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Don’t let the same name fool you – Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle is not the Dead Rising 3 experience you’re used to. This first installment of four scheduled DLC packs is nothing more than a bare-bones retelling of the game’s zombie outbreak condensed into an hour of gameplay.
During that brief time, you’ll be exploring the same fictional city of Los Perdidos from the main game. This means, for the most part, you’ll be using the same weapons, driving the same vehicles, and even finding the same types of collectibles. One difference, however, is the new character, Kane, that you take control of.
Kane shows the special forces’ side of the undead apocalypse that was first experienced by Dead Rising 3’s main protagonist Nick. If you’re not familiar with the original story line, this means you’ll be doing a lot of morally-questionable assignments. Well, at least that’s the angle the game is trying to push. In reality, you’re forced to undertake spreading the zombie infection while your character shows minimal remorse.
Gameplay-wise, though, this could have led to some interesting objectives. Instead, you’re tasked with clearing the walking dead from various zones across the game’s four cities. While the hack-n’-slash gameplay is still fun, the core experience–besides a few new weapons–is largely unchanged from the main game.
Surprisingly, the biggest alterations come from the removal of Dead Rising’s staple points. Even things that were taken for granted in the standalone title–like the repetitive boss fights–are sorely missed in Broken Eagle’s variety-less world. Still, the most notable change is the puzzling removal of co-op. While playing with a friend increased the enjoyment of Dead Rising 3, it would have just helped Broken Eagle bring some substance to an otherwise empty adventure.
Even the new character, vehicle, and weapons don’t fill that void left by the confusing design decisions. Though a longer length, more weapons and a co-op mode would have went a long way to justify the $9.99 price tag, ultimately the game would still be muddled by its repetitive missions and the rehashed environments and gameplay. Dead Rising 3: Operation Broken Eagle should be avoided even by the most hardcore fans of the series.