2015 Year in Review: Anime

Resident Evil: Damnation

My rating: 7.75

Persona 3: The Movie – #1: Spring of Birth


My rating: 7

Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine

My rating: 8.25

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders – Battle in Egypt

My rating: 9.75

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

My rating: 8.5

Gaming Update: Of Squid Kids and Space Hauntings

Hot off the heels of the latest Nintendo Direct, I figure it an appropriate time to provide a rundown of some of the games on my radar this year. The games here are listed in what is more-or-less the chronological order of their release, with some variation, as we do not yet have accurate release dates for all of the games I will be talking about. The first two I am almost certain to purchase sooner rather than later are Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. and Resident Evil: Revelations 2. The demo released a month or so ago for Code Name S.T.E.A.M. left me really impressed, and I’d love to give the full retail release a playthrough. Meanwhile, while I was skeptical of the sequel to Resident Evil: Revelations maybe not living up to its 3DS predecessor, the early gameplay segments I have seen of it have largely put my worries to rest. While I’m still disappointed that Capcom decided not to release Revelations 2 on the 3DS, I’ll still pick up a copy for my Xbox 360.

While I am pleased to see Nintendo has released the other N64 Zelda title on the 3DS in an updated form, it hasn’t been all that long since I last played Majora’s Mask, so I’ll likely wait a while before I make the journey back to Termina – in all likelihood, I’d be looking at getting Majora’s Mask 3D sometime later this Summer or Fall. The late Spring months into early Summer will likely be spent with Splatoon, which continues to impress me more and more with each chunk of gameplay footage that Nintendo reveals. I’m really digging the art style, as it falls somewhere in the territory of Jet Set Radio and No More Heroes, while the team-based gameplay looks like some sort of fever dream hybrid of DeBlob and Team Fortress 2. It’s a weird melting pot of ideas, to be sure, but one that looks like it could be a thoroughly satisfying online multiplayer frenzy.

While there is no definitive release date yet marked for Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope, it is a Metroidvania title that I’ve already put my money down for, and am very much looking forward to playing by year’s end. I’m pleased to see someone working to fill that niche genre, as their hasn’t been word on a new Metroid title since the Wii release of Other M. I’ll also probably pick up The Next Penelope: Race to Odysseyus, another indie game which, coincidentally, seeks to fill yet another niche genre that I am a big fan of, falling into the territory of F-Zero’s high-speed and intense racing design. While this latest Nintendo Direct only revealed so much about the long-awaited Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem project, I will admit that it looks absolutely gorgeous, and my feelings toward it are more positive than I initially expected due to the gameplay aligning more closely with the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games. The character designs are a bit of a mixed bag – I love Fire Emblem armor and beasts, but the real-world SMT characters bear overly-anime stylized designs that I’m not so keen on.

On the topic of games I have already started playing but have yet to complete, I’ve powered through the first fifteen hours or so of Persona 3 FES, which is currently on loan to me from a friend. I intend to pick up my own copy of it sometime later this year, but wanted to get an early start, as my feelings toward both Persona 4 and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth were overwhelmingly positive. I’m also more than halfway through the Wii port of the Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil, which I’ve been tackling in short bursts. I’d also like to see if I can’t complete my virtual console copy of Paper Mario, the Zone of the Enders HD Collection, and the 3DS eShop release of Moon Chronicles by year’s end. While I did sink about ten or eleven hours into Watch Dogs, it may be a while before I pick that back up, as the load times are downright atrocious, and some of the core gameplay elements less polished than I had hoped.

Anime review: Resident Evil: Damnation

Set between the events of the Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 6 video games, Resident Evil: Damnation sees Leon S. Kennedy return to the spotlight as he is sent into a small former Soviet nation to investigate the use of B.O.W.s amidst civil unrest. Despite the political reforms that followed the nation’s detachment from the U.S.S.R., rebel groups have risen up arms against the government, and have resorted to the use of Lickers, skinless quadrupeds that are easily identified by their snaking tongues and exposed brain tissue. Given his wealth of knowledge on B.O.W.s, as well as his decorated experience from Raccoon City, Saddler’s cult, and more, Leon is strategic and careful in his actions, but not without the boldness to forge his own path and bend the rules from his superiors a bit (despite Hunnigan’s protests). Even with the tense political struggle going on around him and the serious threats of biological warfare, Leon doesn’t shy away from making the occasional snappy one-liner, most of which are mildly amusing and surprisingly less cheesy than in most RE properties.

