Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 6/10
- Offline: 45 (900)
- Online: 5 (100)
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 30 - 40 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 4
- Number of missable achievements: 8 ("Having a Gas", "Life Saver", "Hero of Fortune City", "Improper Behaviour", "Justice Served", "Judge, Jury and Executioner", "Come On! Follow Me!" and "Father of the Year")
- Do cheat codes disable achievements?: No cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No
- Glitchy achievements: Co-op achievements
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed?: No

Introduction:
Dead Rising 2 features a timed mission game mechanic and allows you to restart the story at any point throughout the game while retaining your level and several key items. This affects your playthroughs and achievements in several ways and below is a quick summary of the achievements that need to be completed or obtained per playthrough.

  • Save 50 survivors ('Hero of Fortune City')
  • Spray all Zombrex posters ('Improper Behaviour')
  • Katey's Gifts ('Father of the Year')
  • All story related key items and several entrances (Underground, Shortcuts, Doors)
  • Zombie kill achievements (with the sole exception of 'Zombie Fu')

All other progress toward an achievement or non-story related items like the SUV or Bike keys carry over. If possible, try and obtain every achievement in one playthrough. There have been reports of them not unlocking when they should, which will require you to use or do something that you've already done in your last playthrough. That makes it a pain to track down.

Due to the glitchy nature of co-op, it might be wise to restrict your co-op playthrough to the story and survivor/psycho achievements, while keeping most others for solo playthroughs, most notably the 'use all items' achievements.

Multiplayer:
Starting off with multiplayer might be a good idea as the money earned can be transferred to any saved single player file. This will make the $6,000,000 achievement a little less steep. Do note that this is not required because there are additional methods of earning money in single player.

You will receive an achievement for completing the following tasks in ranked matches:

  • Win an event
  • Win an episode
  • Win all 9 events

Since the online community is virtually non-existent, you might want to head on over to the Achievement Trading Thread and find yourself some boosting partners.

Playthrough 1 - Story/Coop:
This will be the playthrough where you explore the storyline along with a fair share of survivor rescues and psycho killing. Get a friend or head to the Co-op Partner Thread to find one. It is possible to complete your notebook for the "Data Miner" achievement, but due to your low level it might prove difficult, although co-op will cancel it out. Don't worry about things you've missed, but keep them in mind for your next playthroughs. Some achievements are only achievable during the storyline or events that occur late in the game. Make sure to do them at the appropriate time or you'll find yourself facing an extra playthrough.

Playthrough 2 - Survivors/Psychos and Item Checklists:
This playthrough will be dedicated to finishing up all the achievements that you didn't finish in your first playthrough. This will vary individually, but this playthrough is dedicated to those that you are missing.

Playthrough 3 - Mopping up:
Finish up any achievements you haven't gained yet, save for the zombie kills achievements. In this playthrough, the last thing you'll do is acquire 2 million to buy the SUV if you haven't done so already. Once acquired, restart the story and go to the next step.

Playthrough 4 - Zombie Genocide Master:
In this playthrough, you will be concentrating on unlocking the Zombie Genocide Master achievement. If you have yet to unlock any of the lower zombie kill achievements, they will unlock in this playthrough, as well. You'll be spending another 6 hours driving the Silver/Platinum strip up and down to get 72,000 zombie kills. Avoid crashing into obstacles and save when you feel you've done a good run on the strip, and don't be afraid to reload when you feel it was not a good run.

Conclusion:
Dead Rising 2 is a simple 1000. The game will have you complete semi-difficult tasks, but overall there's nothing too strenuous about it. The online is a nice addition, but the fact that there's no way to boost with other players "easily," makes it much harder to complete. Be sure to check the Achievement Trading Thread for partners, and have fun in Fortune City!

[x360a would like to thank rrushn for this Road Map]

Dead Rising 2 Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 50 achievements with a total of 1000 points

  • Kill 500 zombies.

    (8)  

    This will come naturally as you play.

  • Kill 5,000 zombies.

    (2)  

    This may come naturally as you play. If not, refer to "Zombie Genocide Master" for more information.

  • Kill 53,596 zombies.

    (22)  

    Refer to "Zombie Genocide Master" for more information.

  • Kill 72,000 zombies.

    (101)  

    You'll spend an entire playthrough dedicated to running over zombies with a SUV. Head on over to the post below for details on the generally accepted fastest method. The big upside of this method is that you can reload your game whenever you feel you've had a bad run.

    A full walkthrough can be found here.

