I came into Dead Rising 4 without any expectations. I've played the first Dead Rising, and wasn't a huge fan, really. Killing zombies was fun, but I've always disliked things with timers. I did play DR 2 or 3, and because I can't compare DR4 to either of those. It may be because of this that I'm enjoying DR4 so much. As other's say, it's not terribly difficult, but I'm still enjoying the large map, abundance of enemies to kill, and fun weapons to wield. Progression feels good with leveling happening at a satisfying and rewarding rate. Frank West's dialogue is well done, and the humor adds to the experience.
Many of the negative reviews I've seen have come from people that have played the earlier installments and were expecting more of the same. I seem to be part of the new demographic that they're targeting, and I guess I'm happy for that.
I very much enjoyed Dead Rising 4. There's a solid core plot, and many optional sidequests that appear for a limited amount of time. And completing all of these involves running around slaughtering the undead or psychopathic humans with almost any object in the world. You can also build combo weapons in order more easily dispatch your enemies.

Combo weapons and vehicles allow for more ludicrous attacks. It's hard to express the satisfaction of taking out dozens of zombies at once with an axe taped to a sledgehammer, swung in insane circles. These gain extra Prestige Points when used on zombies, helping Frank to level up.

I found that boss fights were a little better in Dead Rising 3, but they're still engaging and fun in Dead Rising 4. The fights can sometimes prove to be weird and unexpected, and that is a welcome feature. The autosave function is very good as well. The old DR games had terrible save features, and this game has perfected that feature. After spending 5+ hours with Dead Rising 4, I can't recommend the game enough

I know I'm in the minority here but i actually enjoyed the game a lot more without the timer. Obviously, there are many others who did not. I felt like I could take my time and explore and see what all the game had to offer. Hopefully, the next game can strike a balance where there will be an option to play the campaign with or without the timer.

Pros
+Amusing, endearing commentary from Frank
+Stupid, fun weapons
+Zombie selfies!
+Fantastic open-world setting that is filled with detail
+The removal of the timer allows you to play at your own pace
+Tons of amusing outfits to discover
+Lots of weapons to create with tons of variety
+The combination of weapons and vehicles are outstanding
+Improved investigations and camera mechanics
+Killing hordes of zombies in so many different ways never gets old
+Weapon upgrade system
+Tons of zombies on screen at one time

Cons
-No campaign co-op
-Some occasional bugs and glitches
-Gameplay might be on the easy side for some
-Very little in terms of new ideas
-Frustrating encounters
-Where are the psychos?
-No benefit to using different weapons once you find your favorite

My verdict:4/5
Minor technical issues aside, the game is a blast. Finer tuned mechanics, streamlined inventory management and a combo vehicle accessible map makes returning to Willamette a worth while experience. Less gimmick, more fun. - I also guarantee at the time of writing this that the majority of severely negative reviews from users are people who haven't actually played the game at all.

NOTE: game runs fine on my workstation rig and my spec is down below and runs in High settings on 1080p
-xeon dual E5-2670
-Supermicro X9DRD-IF-B Supermicro X9DRD-IF-B Dual LGA2011- Intel C602- DDR3- SATA3- V&2GbE- EATX Server Motherboard
-WD Blue 3TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD30EZRZ
-ADATA Premier SP550 480GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Solid State Drive (ASP550SS3-480GM-C)
-Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (AM4 bracket available through Cooler Master USA)
-Micron 64GB 8x8GB PC3L 10600R DDR3 ECC REG Server Memory MT36KSF1G72PZ-1G4M1HE
-EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2, 80+ GOLD 850W, Fully Modular, EVGA ECO Mode, 10 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply 220-G2-0850-XR
-MSI Computer Video Graphic Cards GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING X 4G
-Corsair Obsidian Series 750D Airflow Edition, Full Tower ATX Case

I came into Dead Rising 4 without any expectations. I've played the first Dead Rising, and wasn't a huge fan, really. Killing zombies was fun, but I've always disliked things with timers. I did play DR 2 or 3, and because I can't compare DR4 to either of those. It may be because of this that I'm enjoying DR4 so much. As other's say, it's not terribly difficult, but I'm still enjoying the large map, abundance of enemies to kill, and fun weapons to wield. Progression feels good with leveling happening at a satisfying and rewarding rate. Frank West's dialogue is well done, and the humor adds to the experience. Many of the negative reviews I've seen have come from people that have played the earlier installments and were expecting more of the same. I seem to be part of the new demographic that they're targeting, and I guess I'm happy for that. I very much enjoyed Dead Rising 4. There's a solid core plot, and many optional sidequests that appear for a limited amount of time. And completing all of these involves running around slaughtering the undead or psychopathic humans with almost any object in the world. You can also build combo weapons in order more easily dispatch your enemies. Combo weapons and vehicles allow for more ludicrous attacks. It's hard to express the satisfaction of taking out dozens of zombies at once with an axe taped to a sledgehammer, swung in insane circles. These gain extra Prestige Points when used on zombies, helping Frank to level up. I found that boss fights were a little better in Dead Rising 3, but they're still engaging and fun in Dead Rising 4. The fights can sometimes prove to be weird and unexpected, and that is a welcome feature. The autosave function is very good as well. The old DR games had terrible save features, and this game has perfected that feature. After spending 5+ hours with Dead Rising 4, I can't recommend the game enough I know I'm in the minority here but i actually enjoyed the game a lot more without the timer. Obviously, there are many others who did not. I felt like I could take my time and explore and see what all the game had to offer. Hopefully, the next game can strike a balance where there will be an option to play the campaign with or without the timer. Pros +Amusing, endearing commentary from Frank +Stupid, fun weapons +Zombie selfies! +Fantastic open-world setting that is filled with detail +The removal of the timer allows you to play at your own pace +Tons of amusing outfits to discover +Lots of weapons to create with tons of variety +The combination of weapons and vehicles are outstanding +Improved investigations and camera mechanics +Killing hordes of zombies in so many different ways never gets old +Weapon upgrade system +Tons of zombies on screen at one time Cons -No campaign co-op -Some occasional bugs and glitches -Gameplay might be on the easy side for some -Very little in terms of new ideas -Frustrating encounters -Where are the psychos? -No benefit to using different weapons once you find your favorite My verdict:4/5 Minor technical issues aside, the game is a blast. Finer tuned mechanics, streamlined inventory management and a combo vehicle accessible map makes returning to Willamette a worth while experience. Less gimmick, more fun. - I also guarantee at the time of writing this that the majority of severely negative reviews from users are people who haven't actually played the game at all. NOTE: game runs fine on my workstation rig and my spec is down below and runs in High settings on 1080p -xeon dual E5-2670 -Supermicro X9DRD-IF-B Supermicro X9DRD-IF-B Dual LGA2011- Intel C602- DDR3- SATA3- V&2GbE- EATX Server Motherboard -WD Blue 3TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD30EZRZ -ADATA Premier SP550 480GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Solid State Drive (ASP550SS3-480GM-C) -Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (AM4 bracket available through Cooler Master USA) -Micron 64GB 8x8GB PC3L 10600R DDR3 ECC REG Server Memory MT36KSF1G72PZ-1G4M1HE -EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2, 80+ GOLD 850W, Fully Modular, EVGA ECO Mode, 10 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester Power Supply 220-G2-0850-XR -MSI Computer Video Graphic Cards GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING X 4G -Corsair Obsidian Series 750D Airflow Edition, Full Tower ATX Case