History and Customs of Halloween

Most holidays commemorate or celebrate something. But what about Halloween? What is Halloween actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual where folks get together for parties, dress up in Halloween costumes and bob for apples?
The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.
Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
In Greek mythology, goddesses of the underworld were often used to invoke the Samhain. Popular Greek Goddess costumes portray Hecate and Medusa. Hecate was the most favored goddess by Zeus, and wandered the emptiness between the worlds of life and death looking for souls of the dead. Both were considered serpent goddesses, and their ancient dark legends spawned myths such as vampires, who fed off the living using venom and snake-like fangs. Ritualistic dress includes snake adornments and three headed masks. Today, Hecate is often referred to as the goddess of witches.
The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.
The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.
According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.
The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

© 1995-2010 by Jerry Wilson; Get Permission to Reprint this article.

References: Charles Panati, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, 1987; and Dr. Joseph Gahagan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Personal letter, 1997

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Add to Cart History and Customs of Halloween

Halloween Origins and Customs

History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning.

Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished.

"During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs"
(Celtic Mythology, p. 127).

The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, usually of crops and animals, but sometimes of humans, in order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits.

To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.

Blending of Paganism with Christianity

When Christianity spread to parts of Europe, instead of trying to abolish these pagan customs, people tried to introduce ideas which reflected a more Christian world-view. Halloween has since become a confusing mixture of traditions and practices from pagan cultures and Christian tradition.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. During their rule of the Celtic lands, Roman festivals were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. Another festival was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

As the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands, in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs, to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint's Day from May 13 to Nov. 1 and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. Oct. 31 thus became All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint').

Sadly, though, many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity. Numerous folk customs connected with the pagan observances for the dead have survived to the present.

In 1517, a monk named Martin Luther honored the faithful saints of the past by choosing All Saints Day (November 1) as the day to publicly charge the Church heirarchy with abandoning biblical faith. This became known as "Reformation Day," a fitting celebration of the restoration the same biblical faith held by the saints throughout church history. [What about Halloween?]

Trick-or-Treat?

Some trace the origins of present day "trick-or-treat" to Samhain, which was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. If not placated, villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property.

The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else,human or not, nice or not-so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.

Others trace "trick-or-treat" to a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into 'trick or treat'.

Halloween Comes to America

Traditional Halloween symbols (witches, black cats, pumpkins, candles, masks, parties and pranks) appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800's. In 1848, millions of Irish emigrants poured into America as a result of the potato famine. With this sudden influx of people, the holiday of Druidism found its new home on alien shores. "Proudly Celtic, they called Halloween Oidche Shamhna (`Night of Samhain'), as their ancestors had, and kept the traditional observances" [Common Boundary, Sep./Oct. 1993, p. 31].
The Jack-o-lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead.

When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since.

Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror,thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night.

Bats, owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Black cats have religious origins as well. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.

Witches and witchcraft are dominant themes of the holiday. Witches generally believe themselves to be followers of an ancient religion, which goes back far beyond Christianity, and which is properly called 'wicca'. Witches are really just one side of a modern revival of paganism - the following of pre-Christian nature religions, the attempt to return to worshipping ancient Norse, Greek or Celtic gods and goddesses.

To witches, Halloween is a festival of the dead, and represents the "end and the beginning of the witches year. It marks the beginning of the death and destruction associated with winter. At this time the power of the underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the best time to contact spirits" (Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p. 146).

The apostle Paul said Witchcraft is one of the acts of the sinful nature and those who practice it will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16-21; see also Revelation 22:15).

Divination

The various activities traditional to Halloween are mostly associated with the idea of obtaining good fortune and foretelling the future. Samhain was a time when it was customary for the pagans to use the occult practice of divination to determine the weather for the coming year, the crop expectations, and even who in the community would marry whom and in what order.

• The idea behind ducking, dooking or bobbing for apples seems to have been that snatching a bite from the apple enables the person to grasp good fortune. Unmarried people would attempt to take a bite out of an apple bobbing in a pail of water, or suspended on a string. The first person to do so was believed to be the next to marry.
• Samhain is a time for getting rid of weakness, as pagans once slaughtered weak animals which were unlikely to survive the winter. A common ritual calls for writing down weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment, and tossing it into the fire.
• There used to be a custom of placing a stone in the hot ashes of the bonfire. If in the morning a person found that the stone had been removed or had cracked, it was a sign of bad fortune. Nuts have been used for divination: whether they burned quietly or exploded indicated good or bad luck.
• Peeling an apple and throwing the peel over one's shoulder was supposed to reveal the initial of one's future spouse.
• One way of looking for omens of death was for people to visit churchyards, because the spirits of those who were going to die during the coming year were thought to walk around the churchyard during this night.

Should Christians adopt such practices?

Can we borrow pagan customs and superstitions of ancient peoples and "Christianize" them?

As believers, we are called to "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. [1 Thesalonians 5:21-22] Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil. Christians are to "... have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." [Ephesians 5:11]
Is Halloween just another innocent holiday that doesn't harm anyone? Is it really just childish fun? Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night. Even normally well-behaved children are driven by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Police officials everywhere report a great increase in such activities on Halloween. Worse yet are the horrifying accounts of poisoned candy and fruits booby-trapped with razor blades and needles. Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free X-rays of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions?
Should the church be compromised by accommodating itself to the culture?