There are ties to the more recent Resident Evil games through the use of the parasitic Las Plagas, and while many of the people fighting in the streets turn into the mindless infected, others use the Plagas in tandem with the Lickers, allowing them to directly control the actions of the terrifying beasts like hounds. However, this master-servant relationship comes at a price, in that once the Plagas are willingly injected into the controlling individual’s body, it is only a matter of time before they join the creeping hordes. Limiting the variety of enemies Leon and the freedom fighters encounter is a smart decision, in that it keeps the story and action sequences focused, as well as maintains an appropriate scale for this particular struggle.

Resident Evil: Damnation adopts a more action-heavy aesthetic than some of the other RE tales, though the horror vibe ala RE4 is not lost entirely. The dimly-lit and narrow tunnels beneath the city offer a gloomy atmosphere as the infected pursue Leon and company, while the grime inside parking structures and along old brick alleyways provides a strong contrast to the pristine Imperial halls of the president’s estate. Aside from Leon, the film focuses on two rebel fighters, who initially take him captive as they believe he is a spy employed by the state, but later allow him to aid them in their push towards the capital. Sasha is more of a dark and brooding individual, and while his reasons for fighting are explained in brief, the film does not dwell long on this, an act which is both a blessing and a curse – on the one hand, the narrative does not find itself bogged down with pushing a dramatic angle for some silly romantic subplot, but at the same time it makes it a bit difficult to feel for him or even properly gauge his emotions in the midst of all this fighting. The narrative implies Sasha has experienced some emotional and moral detachment since joining the fight, however, so perhaps this depiction is not wholly inappropriate. The other rebel fighter, JD, is a more gung-ho individual, but dorkishly obsessed with the image of being cool and views Leon’s American identity as a prime example of what he wants to associate with. He may be a goofball, and his dialogue may be among the weakest in the film, but at the end of the day JD has a heart of gold. Ada Wong acts in a supporting role, serving primarily to interact with the nation’s president, but also offering Leon tidbits of advice now and again.

The level of detail seen in the environments and character models is phenomenal, a significant step up from what the previous CG film, Resident Evil: Degeneration, had to offer. Similarly, the story is an improvement, as it chooses to keep itself ground in both its smaller cast and limited scope for the setting of one particular city within a small nation. Though many of the scenes take place underground or in the city streets at night, the eerie lighting does well to evoke the feel of a proper Resident Evil game. While not a narrative that will significantly change up the way viewers understand the pre-existing RE universe, Damnation does offer a satisfying stand-alone narrative that has sufficient levels of intrigue and thrills to keep both old-school and new-school fans engaged for its concise hour-and-forty-minute runtime.

My rating: 7.75 (out of 10)

3DS review: Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D

One of the earliest big-name releases for the 3DS, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D was effectively a means for Capcom to tide Resident Evil fans over until the release of the more bold and highly-anticipated Resident Evil: Revelations. The Mercenaries 3D has a very similar control scheme to its 3DS sister title, but plays quite differently. The major stages from the mercenaries bonus game modes of both Resident Evil 4 and 5 have been compiled in The Mercenaries 3D. The first handful of missions act as tutorials, asking for players to perform simple tasks like running past a dozen or so markers before the time runs out, or killing ten to fifteen enemies. As each mission is cleared, the parameters become a little more complex. While it is good of Capcom to throw these tutorial bits into the mix for those who may have missed out on the modern RE titles, it is also mildly annoying that there is no option to skip them, and seasoned veterans of the arcade-y mercenaries gameplay style may find the first twenty-five minutes boring and tedious.

That said, once the full mercenaries mode is made available, it proves quite enjoyable. The Mercenaries 3D lacks any sort of story mode, so anyone interested in this title should keep in mind that this a purchase that should be made entirely on how much he/she enjoyed the mercenaries mode from Resident Evil 4 and 5. Stages like the African caves and medieval castle remain largely unchanged, though a few of the larger ones have seen small portions cut from them. The limited spawn counter issue from Resident Evil 4 seems to have been rectified, as enemies will continue to descend onto the battlefield as long as you keep shooting them up. Overall, the game looks quite good – the textures are certainly not as impressive as on the home console releases, or even as impressive as in Revelations, but for as early a 3DS release as The Mercenaries 3D was, it’s none too shabby.

There are eight characters to select from, and while only a couple are available from the outset, the rest will be unlocked through a natural process of completing each ‘chapter’ worth of stages (each chapter usually consisting of approximately a dozen missions or so). There is also an in-game achievement list, and meeting certain criteria like beating a mission while using only one weapon or chaining a set number of combo kills will net rewards like abilities and alternative costumes for the eight characters. The costumes provide little more than an aesthetic alteration, which is a bit disappointing, since Resident Evil 5 saw different loadouts ascribed to each new costume. The aforementioned abilities can be added to a character’s loadout to grant them slight boosts to their healing, critical hit ratio, mobility, and so on, and can come in handy when tackling some of the more grueling late game missions.

