6. Dead Rising 3
Dead Rising 3 is another game that is hard to gauge because fans seem torn with it. The third whack-em zombie game from Capcom sees the series take a much darker, more serious route, to the delight of some and appall of others. At first glance, the game looks great and the serious tone is a fresh take on the series. Dead Rising 2 was basically the same game as the first, with a new setting and a few small changes - nothing drastic. At the time, I wasn't bothered as I loved the original, but when I went back to it earlier this year, I got bored really quickly. Therefore, the trailer for DR3 got me excited all over again. The concerns about the new iteration of the game stem from the fact that the series seems stripped of that which made it unique to begin with; humour. Well, humour wasn't its only unique quality, but it was a major factor. Capcom say there are plenty of instances for humour in DR3, thus catering to both new and old fans of the series. The gameplay looks like the same as usual, but with more focus on survival horror, as indicated by a scene in which the protagonist has only a flashlight to illuminate a building. This could be a good thing for the series; after the first few hours in the first two games, the zombies felt insignificant and more annoying than anything else, but that doesn't look the case with DR3. So far it looks like a smart, fresh take on the series while maintaining enough of its original appeal, and ultimately I think it will get a high-ish score, setting a solid foundation for sequels.
Predicted Rating: 8