- "I've always wanted to do that."
- —Roger, after stabbing Reed
Roger Withers is a psychopath found in Dead Rising 2. Before the zombie outbreak, Roger and his partner Reed were world-famous magicians. However, they both went insane after the incident. Roger, however, seemed to be abused by Reed for messing up "rehearsals".
Story
Dead Rising 2
World's Most Dangerous Trick
Roger is almost completely silent, with Reed doing the talking for him. When Chuck finds them, they are rehearsing for a new magic show, with Reed often berating Roger for messing up their scenes. They then attempt "the most dangerous trick in the world", cutting a hostage named Madison in half with a large saw. Reed fails his trick, however, and Madison is killed. While Reed laments another failure, Chuck points out that they have murdered a woman. Reed yells at Chuck for insulting them, as they are just practicing, with Roger in agreement. Roger then pulls out two Magician Swords and tries to kill Chuck, with Reed backing him up using a Rocket Launcher. After being defeated, Roger crawls over to a dying Reed and stabs him to death with a dagger, claiming that he'd always wanted to kill Reed before dying himself.
Tactics
A good tactic at first is to run from Roger who will attack you with his Magician Swords. Reed will eventually fire his rocket launcher twice. One shot will stun you, the other hits Roger. Use the opportunity to attack Roger while he is blinded. Repeat the strategy until Roger is dead, then strafe around Reed and get close to hit him. Keep in mind any item you hold will make Chuck drop it while stunned.
Another tactic is to isolate Roger from Reed, by either following him as he runs away after an attack or by luring him away while he tries to attack you, using the outside slots as a barrier from Reeds rocket launcher. Since Roger is the weaker of the two he can be killed in a few hits using a spiked bat. Unlike most bosses, Roger and Reed are more susceptible to firearms. Particularly effective is the Sniper Rifle . Since Roger tends to run away when hit (and is never invulnerable to firearms), the rifle can help you keep your distance from him. Once Roger is dead, continue to use the slots as cover from Reed. Once Reed fires his shots, run in and hit him twice, dodge, and hide behind the slots again. Repeat until he is defeated. Or put Reed in a maintenance room (the one in the place they were acting in) and beat Roger with the defiler.
A good weapon to use on him his the Rocket Launcher. this weapon can destroy Roger while having plenty of ammo left to spare.
Another, very cheap, yet humorous tactic, is to start continuously front kicking Roger when he rushes Chuck. The front kick will stun him for long enough to get another one ready, so just keep this up and you will kill Roger without even taking damage from him!
"I've always wanted to do that."
If at any time Chuck needs health, retreat to the nearby bar. Conveniently there is a blender to mix drinks to prevent him from getting sick from alcohol. While by the bar, Roger and Reed will not follow, so just worry about zombies as Chuck heals up, then return to the fight.
Another tactic is to climb your way up onto the ceiling decoration display where there are a couple of good weapons up there such as an LMG with 200 shots and an Assault Rifle with 30 shots. If these weapons are used whilst remaining on the overhangs, only Reed being able to attack but he isn't even that effective.
Rewards
Prestige Points
Psychopath Defeated Bonus: 40,000 PP
Combo Card
Trivia
- The song that plays while fighting them is "Switchback (Detroit 2000)" by Celldweller.
- The duo may be based on the magic duo Sigfried and Roy, due to the outfits and nature of their performances.
- They may also be a reference to Penn and Teller, as Roger doesn't talk much and lets the louder Reed act as the leader.
- The only time Roger talks is after he stabs Reed. "I've always wanted... to do that."
- He seems to be a reference to Kenny Hampton from the movie Terror Train since both have a similar appearance (except Roger's moustache) are magician assistants and are mocked by other people and are both killers.
- Roger bears a slight resemblance to porn star Ron Jeremy
- Roger is similar to Adam the Clown from Dead Rising as they both dual wield weapons, have the same running animation, juggle weapons, and are both entertainers
Bugs
- At the end of the cutscene, Rogers eyes are closed. However, in the loading screen after killing them, his eyes are open, and pointed at Reed.
- If Reed is the one to kill Roger with his Rocket Launcher, Roger will show up as "Located" in the notebook instead of "Dead".
Gallery