The Mercenaries 3D supports both single player action and cooperative via online or local means. The standard loadouts of Chris, Jill, Claire, Hunk, Barry, Rebecca, Wesker, and Krauser are nicely varied, and though some characters share the same weapons like the grenade launcher, the play style from one character to another is prevented from becoming too similar by providing them different types of ammunition and distinctly different physical stats. Rebecca is more about speed and offense, Krauser is something of a one-trick pony focused on accuracy and critical hits, Chris and Jill act as the two comfortable balanced defaults, etc. There may not be a lot of content to Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, but then again, it isn’t trying to deliver a full-fledged RE experience like Revelations or any of the numbered entries in the series. The Mercenaries 3D is meant to satiate a hunger for pure, unbridled arcade-y gameplay, and it handles surprisingly well on a handheld, touch screen implementation for herb healing and all.

My rating: 7 (out of 10)

2012 Year in Review: Video Games

2012 was sort of a strange year for me with regards to gaming. My return to handheld gaming was triumphant, due in no small part to the latest addition to my console collection, the 3DS. But there were also a number of standard DS games that proved a lot of fun - in fact, most of them were handled better than most of the home console releases I played. I don't mean to say that all of the major 2012 releases were disappointing - Fall of Cybertron satisfied my inner Transformers geek while I was able to look past the hiccups in Resident Evil 6 to find a decent entry into what has quickly become one of my favorite gaming series in recent years. But when these and big-name releases like Halo 4 and Final Fantasy XIII-2 cannot impress me in the way that the fifth generation Pokémon games or the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV do, it's a peculiar scenario to say the least.

Super Mario 3D Land: An entertaining blend of side-scrolling and free-roam Mario games, 3D Land keeps players on their toes with clever level design and tactical approaches to enemies. The boss fights do become a bit redundant after a while, and the story is one very familiar to anyone who has played another Mario title. Still, it's one of the most polished of the early 3DS releases, and is the standard by which all future 3D platformers should be judged. My rating: 9.25

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D: When dealing with a classic like Ocarina of Time, it's generally a good idea not to fix that which isn't broken. The game still plays like a dream, though the menus have been compressed and streamlined to make for easier access to Link's many items. The graphical update is very welcome and the 3D effects immerse you even more in the kingdom of Hyrule. Boss fights can be revisited at your leisure, while the bonus Master Quest mode can only be unlocked following a playthrough of the main story. My rating: 9

Final Fantasy XIII-2: This direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII sees Lightning and company moved to the supporting cast in favor of granting the spotlight to Serah and Noel. The two protagonists travel through time and space, visiting areas both familiar and new, in order to correct the paradoxes caused by main villain Caius. The role of the third party member is filled by your choice of a variety of monsters, while Serah and Noel level up at a much faster rate than the cast of FFXIII. The presentation of the game is graphically gorgeous, while the soundtrack takes a lot of bold gambles. However, it is difficult to ignore the fact that Square Enix released what is essentially an incomplete game, as the ending feels like a kick to the crotch for anyone who played through both of the main games in the Fabula Nova Crystallis storyline. My rating: 8.25

Sonic CD (XBLA): One of the most difficult-to-find games in the entire series, Sonic CD has earned something of a cult following over the years. Time travel is introduced and players must utilize this new element if they wish to access the game's true 'good' ending. Level design designs avoid slow climbing sections that bogged down Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in favor of the high-speed thrills exhibited in the first two games. Sonic CD is host to one of the most kickin' soundtracks in the series, while the boss fights are less-than-spectacular. My rating: 8.75

Resident Evil Revelations: Perhaps the best release the series has had since Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Revelations shows the competition the right way to make a handheld release that can do more than just hold its own against console retail releases. The cruise ship setting and host of enemies based off sea creatures makes for a perfect balance of survival-horror and action horror, an element of the Resident Evil series that has been widely criticized in recent years. The bonus Raid Mode is no Mercenaries Mode, but is still a welcome addition to an already fantastic single player experience. My rating: 9

Pokémon Black and White: A wonderful balance of elements new and old, the fifth generation Pokémon games include many a new Pokémon, each and every one of which has some practical use that can be incorporated into different strategies when building teams. The games offer a lot of freedom, but at the same require a decent amount of planning and strategy. That said, there is virtually no time required to spend grinding, assuming players maintain a balanced team. The gyms are a tad easy compared to previous entries in the series, while the Elite Four seen therein is perhaps its best incarnation. The Unova region is gorgeously rendered and though the animated Pokémon battles look rather pixelated, the games' graphics really push the DS to its limits. With N and Team Plasma's presence growing over the course of the game, Pokémon Black and White deliver one of the best stories in any of the core games in the series. My rating: 9.25

