By far the most fun we had with Dead Rising was turning almost anything we found lying around the mall into a weapon. Although you can put on a variety of silly headgear (like a horse costume or giant Lego head), it's way more fun to plop them on to the domes of hapless zombies and watch them totter around unable to seek the precious brains they crave.
Other items make more straightforward weapons, like the lead pipe which functions like a big stick for undead-thwacking. The real appeal of a weapon like this is in its realistic physics - when Frank smacks a zombie with the pipe he continues to follow through with his swing, even after the pipe has contacted zombie flesh. The result is a satisfyingly, vicious-feeling blow accompanied by the flawlessly reproduced sound of lead versus necrotic tissue.
Above: Frank warms up with the 20lb sledge before going for the 30lb one
Everything you can swing, you can also throw by holding the R trigger while smashing the X button. This simple feature turns our favoured lead pipe into a hollow javelin of blood-gushing doom because, if you can score a direct hit, your walking-dead foe will not only be comically harpooned with the pipe jutting out of its body, but the pipe also serves as a new artery that spouts blood on to the surrounding environment - gross and brilliant all at the same time.
With a dense plot packed with supporting characters (that we absolutely will not divulge any information on, no matter how much you beg), and remarkably freeform fiend-savaging combat, Dead Rising is rapidly chewing its way to the top of our must-play-more list. It's getting to the point where we're craving more play time almost as much as zombies crave the sweet, delicious contents of our skulls.