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." [Romans 12:2]

"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15]

When America and the world celebrates the Festival of Samhain and the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified.
The sort of practices celebrated on Halloween are what defiled the ancient nations [see Leviticus 18:24-30]. The Israelites were warned against such practices when they entered the Promised Land, "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations." [Deuteronomy 18:9]

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. [Deuteronomy 18:10-14]

As an alternative to the celebration of evil and death, Christians should rather do what Christians are supposed to do every day and that is shine the light of Jesus Christ. We should emphasize the Christian influences and strive to make Hallow's Eve a celebration of the acts of God through his people the saints. We should make it a day when acts of charity instead of vandalism and hatred abound. A day that emphasizes the light of Christ instead of the darkness of evil. A day when people meditate on the acts of Godly people instead of ghosts and goblins.
While you may have participated "all in fun," be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and witches. Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. While some may say, "But we only do this in fun...we don't practice witchcraft," those things that represent Satan and his domain cannot be handled or emulated "for fun". Such participation places you in enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous ground.
Tom Sanguinet, former high priest in the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said "The modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches’ New Year. It was a time when the "spirits" (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet." He went on to say, "Halloween is purely and absolutely evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the Lord Jesus." [The Dark Side Of Halloween]
As evil prevails, Americans have embraced an evil day of Satan, with the pranks of 'would be' hoodlums, combined with 'demon faces' on pumpkins, clothing of 'death' being worn, and calling it fun. When Christians participate in Halloween, it sends a message to children that witchcraft, demonism, Satanism, and the occult are something fun, entertaining and harmless.
Many years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote that one of Satan's most deceptive tactics is to convince people that he doesn't exist. Apparently he has done a good job in his deception. Sadly, many people think of the devil as no more than a symbol of evil: like Santa Claus, he is just a fictional symbol. Many people today also do not think of witches as real people who practice magic, but simply as imaginary figures who represent the supernatural world and everything that is 'spooky.'

Recognizing this pagan holiday gives the false impression that what is actually lethal is innocuous. Some children develop a fascination with the supernatural which leads them later into more sinister occult practices. It's the spiritual equivalent of painting a loaded gun to look like a toy and giving it to child to play with.

It is the kind of celebration that encourages kids like the 16-year-old in Pearl, Mississippi who stabbed his mother to death in her sleep and then opened fire at his high school, killing two students and wounding seven. Authorities found this student along with at least six others involved in a small, avowedly satanic clique that calls itself "Kroth."

How some people can defend this kind of activity as just another innocent holiday that doesn't harm anyone is beyond me.

Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

Acceptance of the Supernatural

Central to Satan's goals is the widespread acceptance of the supernatural, including the occult, on the part of North Americans, accompanied by a great revival of spiritism all over the world.

Over the last 30 or so years, the occult has moved into the mainstream of America - in television, movies, magazines, business, and various aspects of daily life. Movies, books, magazines and encyclopedias of the supernatural have abounded. Turn on your TV and hear from the ever-present "Psychic Friends" hotline, or see lead characters in TV shows meet their "spirit guide." Entire bookstores devoted to the occult have become common. Universities regularly offer courses on witchcraft and magic - usually the so-called "white" variety. Myriads of mystical Eastern religions, bizarre and often demonic, have invaded North America and found in most cases an amazing responsiveness.

Indeed, Halloween has taken root in America. Americans spend $21 million on Halloween candies yearly second only to Christmas in total sales. Halloween is the Number 1 season for selling humorous greeting cards. In North America, some 25 million cards are sold annually. (Peter Smith, "By the Numbers," The Toronto Star, 2002-OCT-27.) Halloween is the third-largest party occasion next to Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Increasingly the curriculum in many public schools is becoming a primer in occultism.
Impressions, a curriculum used in many school districts instructs teachers and students in how to cast spells. One teacher's manual reads, "Tell the children that a magician has cast a spell on some children. Have them work in pairs to write the magic spell the magician used. Have each pair write another spell to reverse the first spell. Have them chant their spells."

About 16,000 school districts use the Pumsey the Dragon curriculum, by Jill Anderson. Many of the relaxation techniques used are identical to those used in hypnosis. Another curriculum called Duso the Dolphin employs relaxation techniques and sends hypnotized youngsters off on guided fantasies to a place called Aquatron.
Satanism has become a phenomena that crosses the city limit into the rural areas of our nation. It is reported there are some 6000 witches, and approximately 10 million people are involved in the occult. However, it is very difficult to establish how many actually participate. These individuals are involved in a wide variety of activities from simply casting spells to human sacrifice. The news wires carry story after story about young children being kidnapped, only to be found later as victims of some bizarre ritualistic crime.
As satantic involvement among our youth increases, we begin to see the primary goal of such activity. According to Scripture (2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9), Satan's goal is to deceive man by blinding him to the truth of the gospel and to receive worship for himself (Matt. 4:9; Isa. 14:12-14).

It has become clear that the primary goal is to alter an individual's values and turn him against himself, his beliefs, family, God and society.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
Young satanists believe the strong will rule with Satan. Once an individual becomes involved, they often make a pact with Satan. They commit themselves to a future date when they will take their own lives by suicide. They believe if they submit themselves to Satan in death, they will come back in another life as a stronger being and rule with him forever. According to recent statistics, fourteen young people a day take their own lives.
Recently, a California skateboard manufacturer used a package enclosure similar in appearance to a gospel tract to encourage purchasers to sell their souls to the devil. The brochure titled, "Let's Make a Deal" has a smiley-faced devil who explains to Flame Boy what happened in heaven after he was banished: "First off, they set up a bunch of dumb rules, and then they imposed a really strict dress code. I'l wager that people must be quite bored up there, but hey, that's what they get for being good." He contrasts this with, "Flame Boy, even a dimwit like you can see that hell is by far the best place to retire. Just look at all the fun to be had." Children are asked to sign and return a contract, by which they give possession of their souls to the devil for eternity.

