7 Survival Tips for Dead Rising 2

I’ve been playing Dead Rising 2 almost continuously since it came out and I love it. All those annoyances masquerading as design features in the first game? Gone… *poof!* Dead Rising 2 is exactly the game that DR1 should have been. Combo weapons are every bit as fun as you’d expect from the trailers.

And since it’s just out today for our friends in the US, here are my top 7 spoiler-free tips for surviving my favourite zombocalypse:

1. Take the fire axe: There’s one just outside the door to the security room. The Defiler (sledgehammer + fire axe) and the Spiked Bat (baseball bat + nails) are your two survival staples. Never leave home without them.
2. Level up before seriously attempting the story. Sure you could do all the case files and get The Facts, but it’s a lot harder when you have a puny health bar and no dodging ability. Play a good chunk of the game just saving people and laughing at combo weapons. You’ll find the case files much more relaxing.



3. Make $$$ Fast. Play ranked Terror is Reality matches to rack up the in-game winnings. If you want to play with all the vehicles in the game, you’re gonna need a whole lot of cash. Destroying ATMs will net you $2500 a pop and I’ve heard that playing the $1000 slots with all three gambling magazines is a fantastic way to rack up a million.
4. Meet The Contestant. This is an early mission which will unlock the motorcycle mod shop. Who doesn’t want to race down the strip on a slicecycle, right? Easiest way I’ve found to defeat this psycho is to get him trapped on the edges of the Royal Flush Plaza entrance and then wallop the crap out of the back of his head. Some might call this an exploit? I say it’s tactical use of the environment
5. Don’t worry about Zombrex. It’s surprisingly easy to get Zombrex for little Katey. The first one is practically dropped in your lap. The second comes from the Code Blue mission – a nice straight escort. For the third, DON’T bother with the postman unless you have loads of health and a decent ranged weapon. Another mission will open up shortly after the postal service one – bring some food to a hungry guy in a restaurant and he’ll trade you some Zombrex. The rest are easily purchased from the pawnshop with the winnings from a couple of TiR matches.



6. Unlock the Underground. I know my first tip was to skip the case files but Case 2-1 will unlock the underground area for you and none of those early cases will give you trouble. Okay, technically there’s no real NEED for the underground area… but you’ll find one of those great RAMSTERBALLS to run around squashing zombies in :D
7. Open the shortcut. On Day 2 you’ll get a mission called Wilted Flower. Bring her a drink and take her home – you’ll open up a fast route from the South Plaza to the Safe House

I could go on but half the fun of this game lies in working out strategies for yourself. What are your top survival tips for Dead Rising 2?

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