A few days ago, Games Radar published an article - "Five game characters with one foot in the closet" - naming Kratos from God of War, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, Jimmy Hopkins from Bully, Frank West from Dead Rising and Vaan from Final Fantasy XII as members of the LGBT community. A bunch of you kids might think it's funny but some members of the gay community were offended by it.

Starting off is their supposition that Kratos may be gay because he "accidentaly" killed his wife and daughter, which may mean he's got a grudge against women, "or something." Hassan Mirza, Gay.com's news editor told GamesIndustry.biz that this particular suggestion is misinformed. Why would straight men think that gay men hold violent grudges against women, after all?

PinkNews.co.uk retaliates by publishing the offending Games Radar article with the question: "What is the point of "outing" characters? Is this yet another bunch of childish 'str8' boys laughing at gay people?"

Mirza further elaborates that the article's facetious tone, dismissive of an impressionable audience, justifies making jokes about the LGBT community. Another suggestive, and allegedly misinformed comment was about Frank West dressing up in woman's clothes and children's clothes for a bit of "carnal experimentation."

Gays want the gaming community to know that while it's reassuring that gamers actually care about the sexual orientation of their digital superheroes, it's not very reassuring to read that the gamers rely on juvenile stereotypes about the LGBT community.

It'll be very interesting to know what you guys would make of this sort of situation; feel free to comment below.

If you've seen my posts around the site, then you know I'm a fan of great game-related videos. Of these, the Mega64 crew is probably one of the most prominent members of the game-related video community. At the very least, they're definitely the most satisfying to watch.

That being said, Mega64's got another two-minute video up. Much like their Resident Evil skit, this one's got hypothetical zombies in the mix. It's the Xbox 360 game that's so sensational in its portrayal of the undead that Japan had to give this game the Z rating.

Ladies and gents, here's Rocco playing the part of photojournalist Frank West in the Mega64 version of Capcom's Dead Rising. Enjoy!

We've already given you videos and webisodes of Dead Rising. And back then, everyone was having a ball.

Now, you can watch the first full ten minutes of the game! From the copter scene to the mall, relive your zombie-fest as journalist Frank West marches into town and takes human-interest photographs of some friendly locals who are hell-bent (nyar-har-har, pun intended) on taking a bite out of his jugular.

You've most likely seen some parts of the video already, but here is the full version of the intro and more. Ten minutes of all the zombie glory a fan can ask for plus a poodle named Madonna. Rawr.

You can view Part 1 of the video here, and Part 2 here.

A lot of issues, both technical and content-related, have dogged Capcom's Dead Rising development and release as much as zombies have dogged protagonist Frank West - shrinking-text issues, censorship troubles and near-misses in Japan, Germany, and the UK, game seizure issues in the US. Based on BestBuy.com's console sales charts for the week of August 6, however, the game and the undead debuted strong and proud, pushing the New Super Mario Bros. for the DS to second place.

One could probably consider that the zombies didn't face much competition in the XBox 360 category in its August 8 release: the last full-retail 360 game released was NCAA Football '07 last July, and the next hotly-anticipated game release is Madden '07 later this month. Still, a pretty strong showing for the zombie-slashing game. And, given the delay issues game fans had to sweat out until last August 8, Capcom might be feeling rather happy over how Dead Rising has turned out.

Yes, and this guy must be pretty happy about the way the game turned out, too.

There's a rumor circulating that Dead Rising is going to be region free. On a forum on Capcom-Europe, players discuss as whether this bit is factual or not. One says that "someone tested it in the US on a PAL system, and it dosn't work" while others claim that the game is playable in a PAL XBox 360.

Dead Rising is a game thriller launched for Xbox 360. It follows the harrowing tale of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance photojournalist on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. In pursuit of a juicy lead, he makes his way to a small suburban town only to find that it has become overrun by zombies. He escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be a bastion of safety but it turns out to be anything but. The game is about the struggle to survive the endless stream of undead, but players will have full reign of a realistic shopping center, utilizing anything they find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob and search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic.

On the issue whether Dead Rising is a region-coded game, we need to hear from reliable authorities, say from Capcom, to verify this. Stay tuned, we'll keep you updated.

Most of you are probably familiar with the game Xbox 360 game, Dead Rising. You'll have to step in the shoes of Frank West, a freelance photographer who goes to Willamette for potential Pulitzer-winning pictures. The "scoop of a lifetime" becomes a race for his life, as West discovers that the "quaint Midwestern town" is actually littered by zombies, reminiscent of George Romero's movies. Interesting? You bet. In fact, our 38 articles on this game goes to show how interesting this game is, and how interested we are about it.

thekmillion has lovingly provided fans a walkthrough for the Dead Rising demo released a few days ago. Those new to the game can really get helpful tips from the guide, and hardcore fans might spot a few interesting (yes, let's play the recurring word game) notes as well. Here are some bits and pieces taken from thekmillion's masterpiece:

• Advanced Controls: Hold X with a Weapon = Alternate Attack
                                  Hold X without a Weapon = Ground Kick

• Store Goodies (Weapons, food, etc.): P103 = Players:
                                                              Cash Register, Cardboard Box, CDs (x11)
  
                                                             P202 = Columbian Roastmasters
                                                             Cash Register, Can Drinks (x2), Chair (x24), Dishes, Frying Pan,                                                            Orange Juice (x2), Potted Plant (x2)

• Hidden Weapon: Katana - From the start of the demo, continue foward til you reach the first staircase on your right. The staircase is just outside of "Kid's Choice Clothing". Go up the staircase, and enter "Columbian Roastmasters", which should be on your left. Go towards the windows, and find the window that has an orange canopy outside of it. Jump out of that window, and onto the canopy, to find the Katana.
  
