Dead Rising: Case Zero proves popular

By Ellie Gibson Published 8 September, 2010

It's been downloaded over 300,000 times.

Dead Rising: Case Zero, the downloadable prologue for the forthcoming second instalment in the series, has proved to be a big hit.

That's according to Gamerbytes, which reports the DLC was downloaded nearly 330,000 times in less than seven days. It costs 400 Microsoft Points (£3.40).

"Money-wise, assuming Microsoft takes a 30 per cent cut on the game, Capcom could well have made $1,149,015 off of it for this week alone," the site calculates.

To find out whether it's worth you contributing to Capcom's coffers, read our recent Dead Rising: Case Zero review.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (55) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • SHPanda #1 2 years ago

    Well worth every penny of that £4-5 I spent on it.

    I must have replayed it 4 or 5 times to get everything done, and it had the right balance of variety, length and difficulty to make replaying it feel anything but a chore, it was superb from start to finish, cannot wait for the full game.

  • Retroid #2 2 years ago

    I must've got around five or so hours of play out of it so it was excellent value for me!

  • GamesConnoisseur #3 2 years ago

    Any bet that the popularity are also due to the price point being 3.40 quids instead of tenner or so?

    I was surprised when my workmate got zero case even though hasn't played first one and thought it was wonderfully fun.

  • metalmike25 #4 2 years ago

    I can't stop playing it. The weird thing is i hate every second of it. why can't i stop?!!!

  • mfnick #5 2 years ago

    Yay for proper pricepoints!

    Hopefully this will make other devs rethink pricing all their XBL stuff at 1200 points.

  • Lotos8ter #6 2 years ago

    Fantastic piece of marketing to be honest. I wasn't even planning to buy Dead Rising 2 but gave it a go for £3 and have played it through several times and ordered the full game.
    /hopes MS doesn't start charging 1200MSP for these in future

  • viper_h #7 2 years ago

    Pity it fixes precisely [Case] ZERO of the problems that I had with the original game...

    Stupid controls, annoying save system, random and unexpected bosses that are supposed to be NORMAL HUMANS but don't die after being shot with an assault rifle 60 times. I dunno, the combo weapons seemed like they were going to be fun, but then I found out there were only about 8 in the game, which really limits your options.

  • richarddavies #8 2 years ago

    I love it it. As been previously said I just can't get enough. Best £4ish I've spent on a game in ages. It's like pringles, once you pop, you can't stop.

  • ZizouFC #9 2 years ago

    Still region locked =(

  • andywilkie35 #10 2 years ago

    For 400 points, I have got more gameplay (enjoyable gameplay at that too) out of this than most XBLA games that have the ridiculous 1,200 price point.

    Very much looking forward to Dead Rising 2.

  • briguy05 #11 2 years ago

    Brilliant game loved it a lot lot better than DR 1 really cant wait for DR 2. Well worth the 400 ms points.

  • zisssou #12 2 years ago

    As long as they don't start charging for demos and instead give us prequels like this. Assassin's Creed would have been perfect for a prequel to gain interest in their next game.
    Edited by zisssou at 08/09/10 @ 10:10

  • Malek86 #13 2 years ago

    I was initially skeptical about the idea of a "paid demo"... but considering it's cheap, it has an area and story not taken from the full game, and you can even bring your levels in the full game, it does make for a pretty ok deal overall. Also, it has the advantage that if you don't really care enough about the full game to spend 60€, you can just spend 5€ on this and be satisifed with 3-4 hours of playtime.

    It wouldn't be too bad if we saw more of these in the future. Of course, I'm a bit afraid that it will eventually get out of hands... and we'll have to start paying for way less stuff.
    Edited by Malek86 at 08/09/10 @ 10:15

  • SilverInfinity #14 2 years ago

    Love this download, havent stopped playing it since :)

    First dead rising was awesome, I remember spending the entire first playthrough getting the Zombie Genocider achievement took me about 6-7 hours of running over zombies in the tunnels.

