We like Chuck Greene as much as anyone. But after playing this downloadable adventure ­— which pairs the motocrossin’, zombie-saucin’ dad with Frank West, the star of the first game — we kinda wish they’d shared the stage in Dead Rising 2.

Thanks to some snarky dialogue and a fast-paced story, the two heroes have genuine chemistry — whether you’re playing solo (you’re Chuck, the A.I. controls Frank) or cooperatively (player two is Frank). The plot isn’t brilliant, but it does a sweet job of continuing the tale of DR2 — possibly even setting up DR3 ­— while adding a couple of neat surprises for Dead Rising fans who might be playing this standalone content without having touched the second game.

With photog Frank on the scene, both characters get a camera…which isn’t nearly as cool as you’d think. Instead of good ol’ Erotica-snapping fun, you’re limited to taking pics of random objects sporting a small camera logo, and you’ll really have to hunt for these Prestige Point bonuses: two of us spotted exactly one of them in our entire co-op game!

New weapons, on the other hand, are scattered about, and they perfectly suit Case West’s setting, a giant Phenotrans pharmaceutical facility. Bonesaws splash undead blood in all directions, and the Impact Hammer — carried by the hulking new Hazard Units — dismembers zombies with incredible force. Naturally, you can build new combo weapons, too, including the Lightning Gun (electric prod + blast frequency gun) and the torso-severing Reaper (katana + sickle).

Play Case West cooperatively (as it’s clearly intended to be), and you’ll carve your way to the “good” ending in around three hours. Dead Rising fans will enjoy it most, but even carnage-craving newbies will easily get their money’s worth.

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Story, dialogue make Chuck and Frank a terrific team.

+ New weapons; new combo weapons; scientist survivors who need rescuing but not escorting.

- Slightly short; having a camera feels pointless; the two heroes play similarly.

? Who’ll headline the inevitable Dead Rising 3?

8.0