  • Defeat 5 psychopaths.

    (5)  

    See "Judge, Jury and Executioner" for more information.

  • Defeat 10 psychopaths.

    (22)  

    Psychopaths are survivors who have gone insane as a result of the outbreak in Fortune City. You'll encounter a fair share of these during the storyline, while others are messaged through your cell phone.
    There are more than 10 psychopaths in the game but some of these can be extremely difficult to defeat in your first playthrough, make sure you're prepared or save them for another playthrough when you have leveled up a bit.
    Below is a list of the non-storyline messages that feature a psychopath, so that you can prepare accordingly.

    • Chuck the Role Model
    • Tastes Like Chicken
    • Meet the contestants
    • Here Comes the Groom
    • Everyone Knows Slappy
    • Mail Order Zombrex
    • WWJWD?
    • One Hit Wonder
    • World's Most Dangerous Trick

    Ted the psychopath can be found at the very start of the game at Yucatan Casino and mid-game there'll be a foursome that appears on the Silver Strip. These are the only 'non-messaged' psychos in the game.

    A timeline of both survivors and psychos can be found here.

    A guide to defeating the psychos can be found here.

  • Kill 1,000 zombies barehanded.

    (31)  

    While playing through the game, use your jump kick move ( then ) to kill zombies. While leveling up, you'll receive additional barehanded moves. Not only are these moves fun to mess around with, they'll make killing zombies quite a bit easier. There is a magazine located in "Ragazines" inside the Royal Flush Casino. The magazine is called; Hand-to-Hand. Use this to help you with your kills.

    The kill count is spread across all playthroughs, given you restart the story from a previous save, but there have been reports of it not unlocking, so it's best to contain them in one playthrough, just to be on the safe side.

    Note: The moves you receive while leveling are random. Don't worry if a certain skill hasn't unlocked yet, you'll get them all eventually.

  • Kill 1,000 zombies while riding a motorcycle.

    (5)  

    After completing the 'Meet the contestants' mission, you'll have access to the bike's workshop, which can be found inside a trailer near the Yucatan Casino entrance on the Platinum Strip. You can attach items, such as a chainsaw to the bike.

    Simply fetch a chainsaw, located in the maintenance room directly across the Slot Ranch Casino entrance on the Silver Strip, and bring it back to the trailer. Attach it to the bike and you have yourself a brand new Slice Bicycle.

    You can make tours on the Silver/Platinum Strip until you have 1000 kills, but it's best to save this for case 6-3 when you're about to save Rebecca, since you can complete another achievement (Having a Gas) at the same time.

    Make the Slice Bicycle as explained above and take it underground through the hole that's revealed in the Case 6-3 cut scene. Once there, start making circles through the underground tunnels. You'll be able to earn both achievements at the same time, thus saving precious time in your playthrough.?

    You can use this picture for guide dance to obtain this achievement.

  • Use every type of firearm on a zombie.

    (25)  

    This achievement requires you to actually kill the zombie with the firearms.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Again, try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    • Assault Rifle - Can be bought in Pawn Shops, appearance seems to be random
    • BFG - Combo Weapon, refer to ‘Duct Tape FTW’
    • Handgun - Various locations
    • LMG - Can be bought in Pawn Shops, appearance seems to be random
    • Merc Rifle - Only found during storyline cases
    • Shotgun - Weapon Shop in Palisades Mall
    • Six Shooter - Only obtainable after killing the psycho from WWJWD?
    • Sniper Rifle - Weapon Shop in Palisades Mall

    A walkthrough can be found here.

  • Use every type of melee weapon on a zombie.

    (27)  

    It is not required to kill them, hitting them will suffice.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Again, try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    Take note of the following items and ensure you find these while doing the relevant missions/cases.

    Unique items:

    • Giant Pink Chainsaw - 'Here Comes The Groom' side mission
    • Katana - Case 4-1
    • Magician's sword - 'The World's Most Dangerous Trick' side mission
    • Military Case - Starting from Case 5, hard to miss boxes though.
    • Trophy - 'Two for Company' side mission.

    You can find a detailed walkthrough here. You can also check out the video below for some help.

  • Use every type of ranged weapon on a zombie.

    (7)  

    It is not required to kill them, hitting them will suffice.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.
     

