How to Defeat the Hooded Psychopaths in Dead Rising

If you like to frequent Paradise or Wonderland Plaza, you may notice some new faces around near the end of day two. A crazy preacher with a sword and a horde of lunatics in yellow raincoats and green masks now stalk Paradise and Wonderland, and they're aiming to purify the taint. That means you.

Things You'll Need

• Dead Rising
• Xbox 360

Instructions

1. Get geared up. Only consider taking these psychos on if you've got some health-giving items (OJ, preferably) and plenty of knives, cleavers, guns (pistols, SMGs or shotguns) or bowling balls. If you've killed Adam the Clown, his mini-chainsaws work the best.

2. Pull one or two. Getting near the groups of psychos will typically activate only one or two. Since they just sit there otherwise, thin the group out a couple at a time. If they hunch over and draw a knife, you know they're after you.

3. Dive! These psychos like to charge at you with their knives and take away a good chunk of your health. The trick is to dive out of the way at the last second, then turn on them with knives or bowling balls. Two or three hits usually brings them down.

4. Take them down hard. If you fail to kill the psycho in a couple hits, they will pull a Molotov cocktail out of their coat and attempt to blow the both of you up! The trick is to run and stop to make them dive for you, then dive well away using the double-tap dive (click the left thumbstick twice in any direction not facing the cultist.

5. Bang bang! If you've got guns, use those first. Taking out cultists with bullets to the brainpan is always easier than attempting to hit them with bowling balls.

6. Run back into a restaurant or other area if you need to. If you happen to be in Paradise Plaza, the warehouse makes a good refuge. Not many zombies spawn there, and there are always boxes that can have additional weapons or health items in them. Visit as often as you need to.

7. If you see a cultist draw a small bottle, run away! Its pepper spray, and it'll knock you out, allowing the cultists to drag you back to your hideout. Escaping is insanely hard when you wake up in your undies with no weapons. If you get sprayed, just reload. It's less painful than fighting your way out.

Tips & Warnings

• DO NOT attempt to engage a cultist with less than three bars of health! If you do, and they hit you with their knife charge, you're finished!