Provides examples of:
- Action Commands: This one has a few quick waggles in addition to button presses.
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Unlike in the original game where there is no money whatsoever, in this version zombies drop money in addition to ammo and escorted survivors give money. How can you use money you ask? By saving Cletus you can buy guns from him, instead of just taking them like in the original game. This is ironically the first time money has appeared in the Dead Rising franchise, as the Wii version was released before Dead Rising 2.
YouTube Comment: Congratulations! You’ve saved Cletus so now you can buy weapons instead of taking them for free yay!
- Adaptational Badass: The zombies are slightly tougher in this version of the game; as animals have also been infected, while Cliff, Jo, and Kent now appear as elite zombies who can wield weapons or (in Kent's case) jump kick Frank. There also new, generic gun-toting zombie cops who will actually shoot at Frank and have slightly boosted health.
- Adaptation Distillation: Many redundant weapons were dropped in the Wii version in favor of making each weapon more effective on its own.
- Adaptation Expansion: The Wii version adds some new things, such better gunplay with a IR pointer, multiple save slots, linear mission structure, and bonus missions after beating the game.
- Adaptational Wimp: Cliff, Jo, and Kent are zombified in this version and do not reappear as psychopaths
- Always Over the Shoulder: Since it has the same gameplay as Resident Evil 4, it has this trope instead of the Free Rotating Camera of the original version.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Like in the original, Frank gets different outfits.
- BFG: The M2 machine gun is mounted on a jeep, but Frank can just carry it around after he defeats the prisoners.
- Blown Across the Room: Cletus' shotgun has one hell of a kick, which is why his boss fight is so damned frustrating.
- Bottomless Bladder: Amusingly averted; while Frank isn't required to use the restroom, doing so is the primary method of saving the game (although there are others).
- Breakable Weapons: While all melee weapons still break over time, all have increased durability as you level up. Guns don't break in this game, and last as long as you need (save for a couple plot relevant breaks).
- Chainsaw Good: Both averted and played straight. Averted with the chainsaw you find (Slow, prone to needing startup time, and is low on durability), and straight with the mini-chainsaw you can obtain from an early boss (One-handed, powerful, and very fast).
- Combat Pragmatist: Many things you see in the mall can be picked up and used to clobber Zombies.
- Cool Old Lady: Averted. The old woman Frank encounters when he enters the mall is more annoying than cool, especially since she lets the zombies into the mall in an insane attempt to rescue her poodle. Granted, without her actions there would be no game, but still...
- Deadly Lunge: More common than in the original game, to make up for fewer zombies.
- Defeat Means Friendship: It takes defeat for Isabela to start to cooperate with Frank.
- Cletus lives in this version, and opens his shop for you.
- Degraded Boss: Jo, Kent, and Cliff were human bosses in the original version, while Elite Mook zombies in this version.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Cliff, Jo, and Kent originally appeared as psychopaths who had to be killed by Frank in self-defence. In this game, they are part of the infected as elite zombies who wield weapons.
- Empathy Doll Shot: When Frank meets Adam. He glances into a passing Space Coaster car and sees two bloody dolls propped up in the seat.
- Empty Levels: Since Frank doesn't have as many stats to increase or moves to learn, and since most of the stat increases are early on, many of the later levels don't give any bonuses.
- End-Game Results Screen: The game does this at the end, and gives bonuses based on it as well.
- Escort Mission: Much easier this time. You can actually take down the enemies that get in your way instead of trying to avoid them. In fact getting the best score requires you to take a direct route for the shortest time, which means killing all zombies in your direct path. Just, as with the previous game, don't abuse the "Follow" button.
- Evil Knockoff: The Kent Zombie, who uses grenades and a mean kick to attack.
- Experience Points: Unlike other entries in the series, the primary XP source in this game is killing zombies.
- Fan Disservice: Frank does the grind when trying on women's clothing (including the bonus bikini outfit).
- First-Person Snapshooter: Although the camera is only used once in one mission.
- Fisticuffs Boss: Brock.
- Friendly Fireproof: Played straight with people you're escorting. And it's necessary, as the game encourages outright attacking enemies.
- Gas Mask Mooks: The Special Forces soldiers.
