Parents' Guide to

Dead Rising 3

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Extremely violent and gory zombie game for mature players.

Game Xbox One 2013
Dead Rising 3 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 12 parent reviews

age 11+

THIS GAME BEST!

This Best Zombi Game LIke Them

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 15+

Fun and Brutal Adventure

Dead Rising 3 is a very fun game, that is for sure. But what guardians should know is that it is also very violent. Zombies are dismembered and gored on the regular and human enemies (while not being gored up) are killed quite a bit too. Yes, the main character does kill non-zombie humans, but he does so in self defense and/or the defense of others, and feels deep remorse. There is also a fair amount of sexual content and drinking in this game, as well as more than a few things that a child who is 15 may be too young for. The drinking is not that bad if they do not already think it is cool- Dead Rising 3 won't change their mind either way. The real offenders here are scenes with disturbing sexual aspects and/or sexual violence, but the main character is always saving victims and you do not see anything happen. There is also no upper nudity, and only part of the butt of a male. Some humans/zombies wear strongly revealing outfits.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (15 ):

Like a good B-movie, this third-person adventure never takes itself too seriously. Despite some technical issues, it's quite fun -- but for mature players only. For one, vehicles have been added to this sequel, allowing you to get around and use them to mow down a few hundred zombies in your path. You also can make weaponized vehicles by combining them with deadly objects. Flamethrowers on the front of a truck? Why not? A motorcycle with a steamroller? Sure. Blades taped to a forklift? Go for it. Also, more so than in past Dead Rising games you have the freedom to go anywhere in this huge world. This is where vehicles come in handy, as you make your way across bridges, tunnels, and sprawling freeways to other parts of the city. You can follow your on-screen marker that shows where your next goal is or build up experience points by fighting, exploring new areas, and finding blueprints, safe houses, weapons, food, wearable items, and other collectible goodies.

Although it's fun and has various solo and multiplayer game modes, it would be remiss not to mention the assorted glitches, ranging from inconsistent frame rates and a less-than-stellar camera to some sloppy controls, be it some lag when you jump or having to stand exactly on top of an object to pick it up. It doesn't detract from the fun too much, but there still should be a downloadable update (a patch) to fix some of these issues. Gory and silly at the same time, Dead Rising 3 is a ridiculously fun sandbox game that's not for the faint of heart.

Game Details

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