The release of Capcom’s zombie slasher Dead Rising is only a matter of weeks now. Gamespot went in to spend some more quality time with the demo Capcom showed at E3. Attendees got the chance to play 15 minutes at a time but Gamespot was allowed a lot more time which resulted in some new details and a butt load of new media. Gamespot has new screens, new videos and an extensive preview up to make us want this game even more badly.

To illustrate how the photo-scoring system works using an example from the Willamette flyover, you’ll score only a few points for catching the guy who’s standing on top of his car with zombies surrounding him, but you’ll earn a large drama bonus if you snap him desperately waving his arms at you. Furthermore, you’ll get some significant brutality bonuses if you get a shot of the guy defending himself with a baseball bat or, moments later, having his brains eaten after being pulled to the ground. Other potentially high-scoring photo opportunities en route to the mall include a deserted children’s play area, a woman battling with zombies on a factory roof, and an explosion at a gas station.

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One of the first weapons that we found at the mall was a soccer ball, which isn’t lethal to zombies, but when kicked hard enough, can knock several to the ground before bouncing off somewhere and waiting to be retrieved. Buckets can be pulled down over zombies’ heads, CD cases can be thrown at zombies like shuriken, coat hangers can be forced into (through, technically) zombies’ mouths, mannequins and large, novelty plastic cacti can be used to hit multiple zombies with a single blow, and your choice of guitar at the music store will determine the noise it makes when you club a zombie over the head with it.

Dead Rising is slated for a release on August 6th in North America but Capcom decided to wait until the birthday of yours truly to release it in Europe. I’ll be turning 19 on September 15th and now you know which present to get me (take note Curry, Rival and the rest!). If Capcom decides to keep Dead Rising region-free we’ll be sure let you know.