I've got a terrible secret to admit. I've never played beyond the first hour of Dead Rising. That may seem improbable for someone who appreciates a good zombie story, no matter what the medium, but it's a sad true fact. It certainly doesn't mean I'm not excited for the sequel though. Having played through a portion of the game much earlier this year, I got the feeling that changes Capcom made to Dead Rising 2 were actually going to make the sequel a much better experience on all fronts. More zombies. More weapons. More save points. All pluses in my book. Though I'm still on the fence about how good or unnecessary the multiplayer is, I think the single-player portion of this game is going to be pretty darn good.

The downloadable prequel, as of now exclusive to the Xbox 360, actually takes place three years before the sequel, but two years after the conclusion of the first game. I think creating an additional playable experience, almost like a lengthier, pricier demo, can go a long way in getting more people interested in the full title when it comes out later this year. I'll be interested to see if any other developers and publishers follow suit, and I'm amazed more companies haven't tried a tactic like this already. Sure, it probably lengthens the development time, but think of all the potential buyers unsure if they want to pay $60 for a game can pay $10-$15 for a few hours, not just a few minutes, of gameplay to see if Dead Rising 2 is something they'd be interested in. At the best, you actually end up making $75, and at the worst, you only make $15. Either way, people paid to play your game in some capacity. I'd gladly pay that $15 if it meant there was a chance I could save $60.