Just like Rise of the Tomb Raider, Dead Rising 4 was a timed exclusive to the Xbox One. The original release on the Xbox One was last year around this time and the Christmas theme worked out quite well for it despite some issues. The release on PS4 is more of a complete release that takes every piece of DLC, all post launch patches from the Xbox version, Capcom Heroes, and some bonus costumes. While the single purchase on PS4 includes all of this, you do need to download about 17gb of free DLC from the store since not all of the content could fit on the PS4 disc.
Despite the number in the name, Dead Rising 4 can be enjoyed on its own. Frank West is a former photojournalist who is now investigating a location that has seen a zombie outbreak. The story sees you ploughing through hordes of zombies with a variety of unique weapons all while there’s a conspiracy by the government and it happens to be the holiday season.
Gameplay for the base game is quite nice. I had very few issues with the PS4 version compared to the original Xbox One version at launch that had a lot of bugs. The original Dead Rising time limit has been removed here and there’s a lot to do and fun to have using some crazy combinations of weapons against tons of zombies. Aside from the 12 to 15 hour long base story mode, the Capcom Heroes Mode is probably the best part of the release. This lets you play through the story using both outfits and movesets from Dante, Viewtiful Joe, and more. This is a nice touch and one that makes it worth replaying the campaign. Speaking of the campaign, I’m disappointed with the lack of campaign coop here. The Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf mode on the other hand is a mostly boring time waster. Having the DLC that basically concludes the main story from the get go is great though.
On the visual side of things, there are some changes between the PS4 and Xbox One versions. Outside of the lack of major visual bugs and glitches, the PS4 port has a few asset streaming issues but the performance holds up a lot better than the original Xbox version. Visually the art direction is very nice and the particle effects really shine in the Capcom Heroes Mode. The crazy nature of this mode fits well with the narrative and gameplay here. It also helps that this release is around the Christmas season. The sound direction and music is really well done. The spirit of Christmas is felt in little things like the UI to some of the story mission songs that play.
Overall, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package is the best version Dead Rising 4 on console all things considered. It is considerably cheaper than buying the Xbox One version and then getting all the DLC. Microsoft never bothered to release it on disc last year either. Thankfully Capcom did release it and as it stands, the PS4 edition with all the content is cheaper than the base game on Xbox One. Dead Rising 4 is a flawed experience when it comes to the narrative and the gameplay can get repetitive but this is worth your time if you want a Christmas game and are a fan of the franchise. Just don’t go into it expecting a fantastic story.