Frank West (Dead Rising)

Did You Know?

• Keiji Inafune initially considered making Frank West ugly and fat, but the American branch of Capcom said he was too ugly, leading to an average everyman design.
• Frank West appears in crossover games such as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and Puzzle Fighter.
• Rob Riggle portrayed Frank West in the film Dead Rising: Watchtower.

Appearances

Frank West is introduced in the first Dead Rising game as a famed freelance photographer and photojournalist who has covered many world events, wars, and other big stories. His career has begun to fizzle out, and looking for the next big scoop he stumbles onto strange events in Willamette, Colorado. He winds up in a barricaded shopping mall and attempts to rescue human survivors from zombie hordes and violent psychopaths while covering the story. Frank returns as the secondary protagonist of Dead Rising 2: Case West, fighting alongside Chuck Greene after rescuing him from Fortune City as they tackle Phenotrans at one of their facilities. He escapes with Chuck, though Isabela Keyes is kidnapped by Dr. Mallon, and he retrieves evidence to help clear Chuck's name. Frank reappears in Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, an alternate version of the Dead Rising 2 storyline where Frank is the protagonist. In this version, Frank became an overnight celebrity for exposing the Willamette incident, releasing a memoir and hosting a talk show, but his stardom plummeted due to scandals. He goes to Fortune City to appear on 'Terror is Reality' for quick money but is trapped when a zombie outbreak begins. Though he initially sees the outbreak as his big comeback, he learns of a conspiracy and becomes determined to uncover the truth. In Dead Rising 3, Frank does not appear in the main story but is playable in DLC and can be found as a statue in Los Perdidos. He returns as the protagonist of Dead Rising 4, now working as a college photography teacher, and returns to Willamette 16 years after the first game, caught in another zombie outbreak.

Reception

Frank West has been recognized multiple times for his place in gaming history. In 2008, The Age ranked him the 22nd greatest Xbox character, and GameDaily placed him 17th among Capcom characters. GamesRadar later called him the 76th most memorable, influential, and badass protagonist in 2012. UGO Networks put him at 68th on their list of top heroes in entertainment. By 2013, GamesRadar staff included him among the 30 best characters in Capcom’s three-decade history, noting his rapid rise and appearances in fighting games and cameos. That same year, they ranked him 48th on a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation. Game Informer featured him in “Ten Faces We Won’t Soon Forget,” with Meagan Marie highlighting his everyman appeal as someone who represents the hope of surviving a zombie apocalypse. In 2009, IGN’s Jesse Schedeen put him on an “Ultimate Zombie Strike Team,” and IGN later expressed a desire to see him in a future Marvel vs. Capcom game, suggesting he should bring eclectic mall finds like Mega Man gear and a lightsaber. NowGamer included him in a 2010s feature on gaming’s most inappropriate outfits. UGO Networks ranked his appearance in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom as the fifth awesomest hidden character, noting the difficulty of unlocking him. His guest spot in Left 4 Dead 2 topped GamesRadar’s 2010 list of best character cameos.