Okay, so this is a screenshot story and, strictly speaking, they don’t count as news per se. But can you honestly say that you’ve got the energy for anything more involving on such a blazingly hot day? Thought not. Then again we reckon these new screens of Capcom’s pleasingly brutal 360 kill ‘em up, Dead Rising, would be welcomed at any time of the year...

These impressive visuals should give you a fairly clear idea about what’s in store. However if such things are important to you there is actually a storyline to justify the joyously gratuitous on-screen action. In short gung-ho photojournalist Frank West stumbles into a small town in pursuit of an undisclosed scoop of a lifetime. Unfortunately Frank soon discovers that the town has become overrun by hordes of flesh-eating zombies and so he seeks shelter in a nearby shopping mall – which turns out to be the poor chap’s second bad decision of the day.

The George Romero-esque action that ensues as Frank attempts to discover what’s lead to this horrific epidemic and, of course, get the flipping heck out is as visually spectacular as it is unrelenting. Capcom has utilised what it calls ‘Swarm’ technology in the game, which allows for an unprecedented number of full-scale enemies on-screen at any one time – and they’ve made sure they keep-a-coming too. In addition to that Frank is able to use pretty much anything he can lay his hands on within the mall as a weapon, including umbrellas, golf clubs, lawnmowers, benches etc. Similarly Frank is able to replenish his health with any of ‘mall food’ items he finds lying around. Mmm.

Another cool feature in Dead Rising is the in-game clock – the zombie attacks are unremittingly horrendous during the daylight hours but, if anything, are actually worse after the sun goes down, when more zombies are awake and are stronger and speedier too. In the same vein players must be wary of the time so as not to miss certain key events and opportunities that unfold at specific times.

Dead Rising was certainly one of the standout titles at E3 this year and we’re confident that it’ll be one of the killer titles for the Xbox 360 this autumn. And any game that features zombie clowns and a bonus for turning a stove on (see screens) has got to be worth a look. Out September 15th.