What's wrong with Halloween?

It does not have even one single redeeming virtue. It is custom born out of pagan superstition. It is a demon-inspired, devil-glorifying, occult festival. It is an evening holy unto evil, death, and divination. The Scriptures tells us to "Abstain from all appearance of evil." [1Thess. 5:22]
Wake up Christian! This is the night of evil and those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with it.
We are all accountable for our choices and decisions. Ignorance is no excuse. The choice is up to you. Have you been involved in this satanic holiday? Do you struggle with giving it up because "it's just fun" and an innocent opportunity for children to dress up and collect candy? Don't take my word for it. Let God show you what he would have you do. You might begin by praying the following:

Father in heaven I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ to confess that I'm a sinner. I'm sorry! Please forgive me. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your Son and that You raised him from the dead. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that I might be saved. Each and everyday Father I turn my will and my life over to Your care, and may Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me in all the things I think , do and say. I'm Yours and You are mine. Father, please use me that I might help others come to know and love Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving me. Amen

Add to Cart Halloween Origins and Customs

Overview Dead Rising 2

Overview

Chuck Greene, the game's protagonist, with his own invention: the Paddlesaw.

Dead Rising 2 is a third-person action-adventure survival horror game developed by Capcom in conjunction with Blue Castle Games and published by Capcom for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Taking place five years after the original Dead Rising, players control former Motocross champion Chuck Greene as he uncovers a conspiracy involving the zombie outbreak in the glamorous Las Vegas-like city of Fortune City while trying to earn money to keep his daughter, Katey, from becoming a zombie (using an experimental drug called Zombrex). Dead Rising 2 was released in the US on September 28, 2010.

Almost a month before the game's release, Capcom published a downloadable prologue game to Dead Rising 2 exclusively for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade for 400 MSP ($5). Dead Rising 2: Case Zero features the same (albeit limited) gameplay engine and takes place in the small desert town of Still Creek. Experience gained in the prologue carries over to Dead Rising 2 (to a level cap of 5), giving the player a head start. 

Story

The story is set several years after the first game. It's set in a universe where zombies have become a common thing, where a temporary cure exists, Zombrex that must be injected every 24 hours after infection. For some zombies have become a source of entertainment with the show Terror Is Reality while others think Zombies should have rights, like the PETA activist group C.U.R.E..

The game opens up with Chuck fixing his bike. He's to perform in the game show "Terror is Reality" so he can win money to buy Zombrex for his sick daughter Katey. Terror Is Reality (TIR) is an extremely violent controversial, popular pay-per-view show that consists in killing zombies.

Chuck knows his way around a zombie or two

It's hosted by Tyrone King, who entertains the crowds as the contestants risk their lives for the sake of TV. TK sometimes considers the show as payback for what the zombies have done to the world and pitches the show as typically American.

Before the show starts, Chuck hands his daughter off to an assistant (who takes her to the green room) who asks him to fill out a form that includes stating his next of kin, in case he were to die during the show. What Chuck must do to win is to drive his motorcycle that has chainsaws bolted to each side of it and kill the most zombies possible. Before the beginning of the event, a contestant mocks Chuck about the fact that his wife died in Vegas and that he must "suck" at killing zombies since he couldn't save her.

Greene keeps his cool and wins the event. While the prize money is being given to him, the twins, two extremely attractive women who help host the show with TK, mock Chuck about not putting up a good enough show and the fact that he can't handle such "curves" (while saying this one of the twins move her hands sexually down her body). Chuck goes back to the locker room and takes a service elevator to the green room. But he's knocked out when the service elevator comes to a sudden stop.

Greene wakes up and pries the elevator doors only to realize that zombies are beginning to take over Fortune City, eating everyone in sight. He makes his way to the green room and finds Katey hiding in a closet. Greene takes her through the chaos and into an emergency safe house along with other survivors. They're greeted in the in the safe haven by Ray Sullivan, an officer of the FCS. At the beginning, he's reluctant to let Chuck in because of Katey, who's been bitten, Chuck convinces him, telling him that he has Zombrex. Ray tells our hero that there is no Zombrex in the safe house, and that they'll be stuck in the house for three days, while the military quarantines off the city.

Chuck makes a plan to go out and search for more Zombrex. He's overheard by Stacey Forsythe. Stacey is at the head of activist group C.U.R.E (Citizens for Undead Rights and Equality) who fight for the rights of the infected and for price drops on Zombrex. She was in Fortune City protesting against TIR when the outbreak happened. She tells Chuck that he can find medicine in a local pharmacy and after killing loads of zombies, Chuck finds the medicine and brings it back to Katie in time. 

While watching the news, local reporter Rebecca Chang explains that the Fortune City outbreak was more of a terrorist act than an accident. She shows CCTV footage of a person in the same motorcycle gear as Chuck blow a cage open releasing all the zombies, at which point Chang directly accuses Greene of being responsible for the outbreak. Chuck gives his daughter to Stacey as he goes to search for the reporter and the truth behind the conspiracy.

He makes his way towards the Fortune City hotel to find Rebecca. It's revealed that the journalist is on her own since her crew decided to

Rebecca Chang

flee. She's ready to put herself in incredible danger to get the scoop. Chuck meets her and starts interrogating her about her source. Rebecca tells him that good journalists never reveal their sources and that she'll help Greene if she can get an exclusive interview. Chuck agrees and Rebecca leads him to the security room where the tape came from. But when they get there, they realize that everything has been erased and destroyed. What's even more disturbing is that the security guard has been murdered, not killed by a zombie.
 