  

• Blender Drinks: Energizer (Green) - Randomizer + Zombie Bait - Supercharges you.
  Nectar (Yellow) - Orange Juice + Orange Juice - Heals multiple boxes.
  Quickstep (White) - Randomizer + Randomizer - Increases footspeed.
  Randomizer (Black) - Baguette + Cooking Oil -Random effects, has been know to cause stomach pains.
  Spitfire (Blue) - Snacks + Snacks - You're spit acts like a bullet, killing most zombies in one hit.
  Untouchable (Red) - Orange Juice + Pie - Frank becomes invinceable (for a limited time)
  Zombie Bait (Pink) - Pie + Snacks - Zombies become highly attracted to you.

• Random Trivia: If you fire a bullet at the hard hat of a zombie, the bullet will bounce off. Also, the hunk of meat attracks zombies.
  

Previous versions of the game Dead Rising that were showcased by Capcom didn't even let the players warm up in smashing zombies' brains out before the game comes into an abrupt halt. Back at E3 2006, they've released a 50-minute build and gave 15-minute tries to participants; obviously the time isn't enough to fully explore every nook and cranny of the game. This time however, they have released an almost finished game at 95%.

The game is chaos personified. As the photographer Frank West, your time starts ticking as soon as you step foot on the undead infested space of a shopping mall. In order to gain PP rewards (equivalent of Experience points), you can either solve Cases, Scoops and of course snapping photographs. You will receive help from the mall's janitor Otis, who'll inform you of where you can rescue a trapped shopper or whatnot via walkie talkie. He calls a lot, so better answer quickly. Just make sure that you're in a safe place when you do, since talking to Otis disables attack or jump.

If you want to explore the entirety of the mall, then finish the Cases as fast as you can so you'll have more free time in your hand to wander about. Watch out for yellow cloaked, goblin wearing masks, cult members. Unlike regular zombies, they don't go down so easily. The best way to dispose of them is by using the benches littered around the mall. Since you can't immediately swing a bench again, make sure your first hit is a good one. They also have a tendency of bear hugging you and then exploding, so beware of that as well. It takes a lot of time for them to die but don't you worry, the rewards are great. Smashing a few of them could get you a huge level up, getting extra attack and defense moves, abilities, additional inventory space, etc.

Another great way to level up is to never forget to take snapshots. Sometimes, that's all you need for a whopping PP added to your current. It seems that even if you took a duplicate photo it is still counted as an entirely new one. So a good piece of advice is to keep snapping.

Levelling up is also great, in preparation for battles with the bosses. One such boss is a dual chainsaw-wielding clown, a gun-wielding opponent - one with a pistol the other a rifle - and a maniac shopkeeper that will try to ram you with a pushcart. And if he missed, out of frustration, he'll send some bullets flying your way from his shotgun. Good thing there's a lot of "mall" chow for you to rejuvenate.

Double your efforts during the night time, when the zombies' eyes turn to a bright ruby red. When this happens, they gain extra speed and strength.

Capcom released a new batch of screenshots for their upcoming Xbox 360 action/zombie game Dead Rising. The game is scheduled for release on August 8 in the US and September 8 in Europe. It is said that the Japanese version will be released this quarter but that's not entirely sure yet.

You play a guy named Frank West, the "overly zealous freelance photojournalist", and your task is to get out of a mall filled with walking dead people. The game is inspired by the movie Dawn of the Dead (the classic one, not the remake). You obviously have lots of weapons you can use, including CD's, chairs, plates, bowling balls, knives, tennis rackets, chainsaws, hockey sticks, plastic light sabers, safety cones, pies, plasma screen TVs, potted plants, fully deployed beach umbrellas, cellph... well you got the picture. Time to feast our eyes on these beauties:

   
 
  
 
  

Dead Rising follows one scoop-hungry freelance photographer's journey, into a town where the only things hungry are its inhabitants that have become zombies. Frank West, trudges into the depths of Willamette Parkview Mall in pursuit of the scoop of a lifetime.

Armed only with his camera and various objects that he picks up at the mall, Frank battles zombies while trying to get the perfect shot. The object of the game is for him to take the best photo of someone being eaten alive, battling the undead or a family reunited in the thick of the bloodshed, in order for him to gain "prestige points." This also works as a level up for him, as he gets bonus points like additional life bar, weapon slot or combat skill.

Apart from main story missions, that will gain you access to more powerful weapons in the game, there are also mini games known as "scoops" that he has to accomplish to get more points and of course quality pictures. Also, try to take full advantage of the location. The mall is a very good place to shop for weapons, like CD cases that can be thrown at zombies like shurikens, a bucket that can be put over an enemy's head; and since it's the football season, a soccer ball, it may not be deadly, but it would sure be a lot of fun toppling over a corpse. Frank can also get some materials in the mall to improve his skills as a photographer, like books or instructional magazines.

Dead Rising is scheduled for release in North America this August and September in Europe. Thanks to Vecha for the heads up.