Dead Rising 2: Case West Recompilation
The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port.
About
A native Windows and Linux PC port of Dead Rising 2: Case West, the Xbox 360 epilogue to Dead Rising 2. It is not an emulator: the game's Xbox 360 code (58,345 PowerPC functions) was translated ahead of time into native code with XenonRecomp and XenosRecomp, running on a purpose-built engine with a Vulkan renderer. The README calls it essentially complete, with the single-player game playable start to finish.
How it differs from the original
Subtitles can be set to English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese or Korean from the launcher.
Getting started
No game data is included, so you must supply your own copy of the game: the roughly 1.2 GB XBLA package file from your Xbox 360, placed in the assets/package folder. Download the Windows or Linux release, unpack it, add the package and run cw_runtime; the first run unpacks the package and prepares shaders itself. It needs a Vulkan 1.3 GPU and about 3 GB of free disk space. Two-player online co-op works only when started through the XenonLive launcher; a plain launch is offline single-player.
Known issues & limitations
- On some AMD GPUs, a black square may appear during loading screens and cutscenes; Alt-Tab out and back or press Win+PrintScreen to clear it.
- Steam Deck compatibility is unknown; the project has not tested it.
- There is no macOS build yet.
- On some AMD GPUs a black square can appear during loading screens and cutscenes; alt-tabbing out and back clears it.
What you need to run it
Features
- The single-player campaign is playable from start to finish, including story cases, combo weapons, the photo camera, cinematics with subtitles, and save/load.
- Two-player online co-op works through XenonLive when started from its launcher.
- The in-game graphics options include resolution, display mode, vsync, shadow quality, MSAA, frame cap, field of view, and mouse sensitivity.
- 16:10 displays render the world taller with the interface letterboxed at full width.
- The launcher can be operated with a controller.
- The game uses Xbox 360 XMA audio for music, speech, and effects.
- Bink videos play through the game's own decoder.
How to install
- Download the release for your system from the Releases page.
- Start cw_runtime.exe on Windows or ./cw_runtime on Linux; the first run prepares the game automatically.
Controls
- On keyboard and mouse, use WASD to move, the mouse to look, left-click to attack, right-click to aim, Space to jump, E to use or pick up, Tab for the map, 1/3 to cycle items, and arrow keys for the d-pad.
- For the photo camera, hold right-click, press 2 or 3 to raise it, left-click to take a shot, and use 1/3 or the wheel to zoom.
- Any controller recognized by SDL works with an Xbox layout.
Summarised from the project's README.
Licensing & legal
- The repository's own code is licensed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0.
Additional notes
- Steam deck
- The Steam Deck has never been run by the project's authors, and its support is listed as unknown.
- Sibling port
- The prologue, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, is ported the same way and shares most of the runtime.
FAQ
- What is Dead Rising 2: Case West Recompilation?
- Dead Rising 2: Case West Recompilation is an open-source recompilation. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port. The original game ran on Xbox 360.
- Do I need the original game files to run Dead Rising 2: Case West Recompilation?
- Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.
- How is Dead Rising 2: Case West Recompilation licensed?
- project: PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 (repository's own code). The repository itself is the authoritative source.