Chang decides to head back to the safe-house with Chuck and meets Stacey. Despite the fact that the two ladies don't really get along, the three decide to work together to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. Rebecca decides to go back out to look for scoops, Stacey monitors the security screens while Chuck goes and finds Zombrex  for his daughter. Ray watches TV and discovers the accusations made against Chuck. He tells him that he won't kick him and his daughter out as long as he keeps bringing back survivors. Stacey calls Chuck to tell him that she's seen armed men messing with the the underground passages in Fortune City and sends Chuck to investigate.

Chuck discovers mercs loading a train in the underground. After eliminating a couple of them, he discovers that these men are working for Tyrone King. TK seems to be behind the conspiracy, openly admitting that he's the one that framed Greene and that he made him a "star". TK makes off on the train but Chuck finds a motorcycle and chases after it. After boarding the train and killing more mercenaries, TK gets away by separating the train cars.

Greene heads back to the safe house and gives Zombrex to his daughter. He tells everything to Rebecca and wants nothing more than to take

TK

TK down. Stacey reminds him to stay safe, for Katey's sake even though it becomes apparent that she may be falling for the motocross champion. TK's mercenaries start drilling into every single casino in the city. Chuck believes that TK is trying to accomplish a heist, a heist that involves stealing money from all the casinos. Chuck foils this plot but yet again TK gets away.

After saving the casinos, Rebecca shows up and starts filming everything. She tells Chuck that despite her prior statements, she wants Chuck to meet her source. Chuck goes to the Yucatan casino and goes to the rendezvous point in the casino's night club. When he arrives, he discovers the twins (the two sexy ladies who hosted TIR at the beginning of the game) were Rebecca's source and are now holding her hostage, feeling her in sexy ways, they then whip out katana's and start fighting Chuck.

He kills one of them, leading the second one to commit suicide since they consider themselves halves. Before dying, she promises Chuck that "they" will never let him leave alive. Chuck frees Rebecca who tells him that TK intends to escape via helicopter with all the money. The problem is that she doesn't know when this is going to happen, so she'll have to watch the skies and tell Chuck if she sees anything.

While Rebecca waits, Chuck returns to the safe house to give Katey her regular 24h Zombrex shot. After giving her the shot, she faints. Chuck is worried about her since this is the same thing that happened to his wife. At this point, the game starts referencing the first Dead Rising like crazy. Stacey tells a story about her now deceased sister who decided to stop taking Zombrex because she felt it was taking over her life which lead to her turning into a zombie. At this point, Stacey starts talking about a cure and Frank West and Isabella Keyes fight to find a cure using the queen bees. Chuck also talks about the Willamette incident and Carlito Keyes. Stacey expresses her hope that Isabella may have found a cure.

Chuck joins Rebecca on the roof to wait for TK's helicopter. After several hours, a helicopter finally lands on top of the Fortune City Hotel. Chuck makes his way over there and confronts TK. Sick of Chuck's interference, the evil game show host boards the helicopter, ready to make his escape but our hero runs and attaches a crane to the bottom of the helicopter, which causes it to crash an blow up. TK, the only survivor, lands at Chuck's feet. As burning money starts raining from the sky, Rebbecca arrives, filming the whole thing while Chuck promises her that TK will pay for his wrong doings.

TK is brought back to the safe house and handcuffed to a bed. Despite Sullivan wanting to kill the man, Chuck stops him, telling him that he must be kept alive. At 9 am on the 4th day, the military finally arrives, lead by a trigger happy sergeant, they start shooting up the place, killing zombies with ease. Suddenly, gas starts coming out of the sewers and the zombies mutate, becoming bullet proof, quicker and more powerful. The military get killed off, much to the dismay of the survivors. Only the sergeant escapes, almost running Rebecca over with his Humvee.  

 Freedom Bear knows zombies must die!

Back at the safe house, Sullivan explains that a second batch of soldiers should be deployed in 24 hours. If they fail, than Fortune City will be wiped off the map. Chuck goes down into the underground and saves Chang from the now crazy sergeant. After carrying her back to the safe house (she sprained her ankle), they interrogate TK. TK explains that Chuck was chosen because he fit the part and that his DNA was all over the arena, making him the ideal culprit. The survivors have a hard time believing that all this was TK's work and when he says something about "them" releasing the gas, it becomes apparent that TK was just a pawn.

Suddenly, there is a breach inside the safe house. The main door has been sabotaged and thousands of zombies begin to pour in. After fixing the door, Chuck stumbles into a now free TK, who gets bitten by a zombie. Sullivan, who was supposed to be watching the criminal, says that he was knocked out cold. At this point, the player can decide to give Zombrex to TK or not. The survivors watch the news and realize that they're being played: the anchorman announces that the second batch of soldiers had been deployed, finding the safe house over run with zombies with all dead. The government has decided that the situation has gone out of control and that the Fortune City must be fire bombed.

Distraught, Chuck decides to follow the only lead he has, go to the gas's source. As he ventures once again into the underground, he discovers that the zombies are attracted by the source and are lead into a special room with what seems to be a giant hive of queen bees. The zombies are destroyed by the bees while gas continues to be pumped out. Chuck also discovers a lab and finally discovers who's really behind all this: Phenotrans, the company that makes Zombrex.

