Following in the footsteps of previous installments, players control new protagonist Nick Ramos in third person. Players' primary focus is to search for supplies and weapons in order to fight many undead and complete missions.[5] Dead Rising 3 is set in a vast, open world environment which is much larger than the worlds of Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2 combined.[6][7] The game can render three times as many zombies on-screen at once as its predecessor.[8] Players can save their progress anywhere, as opposed to limiting saves to toilets.[9] The game includes a "Nightmare Mode" for those who would prefer the traditional time limit and save options.[10][11] The game does not have load times.[12]
Dead Rising 3 expands upon the crafting system introduced in Dead Rising 2. Players retain the ability to create "combo weapons", but without the need for a workbench, allowing them to craft weapons on the fly.[6]Dead Rising 3 also allows players to create "combo vehicles", such as combining a motorcycle and steamroller to form a "RollerHawg".[13] Each combo vehicle includes two seats and a secondary blue attack to support cooperative gameplay.[13] Driving vehicles are a part of exploration, as players navigate the city of Los Perdidos.[12] Players are able to discover and unlock blueprints for new combo weapons and vehicles.[14]
Dead Rising 3 utilizes both the Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass.[15] The optional Kinect feature gives zombies a certain level of situational awareness.[15]Loud noises from the player could potentially trigger a rush of zombies; however, the player can also use the ability to shout at zombies through the Kinect in order to distract them.[16] The microphone sensitivity is tuned to "a threshold that makes sense," so that attracting zombies will feel like an intentional decision.[15][17] The Xbox SmartGlass feature, which is also optional, can be used to locate specific items, find abandoned storefronts, and set waypoints for mission objectives.[15] It also provides players with exclusive missions that unlock apps within the SmartGlass, giving them the ability to call in airstrikes, drone support, or area-wide flares for fending off or drawing the attention of the undead.
Multiplayer[edit]
Dead Rising 3 offers two-player cooperative gameplay. Co-op play is accessible in all game modes with the exception of an explicit single player mode. In all other modes (Casual, Completionist, Speed Run, Hardcore), players may be paired with a second player seamlessly at any time should a match be found. Alternatively, players can directly select to play Multiplayer.[18]
The primary player continues as Nick Ramos while the secondary player (who would have selected "Multiplayer" in the menus) assumes the role of Dick, a trucker who survives the outbreak.[19] The two players can explore the entire map and complete side missions separately, but main story missions must be completed together. Any blueprints and collectibles found or completed challenges count for both players. On June 9, 2014, Capcom announced a new DLC known as Super Ultra Dead Rising 3′ Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha at the Microsoft Press Conference at E3 2014, which features four-player co-op.[20]