  • ParanoidZombie #15 2 years ago

    Don't forget that it's a proper XBLA release => there's a free trial version => the "paid demo" point is null and void IMO.
    Edited by ParanoidZombie at 08/09/10 @ 14:00

  • LeSpank #16 2 years ago

    It's genius. I've finished it about 5 times. There aren't many games I go back to after seeing the end credits.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #17 2 years ago

    Let's clear something up, guys. Case Zero isn't a demo, but a small prequel game in itself. There is also a demo version of Case Zero available too, if you aren't sure about parting with 400 points. Nice one, Capcom.

    Not at all surprised it did well, and it shows more than ever, that if the price is right for a game, the people will come. I loved the original but hated the hamstrung game design mechanics (timed crap, bad saves system and bosses that turn up without any warning, usually before you can save your game). However, I hope to see more small games like this in the future, besides an actual demo option.

    After the RE5 DLC issues, I think Capcom have learned very well, that if they don't screw the pooch and be nice to us, they will benefit. Let's hope others pay attention to this fact.

  • richarddavies #18 2 years ago

    What gets me even more excited is Capcom released a pic of the full map for Dead rising 2 awhile back and Case zero is only a tiny fraction the size of the full game and I've had hours of play with it. Makes me wonder how long im going to be playing Dead rising 2.
    Edited by richarddavies at 08/09/10 @ 11:16

  • JonFE #19 2 years ago

    Now, if MS pulled their finger out and got rid of all this “This is not available for your region” nonsense, I might be able to test and -who knows- even buy this myself.

  • wizlon #20 2 years ago

    Yeah, good game, well worth the 400 pts. Still has a lot of the obvious flaws of the first game, but has fixed a lot and has ramped up the fun factor a lot. If the PS3 version had Move support then I would definitely bite, but for now I think I'll wait for a price drop.

  • Stratix #21 2 years ago

    If they price a game as reasonably as that, with bonuses for a game I am certainly going to get when it comes out, I am very likely to get it.

    I really enjoyed the couple of hours I spent on it.

    The only major problem I found with it though, is the load times. A little on the long side.

  • kangarootoo #22 2 years ago

    @viper_h

    "random and unexpected bosses that are supposed to be NORMAL HUMANS but don't die after being shot with an assault rifle 60 times"

    That is kind of par for the course with boss battles, though I agree its annoying in DR (mainly because the mechanics used in said boss battles aren't very good - the one at the end of DR2C0 is basic to say the least).

    I expect there will be lots more weapon combinations in the full game. I'm sure the 8 in C0 are just a limited set.


    @EarlBassett

    But it isn't a demo. What other publishers may or may not do at some future point is irrelevant - DR2C0 isn't a demo.

    Its a small game (though not that small), purchased for a small amount of money. That small game had a smaller still demo version, which was free. Nothing unusual about that whatsoever. Nobody is squeezing anybody.

  • ryanbreck #23 2 years ago

    Can anybody tell me what the free version of Case Zero consists of? I bought the full version straight away and never so much as clicked on the trial - probably the first time I've ever done that in fact.

  • agparrot #24 2 years ago

    I certainly didn't feel I'd been robbed of any of the pennies that made up my £3.40 purchase. It's a more rounded, well realised and downright fun prospect than many more expensive XBLA titles, and at 400 points was an insta-buy decision really, based on the fact that I loved DR1, and that 400 points barely buys you a suit of Avatar armour or whatever, these days, so a fully developed, self contained snippet of DR is a bargain at that price.

    I've had three playthroughs already, and am just going through a fourth to try and get the two combo weapons I have managed to miss so far. I have seen three 'endings' I think, A, D and F... not sure if there are B, C and E endings, or how I'd go about trying to get them.

    I think the price point was key to the success of this title, and I hope it out-profits many of the more expensive titles, and makes MS rethink the recent trend towards 1200 points as 'standard' for anything remotely released around summer of arcade, or even somewhat well known, like Plants vs. Zombies.

  • PlugMonkey #25 2 years ago

    Yes it is good.
    Yes it is great value.