Chuck steals a laptop which he brings back to the safe house. Rebecca puts all the pieces together: a significant zombie outbreak hadn't happened in years and people weren't using Zombrex anymore. Phenotrans had to find a way to make people use Zombrex again and by making a new kind of zombie, the population would start to fear zombies again and rush out to buy the drug. In the end, the Fortune City outbreak was a way to spark sales. Rebecca also figures that there is an inside man. But just as she's about to figure it out, Sullivan takes out his gun and kills Rebecca with a bullet to the face. He reveals that he is the inside man and that none of the survivors were supposed to survive the initial outbreak. He's about to kill Chuck and Katey when Stacey disarms Sullivan who then runs away which Chuck gives chase.

Chuck finds Sullivan at the top of the Yucatan casino. Here, Sullivan pretty much explains everything. TK was a pawn, he was just supposed to frame Chuck but the casino heist had nothing to do with Phenotrans. Sulllivan explains that Zombrex is essential to America, as CEOs, politicians and the likes use it. If it were to go bankrupt, America would collapse. The zombie outbreak is necessary to develop Zombrex, and that Sullivan is also responsible for the Las Vegas outbreak that killed Chuck's wife.

 Chuck, hard at work at his next tool of death.

Angry as hell, Chuck attacks Sullivan. Sullivan has the back up of a jet that came to pick him up (Sullivan plans to use one of those hook parachutes seen in The Dark Night to make his escape) and the jet regularly fires rockets at Chuck that blows parts of the roof off. After a long and violent encounter, Chuck seems to get the upper hand and disarms Sullivan. Just as he's about to win, the jet fires its cannons and knocks Chuck out cold. As Sullivan deploys his parachute and bids farewell to our hero, Chuck wakes up and hand-cuffs Sullivan's suit to a pole just as the AC-130 hooks the baddie's parachute - the result is Sullivan being torn in two. 

Chuck gets up and takes Sullivan's satellite phone to call Channel 6 news (the news station Rebecca was working for) and tells them that he's a survivor in Fortune City and that if they want the story of a lifetime, they need to send rescue helicopters to the zombie infested city. Some time later, helicopters arrive and start evacuating survivors. As the final helicopter is about to leave, Chuck can't find Stacey and Katey and tells the final helicopter to leave without him. He goes down to the now deserted safe house and only finds his daughter's back pack. As he stares blankly at the bag, the credits begin to roll...

After the credits, Chuck is seen looking at the security monitors for any signs of his daughter. Suddenly, his walkie-talkie rings and the booming voice of TK is heard. He's holding Stacey and Katey hostage and will do harm to them unless Chuck does a few errands for the evil host. Chuck is forced to comply and starts collecting random objects for TK like expensive champagne, a lab coat, a wireless headset, compromising pictures and a USB drive. The story never tells you why you need to collect these objects but after collecting them all, Chuck makes his way back to the Fortune City Arena.

Upon entering the Arena, he's zapped in the back by TK and knocked out. He wakes up upside down, attached by the feet over an arena filled with zombies and tied to separate rope is Stacey and Katey. TK arrives with his microphone and starts entertaining as though there were an audience. Chuck unties himself and climbs the rope until he reaches a platform. He starts to crank the other two up but TK arrives and stops him. Chuck starts fighting TK while keeping Stacey and Katey from being lowered into a pit of zombies. 

TK grabs Chuck by the neck and starts choking him off the side of the platform. He starts asking Chuck if "he's willing to risk it all... you have to.." but Chuck stops him mid sentence and throws the evil game show host over the edge of the platform and to his death. Chuck finishes the sentence with "win big!". This was the catch phrase used by TK before each show. Chuck hoists Stacey and Katey, makes a terrible pun ("I wasn't gonna leave you two hanging there"), everybody hugs and all three of them walk off holding hands. Credits roll.

Note that this is the S ending. The game also calls this the "true" ending and can only be obtained when the player correctly gives Zombrex to Katey, completes all the cases and gives Zombrex to TK.

There are different endings according to some of the player's choice. For example, if Chuck doesn't give TK Zombrex, Stacey and Katey escape Fortune City but Chuck is eaten by zombies right before getting on the helicopter. If you don't give Katey Zombrex, Chuck loses all hope and lets himself get eaten by the walking dead. If Chuck fails to close the safe house door during "Breach" than the military fire bombs the city, killing Chuck and all the survivors. If Chuck doesn't make it back to the safe house in time before the military arrives, than he's arrested by the army (accused for the zombie outbreak). However the military convoy is attacked by zombies and everyone gets killed.

Zombies

There are multiple types of zombies in Dead Rising 2. There are the regular kinds of zombies. These zombies come in different chapes and forms. There are both male and female zombies in the game including overweight zombies that don't move very fast. There can be hundreds of zombies on screen at the same time. The zombies can hurt Chuck in different ways:

- They can lunge at Chuck and grab onto to him. At this point, a quick time event is initiated where the player must wiggle the stick to get free. The zombies usually grab on to Chuck's neck but female zombies sometimes grab on to Chuck's groin.

- They can grab Chuck from behind and put him on the ground and start eating him. At this point, Chuck must press a button to get free. This can also happen when the player doesn't wiggle the stick fast enough.

After a certain point in the game, a new kind of zombie appears, a mutated, more powerful kind. They're quicker, knocking over other zombies when they run towards you. They can swipe at you, vomit bile and are bulletproof. If they grab on to you, you have to wiggle the stick a number of times before pressing a button. They're the most powerful zombies in the game.

Psychopaths

Throughout the game, Chuck will encounter different psychos he must defeat. These are people who've been driven mad by the zombie outbreak and must be stopped. They are the game's boss battles and some are tied with the story while others are optional. The following list is a list of optional psychos.

