Dead Rising 4

Dead Rising 4 brings back Frank West, the photojournalist and star of the first game, in the lead role, as he returns many years later to the Willamette shopping mall, this time decorated for Christmas and once again overrun by hordes of zombies. The game stays true to the core of the series - an open environment full of enemies, time-lapse photography, and above all combining all sorts of items into absurd weapons - while also expanding the combo system with new exoskeletons that give Frank temporary superpowers such as powerful strikes or shoulder-mounted gunfire, and with combo vehicles that can plow through crowds of undead, crushing dozens at a time while driving. Frank can also photograph scenes of horror and comedic moments just like in the first game, which earns him experience points for quality shots, usable to upgrade his abilities.

Unlike previous entries, where a strict time limit was a key and often criticized part of the gameplay, Dead Rising 4 largely abandons it, giving the player the freedom to explore the Christmas-decorated mall and surrounding city districts at their own pace without a ticking clock, complete side quests, and collect collectibles without fear of missing the story's ending. The game launched in December 2016 simultaneously on Xbox One and Windows 10 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so a single purchase worked on both platforms with shared progress and achievements. Development was handled by Capcom Vancouver, the studio also behind Dead Rising 2 and its expansions, and this showed clearly in the similar style of dark humor, mission structure, and overall tone of the game.

Why play it: Dead Rising 4 is ideal for series fans and newcomers alike who want a more relaxed, less stressful zombie beat-'em-up without the pressure of a time limit, with the return of the beloved Frank West and even crazier combo weapons and vehicles than before.