Dead Rising 4 Has Its Own Yule Log Video, Does Not Burn A Yule Log

In case you forgot that Dead Rising 4 was on the way, the developers have just revealed a new trailer that should put folks in the holiday spirit. Get ready to witness the "Yule Log."

Billed as "a tale of logs, limbs and luminosity like you never imagined," the Yule Log trailer for Dead Rising 4 reminds us that the series is returning to its tongue-in-cheek roots, ditching grittier, more realistic zombie survival gameplay for over-the-top antics.

While folks certainly seemed to enjoy Dead Rising 3 on the Xbox One, some argued that a bit of the fun was lost when folks started taking things more seriously. In Dead Rising 4, Frank West returns to the starring role, dispatching zombies in creative ways through the 12 days of Christmas.

In case you were tuning in for a look at that gameplay, though, you're going to be a bit disappointed by this latest, kinda gruesome, trailer for Dead Rising 4. You know how you can buy or stream those Yule Log videos to play on your TV that just show a crackling fire and sometimes boast holiday tunes in the background? Well, that's exactly what you're getting here, but with a distinct Dead Rising 4 vibe.

Along with the festive songs, you get a brief glimpse of Frank walking past at the beginning. He's carrying a baseball bat wrapped in Christmas lights and drops a fresh zombie limb on the fire. From there, the camera zooms in and you're left staring at the fire. Some zombie noises pop up in the background and Frank occasionally walks by to poke at the fire or add another fresh limb to the blaze but, otherwise, it's 20-odd minutes of crackling warmth. If you're looking to add a little morbid humor to your upcoming holiday gatherings and you just can't wait for Dead Rising 4 to arrive, then this is certainly a good way to celebrate both the season and the upcoming game.

Headed our way from Capcom Vancouver, Dead Rising 4 is due in just one week's time, launching for the Xbox One and Windows PC on Dec. 6. Players will once again have the opportunity to explore an open world filled with shambling monsters, with scavenged weapons serving as your only line of defense. As in the past, though, you'll be able to combine those weapons in new and ridiculous ways, making for more powerful zombie-killing contraptions.

We haven't really heard too much about Dead Rising 4 outside of those basics, so we're looking forward to seeing how the whole thing comes together at launch next week.

Ryan Winslett

Staff Writer for CinemaBlend.