Ted Smith

This caretaker can be found in the Yucatan Casino. He knocks Chuck out and plans to feed him to Snowflake, a tiger since there is no more fresh meat left. Chuck tries to reason with him but accidentally says the word "slow" which pisses Ted off and provokes the encounter.
 

Leon Bell

Chuck meets Leon Bell right before the introductory TIR event. He's not a nice guy, making fun of Chuck for having lost his wife. Chuck meets him again after the outbreak in Fortune Park where Leon drives his motocross that has two chainsaws attached to it, killing other survivors. He challenges Chuck to a rematch, throwing him the keys to another motocross and constantly repeats that he's deeply disappointed in Chuck who used to be his hero.
 

Brandon Whittacker

Brandon is a member of CURE who's also gone mad. He hides in the toilets of the Americana casino, where he feeds survivors to zombies he's hidden in the stalls. He worships Chuck for having "shown the way" by releasing the zombies and that becoming a zombie is only a natural evolution. Armed with just a shard of glass that he uses to slit his own throat and wrist, he attacks Chuck when Greene refuses to join Brandon's ideals.
 

Carl Schliff

Carl is a mail man who's never missed a delivery and the zombie outbreak isn't about to stop him. He has a special delivery of Zombrex but no one is there to sign the papers for the package. Chuck comes along and decides to play along with the psycho to get the Zombrex for Katey. But Carl recognizes him from the news reports and decides to give him another package, one with a bomb in it.
 

Brett Ernst

Brett wears the Slappy costume, a mascot that's popular with kids. When the outbreak hit, his second half (another mascot) was killed. He blames Chuck for the outbreak and that he "ruined his date". He also blames Chuck for stealing attention since Chuck is now on TV since he's being framed while Slappy is not. This annoys Slappy who decides to attack Chuck with flame-throwers.
 

Antoine Thomas

Renowned cook, Antoine kind of lost it after the outbreak hit. He can be found in the food court stirring up something nasty, a stew with chunks of human meat in it. He keeps other survivors fresh in the freezer and awaits the arrival of the food critic to rate his food. At first he believes that Chuck is this critic, but his dreams are quickly dashed and he decides that Chuck will make for a fine dessert.
 

Randy Tugman

Randy is getting married in one of those Vegas churches. He's an overweight man who's dressed up in a bondage uniform who's forcing his father to marry him with a girl he's captured and dressed up. Randy is sick of being a virgin and believes that marriage will get him a free pass to seventh heaven. Chuck makes it to the church right after Randy and the girl have been declared married at which point Randy kills his father with his chainsaw and then attacks Chuck.
 

Seymour Redding

Seymour is a low life cop who uses a six shooter and a lasso. The outbreak killed all his colleagues, leaving him in charge. He serves out a special kind of justice by hanging survivors and seems to take pleasure in everyone he kills. Chuck arrives and decides to put an end to this.

Non-Zombie Enemies

Hunters

Hunters lead by Big Earl appear around the Fortune Strip. These snipers enjoy shooting zombies and survivors for game. They're a caricature of the South, constantly drinking beer and saying how the government is going to take their weapons away. They're also racist, seeing the zombie outbreak the cleansing of the weak so only the true, strong American remains.  
 

Looters

Looters are a group of scavengers who have taken advantage of the zombie outbreak in Fortune City by looting various stores and businesses. They are dressed in gray hooded sweatshirts with "Fortune City, Nevada" written in white on their chests, red bandanna's, and backpacks. While most are hostile, there are other looters that inhabit pawnshops around Fortune City, where the player can find various weapons and aids. 

Gameplay

Dead Rising 2 plays very similarly to its predecessor, as Chuck must go through waves of zombies with a cavalcade of improvised weaponry, rescuing survivors and progressing through the main story. Chuck, despite not being a war-time photojournalist, is a bit of a handyman, and can improvise specific components into more powerful tools of destruction (known as Combo Weapons). Players primarily earn Prestige Points (which allow him to level up and gain new abilities) by creatively killing zombies and rescuing survivors.
 

Weapons

There is a large variety of weapons within the game. Here is a listing of many of them though perhaps not all:

Melee Weapons

• Fire-axe
• Bowie Knife
• Broadsword
• Battle Axe
• Magicians Sword
• Katana
• Machete
• Chefs knife
• Meat Cleaver
• Tomahawk
• Lance
• Spear
• Sledgehammer
• Nightstick

Alternative Melee Weapons

• Paddle
• Brush
• Brush Handle
• Baseball Bat
• Acoustic Guitar
• Adboard
• Bass Guitar
• Bench
• Massager
• Bowling ball
• Cardboard cutout
• Cash Register
• Cushioned tall chair
• Stool
• Highback Oak Chair
• Padded Blue Chair
• Patio Chair
• Fancy Tall Chair
• Fancy small chair
• Barstool
• Folding chair
• Coffee pot
• Computer Case
• Construction hat
• Cooking oil
• Cooking pot

Firearms

• Handgun
• Shotgun
• Merc rifle
• Sniper rifle
• LMG
• Six Shooter
• BFG

Ranged Weapons

• Tennis racket
• Golf club
• Bow and arrow
• Football
• Metal baseball bat
• Bag of marbles
• Soccer-ball
• Bowie knife
• Basketball
• Bowling ball
• Gems
• Casino chips
• Nails
• Spear
• Plates
• CDs
• Playing cards
• Vinyl records

Explosives

• Acetylene tank
• Dynamite
• Gasoline
• Grenade
• Propane tank
• Rocket fireworks

Combo Weapons

Combo Card featuring the Drill Bucket.

