You play as Frank West, a freelance photo-journalist, and you're on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. Following a lead to the town of Willamette, he finds that the town has been practically taken over by zombies. Trying to get away, Frank makes his way to the Willamette shopping mall hoping he can find help there. Gameplay takes place in a set seventy-two-hour period where one hour of real time equals twelve hours in game. Frank can freely move about the entire mall, though some areas are not accessible in the beginning. Most of it is infested with zombies, but he has a safe base in a security room. Players can follow the main plot, where they must be in the right place at the right time and successfully complete missions in order to advance, or do side missions, wander around killing zombies and dressing up in clothes from the mall stores, or just stay on the roof and wait for the helicopter to come back to pick him up. The helicopter comes at the end of the three days and the game is over regardless of whether Frank is on the roof to get rescued. Frank gains experience by taking pictures, rescuing survivors and killing zombies. As he gains experience, he levels up, which gives him new moves, a larger inventory and more health. Pictures are scored based on the number of survivors or zombies, their proximity to the camera and on emotional content, like horror, humor or sexiness.
| Boxed A | Factory Sealed Product |
| Boxed B | Product Boxed & Complete with Manual |
| Boxed C | Product Boxed without Manual |
| D | Loose Item |