    • Bag of Marbles
    • Basketball
    • Bowling Ball
    • Bow & Arrow
    • Bowie Knife
    • Casino Chips
    • CDs
    • Football
    • Gems
    • Golf Club
    • Lawn Dart
    • Metal Baseball Bat
    • Nails
    • Plates
    • Playing Cards
    • Sawblade
    • Soccer Ball
    • Tennis Racquet
    • Vinyl Records

    A walkthrough can be found here.

  • Use every type of explosive on a zombie.

    (13)  

    Make sure to shoot the tanks/explosives (if needed) and kill a zombie with the explosion.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    • Acetylene Tank
    • Dynamite
    • Firecrackers
    • Gasoline Canister
    • Grenade
    • Propane Tank
    • Rocket Fireworks

    A walkthrough can be found here

  • Use every type of novelty weapon on a zombie.

    (16)  

    It is not required to kill them, hitting them will suffice.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    Take note of the following item and ensure you find this while doing the relevant mission

    - Funny Painting - "Art Appreciation"

    A walkthrough can be found here. A video walkthrough can be found below:

  • Escort 8 survivors at once.

    (12)  

    For this achievement, you'll be finding and bringing back 8 survivors to the safe house at once. While this task seems daunting, there are quite a few ways of achieving this, and luckily, there's a way at the very start of the game, for which a guide can be found here.

  • Save 10 survivors.

    (1)   

    See "Hero of Fortune City" for more information.

  • Save 50 survivors.

    (41)   

    Survivors are saved by finding them and escorting them back to the safe house. Survivors are mostly messaged to your cell phone while others only appear at certain points throughout the game.

    This achievement must be done in a single playthrough, as opposed to 'Data Miner' which is cumulative, although both can be done in a single run, if managed correctly.
    It is possible to do this in your first playthrough, along with the storyline, but I recommend saving them for a different playthrough, along with the 'use all items on zombies' achievements.

    A guide for gaining both achievements in one playthrough can be found here.

    A few pointers about survivors:

    • The game only allows you to have 8 survivors at the same time during the game, so if a mission doesn't trigger, chances are you'll need to finish a few missions before they appear.
    • When a message is incoming for the area you're currently present, the message will not appear. Leave the area to trigger it.
    • Do not hang about in the safe house waiting for calls, messages do not appear and you might miss out.
    • Do not leave your survivors behind a loading screen. They gradually lose health and will die eventually. Always wait at the door until all the survivors have a green door icon above their heads/avatar.
    • Check their avatars. If someone seems to be lingering, chances are they are cripple or they're being held by a zombie. A quick glance at the avatar will reveal it's condition.
    • If you happen to come across a psycho encounter while escorting survivors, cram them in a maintenance room or any room with doors that is zombie-free and close it.
  • Create a combo weapon.

    (2)  

    See "Duct Tape FTW" for more information.

  • Create all combo weapons.

    (19)  

    Combo Weapons are weapons that are obtained by combining various items found throughout the game. You can recognize items that can be customized, by the wrench icon instead of a gun icon.

    A list and walkthrough for this achievement can be found here.

  • Reach level 25.

    (1)  

    See "Professional Rising" for more information. You need a total of 1,280,000 PP to reach level 25.

  • Reach level 50.

    (5)  

    You will need a total of 5,000,000 PP to reach level 50. Various actions throughout the game net you PP, the experience points of Dead Rising 2. Since you'll be playing this game more than once to obtain all achievements, there is no need to worry about this. You can check your current PP by clicking Start and going to Status.

  • Change into 10 different pieces of clothing.

    (1)   

    See "Chuck Greene: Cross Dresser?" for more information.

  • Change into all the clothes in the game.

    (33)   

    You need to wear every single piece of clothing, save for unlockables, to get this achievement. Just about every store in Fortune City has some clothes you can dress Chuck with. Some are funny, while others border to downright disturbing... in a fun way though.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    This post right here contains a list of all shops and their clothes. I suggest printing it and using it as checklist to save frustration of missed pieces of clothing.

    Use the videos below for visual aid.

  • Complete The Facts.

    (15)  

    Progress through the story without failing any of the cases. At the end of the game you'll have a choice of giving TK Zombrex or not. Do so in order to obtain this achievement along with another one a little later on.

  • Mix a drink.

    (5)  

    See "Look at all that juice!" for more information.

  • Create and consume all mixed drinks in the game.

    (20)   

    Combine two kinds of food/drinks to obtain one of the 9 results. Mix and consume all 9 to receive this achievement. A walkthrough for this achievement can be found here.

  • Eat all types of food in the game.

    (24)   

    Simply consume all different types of food, including drinks, to gain this achievement.