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (XBLA): Though the world of Sonic 4: Episode I looks pretty good, the blue hedgehog's character model is a bit of an eyesore. The levels are hit or miss - though they all favor speed and action over slow-paced puzzle segments, two are very heavily inspired by levels from yesteryear. Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear Zone are not only more inspired levels, they are also more fun to play through, incorporating gameplay elements that bring some welcome variety to the core mechanics of running, jumping, and lock-on attacks. The boss fights are decently challenging, though the fact that they are repeated at the end of the game seems unnecessary, since none of them are particularly noteworthy. My rating: 7.75

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection: Metal Gear Solid 2 may not have aged as well as other PS2 games, but Metal Gear Solid 3 is still as strong as ever. Meanwhile, Peace Walker's port from handheld to console is a bold undertaking that pays off very well. Through both its brilliant storytelling and engaging gameplay, the standards set forth by the Metal Gear Solid series are matched by few others to this day. This HD collection highlights some of the good moments to many of the greatest, and other companies would be wise to follow its formula when planning other HD collections. My rating: 9

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (XBLA): Episode II fixes a number of problems that hindered Episode I. For starters, the presentation looks much better, with Sonic and Tails being rendered in new, full 3D models. The levels are more original and inspired, as are the boss fights, which include some gargantuan creations by Dr. Robotnik and a few face-offs against Metal Sonic. The game is largely a throwback to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and this works to its advantage, with the bonus stages being more enjoyable and Sonic and Tails being able to utilize powerful combo moves. There game only lasts about an hour or two, and might fall short of the quality of some of the older side-scrolling Sonic titles, but it's still fun and a significant improvement over its predecessor. My rating: 8.25

DLC
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal: 5.5

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary: Though it may not look quite as pretty as Halo: Reach, this update gives the original Xbox classic a welcome facelift. The ability to switch back and forth between old school and new school graphics is amusing for a brief while, though a few minutes spent with the original version's poor lighting and it's easy to see that the new visuals are superior in more ways than one. Taking notes from Halo 3, there are collectable skulls that can alter the experience and vague Terminal videos that tie to the events of Halo 4. Some of the multiplayer maps have been reimagined for use in Halo: Reach's multiplayer. Halo: Anniversary is a straightforward reimagining of the original - it doesn't beat around the bush, and plays exactly like it did back in 2001. My rating: 8

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition: From the outset, players have free reign over the thirty five playable characters in Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. The main game follows the traditional series of fights around the world, in locales like a snow-laden train yard and a bustling Indian marketplace. Character models look gorgeous, and players can switch between a dynamic over-the-shoulder camera angle or the traditional and far more practical side view. The final boss fight presents a solid challenge, and as a whole the difficulty settings are staggered quite nicely. Aside from completing the figurine collection, there isn't much replay value presented, save for the online mode. My rating: 8

Final Fantasy IV: I haven't played many of the core Final Fantasy games, but my experience with IV is easily the most positive of the bunch thus far. The ATB battle system balances new-school and old-school approaches to JRPG combat, while the overworld is big but not too big. The game is a reasonable length, offering up some sidequests but never really losing sight of the main storyline. The characters are wonderful and provide plentiful variation in your approaches to combat. My rating: 9.25

No More Heroes: A cult classic for the Wii, No More Heroes seamlessly integrates use of the traditional buttons and joystick with the Wiimote's motion controls. Travis Touchdown transforms from socially awkward otaku to champion of his own cause as he progresses from one assassin fight to the next. Travis' one-liners are consistently amusing and the game's atmosphere retains a balance between hardcore bloody action and off-the-wall comedy. The execution of the entire package is darn-near perfect, even with the side missions being necessary to progress to the next assassin, and No More Heroes stands out not just as one of the best Wii games, but as one of the best games of this generation of consoles. My rating: 9.5

Fallout: New Vegas: Offering more freedom in exploration than Fallout 3, New Vegas concerns itself less with good vs. bad karma and more with making allies and enemies. Completing quests aligned with one faction may bar access to quests with another faction, so you will have to choose your battles carefully. The wild west atmosphere and post-apocalyptic setting are a brilliant marriage, and the production value shines thanks to the voice acting talents of Felicia Day, Danny Trejo, and Matthew Perry. My rating: 8.75

DLC
- Dead Money: 6
- Honest Hearts: 8
- Old World Blues: 7
- Lonesome Road: 8.75