One of the main new features in Dead Rising 2 is the ability to combine two certain items together to create a Combo Weapon, which are more powerful tools of destruction (or in some cases, more powerful tools of restoration), which can only be done in the workbenches in specially-marked rooms (called Maintenance Rooms). Players can also find Combo Cards of each weapon, which not only doubles the Prestige Points earned from killing with that weapon, but also grants a special heavy attack. When Combo Weapons are first created without the use of Combo Cards, a Scratch Card is given instead. (Merely a visual reminder for combinations, which can be replaced by Combo Cards when found) 
 

• Air Horn - Pylon and Blue Spray Paint
• Auger - Drill motor and Pitchfork
• Beer Hat - Beer and Construction Hat
• Blitzkrieg -  Wheelchair and LMG  Assault Rifle
• Blambow - Bow and Dynamite
• Boomstick - Shotgun and Pitchfork
• Burning Skull - Bull Skull and Motor Oil
• Defiler - Sledge Hammer and Fire Axe
  

  Boomstick
• Drill Bucket - Power Drill and Bucket
• Driller - Power Drill and Spear
• Dynameat -  Meat and  Dynamite
• Electric Chair - Car Battery and  Wheelchair
• Electric Rake - Leaf Rake and Battery
• Exsanguinator - Vacuum and Saw Blade
• Fire Spitter - Toy Spitball Gun and Tiki Torch
• Flamethrower - Water Gun and Gasoline
• Flaming Gloves - Boxing Gloves and Motor Oil
• Fountain Lizard - Dinosaur mask and Fountain Fireworks
• Freedom Bear -  Jumbo Stuffed Bear and  Light Machine Gun
  

  Knife Gloves
• Freezer Bomb - Fire Extinguisher and Dynamite
• Gem Blower - Gems and Leaf Blower
• Hacker - Flashlight and Computer
• Hail Mary -  Football and  Grenades
• Handy Chipper - Wheelchair and Lawnmower
• Heliblade - Toy Helicopter and  Machete
• Holy Arms - Wooden Sword & Shield and Box of Nails
• Improvised Explosive Device - Box of Nails and Propane Tank
• Infernal Arms - Wooden Sword & Shield and Motor Oil
• Jewel Blower - Leaf Blower and  Jewels
  

  Spiked Bat
• Knife Gloves - Bowie Knives and   Boxing Gloves
• Laser Sword - Gems and Flashlight (this is the games name for what is a Lightsaber)
• Molotov - Whiskey and Newspaper
• Paddlesaw - Paddle and Chainsaw
• Parablower - Leaf Blower and Umbrella
• Plate Launcher - Plates and Cement Saw
• Pole Weapon - Push Broom and Machete
• Porta Mower - Lumber and Lawnmower
• Power Guitar - Electric Guitar and Speaker Amp
• Ripper - Cement saw and Saw blade
• Roaring Thunder - Car Battery and Goblin/Troll mask
  

  Paddlesaw
• Rocket Launcher - Leadpipe and Rocket Firework
• Snowball Cannon - Fire Extinguisher and Water Gun
• Spear Launcher - Leaf Blower and Spear
• Spiked Bat - Box of Nails and Baseball Bat
• Stick Bomb - Lawn Dart and Dynamite
• Super B.F.G. - Amplifier and Blast Frequency Gun
• Super Slicer - Servbot Mask and Lawnmower
• Tenderizers - MMA Gloves and Box of Nails
• Tesla Ball - Bingo Ball Cage and Car Battery
• Wingman - Queen in Jar and Nectar Juice

Mixed Drinks

Just as in Dead Rising, there are blenders available through Dead Rising 2 allowing the player to mix different drinks and food stuffs in order to create special power ups.

• Pain Killer - Vodka Vodka
• Quick Step - Wine Beer  (makes you run incredibly fast)
• Randomizer - Wine Vodka  (makes you vomit)
• Spitfire - Bacon Onion Rings  (makes you spit fire like a flamethrower)
• Nectar - Jelly Beans Beer (or two orange juices)  (makes a Queen appear near you)
• Energizer - Taco Hamburger
• Repulse - Chili Large Soda
• Untouchable - Pizza Large Soda  (Zombies cannot grab you)
• Zombait - Apple Taco

Multiplayer

The game features online co-operative multiplayer for up to two players and online competitive multiplayer for up to four players. The free roaming co-operative mode puts both players as Chuck Greene (each with their own unique attire). Cutscenes remain unchanged, as only the hosting player's Chuck will appear, and only the hosting player will progress through the story. Both players, however, can receive Prestige Points and other items while playing. Online competitive multiplayer pits up to four players in the dystopian and dangerous Terror Is Reality game show, where players must earn points by completing objectives while mowing down groups of zombies.

Chuck and Chuck in Co-Op

• Ramsterball

  Each player is put into a giant metal ball of their color. One player is "it" and must ram zombies to collect points, which must be banked by hitting special "crusher pillars" scattered throughout the arena. Other players must bump into that player to become "it" (which also makes that player lose the current number of collected points, but not the banked points). The player with the most points after two minutes wins.

• Headache

  The players are put into a smaller arena full of zombies, and must put special blenders on the heads of zombies and then rush to the far side of the arena to push a button to activate the blenders, netting points. Players can carry up to three blenders at a time (which is collected in the middle of the arena) and a stick of dynamite, which is used to blow up enemies wearing enemy blenders (preventing enemy players from gaining points). Players gain bonus points by putting more blenders on zombies before activating the button. The player with the most points after one minute and thirty seconds wins.
  

