zombies. Do you think they are good source material for a video game? If you were to remake a classic monster movie or make a favorite movie into a video game, what would it look like? Who would the heroes be?
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More on Dead Rising

What’s the Story?

Available exclusively for the Xbox 360, DEAD RISING is best described as an interactive version of George A. Romero's 1978 zombie horror flick Dawn of the Dead. You play as the rugged Frank West, an ambitious freelance photojournalist who arrives in the small, fictitious town of Willamette, Colo., and discovers that the Army has mysteriously quarantined the area: The town's residents have turned into the undead. West makes his way to a shopping mall, where he must survive by working with others to ward off this relentless mob and get the story before the rescue helicopter comes back for him in 72 hours.  Close

Is It Any Good?

Over the top? Indeed. Fun? If you're into zombies, you bet. The action can get quite violent and gory, earning its M rating. By giving you an open-ended action-adventure game, Dead Rising lets you go virtually anywhere and interact with the more than 80 survivors, and lets you use anything found in the game environment, such as a box to climb over a tall barrier, a golf club or frying pan to whack zombies, or an air duct to travel to other areas of the mall.

Think of Dead Rising as a guilty pleasure. The premise is campy, and the action is over the top, but Capcom has succeeded in creating a good-looking, fun, and addictive game for mature Xbox 360 owners.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 8/9/2006, price $59.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: M (for blood and gore, use of tobacco and/or use of alcohol, partial nudity, language, intense violence)

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See all 36 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models
    • Safety is an issue

    Not only is this game very bloody and irrevrent, but it is really hard to!

    This game supports every concern on commonsense media! Dead rising has horrid and gory violence, you have to take pictures of! you see nude paintings, get extra points for taking pictures of partially dressed zombies and even can wear a dress and other irrevrent outfits. You are can use anything in the mall you are trapped in (the game is based on dawn of the dead and has fictional in-game brands) like TV's, umbrellas, buckets, push brooms, hammers, chain saws, chairs, cleavers and even teddy bears will draw blood! There are several boss fights, many are the traditional capcom style of boss fighting. Many of these fights include gruesome cut scenes showing thier death. And one boss fight aginst a clown shows two dead children cover in blood brefiley, this boss also falls on his chainsaws at the end showing gross amounts of blood. The violence, messages and images are vile. but this game is a challenging, fun, and addictive game that can be purchased for a good price at most retail stores!

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Kentucky
    I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Easy to play

    First off this game is great for 15 up... or younger if your kids can handle it. I loved this game and had fun with it, But it is very violent... you can use hedge clippers,chainsaws,shovels,bats,saw blades, pick axes,and almost anything you see can be used as a weapon to brutally kill the undead. arms,heads,legs are flying throughout the whole game. language is not that huge some s*** and b**** and other words you here on TV not used that much though... overall 4/5 for mature players.

  3. I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • Easy to play

    Something Seems Romero!

    This is probably the bes zombie game, me and my kids play, its fun to play, blow off zombies heads, fight psychopaths, just like a real horror film, but does contains weapons like chainsaws, weed cutter(bloodiest one), and shotguns! but other than that! this game is terrific reccomend it for 9 and up!

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Missouri
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0

    fun but distracting : ) and : (

    ok im going to start with the violence it is verry strong things getting blown up people getting eaten alive and u have to watch the whole thing in fullscreen with no way to skip it gore blood and punishments for your actions characters u build a relation ship with get killed it is just verry bad in many ways. now dont start hateing me i enjoyed it the first few times i beat the game after that it gets irritating u know what is going to happen and u have no way of changing that the sex level is low some clevege and a woman wearing a bra and panties only and she does some disturbing poses for u the language is mild if your attacked by a zombie or your health is low your character might say sh** or d*m* its not continuing swearing like HOUSE OF THE DEAD OVER KILL for the WII(c) system something that is continuing is killing killing and more killing not 1 level does not involve killing parents beware this may effect your childs behavior i would know dead rising might just be an interesting game but isnt good for young kids like 9 or 10 other then that its an okay game TIP: if u get any kind of M rated video game dont buy it in case of the content try renting games or borrowing them or playing them before your kids for your bennifit

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Kentucky
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 2.0

    Killing Zombies Can Get Boring

    Dead Rising, Well this game is about killing zombies with about any wepon in the real world. Lawnmowers,chainsaws,swords,guns.pickaxes,golf clubs,butcher knifes. you might be thinking OMG this game looks cool!! And it is, At first. You play for a couple of days and your having fun and all but after a couple weeks it gets boring. But Parents this game is very VERY violent. You can chop them up with a lawn mower or chop there head off with a katana.. any powerful wepon u get in ur hands and u kill a zombie with it... limbs will be flying. But theres no sex,drug and not much language. id say 14 and up cuse of the bad violence. but this game gets boring so buy it if u just wanna kill zombies all day

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