    As all other multi-playthrough achievements, there have been reports of it not unlocking when it should. Try to contain the requirements in one playthrough, to be on the safe side.

    A walkthrough can be found here.

    Note: All types of rotten food can be found in trash cans INSIDE the restaurants of the Food Court. Do not bother with the ones outside, they often only have sodas/guns/snacks. You only need to eat one rotten food, not every one of them

  • Kill 1,000 "special" zombies.

    (22)  

    Refer to "Wrong Kind of “Chopper" to achieve this without wasting too much precious time.

    Note: You only have one shot at this once they appear. Failing to get this achievement will result in another near-full storyline playthrough to get to this point.

  • Give Katey a gift.

    (8)   

    See "Father of the Year" for more information.

  • Give Katey every possible gift.

    (19)   

    Bring back the following items to her to obtain this achievement. This must be done in one playthrough.

    • Bag of Marbles
    • Beach Ball
    • Funny Painting – Only obtainable during side mission ‘Art Appreciation’
    • Giant Stuffed Bull
    • Giant Stuffed Donkey
    • Giant Stuffed Elephant
    • Giant Stuffed Rabbit
    • Robot Bear
    • Snowflake the Tiger – Only obtainable at the start of the game, see ‘The Skill to Survive’
    • Stick Pony
    • Water Gun

    Make sure to examine Snowflake once you tamed him in order to ‘give’ it as a gift, so if you’re sure everything’s there besides the achievement, chances are you haven’t examined Snowflake yet.

  • Complete Overtime Mode.

    (4)  

    Give TK Zombrex in order to unlock Overtime Mode.

    In Overtime Mode, you'll need to finish a series of fetch missions before you can take on TK. Both the missions and the boss fight are fairly straightforward, with the fight being the hardest part of this mode.

    The video below will give you an idea on what to expect from the final fight.

  • Solve all case files in Co-op.

    Simply play through the game with a friend. This does not need to be done in one sitting.

  • Revive another player in Co-op.

    Let your teammate get downed and revive him by giving him some food/drinks.

  • Spend $6,000,000 in Fortune City.

    (31)  

    After starting the single player game, make a save, quit and start playing some multiplayer. Money gained in multiplayer can be transferred to an existing single player save file, so while you're getting your multiplayer achievements, you'll be working this achievement as well.

    Chances are you're not completely done with this after your multiplayer madness, so I'll list the quickest and unfortunately also the most boring method.

    Research your gambling skills by gathering all 3 magazines:

    • Ragazines in Royal Flush Plaza
    • Stan's Large Print Books and Magazines in Palisades Mall 2nd floor
    • Shamrock Casino on the Silver Strip behind the bar

    Keep your 3 magazines in your inventory and make your way to the big pink slot machine in Slot Ranch Casino. Push the 1000$ button, wack a zombie while you wait, and you should be raking in money fairly fast.

    Once you have your 6 Million, be sure to spend some cash on various items around the shops.

    Things you need to buy/do for other achievements:

    • Buy SUV Keys for 2 million at the Silver Strip pawnshop
    • Spend approx. 1 million at the fortune teller at the Silver Strip to obtain a hidden combo card

    You can spend the rest as you see fit.

  • Enter all the stores in the game.

    (13)   

    Visit all stores in the game. You'll most likely get this together with the "Cross Dresser" achievement.

    A list of all stores can be found here.

  • Have 10 zombies with masks on at once.

    (8)  

    Put 10 masks on zombies in order to unlock this achievement. You can do this at the Royal Flush Plaza, where you start off.

  • Spraypaint all Zombrex posters.

    (16)   

    Throughout the game, you’ll find zombrex posters of various shapes and sizes. Refer to the video for the locations.

    These must be done in one playthrough and you'll need to play up to a certain part in the story in order to unlock doors which have two more posters behind them, so I suggest doing this on your storyline playthrough.

  • Play and win in all 9 TIR events.

    This is the multiplayer section of the game and features various mini-games. Win all of them in order to obtain this achievement. Money earned in this mode can be transferred to a single player savegame, so it's a good idea to start your Fortune City adventure here. The online community is pretty much dead, so boosting may be required to finish all 3 multiplayer achievements.

    You can look for boosters in the Achievement Trading Thread

  • Come in first place in a single TIR event.

    See "TK’s Favorite" for more information.

  • Finish in first place in a TIR episode.

    You’ll get this while working on "TK’s Favorite". Try to win as many events as possible and finish in 1st place. Must be done in ranked.