    BUT, the success of this will set a worrying precendent

    You're right. Someone releasing something that is good quality and great value sets a terrifying precedent. ;D

    Surely the precedent being set here is that if you need to offer something of good quality and great value, and then you can make money? If anything, it makes it harder for companies to then come along and start trying to charge for demos because the precedent has been set with the quality bar much higher.

    Well done, Capcom!

  • peterfll #26 2 years ago

    Oh, I'll make myself all unpopular by saying I played through the Case Zero (demo version, not paid for version) last night and decided I wouldn't be buying it or Dead Zero 2. All the niggles I had from the first game are still present, plus I thought it looked like an upscaled PS2 game. And the kid and loooong unskippable scenes were uber annoying.

    Sorry guys to buck the trend!

  • TheJuriel #27 2 years ago

    It's the best 400 MSP I've spent so far.

  • rojjer #28 2 years ago

    money wasted for me, should've just got the trial - Still, live and learn

    Don't like the repetitive nature of it all (what was I expecting from a zombie game?) and the load screens from yesteryear.

  • kangarootoo #29 2 years ago

    @EarlBasset

    I read this bit, and felt the implication was clear.

    "BUT, the success of this will set a worrying precendent where companies will realise they can squeeze even more money out of you pre-release, by effectively making you pay for the demo."

    I fully accept you went on to state that it wasn't a demo (which is plainly contradictory, but I'll let that slide). My bad. That does though make your previous implication confusing.

    Why will this set a precedent? If we all agree its not a demo, what precedent will it set? A precedent of releasing a game and charging for it? DR2C0 gave quite a few hours of gameplay for relatively little money. Is this something we should be concerned about? I'm just not sure what your concern is. The implication seems to be that we won't get value for money in the end, but if anything DR2C0 has shown the opposite will result if others follow its lead.
    Edited by kangarootoo at 08/09/10 @ 11:34

  • systems #30 2 years ago

    Best 400 points I've ever spent too. It's also the only mini-game I've ever got all achievements for too, and I didn't find them to be insultingly easy or grindingly difficult.

    Great for for 5 hours or so, and it made me want the final game. I wasn't interested at all otherwise. Job done.

  • jebus #31 2 years ago

    Totally worth the few quid I spent on it.

  • Petulant_Radish #32 2 years ago

    I thought it was good value, I too don’t like the boss that won’t die even though I’ve shot him directly in the face with a high powered sniper rifle five times in a row but what the hell, it’s still some of the best value I’ve had from XBLA. Miles behind Trials HD though…

  • Dogs-not-Gods #33 2 years ago

    Have to say - firstly top value and well done for holding it at 400 points and not being tempted to go higher. Zero is a lot of fun but I've cancelled my pre order on the back of hoping the irritating bits of DR1 would be fixed. Yes, three save slots is better, but stumbling into boss battles that you really need to have thought about and tooled up for beforehand really annoys me and does not add to any sense of fluidity or narrative. To be constantly rushing to the save points to dare progress just isn't my cup of tea. I will get DR2, but secondhand or on some offer of the week deal.

  • kangarootoo #34 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett

    "My only point is that Capcom have identified a way to make money from a game before it is released."

    Well we agree there, but in the case of DR2C0 I feel sure we could also agree that the money is being made because they are selling a good value product (lets make distinction between subjective liek of the gameplay - I feel DR2C0 has some gameplay flaws, but I still believe it is high quality and shows good value for most purchasers).

    I have no issue whatsoever with companies making money, so long as their products are good value. If we object on principle that companies might "make even more money" then I guess this recent release could be viewed as a concern. I know that making money is often used as a negative in discussions, when thge actual concern (for the sane at least) is not the making of money, but a perceived lack of value.

    I think, as I've already said, that DR2C0 sets a good precedent. It shows any publisher thinking about knocking out some pre-release trinket, that if they release a quality high value trinket, their profits will reflect that.

    If we gamers get quality titles for little money, should we really worry that someone is making "even more money" as a result? I very much hope not, as that sort of attitude cuts off our noses to spite our faces.

