I got convinced by Wim to download the Dead Rising demo after all, and boy am I glad I listened :D

Finally there’s a reason for everyone to get a 360, if you’re into zombies or not. The game is just awesome, the best thing Microsoft has to offer to gamers today. There’s a true atmosphere of a zombie movie, as if you’ve been dropped in the Dawn of the Dead movie itself. Hell, this demo even made me go out and buy the DVD yesterday!

The graphics are amazing, with the zombie animation being hilareous and creepy real at the same time. They’ll stumble towards you, trying to grab anything to get a bite. They’ll fall of stairs, trip over stuff in their way and hug that window drooling all over, forgetting that there’s a way around to get to you. And with a nice surround system, you can even enjoy the sounds of a real infested shopping mall,… undead sound effects in 5.1 :D Not to forget the mall tunes in the background… Genius!

The mall is very detailed, every shop having its own name, merchandise aka weapons and books that skill you up. Weapons range from katana swords, sledge hammers and shotguns to shopping carts, golf clubs and skateboards allowing for the most original gory action on a console ever. And although the demo only gives you access to a small part of the mall, you’ll find yourself restarting the 15 minute demo over and over again just to see it all.

The zombies are more of an annoyance, keeping you from shopping at ease, than they are a real threat. You’ll find yourself slashing your way to the next shop or just hopping and dodging the slow paced undead to reach your next destination. Being grabbed by one can most of the time be blamed on your own slow reaction or the fact that running into a group of 20 zombies might not be the best idea.

I couldn’t wait for the retail version and now I’m as impatient as ever, but us Europeans have to wait an extra month for no good reason… I sure hope they don’t keep this a 360 exclusive though. It’d be a shame for all the stubborn Sony fanboys to miss out on this one.