My current project at work has been really kicking my ass this week. When I get home, the last thing I want to do is get in front of a PC (this is my lame excuse for not updating the blog recently). Now that the weekend is upon us, I’m back to blogging. My project isn’t done, and I’ll be doing some more coding this weekend; right now I get to sit back and watch Nad fire up her beat-up SNES, complete with Game Genie and Gradius III (pictured, click to enlarge). Just out of the picture’s frame is the Super Advantage, a sweet little joystick that works well with fighting games. You can also see the chaotic mess of a entertainment center we have. The Xbox 360, GameCube, Xbox, and N64 are visible. Both Dreamcasts and another SNES are hidden behind the cat tower. Note the web of cables sprawled behind the very un-HDTV (27″ Panasonic Tau). A few DVDs, a craptacular DVR courtesy of both Scientific Atlanta and Comcast, as well as Unicron looming over us, can be seen as well.

I was just pointed to this site for free MySpace pictures. Scroll down a bit. Let me know if you see a familiar member of my family on that page.

Nadia bought Dead Rising for me yesterday, a new Xbox 360 game that looks suspiciously like George A. Romero’s cult classic (or the original, if you prefer). The similarities are so apparent that Capcom went out of their way to state that there is no relation between the two on the cover of the box.

On the surface, this game looks like a simple hack-and-slash. The trailers make it look like you are trapped in the mall, and you have to fight your way out of hordes of zombies to beat the game. That is partially true, but there is a bit more to this game.

Dead Rising casts you as Frank West, a photojournalist that has covered war stories. He hears about some strangeness in the town of Willamette, Colorado and immediately heads over via helicopter. He drops onto the roof of the mall that is surrounded by people trying to force their way in. He tells the pilot to return in 72 hours, which should be enough time to cover the entire story. Once in the mall, he learns that those rioters are actually zombies, and he is suddenly fighting for his life.

The game features some minor role-playing elements. As you snap photos of the zombies and fight your way through the undead, you earn PPs (experience points) to level up and gain more life, more fighting techniques, etc. While in the mall, you must figure out what the story behind this incident is for your story. You also have to rescue a few helpless survivors.

The game is incredibly gory, with every punch, kick, baseball bat to the head and gunshot resulting in a shower of blood. Heads explode, limbs fall off; you get the idea. At all times you hear the monstrous groans of the zombies all around you, which can be pretty unnerving. While they are dangerous, the zombies do not present the greatest threat to the hero. The other survivors in the mall, the ones who did not become zombies, are often much more dangerous than the undead roaming the hallways.

I’m digging this game. I’m happy to know that this is more than a mindless beat-em-up. The mall is pretty large, and after the first 15 minutes of the game you are left to use your 72 hours as you see fit. I have one tip for you if you play this game: when you check your watch, the game is not paused. I got a neck full of zombie teeth the last time I looked at it.