  • Give your bike a custom paint job.

    (2)   

    Use a spray paint can on the bike inside the trailer. Refer to "Wrong Kind Of “Chopper" on how to access the trailer. Since you need to spray zombrex posters throughout the game, you should have one or more in your inventory.

  • Collect all combo cards hidden in Fortune City.

    (7)   

    The following is a list of all the combo cards that are hidden within Fortune City:

    • Burning Skull – Spend approximately 1 million at the Fortune Teller on the Silver Strip
    • Laser Sword – Examine the poster in Paradise Platinum Screens at the Platinum Strip
    • Blambow – Examine the poster at the Food Court in between Wild West Grill and the Italian
    • Holy Arms – Examine the poster in Atlantica Casino, Fortune Park entrance on your right.
    • Freedom Bear – Examine the poster near the toilet (save point) in Yucatan Casino
    • Paddlesaw – Examine the poster at the Silver Strip, across Hot Excitorama
    • Snowball Cannon – Examine the poster on the 2nd floor of Palisades Mall next to Maintenance room
    • Tenderizers – Examine the poster in Royal Flush Plaza, in front of the entrance to Americana
    • Spiked Bat – Combine these in the first Maintenance room when coming from the Safe house

  • Collect all survivor combo cards.

    (16)   
    • Plate Launcher – Obtained by doing the non-messaged side mission ‘Tape it or Die’
    • Blazing aces – Obtained by rescuing the survivors from side mission ‘Tape it or Die’
    • Exsanguinator – Obtained by rescuing the survivors from side mission ‘Tape it or Die’
    • Power Guitar - Obtained by rescuing the survivors from side mission 'The Rock Show'

    For the 'Tape it or Die' survivors, see 'Hero of Fortune City'. You will have to do a side mission for them, but it won't be until much later in the game that you actually rescue them. There's not enough time to rescue them on a non-storyline playthrough, so make sure you do it while solving cases.

    Note: Some people have reported that the door to 'Tape it or Die' doesn't open when it's supposed to. This is possibly related to the fact that you can only have 8 survivors active at any one time in the game (safe house excluded). The poker team in Atlantica Casino appear around the same time, make sure to rescue/kill them first.

  • Collect all combo cards from psychopaths.

    (4)   

    There are only two combo cards that you receive upon killing psychopaths. They are;

    • Flamethrower – Obtained by doing ‘Everyone Knows Slappy’ side mission
    • Rocket Launcher – Obtained by doing ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Trick’ side mission
  • Collect 25 combo cards.

    (3)   

    See "Full Deck" for more information.

  • Collect all combo cards.

    (4)   

    See "Tough Guy", "Life Saver", "Curiously Inventive" and "Tape it Or Die" for the locations of each of their respected Combo Cards. All other combo cards are obtained by leveling up.

  • Fill all entries in the notebook.

    (9)   

    Filling your notebook is matter of meeting all people throughout your adventures in Fortune City. This includes psychopaths, survivors and storyline characters you meet. Most of these will come naturally by playing through the game, while other entries require some effort and timing.

    Although this achievement is possible in one playthrough, it's certainly not a requirement, if you happen to miss some, you'll have a chance of completing them in subsequent playthroughs.

    This achievement is best combined with "Hero of Fortune City". A walkthrough for gaining both in the same playthrough can be found here.

  • Smashy

     

    20

    Smash 100 zombies using the Smash skill move.

    (7)  

    You will obtain this skill by leveling up. Once you do so, kill 100 zombies by holding + , to grab it’s head and smash it against whatever’s around, such as a shop counter or a wall.

  • Stick it to a zombie by covering him in weapons and objects!

    (13)  

    ‘Decorate’ a zombie with a small painting, normal painting, mask and barrel. Check out the video below for a better view on how (and where) to perform this achievement.

  • Tame Snowflake.

    (34)  

    A peculiar survivor that can be rescued at the start of the game and also serves as one of Katey's gifts for the "Father of the Year" achievement.

    The video below elaborates on how to obtain him.

 

Secret achievements

  • Discovered The Secret Combo Card. Did You Cheat By Checking Online?

    (45)  

    Once you have access to queen bees (you’ll know when you do once you watched the Queen bee cut scene), simply mix two orange juices to make nectar at one of the various mixers throughout Fortune City. A queen bee will spawn upon mixing these, so grab it and combine it with the nectar you just made at a maintenance room to unlock the Combo Card and achievement.

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