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron: This follow-up to the sleeper hit that was War for Cybertron continues the story of the Autobots and Decepticons in their most desperate of days as Cybertron is ravaged and depleted of resources. There are plenty of faces familiar to veteran fans of the franchise, though the story is a bit too heavily reliant on Generation 1 throwbacks. The already-great multiplayer experience of War for Cybertron remains largely untouched, and as a whole this is a worthy sequel to one of the most intriguing Transformers stories ever told. My rating: 8.5

Sonic Classic Collection: Perhaps the four most memorable and important Sonic games ever - Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic and Knuckles - are collected onto one cartridge for play anywhere. The screen size is rather limited, though the graphical quality looks decent enough. The second screen is used for nothing other than navigating the main menu, and bonus features are limited to some artwork of Sonic and friends from the early 1990s. As a whole, this is a decent collection of the big four Sonic titles, but it doesn't stack up to the original Genesis cartridge versions or more recent digital releases. My rating: 6.75

Jet Set Radio (XBLA): Originally released for SEGA's Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio is a bold title that combines inline skating, graffiti, cel-shaded graphics, and an eclectic soundtrack of hip-hop, technopop, and metal. The main gang known as the GGs recruit new members as they compete with rival gangs over control of the city of Tokyo-to, and eventually unravel the mystery of a group known as the Golden Rhinos. Emphasis lies primarily on tagging specific areas with graffiti, with tricks and combos being a secondary concern. Though some of the game's designs show its age, the graphical style holds up exceptionally well more than a decade after Jet Set Radio's initial release. Both the gameplay and soundtrack make for a one-of-a-kind experience. My rating: 7.5

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: A Zelda game that dares to break a number of conventions that the series has long held onto, Spirit Tracks is a decent handheld successor to Wind Waker's formula. Set one hundred years after the events of Phantom Hourglass a new Link and a new Princess Zelda must stop Chancellor Cole from reviving the demon king who was sealed away by the Lokmos people ages ago. The dungeon layouts feel largely uninspired, though a couple of the later ones throw some interesting puzzle elements and creative items into the mix. The essence of the Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass are retained, despite the fact that Link's vehicle of choice is a train and not a boat. My rating: 8.25

Resident Evil 6: Capcom balances horror elements new and old in what is possibly the longest entry into the Resident Evil series to date. Three campaigns make for three distinct play styles that are in keeping with the new-school action horror formula. The gameplay hits a few snags here and there, but is mostly a fluid experience. The writing is some of the strongest in a long while, with the cheesy one-liners kept to a bare minimum. Mercenaries mode suffers from a lack of stages, though the three presented on-disc display nice variation in size and layout. Though the major antagonists in RE6 don't rank anywhere close to the evil nature of past villains, the playable main characters present an entertaining perspective on the threat of a global bioterrorism outbreak. My rating: 8.5

Halo 4: A bold new story explores the ancient history of the Forerunners and Cortana's descent into rampancy, all of which places pressure on Master Chief as he races against time to defend humanity from the evils that lie within the shield world Requiem. The storytelling is great throughout, and for the first time, we get a sense of who John-117 really is beneath the Spartan helmet. Unfortunately, 343 Industries has decided to take the multiplayer down a route akin to Call of Duty, favoring loadouts that require players to gradually unlock better weapons and abilities. Firefight mode has been removed to include the lackluster Spartan Ops missions, while forge mode remains largely the same as it was in Halo: Reach. While the campaign is short, it makes great strides for securing the future of this new trilogy, though it is a shame that 343 Industries tries so hard to fix other elements that are far from broken. My rating: 7.5

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2: The first set of true sequel games in the franchise, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 pick up two years after the end of Pokémon Black and White with a new protagonist and his childhood rival facing down remnants of Team Plasma. The gameplay is largely the same, though the Unova region has been expanded to allow for new areas to explore and for new gyms to challenge. The presence of N and the protagonist of Black/White version is felt throughout, as locals frequently reference their actions from two years prior. There is plenty offered in the post-game, from the option to challenge gym leaders from regions outside of Unova in the World Tournament to the ability to acquire shiny Pokémon in both the Black City and White Forest (depending on which version you are playing). Though legendary Pokémon more or less offer themselves up to be caught in scripted moments in the game, the gym leader battles are more challenging than last time around and the League Champion battle proves one of the most enjoyable in the entire series. My rating: 8.75

Liberation Maiden (3DS eShop): In a future where the evil Dominion forces have turned mainland Japan into a technological wasteland, the resistance fighters of New Japan's flying fortress have turned to their eyes to a young woman named Shoko Ozora and her flying mech suit to liberate the land and return it to its natural state. If the premise sounds a little like a cliché mecha anime, that's sort of the point. Liberation Maiden's presentation is very much that of an anime, with Shoko's Liberator mech suit spamming many a target as she maneuvers through their lines of fire, intent on destroying their giant pillars. The game is short and sweet, and certainly intense - anyone who wants to spend time on a few playthroughs on different difficulty settings can unlock concept art and elaboration of the story at large. My rating: 8

