And no, gamers will not be able to massacre hordes of scantily clad buxom beauties in the sequel to the 2006 surprise hit. Instead, players that discover Playboy magazines throughout the game will receive special upgrades for Chuck Green, Dead Rising 2's main character.
"The Sin City-type environment in Dead Rising 2, Fortune City, is a natural playground for the Playboy Bunnies," Seon King, Capcom's licensing director, said in a statement. "We have integrated the Playboy brand throughout the game in ways that bring even more life to Fortune City and add to the user experience."
Playboy magazines will appear alongside various other publications in an evolution of the original game's book system. Gamers will also see Playboy ads and billboards featuring covers from the magazine's extensive library. And judging by images released by Capcom, Chuck Green will encounter a bunny or two when he's not using anything he can get his hands on to massacre the undead.
Dead Rising 2 is set to launch for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on August 31. A Windows PC version of the game will debut a month later on September 30.
Sharkey says: Playboy is evidently targeting videogames to market its brand. The company previously announced a similar deal with 2K Games to feature the magazine in upcoming mob drama Mafia II. Word is the magazine will also have a sizable presence at E3, giving new meaning to the term "booth babes."
