Review by: Brendon Lindsey

Let me start by saying one thing: I don't want this to turn into a comparison of Dead Rising vs Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop. Why? Because if you try to compare this game to the original Dead Rising—it's going to lose. And not barely, either; in a very humiliating, “I almost feel bad for it” kind of way. As a port of a best-selling game known for its sandbox freedom and engine on a distinctly less powerful system it just doesn't compare, and it’s one of the worst ideas in ages. Still, it's impossible not to compare the two games with the whole "Dead Rising" thing in the title.

If you own Dead Rising for the 360 – or if you've even played it – you're going to hate Chop Till You Drop. It just isn't the game for you, because you're probably expecting it to be different from the game it is. Where Dead Rising was a sandbox title, CTYD is a linear mission-based one. Where Dead Rising put the emphasis on huge, zombie-filled brawls, CTYD puts the emphasis more on single combat utilizing the Wii remote's motion controls. Basically, it's closer to Resident Evil 4 than the original Dead Rising.

So who is Chop Till You Drop for? People who love arcadey action titles and zombies, and who haven't (or can't) play the original.

The game revolves around Frank West, a photojournalist trapped in a mall during a zombie outbreak. He, along with several other survivors, must make it through the event alive, until they can be rescued. In Dead Rising 360, “making it through” entails surviving long enough for an in-game calendar to reach a certain point. In Chop Till You Drop, you must complete a series of missions, progressing the story accordingly. That alone is a radical change from the original formula, and should show most people that the two games really aren't comparable despite similar titles.

CTYD largely uses the same controls as Capcom's other zombified Wii title, Resident Evil 4. What this and the smaller number of on-screen zombies leads to is more shooting than meleeing, taking the emphasis (at times) away from the best part of Dead Rising: the usable weapons. That, again, is another fairly big change from the typical Dead Rising play session. Melee weapons are still fun to use, but like in Re4, shooting is just more fun.