• Pounds of Flesh

  Each player is in their own separate area while wearing a helmet with giant metal antlers attached to it. A group of zombies appear between each player and their large weight scales. Players must flick zombies onto their scale with the antlers, and then "reload" by pressing the Reload Button (in which a giant anvil crushes the zombies and provides a new batch).  The player with the most weight on their scale after one minute and thirty seconds wins.
  

• Slicecycles

  Each player rides a motorcycle with chainsaws strapped to the front (facing both sides) through mobs of zombies in a large arena. Players earn bonus points by mowing through specially-marked "bonus zombies". The player with the most points after two minutes wins
  .

• Ball Buster

  Equipped with bowling balls, each contestant must kill the most zombies by killing them while bowling. There are bonus zombies that boost a player's score and give them the advantage over the competition.
  

• Bounty Hunter

  Each player is equipped with a sniper and must kill off zombies that are walking towards a giant grinder in the center of the arena. There are bonus zombies that get you more points and a jackpot just over the grinder that wins you tons of points if you hit it and block the aim of other players.
  

• Master Shafter

  Contestants are equipped with spears and must catch falling zombies on them. The challenge is to know exactly where the zombie will fall and press on the appropriate buttons so you can score points. Like the other challenges, this game is score based.
  

• Stand Up Zomedy

  In an attempt at comedy, this challenge requires you to dress up the zombies. You and the other contestants stand on a platform with object dispensers all around them. The platform fills up with zombies and you have to dress them up to earn points. You have a wide variety of costumes to chose from, like dresses to flower pots and even unicorns!
  

• Zomboni

  You take control of a zombie tank that sucks the blood out of them to fill up a giant cup of zombie blood.

References to Other Games

• The first time you give Katie Zombrex she tells Chuck that she has gained a new power in Mega Man, another Capcom game. She is playing the game on a portable device that bears some resemblance to a PSP.
• One of the weapons in the game is a mask of Blanka from Street Fighter, which when combined with a battery causes it to spread electricity to other Zombies, a reference to electricity being Blanka's signature ability in the Street Fighter series.
• There are many references to the incident at Willamette, and Dead Rising 1.You can unlock a Willamette Mall outfit similar to the one Otis wore in Dead Rising 1.
• Chuck asks Rebecca Chang if she has covered wars or something, in a reference by the developers to Frank West famously stating that he has covered wars.
• Chuck can unlock a costume that greatly resembles Simon Pegg's character Shaun from the movie Shaun of The Dead.

 

Special Editions

Dead Rising 2 features different special editions, each ranging in price, availability, region, and game platform.

Zombrex Edition

The Zombrex Edition

Available in both North America and Europe, the Zombrex Edition ($79.99) features a two-disk steel book case (representing a box of the drug Zombrex) with both the game disc and a bonus disc featuring a 24-minute "Making of" featurette. The bonus disc included in the Xbox 360 version also includes the promotional Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun film series. The PlayStation 3 version of the collector's edition includes a voucher for a downloadable XrossMediaBar dynamic theme. The Zombrex Edition also includes fake Zombrex promotional items, including a "syringe" pen, prescription notepad, safety card, and a sales brochure, as well as a 48-page hardback art book for Dead Rising 2. The version distributed in Europe does not come with the promotional items or the art book.
 

High Stakes Edition

The High Stakes Edition

Available only in the Official Capcom Store for a limited time, the High Stakes Edition ($89.99) features the standard game box, a fake visitor map to Fortune City, a poker set (containing cards, poker chips, and dice in a small travelling case), and a DLC voucher for the exclusive "Psycho" costume, which gives new abilities, new attacks, and heavier damage to psycho-based weapons the Chainsaw, Figure Axe, Machete, and Meat Cleaver. One copy of the High Stakes Edition includes a "golden ticket" that is redeemable for a 6-foot-tall zombie replica statue.

  

Outbreak Edition

The Outbreak Edition

Available only in Europe, the Outbreak Edition features a 12" (30cm) highly detailed zombie figurine with interchangeable heads, a "Making Of" DVD, the "Sports Fan Theme Pack" which gives Chuck Greene access to new and unique skills and a unique costume, and also an in-depth guide called "Tape it Or Die!" that will show players how to make a plethora of Zombie destroying weapons. The PS3 version of the Outbreak Edition also includes a unique Dynamic Theme for your console, and the Xbox 360 version comes with the promotional Zombrex:Dead Rising Sun film series.
 

Pre-Order Bonuses 

Dead Rising 2 is guilty of the somewhat controversial pre-order bonuses that affect actual gameplay.   In the US, two of the big three retailer's bonuses give in-game items and moves.

Best Buy

• Increased power for all sports weapons (bats, balls, etc.)
• While wielding a football, Chuck can do a running stiff-arm move to knock down zombies.
• Food and drink give Chuck more health. Additionally, drinking too many beers will not make Chuck sick (one could view this as a negative since zombies slipping in Chuck's vomit is hilarious).
• Gambling will yield additional money when Chuck wins.     

GameStop & Electronics Boutique

Gamestop Pre Order Bonus

• Ninja Theme Pack - Four pieces of Ninja clothing.  It features abilities and animations.  The abilities work when just one piece is being worn.  The animations are only used when all four pieces are worn. The nature of the abilities are not yet known.

 

Amazon

Avatar Servbot Mask

Xbox 360 users get items for their Xbox LIVE avatars:

• Chuck’s motocross jacket
• Jeans
• The super slicer - one of the combo weapons made from a servbot head and a toy helicopter.  It clearly violates Microsoft's "no weapons on avatars" policy, but so do lightsabers and UAVs .

PS3 users get a Dead Rising 2 Theme.

Add to Cart Overview Dead Rising 2