One of the most bemoaned aspects of Dead Rising (next to the time sensitivity of missions, hard-to-read text and Otis) was the lack of a multiplayer component. Thanks to a probable slip of the tongue at a GDC panel on shader development with a specific focus on Dead Rising 2, we now know that Capcom is going to appease the complaintants with multiplayer of some kind in the sequel.

The mention came out of the same conversation regarding 6,000 onscreen zombies we reported on this weekend which, as it turns out, relates specifically to the multiplayer gameplay and may not be representative of the single-player experience. Laura Scholl, product manager of the mental mill shader which is being used by Blue Castle Games, made the comment in reference to a conversation she'd had with the developer regarding her product.

Of course, just because Dead Rising 2 will likely have multiplayer (and, I know, you're all shocked by this news) doesn't mean we have any idea what that gameplay could consist of. It's probably a co-op experience of some kind but will the main storyline be playable in co-op or just some alternate game modes? For the time being, we'll just have to wait and see.

Also of note is the knowledge that the game will have around 800 different "types" of zombies, with differing clothing designs. That ought to cut down a bit on the sense that you're killing the same undead dude over and over again.

[Via Kotaku]