Kirby's Return to Dreamland: Return to Dreamland combines a presentation similar to that of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards with gameplay akin to SNES-era Kirby. The control scheme is rather simple, with everything mapped to the Wiimote minus the Nunchuk. The stages bear similarities to past entries in the series, but still manage to distinguish themselves as new locales, with the later stages proving decently challenging. There isn't a whole lot new in Return to Dreamland, though the ability for friends to drop in/out on the fly is nice, and at the end of the day Nintendo is smart to adopt the plan of not fixing something that isn't broken. My rating: 9

Black Knight Sword (XBLA): As weird as any Suda51 game, Black Knight Sword is a throwback to old-school adventure platformers that utilizes a play with paper puppets as its means of presentation. The levels start off with heavy medieval and Greek fantasy inspirations, and eventual descend into nonsensical realms like a missile test range in the American West and an amusement park wherein there are giant slices of toast. The challenge factor is significant, and the game steers players to gradually progress through the different difficulty settings. Players are allowed to upgrade their abilities as they see fit, however, and can spend points on health, attack power, and extra lives. My rating: 8

Xbox 360 review: Resident Evil 6

Spread out over the course of about six months, the events of Resident Evil 6 call veterans Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield back into action to stop a zombie outbreak that threatens multiple fronts. Also caught up in the mess made by Neo-Umbrella is Jake Muller, a mercenary with incredible physical prowess who has only recently discovered his role as son of the late Albert Wesker. The game is divided into three major campaigns, as well as one shorter story revolving around Ada Wong that is unlocked after the others have been completed, much like the side stories of Assignment Ada and Separate Ways in Resident Evil 4. With a return to the familiar viral outbreak scenario instead of Las Plagas or Uruboros, there is a certain familiarity about Resident Evil 6.

While the core gameplay builds upon the more recent action-oriented entries into the series, each campaign plays with a distinctly different style in mind. Chris controls fast and furious as he did in Resident Evil 5, and totes quite a full arsenal. While he faces hordes of the tactical J'avo (who are infinitely more intelligent than the standard zombie), Chris' campaign is - interestingly enough - arguably the scariest of the batch. The enemies he goes up against are considerably stronger than those the other protagonists face, and some prove highly adaptable - like the Rasklapanje, who can continue fighting even when their torso has been separated from the legs, or tear off their own arms to throw them at Chris' face to block his field of vision. The environment can play just as important a role, when enemies are difficult to see or when trapped in tight quarters with many powerful foes. All of it makes for a very tense experience that does well to balance the action and horror elements.

Piers, Chris' second-in-command, is easily the weakest of the three partner characters. He constantly forgets his place and questions Chris' orders time and time again. Conversely, the chunk of Resident Evil 6 centered around Chris presents him in a more genuinely human light than RE5 did during its entire run. When his team was mutated by the C-Virus in eastern Europe, Chris blamed himself for their deaths and his inability to keep a promise to rookie Finn. He represses all memory of the incident and wanders the country in a drunken stupor until Piers recovers him. As Chris regains his memories, he begins to travel down a dark path of vengeance, and a whole new side of him is presented. It's an interesting look at the concept of man being the darkest beast of them all that the series hasn't really touched on outside the boundaries of evil mastermind villains of yesteryear.

While the President of the United States is visiting Ivy University, he is infected by a C-Virus outbreak. Faced with no other option, Leon shoots him and is informed by one Helena Harper that she may have some valuable information for him regarding the cause of the local outbreak. Leon has a handful of nicely varied weapons that he collects over the course of his campaign, and the college town surrounding Ivy University is an obvious throwback to the events of Raccoon City. For the first time in the series history, the chaos erupts before your very eyes as cars spin out of control, motorcycles crash, and people abandon their loved ones as zombies spread out in every direction. Presenting all of this as scripted in-game events as opposed to cutscenes makes the experience all the more immersive.

The enemies Leon and Helena face are primarily standard zombies, though there are a number of specialized (and subsequently more-challenging-to-kill) zombies, such as the screamer, the highly-agile and feral bloodshot, the whopper, and the spore-carrying Lepotitsa. Leon's campaign also features a wide variety of boss fights, many of which last for a good portion of a chapter. As a whole, Resident Evil 6 features what is probably the most varied array of enemies the series has ever seen, which will keep you on your toes as you explore the crypt beneath Tall Oaks, an abandoned market in Lanshiang, China, the plane that Leon and Helena board to travel from the former to the latter, and so on. The occasional puzzle element will work its way in, though these are far more prominent in Ada's bonus campaign. In terms of its gameplay, Leon's campaign controls the most like RE4, though the story elements and classic gothic horror motif evoke memories of RE2 and Resident Evil Zero.