- Guns Are Worthless: Totally averted in this version. The Wii's IR pointer makes guns invaluable. Although melee weapons are still important since you still need ammo for the guns, and ammo drops aren't common enough to use them exclusively, they come in very handy for major battles.
- Heart Container: White drinks give you extra health.
- Heel–Face Turn: Cletus lives in this version, and you can buy stuff from his shop.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Played straight this time, since the Wiimote allows precision aiming.
- Infinity -1 Sword: The Mega Buster and Beam Sword both require getting top scores in a series of post game missions. The Chicago Typewriter is still a good way to finish boss battles easily, and you just need to beat the game once with a decent score.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Sort of. They are top tier melee weapons, but are slow until you get the book to attack faster.
- Laser Blade: The Beam Sword and Toy Laser Sword.
- Lethal Joke Item: A lot of the toys have been seriously boosted in killing ability here. You can kill zombies in one hit with the Toy Laser Sword at Level 10.
- And the Servbot heads and cones can still be used as hats, as long as you kneecap a zombie first, but they make pretty effective bludgeon weapons otherwise.
- Level-Up Fill-Up: The only benefit to gaining many levels later on; see Empty Levels above.
- Ludicrous Gibs: The Ice Auger is a laugh riot. Using it impales a zombie on the tool's spinning auger, upon which you lift the spinning, flailing undead into the air and pummel other zombies with it. Limbs and bits of flesh fly off in every direction with each hit you land. Fun for the whole family!
- Disturbingly enough, you can have Frank inflict this on the still-living generic Cultists unlike the original game.
- Made of Iron: Pretty much all the Psychopaths can take dozens upon dozens of bullets to bring down and are unrelenting in their desire to turn Frank into meaty chunks.
- Multiple Endings: Averted this time.
- New Game Plus: This can only be gained by getting the ending, but the carryovers still apply.
- Nonstandard Game Over: There are a few, like being caught by the military and failing to escape.
- One-Man Army: Played straight. Not only can you just kill any zombies in your way, missions encourage it.
- One Size Fits All: Averted. While Frank can try on clothes from any shop (including children's shops) the clothes sometimes don't fit him properly.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Especially since there are more types of zombies than in the original version.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: Generally, you're not gonna get all the features from the original game, but it's still pretty damn faithful.
- Press X to Not Die: The convict battle, but it's actually easier than the way they were fought in the original game.
- Respawning Enemies: Even the original version had the zombies appear out of nowhere (thus making about a hundred zombies at best look like even more), but in this version you can see them respawn far more often and closer. Some claimed that was to fake the zombie count, but again, the original version did the same.
- Real-Time Weapon Change: When aiming, you can use the d-pad to switch among the four types of guns (pressing the direction of the current type instead reloads that gun).
- Randomly Drops: Enemies often drop money, ammo, or food.
- Say My Name: The Halls do this for each other as you take them down.
- Scenery Porn: About 90% of the mall in the original version is recreated here, and this version didn't even stream the areas. Each level is all loaded at once.
- Secret Level: A lot of the rescue missions require getting a minimum grade on certain standard missions.
- Shirtless Scene: For whatever reason, enemies that capture Frank love to strip him to his skivvies.
- Shout-Out:
- Mega Man's Mega Buster is the game's ultimate weapon, Servbots make cameo appearances, and Frank learns a few Street Fighter moves as he levels up.
- "Jill's Sandwiches", and the Black Ops soldiers sent in look like H.U.N.K.
- The Cultists look suspicously similar to the killer from the Scream slasher film series.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the original game, Cletus gets munched on by a zombie after you beat him. In this game, he can be rescued, after which he turns into a shopkeeper.
- Suicide Attack: The Cultists will from time to time attempt to grab or pounce on Frank while holding a lit stick of dynamite.
- Timed Mission: This uses them to get the best rankings.
- Unlockable Content: Beating the game unlocks mini missions as new weapons. Getting high ranks in story missions unlock bonus missions.
- Wide-Open Sandbox: Also averted, save for in between escort missions.
- Wrestler in All of Us: The Suplex move.
- Zombie Apocalypse: The town is in the middle of one.
