There are dozens of zombie video game franchises out there, but the Dead Rising games made a huge impression upon their original releases. That said, the series has definitely lost steam over the years and Dead Rising 4 may end up being the final entry in the franchise. Even though the games have taken plenty of missteps, they’ve still delivered some extremely satisfying methods to massacre zombies.
The weapons that are featured throughout the Dead Rising games are some of the best things about the titles and they push the games’ crazier tendencies to their limits. Accordingly, here are the 10 best weapons from the Dead Rising series, ranked.
10 The Auger (Dead Rising 2)
The Auger from Dead Rising 2 basically takes the Excavator from the first game and turns it into an even deadlier weapon. The Auger is a combo weapon that puts together a pitchfork with a drill motor and becomes a pneumatic and bloody nightmare.
It’s basically a killing machine with nearly unlimited resilience with gore coming at over 100 MPH. It's a crazy piece of machinery and on top of everything else, its name and look is based off of the vampires from the cult classic, Night Trap.
9 Laser Sword (Dead Rising 4)
Right from the start of the Dead Rising franchise, every game has featured sensational weapons to take out the undead, but Dead Rising 2 really starts to push things into more ridiculous territory. For instance, the Laser Sword is basically a chance to kill hordes of zombies with a lightsaber.
The powerful sci-fi weapon will slice through multiple zombies at once and it’s a real treat. The Laser Sword is perfected throughout the titles and best in Dead Rising 4. It’s hard to argue with how cool the whole exercise looks.
8 The Heliblade (Dead Rising 2)
Dead Rising 2's Heliblade may not technically be the strongest weapon in the game, but it's such a ridiculous idea that it needs to be discussed. It's like if Looney Tunes designed a combo weapon. The Heliblade combines a toy helicopter with a machete. It can be used as a grisly melee weapon, but the more impressive function is to put it in flight. The Heliblade will omit a high-pitched noise that causes zombies to gather around it, only for the blade to fly into action and take them all out. RC death at its finest.
7 Freedom Bear (Dead Rising 3)
Dead Rising 3 expands the franchise's mechanics with the advent of super combo weapons, which require a blueprint in order to put together. All of these weapons are extreme tools in taking out the undead, but the Freedom Bear is one of the more unusual touches. This weapon is like if Rambo was turned into a giant teddy bear. It has a huge ammo capacity and a wide range (unless it gets knocked over). Other weapons may have more resilience, but it's an amazing decoy and a way to really demean the zombies as they're taken out.
6 Dragon Punch (Dead Rising 3)
Capcom has a good reputation for allowing its franchises to cross-pollinate each other. The Dead Rising games incorporate this in a lot of fun ways, but one of the most satisfying examples is Dead Rising 3's Dragon Punch. The weapon is built by putting a motorcycle engine together with boxing gloves, which should give an idea of how this weapon operates. Nick becomes a superhero with his freight train punches, but he even shouts out Shoryuken during one of the Dragon Punch's functions. If players ever wanted to play as Ryu in Dead Rising, this is the next best thing.
5 The Super B.F.G. (Dead Rising 2)
It's only fitting that the most powerful and extravagant weapon in Dead Rising 2 is a loving tribute to the Doom franchise. Dead Rising 2 contains a combo weapon that's known as the Super B.F.G. There was a lot of mystery surrounding this weapon pre-release, but it can be created by putting together a Blast Frequency Gun and an Amplifier. It's almost unfair how powerful the Super B.F.G. is as it shoots out waves of electricity that destroy multiple zombies at once. The zombies don't even understand what's happened to them, it's such a sudden and massive blow.
4 Electric Axe (Dead Rising 4)
It's funny that in the original Dead Rising, a normal battle axe would be a worthy protection tool, but something as simple as that is totally unacceptable in Dead Rising 4. In a nutshell, the Electric Axe turns the player into Thor and it's exactly as cool as it sounds. Players can be humble and use the axe in a melee sense, while still providing shocks to the zombies. However, it can also be raised in the air to summon electricity down to take out multiple enemies at once. It wields unbelievable power.
3 The Ultimate Grim Reaper (Dead Rising 3)
It's kind of ridiculous to take something as intimidating as the Grim Reaper's method of execution and then go, "We can do better." The Ultimate Grim Reaper is a super combo weapon from Dead Rising 3 that combines a giant scythe with a flamethrower grenade launcher. Nick is able to slash with the blade, while it burns those around him. If all of this wasn't enough, the weapon just constantly lobs out grenades to take care of the larger crowds. It's a beast on absolutely every level.
2 The Laser Slicer (Dead Rising 4)
Dead Rising 4's Laser Slicer is like one of the guns from Portal combined with the power of Mortal Kombat'sRaiden. There are plenty of weapons in the franchise that make use of electricity or laser technology, but the Laser Slicer is one of the most extreme examples. The Laser Slicer is a gun that shoots out segmented electric lasers that remain on the field. The segments connect together and create more of a danger zone for anyone nearby.
1 The Suckmaster 3,000 (Dead Rising 4)
The weapons and stakes become so ridiculous in Dead Rising 4 that at times it doesn't even resemble the original game any more. The Suckmaster 3,000 is one of the clearest examples of this since it's basically the player's personal black hole. Combining a vacuum together with a machine forges an unbelievable tool that can get thrown into a group of zombies and then just starts sucking them into nothingness. It takes out hundreds at a time and not only that, it can be used repeatedly.