Optional missions will be made available to unlock new SmartGlass apps and abilities.
Whereas Nintendo has the Wii U Game Pad and Sony has talked up the Vita as a companion to the PS4, Microsoft has been betting on SmartGlass, the integration of touch devices like phones and tablets with Xbox hardware, as its way to bring a second screen to its games. While SmartGlass has shown up in a variety of games, it notably made an appearance at the end of Capcom’s Dead Rising 3 reveal where the presenter was able to call in an artillery strike on a horde of zombies using his phone. According to Capcom, gamers can expect SmartGlass to play an even larger role in Dead Rising 3, if they want it to.
Players who use SmartGlass with Dead Rising 3 will gain access to special exclusive missions that can be completed to unlock new apps and abilities. One mission might unlock the artillery strike shown at the game’s E3 reveal, for instance. Another could give players access to drone attacks or wide area flares capable of distracting thousands of zombies simultaneously. SmartGlass can also be used by a second person in a cooperative manner. While the player goes through the nitty gritty of actually playing, their SmartGlass equipped friend can use a companion device to point out weapons and set waypoints and objectives.
Capcom made sure to stress however that none of this was mandatory. “That stuff is totally optional,” said Capcom. “If you don’t want to fool with Smartglass you don’t have to, but we tried to develop features that enrich the experience of Dead Rising; help you find weapons, help you find stores, help you get to the stuff you want to get to, as well as cool explosive boom things that are pretty to look at.”
Source: Joystiq