  • kangarootoo #35 2 years ago

    @chenqinkl

    Come on now, that isn't even imaginative. Many of your co-workers at least put in enough effort to write something game related at the start of their game sales spam. You are slipping.

  • PlugMonkey #36 2 years ago

    "My only point is that Capcom have identified a way to make money from a game before it is released... "

    ...by providing a high level of quality, content and value for money.

  • Haloboy #37 2 years ago

    Why the fuck isn't this out on Steam? I know plenty of people who have the full game on pre-order, myself included.

  • kangarootoo #38 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett

    Dude, we agree here. Stop fighting it :)

    Your list is a valid one, but DR2C0 is one of the good guys in such a list! Regardless of what lessons publishers might learn from shonky DLC and expansions, DR2C0 isn't the one teaching them those lessons is it?

    "Companies will not spend time giving you a good quality product if they see a way to make the same money for little effort."

    Absolutely, but what has that got to do with the product at the centre of this discussion?

    Honestly, it feels like you are changing your focus, just so you can continue to disagree about it with other posters :)

  • makeamazing #39 2 years ago

    I am disappointed its not available on the PS3, been looking forward to DR for a long time. But its great that its getting good reviews, as that makes me very excited about how the full game will turn out. Glad people are enjoying it :D and cant wait for some crazy zombie killing.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #40 2 years ago

    @Peterl

    In the full Case Zero, you can skip the cutscenes. I do also agree that the load times are awful, and should not be so long in 2010. On top of that, definitely my best 400 points spent too.

    Capcom need to learn that doing seemless in game graphic cutscenes is a better way to go, than this whole 1990's force scenes vibe. Have a look at Mass Effect, Capcom.

  • PlugMonkey #41 2 years ago

    @EarlBasset:

    Selective writing going on there...

    How did the high quality of the Gay Tony DLC directly contribute to the poor quality or Call of Duty DLC? That's a nonsense.

    At the same time, do you not think there's at least a possibility that Gearbox would never have secured the budget for their excellent Borderlands DLC had it not been for the precedent GTA IV set for large scale DLC being commercially viable?

    Here, Blue Castle have shown that you CAN invest money in a decent pre-launch DLC prologue and turn it into a profit. This means other teams who want to the same thing now can more easily. It won't stop other people trying to rip you off, but it will make the audience a lot less receptive to it.

    Some people have done something good and shown how doing something good can make you money. This is a good thing.

    The sky can't be always falling in.

  • DugBriderider #42 2 years ago

    I wonder if these results will effect the episodic release of Fable 3. If a small demo followed by 400 pt chunks is the right impulse buy. Fable with is short main quest but rich locations could work very well as long as the total cost was competitive with retail.

  • kangarootoo #43 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett

    "I've said this is a good product. But those that follow, exploiting this new revenue stream, may not be."

    The more I think about it, the more your concern seems to be,

    "I'm wary of people making good games, because other people might take their lead and start making games as well, and those games might be shit".


    Tbh, I'm not sure the "new revenue stream" you are describing is really that new. DR2C0 is for all intents and purposes just a game that got made, and is being sold. The fact that is forms a mini-prequel to a title that will be released at some future time is narrative related at best. Its certainly nothing that is going to turn the industry on its head, or have any specific influence on the quality of future unrelated titles by other publishers.

  • PlugMonkey #44 2 years ago

    No, I do understand your point. I really do. I just think it's nonsense.

    Rockstar North's great DLC was set a bad precedent because Infinity Ward then did worse DLC and then Rockstar San Diego did worse DLC as well.

    Therefore Blue Castle doing great DLC can only lead to other teams doing worse DLC.

    In other words, in your opinion, DLC always gets inferior in quality, which is why it's been all downhill since the horse armour.

    It's a great theory providing you ignore Gearbox and Bioware and Valve and anyone else who has done some good DLC.

    My point remains that someone proving that there is money to be made by doing a quality, good value product can only, possibly be a good precedent to set.