As the new kid on the block, Jake is paired with Sherry Birkin, and the two share a unique relationship as children of two of the series' most prominent villains. Jake initially comes across as brash and selfish, informing Sherry that he will go along with her plan to bring him back to the U.S. government to research the C-Virus antibodies in his blood so long as he gets paid a hefty sum of money. While this is an easy arrangement for Sherry to make with her superiors, she tries to convince him that there is more potential than just using his skills as a soldier of fortune. There is a solid progression and development of them individually as well as partners of circumstance.

Jake's hand-to-hand combat works well enough, and his advantage in strength allows him to pull of faster (and often more brutal) finishing combos on enemy J'avo. The rest of his arsenal is relatively light, but he controls about equal with Chris and Leon. The environments Jake and Sherry must traverse are a bit less impressive than those that make up the other campaigns. One has the duo searching for key items in the middle of a snowstorm, and the visibility becomes so poor so frequently that reliance on the mini-radar is essential. Another requires them to sneak past the pursuing Ustanak (a nod to RE3's Nemesis) without setting off detectors that take on the form of giant insects, which is not crafted in a particularly intelligent manner. Quick-time events have been molded into more of interactive cutscenes that seamlessly transition from actual gameplay to the cinematics. With regards to their implementation in Jake's campaign, however, they often begin when he and Sherry are confined to a very small area with awkward camera angles and limited mobility, which makes them frustrating interruptions to an otherwise natural flow.

Jake does spout off a few cheesy one-liners fitting to his bad boy image. But the writing in Resident Evil 6 is a significant step up from most other entries in the series with regards to dialogue. Though Piers isn't exactly the most likeable, Helena and Sherry play off their respective leads well. The characters that really leave the most to be desired are the major villains. Without spoiling who they are or what their goals are, it is safe to say that the means do not even come close to justifying the end, and that they cannot compare to the evil geniuses of Albert Wesker, William Birkin, James Marcus, etc. At the same time, the web of conspiracy that strings the main characters brings an element of mystery and intrigue to the table. The plot explores the results of the C-Virus as it affects individuals on a more personal level, as well as widespread global panic, with bioterrorism now so frequent an occurrence.

Each of the campaigns will intersect with the others at key points, and if you are playing online, there is the potential for four human players to be cooperating in a boss battle or other major plot point. Though there is no real pause option, the game allows you to huddle in a safe location and bring up the options menu on your character's cell phone. The item menu is still accessed in real-time, but has many more slots than in RE5 and is much easier to manage thanks to quick-button commands. Herbs multiply when combined, and heal one block of the health bar a piece. Each character also has a stamina bar, which will be depleted and need to recharge if they perform too many kicks and punches. It isn't a perfect system, but it is an improvement over what Sheva and Chris had to rely on in RE5.

Mercenaries mode makes a return, albeit in a limited fashion. Unless you preordered from one of the major retailers offering extra stages as bonus content, your time spent in Mercenaries mode will be limited to three stages. These stages are all inspired by different areas in the three major campaigns, and present solid variation in size and layout. There are also eight playable characters that have their own set of weapons and items, with costume variants that offer even greater freedom in taking on a great number of the infected as the time limit draws closer to zero. Time bonuses and multipliers are spread evenly across any given stage, with the largest of the three - Steel Beast - requiring players to balance moving toward the next bonus with chaining kills. With the ultimate goal of 150 kills in a single round, running into a standstill on an empty stage like in RE5 is highly unlikely. That said, the RE6 version of Mercenaries behaves largely the same as in the past two numbered entries, though enemies are smarter and characters motions are more fluid.

Also available post-game is Agent Hunt mode, where players can take on the role of an enemy in another player's game in hopes of hindering their progress. Serpent emblems lay hidden in each campaign, and shooting/collecting these will unlock files relevant to the overarching story or figures of some of the game's major enemies. Also, there are individual skill stores for the different gameplay modes, where players can exchange in-game points for special upgrades. These range from better melee damage to less damage taken from enemies, higher drop rate of ammunition to more time from chaining bonuses in Mercenaries mode, and so on. Ada's bonus campaign is brief, with each individual chapter lasting around a half-hour to forty-five minutes, compared the hour average of the other campaign chapters. Hers is a story meant to tie up some of the loose ends, and the execution is handled well enough. There is a significant emphasis on stealth and puzzle elements early on, with the former being much more direct and less frustrating than Jake and Sherry's run-and-hide from Ustanak routine.

