Dead Rising 2 dev defends Off the Record

Gamers have labelled Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, the what if? re-imagining of Dead Rising 2 starring Frank West, as a cynical cash-in - but developer Capcom Vancouver reckons all the complaints will cease after E3.

Blue Castle Games co-founder and Off the Record executive producer Jason Leigh defended the game to Eurogamer at Capcom's Captivate event last week, insisting it's worth buying even if you've played Dead Rising 2.

"There might be a possibility of that [cynicism]," Leigh said, "but that's certainly not how we're regarding this game. We're regarding this game as something that is actually very different and very fresh and very new.

"Yes it is Fortune City, it's the Fortune City outbreak, but in this re-envisioning and bringing Frank back into the game, even that first 15 minutes is quite different than it was.

"If fans have any reservations about this, hopefully the stuff we're rolling out in the next several months as we approach the release in the fall, things like E3 which is next, there will be more big announcements and more of those big features being shown off, very quickly people will realise, wow, there's a lot of added value in this game."

Off the Record launches this autumn in shops as a disc-based game – not downloadable content.

It includes tougher enemies, new combo weapons, a new area of Fortune City and a brand new mysterious game mode.

Capcom lifted its embargo on the game yesterday with a flurry of new media, including a debut trailer, below.

"We were very diligent with the trailer to try and say, 'what's different about this game?' Frank West says, 'Everything.'" Leigh continued.

"We're trying to make this a very different game. Fans of Dead Rising 2 will appreciate how different it is and all of the surprises around every single corner you're going to find. And people who haven't played Dead Rising 2 and they're coming to the franchise for the first time, they're getting a true Dead Rising game with this.

"If there's any of that sentiment it will go away quickly as we start rolling out more and more information."

Check out Eurogamer's Dead Rising 2: Off the Record preview for more details.