Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster is aiming to be the definitive version of 2006’s stone-cold classic, and this do-over is smart in terms of what it adds to the game, and in terms of what it retains. A few changes have been made throughout the game that involve taking things out, however – and one of the most notable is an omission from the photography mechanic.
As he tells everyone, Frank West is a photojournalist – and taking snaps of the chaos of the zombie-infested mall of Willamette is as large a part of his story as saving survivors, taking down psychopaths, and uncovering the truth behind the outbreak. The photography mechanic has one major adjustment in the Deluxe Remaster, however – and it’s sure to ruffle some feathers.
In the original version of the game and its near-identical 2016 re-release, photos that Frank takes can trigger one of several photo categories – Brutality, Drama, Outtake, Horror, and Erotica.
The categories are attached to each photo based on its contents – so a snap of a zombie’s head exploding will be marked as the Brutality genre, while a beautiful moment of humanity between two survivors might trigger the Drama genre.
In the Deluxe Remaster, per Famitsu (and verifeid by VG247), the Erotica category has been removed. In the original game, this was reserved for photos with a sexual content, and was often triggered by female zombies with their clothes torn or survivors in provocative outfits or poses. While many of the photo opportunities, poses, and outfits remain the same or similar, taking photos that would’ve triggered the Erotica genre in the original version of the game will not do so in the Deluxe Remaster.
Dead Rising is closing in on 20 years old now – and it goes without saying that the attitude towards content of this nature in games has changed significantly in that time. From what we understand, the removal doesn’t have any material impact on the game or the gameplay – which for the record, is better than ever in this version. But it’s the sort of change that’s going to become a major differentiating factor between the versions – and is something sure to prompt intense and tiring debate about what constitutes an appropriate change in a remaster.
We have reached out to Capcom for a comment about these changes, and will update this article if a response comes through.
Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster releases on September 19, and is releasing on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
