History YMMV / DeadRising2

** Oh, and those harder hitting fast moving berserker zombies also have a vomit projectile that stuns Chuck for a couple seconds. Getting hit by it is a 99% chance of being grabbed.

* DifficultySpike: The CozyCatastrophe becomes a lot less cozy once [[spoiler: green gas starts being pumped into the mall. It causes many of the zombies to mutate into fast-moving, harder-hitting berserkers who relentlessly chase you around in packs.]] This is the point in the game where you stop getting calls for helping other survivors, because now it's a chore just keeping ''yourself'' alive.

* EvilIsSexy: Crystal and Amber are ridiculously attractive if you can get past the {{Twincest}}. Justified, as they're mostly on [=TiR=] for {{Fanservice}}.

* ContinuityLockout: [[spoiler: Chuck's appearance in this game won't make any sense unless you've played the original version.]]

* MemeticMutation:
** '''"ATTABOY 8-BALL! KEEP THAT FLANK COVERED!"'''
** Most of Chuck's BondOneLiners. "I [[JustForPun saw]] what you did there."
** "[[OhCrap Oh lord, down I go.]]"

** The music in the Americana casino sounds a LOT like [=ACDC's=] "Thunderstruck", but it's off just enough to circumvent copyright.
** Similarly, "Fortune City Memories," which plays in the menu and the Palisades mall, has parts that sound somewhat like a Muzak version of [[Music/GreenDay "Wake Me Up When September Ends"]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2fB-vWOb8 "Terror is Reality"]] sounds very much like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKkiCFOE-Ic "Disposable Teens"]] by Music/MarilynManson.

** Once you have killed Seymour and obtained his [[RevolversAreJustBetter Six-Shooter]] (which respawns in the South Plaza every time you run out of ammo), you have officially beaten every boss in the game. It holds a whopping sixty rounds, does great damage, has a decent firing rate, and is very accurate. Even [[ThatOneBoss The Twins, [[spoiler:Sgt. Boykin,]] and [[spoiler: Sullivan]] can be killed easily with just the revolver.

** [[https://youtu.be/rct233J9lsE "Firewater"]], [[spoiler:Chuck Greene]]'s boss theme, sounds very much like [[https://youtu.be/A8MO7fkZc5o "Sad But True"]] by Music/{{Metallica}}.

* AcceptableTargets:
** Randy from 'Here Comes the Groom' is all but stated to be a furry. He's morbidly obese, is wearing a hood with pig ears and pants with a tail, a too-small latex shirt, and the notebook description calls him an insecure virgin who's addicted to internet sex. [[spoiler:He tries to forcibly marry a woman by holding her and his father, a minister, hostage with a giant pink chainsaw that he [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything revs and thrusts a lot]].]]
** We also have rednecks (two survivors and a group of psychopaths on both ends of the {{Eagleland}} spectrum) ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' players and--this being a UsefulNotes/LasVegas {{Expy}}--gamblers.

* ItWasHisSled: While a surprise at release, it is almost common knowledge nowadays that Sullivan was a Phenotrans agent all along.

* ItWasHisSled: Sullivan was a Phenotrans agent all along.

** While not one of the easier bosses, Boykin can feel quite easy due to coming after the Twins and before [[spoiler: Sullivan.]]

** Once you have killed Seymour and obtained his [[RevolversAreJustBetter Six-Shooter]] (which respawns in the South Plaza every time you run out of ammo), you have officially beaten every boss in the game. It holds a whopping sixty rounds, does great damage, has a decent firing rate, and is very accurate. Even [[ThatOneBoss The Twins, Dwight Boykin,]] and [[spoiler: Sullivan]] can be killed easily with just the revolver.

* MemeticBadass: It's a running joke among the fandom that the reason why the Sgt. Boykin boss battle is so difficult is because 8-Ball was covering that left flank so damn well.

** When Dwight Boykin [[spoiler:offs himself due to not wanting to become one of the zombies]], it's kind of sad... And then you look where he [[spoiler:killed himself]] and see that [[spoiler: [[SmokingShoes his soldier boots are]] ''[[SmokingShoes still there]]'', with smoke coming out of them.]]

** Dwight Boykin can pull off a melee combo where he'll [[PistolWhip whack you with the butt of his machine gun]], throw you down to the ground, shoot you a bunch, then throw you. This whole combo takes off four blocks of health. This will leave you reeling if the RandomNumberGod hasn't blessed you with plenty of health upgrades.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2fB-vWOb8 Terror is Reality (Leon's Theme)]] sounds very much like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKkiCFOE-Ic "Disposable Teens"]] by Music/MarilynManson.
** [[https://youtu.be/rct233J9lsE Firewater]], [[spoiler:Chuck Greene]]'s boss theme, sounds very much like [[https://youtu.be/A8MO7fkZc5o "Sad But True"]] by Music/Metallica.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2fB-vWOb8 Terror is Reality (Leon's Theme)]] sounds very much like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKkiCFOE-Ic Disposable Teens]] by Music/MarilynManson.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: At least one fan's essay says it's very much so. [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-social-satire-of-dead-rising-2.html Here.]]

* FranchiseOriginalSin: Combo Weapons and were introduced in this game. While cool and powerful, they were balanced by only being able to be made at certain locations, so you still could make use of learning new moves and finding gear around levels. The later games allowed you to make them in the field, which negated the original point of using anything as a weapon and the dropping of new attacks and turned the focus of gathering stuff into primarily making new combo weapons. The reasoning behind doing so got a little weaker as well. While Chuck had motorcycle maintenance and Nick was explicitly an auto mechanic to justify their creation abilities, Frank could pull off all the same skills with nothing but a handwave on how he took a shop class to meet girls.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: Combo weapons and vehicles were introduced in this game. While cool and powerful, they were balanced by only being able to be made at certain locations, so you still could make use of learning new moves and finding gear around levels. The later games allowed you to make them in the field, which negated the original point of using anything as a weapon and the dropping of new attacks and turned the focus of gathering stuff into primarily making new combo weapons. The reasoning behind doing so got a little weaker as well. While Chuck had motorcycle maintenance and Nick was explicitly an auto mechanic to justify their creation abilities, Frank could pull off all the same skills with nothing but a handwave on how he took a shop class to meet girls.

** An Asian IntrepidReporter covering a zombie outbreak who has plenty of ShipTease with the protagonist. [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead Hmm..]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** NPC AI vastly improved over the first game. For starters, they don't cower in a horde of zombies, and they will immediately come to you once you input the call button.
** Survivors are given an icon when they're following you. It makes entering safe houses easier and lets you know they followed you in.