New Dead Rising: Case Zero (0) Details (Follow Up to Previous Blog) EDITED!! (Capcom Lying/Being Disingenuous?)

Okay, so as of a few days back, my impressions of Case Zero (now seemingly renamed to Case 0) were not so favourable.

You can see my thoughts in full HERE

Here is an excerpt from that blog post (for the lazy):

unless Capcom changes their mind and releases Case Zero for free (fat chance!!), I am NOT getting it, and I suggest to any Dead Rising fans reading this that they leave it be as well, and send Capcom a message:

We will not pay for demos, assholes!
Yes, Dead Rising Case Zero is a demo. It's a demo and it's a damn ripoff!

This sentiment was based on, as I explain, the information released at the time (2 hours of gameplay, $20), my natural sceptical nature, Capcom's track record, and some video evidence for the gametime and price, as well as a developer and journalist both calling it a demo (all in the blog).

However, things just got complicated

Keiji Inafune, producer of Dead Rising 2, spoke to Andriasang.com regarding Case Zero (or Case ) now, I guess....I prefer Zero, but I digress) and, among other things, he had the folliwing to day:

Regarding price, Case: 0 actually serves as DR2's demo.

You'll be able to play through part of it for free. However, if you want to get through to the end, you'll need to pay. Inafune said to expect a price of around ¥500 (around 800 MS pts)
 
Inafune also revealed during the Q&A an approximate play time for Case 0. Fast players could finish it in three hours, but the general player will take four to five hours.

Okay, so let's see here.....

Regarding price, Case: 0 actually serves as DR2's demo.

Okay, so at first I'm like AHHA!! Made even more clear, now, right? Ya,....not so:

You'll be able to play through part of it for free. However, if you want to get through to the end, you'll need to pay. Inafune said to expect a price of around ¥500. (800 pts)

Okay, is it just me, or is the most confusing game release of all time? What does this mean? Are they being slightly disingenuous in saying this, as it's just going to be like every other arcade title, and they are callling the trial the "demo?" Or will this one have a different setup? An extended demo? Even though it's not mentioned in the actual interview, part of the subtitle to the article is this: Case: 0 to be given away as mostly free demo. Where did they get that from, though? They don't quote Inafune saying "most."

....wtf? As for the game length:

Inafune also revealed during the Q&A an approximate play time for Case 0. Fast players could finish it in three hours, but the general player will take four to five hours.

What I am going to guess now is that the "most" thing was just creative liberty. I am assuming that it will have a normal lengthed trial, and it will be a 4 hour title that will cost 800pts ($10). Is it worth it? Perhaps.

This is a far cry from 2 hours for $20. Was that other developer mistaken? Or was he right and Capcom changed their minds, perhaps in response to fan feedback? And if it was shorter, did they pad the length via more shady/less creative means, or did they add worthwhile content to lengthen the game?

I dunno.

I just don't freaking know now. I really wish I didn't have to be so damn wary, cynical and sceptical, but with so many game developers/publishers releasing all of this DLC all of a sudden, with much of it clearly being withheld from games to be sold later on, I just can't help it. There's some legitimately good DLC, sure. I myself have purchased maybe 2-3 pieces of it. But the majority of it is either overpriced, crap, or was either obviously withheld or really should have been free/in the game to start. All of the good, worthwhile stuff gets tainted by these shit these jerkoffs are releasing to us.

And so when something like this is announced, I'm sceptical. How could I not be? Dead Rising had a demo. A great demo, in fact. Dead Rising 2 doesn't have a demo, but there is a 2 hour long prequel being released a month before the main title releases, for $20, and both a developer and the journalist interviewing him are referring to it as a demo......

Now of course, it's (well, supposedly) half the cost and twice the length, and either some or most of it is available free (so it's either just a regular trial or they are doing something different for the demo portion of it).

Honestly, if they got their shit together, and the well wasn't poisoned by a multitude of shitty DLC releases, then maybe I would be able to just be excited and anxiously await the release of Case 0 like most other people who frequent the gamefaqs boards seem to be doing, as opposed to being the guy who's always got to try and read between the lines, and warn people away from wasting their money. And even then, as I said in that blog, and on gamefaqs, even still I wished I could buy it. I wished it would not be a glorified demo, or overpriced, or recycled content, or all of the above, some of the above, whatever.

All of my scepticism and whatnot aside, I loved Dead Rising. I am anxiously awaiting the release of Dead Rising 2 (I'm also a bit sceptical of that as Capcom, for some reason unbeknownst to me, outscourced the development of DR2 to some new development studio) and would LOVE to get my hands on some fresh zombie slaying. I just wish these companies acted in good faith a little more oft-er, no, scratch that, ALL THE FUCKING TIME!

If they did, then I could gauge the merits of the individual releases based on standard video game appraisal methods as opposed to doing both that AND backgraound ivestigations based on hunches as to the veracity of a game's or DLC's legitimacy.

You know, like gaming used to fucking be.

(P.S. If I could be omniscient and therefore not have to guess this shit, it owuld be fantastic.....but I wouldn't go for it, as I would also already know what it's like to play the game, thereby effectively ruining gaming for me.) Forever.

P.S.S. If this does end up being a full retraction of my previous statements with respect to Case Zero/0 (not sure if this is the......case.....yet....hehe) the other stuff in that blog regarding coporations, advertising, PR, critical thinking, lies, halftruths, etc etc still stands. And it stands tall.......

.....oh man, I just got flashbacks to the theme song to Family Matters lol.

"Standing taaaalllll!!! On the wings of our dreams! Rise and faaaallll! One the winds of our dreams! Raing and thunder, wind and hail, gonna rise to a better day (ahaha). My life, my dreams, nothing's gonna stop me now, doodoodoodo do do do doodooo dood doodooo doo doo doo!!" (or something like that).

Amazing what the memory can retain, isn't it? Especially when things are put to music. Steve Urkel.....oh man.

DID I DOOO THAAAT??

EDIT: Wait, wait, wait wait!!!

Okay, see, something isn't right here. Check it out:

New interview:

Fast players could finish it in three hours, but the general player will take four to five hours.

Right? Now, developers often overstate gameplay length, and to be honest, when I read this I was sceptical, like always, but I decided to take it at face value this time, and just go halfway, with a nice estimate of four hours.

But then look at this  shit:

Same article (http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/07/20/dead_rising_event/):

Chuck and his daughter need to flee the area within 12 hours.

I just checked, and this is confirmed elsewhere, like at joystiq

Okay, so the initial info is 2 hours and a third of the price of a full game ($20). Then the new info today is 3-5 hours and soemwhere between 400-800 pts, depending on who's doing the conversion from the price in yen However, in the same damn article from which this new info was gleaned, it AGAIN says 12 in game hours, as I already posted.

Here it is again:

Chuck and his daughter need to flee the area within 12 hours.

6 in game Dead Rising hours is 1 real time hour. 12 in game hours is 2 hours. So my question is, what the FUCK is the damn truth? Sounds to me like if it's 12 in game hours then it's 2 hours, and the 3-5 number is including cutscenes (and maybe deaths?). I don't see how it can be 12 in game hours but more than 2 real time hours, as the clock is always running when in actual gameplay.

Are they just doing damage control now, by padding the length, or am i missing something? I know I've been going on and on about this, but I think holding these companies accountable and not supporting them if they are lying, being disingenuous, or selling witheld content as extra is very important for the survivial of the industry, regardless of which company it is.

What gives here?