    It's good. A good thing has happened.

  • kangarootoo #45 2 years ago

    "What I mean is that Rockstar have learned from Activision. Rockstar jumped in with both feet and gave us the excellent Gay Tony, at what must have been a big budget.

    When they came to do Red Dead DLC, they saw that Activision spent peanuts but still got the same results.
    Hence the ultra-shit Red Dead DLC."


    But how does that account for Dead Rising, which came after all of those examples? The game at the heart of this discussion flies in the face of your theory, yet that same theory that makes you view DR with concern. Because DR will show other developers... what... that good games make a profit? At the risk of repetition, that should reassure you should it not?


    Lets be honest here, is this just a DLC thing? Do you just not like DLC? It feels like you are tying yourself in knots to find a way to say this DLC is a bad thing.

  • metallicorphan #46 2 years ago

    sorry to interrupt the Kangaroo and Earl show..


    i thought it was good stuff,very glad that the survivors weren't dumb asses this time around,in the first it just seemed all they wanted to do was dance with the Zombies,which made me not even bother with most of them...in this one,they knew how to avoid,or even hit out at the zombies..so i rescued everyone

  • JonFE #47 2 years ago

    Time and cost concerns have been cited by developers as reasons for not providing a demo. However, this proves that they can level the cost by providing a self-contained demo (you may call it prequel, pilot episode or whatever you like), showing the core mechanics of their game in a good light.

    Coming prior to the main game and in order to boost sales, this "demo" will probably have to be very good content-wise, which kind of rules out any poor/lazy/cut-from-the-main-game DLC plans.

    As with all initiatives, some companies will use this to provide something worth its value and others will try to cash in by providing a standard fare demo for a price. Our role in all of this is to set them apart and vote with our wallets.

  • banjo21 #48 2 years ago

    300,000 if piffling from an install base of what 60,000,000. So 1 out of every 200 downloaded it (or paid for it?).
    Hardly a big hit ratio - you would expect that with only 4 or so games out a month (more in Q4) that at least 5% of the install base are interested enough in every release to buy a £3 demo. I'm amazed this isn't 1M+. What else is there for the 60M to spend their bucks on in the next 3 months? COD and Halo will take most but other than that this is a AAA at the top of the list.

  • metallicorphan #49 2 years ago

    Banjo- i think Xbox 360 sales are only at about 41-42 million(or not much higher i don't think)...and was it 25-30 million actually connected online with it?


    some good graphs and shit in this page for XBLA titles
    [link url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29817/InDepth_Xbox_Live_Arcade_Sales_Analysis_July_2010.php
    ]http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29817...[/link]

    and remember,this is 300k sales after a week

  • PlugMonkey #50 2 years ago

    My points are written, I think my meaning is clear.

    No, it's not. It's muddled and illogical. Why the hell else would you get so many replies?

  • MrBeast #51 2 years ago

    They'd have sold 330,001 if it still wasn't bloody region locked.

    And for any other sufferers: I complained about the region lock to Microsoft, and they said it was all Capcom's fault!

  • Sevens #52 2 years ago

    Oh good. Now there's pre-pre-launch-DLC DLC, pre-launch DLC, at-launch-DLC, at-resale DLC, post-launch DLC and probably one more kind of DLC. Nah, we're not moving towards fractured content, mini-transactions or subscriptions. Nothing to worry about.

  • RedBeard729 #53 2 years ago

    Sorry

    This offer is not valid in your region, or it has expired.

    I have a New Zealand account and live in Scotland.

  • actionfitz #54 2 years ago

    I liked it :)

  • devilmyarse #55 2 years ago

    More games at the 400 MSP price point please! This was brilliant value for money, very satisfied. Quite easy compared to Dead Rising though, I managed to save everybody and get the A grade ending on my first attempt. Hopefully Dead Rising 2 will be harder. I'm glad they sorted the stupid save system out though. I'm also glad that they will still allow you to keep restarting with your collected PP and abilities. Best of both worlds.