The soundtrack is an interesting blend of haunting choir tunes and tense techno battle themes. The lighting effects go a long way in creating the game's many diverse environments, though there are many textures that appear highly dated when viewed up close. Character models look good, and weather elements lend themselves to creating a much richer and fully-realized set of environments like snowfall over the streets of a partially-destroyed European city and a rainstorm picking up as Leon and Helena seek refuge in a cemetery church not far outside of Tall Oaks.

There is a lot to do in Resident Evil 6. The three campaigns make for one of the longest Resident Evil stories woven yet, and the bonus game modes provide plenty of replayability. There are moments where the game stumbles over its experimental nature, but it is largely a successful blend of action and horror, making for a more fast-paced and fluid experience than in RE4 and a more consistent classic horror style than the few jump scares presented in RE5. It may not be exactly what fans were expecting, but there are elements meant to appeal to Resident Evil fans of all kinds, and appears to be Capcom's way of returning to the basic and most successful elements that propelled the series over the years, while simultaneously taking it in a new direction now that the major plotline surrounding Albert Wesker has concluded.

My rating: 8.5 (out of 10)

HD Collection wishlist

It seems that HD collections of games from last generation's consoles are all the rage right now - at least, from the developers' standpoint. And frankly, any given one of them - from the largely criticized Silent Hill HD collection to the more graciously accepted Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid HD collections - are solid packages for the price. Paying $30 to $40 for two to three games, each of which lasts significantly longer than many current gen titles is none too shabby. Personally, I would like to see some more of these HD collections hit store shelves. I realize that the some of the games listed below have a much better chance of seeing inclusion on an HD collection than others. But this is my own personal wishlist, and if I want to bend the rules a little bit, I shall do just that.

With the WiiU on the horizon, Nintendo could break into the market of these HD collections by turning to releases from the purple lunchbox. While I personally stuck with the Gamecube through thick and thin, there are quite a few gamers who opted for the Playstation 2 or Xbox and in turn missed out on some great gems. Nintendo does like to group games based on the audience they are catering to, and as such I have organized two hypothetical Nintendo HD collections by the ESRB ratings of the included games.

The first is the 'E for Everyone' collection, whose main attraction is Super Mario Sunshine. Mario Sunshine is an underappreciated entry into the plumber's adventures, and has a lot to offer in terms of playability. Included with it would be Pikmin, a brilliant little strategy/adventure game, and Kirby Air Ride, a very different experience with the pink puffball than his traditional side-scrolling platformers.

The second collection would include games labeled with the 'T for Teen' rating. At the forefront would be Metroid Prime, which is hands-down one of the best games from last generation's consoles. The second entry would be Star Fox Assault, one of the most graphically gorgeous games on the Gamecube. The story mode is linear in comparison to Star Fox 64's multiple routes. But switching between vehicles provides dynamic gameplay and the multiplayer is surprisingly addictive. To top things off, F-Zero GX would be included for the gamers who want an extra level of challenge (which isn't to say that the other two are a cake walk).

I love what Konami has done with the Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and I really commend them for porting Peace Walker over to consoles. I would like to consider the possibility of them creating another Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and including The Twin Snakes and Portable Ops. This might not seem as substantial a package as what the first MGS HD collection offered, but if they were to include the original Metal Gear Solid (accessible from the menu of The Twin Snakes in the same manner that Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake were accessible from the menu of Metal Gear Solid 3) and the VR missions, as well as everything included with Portable Ops and Portable Ops Plus, the sum of those parts would serve as a nice rounded out package. I'm not knocking the original MGS. But the character models and environments are really nothing spectacular considering the graphical limitations of the original Playstation. That's why I would feature The Twin Snakes as a prominent part of the package. But if both tellings of the Shadow Moses incident can be incorporated into a second Metal Gear Solid HD collection, then obviously players should have their choice.

Capcom loves to repackage and re-release their games as many times as possible. While the HD versions of Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica did not make as big of a splash as Capcom had probably hoped, they could easily make up for this by releasing a proper physical HD collection to follow up those two games. Should Capcom choose to revisit the formula that the older games in the series followed, my suggestion would be that they stick with the earliest events in the Resident Evil chronology. As such, the games I would include in a second Resident Evil HD collection would be Resident Evil Zero, the Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 2. The two Gamecube entries present the classic horror style that the series is known for, and look downright gorgeous for the hardware they originally ran on. Resident Evil 2 certainly looks more dated, but is one of the most popular entries in the series, and would be more warmly received than either of the Outbreak titles or Dead Aim.

Finally, an entry that I really cannot see happening anytime soon (if at all) would be a Sonic Adventure HD collection. This collection would include both Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, as those versions of each game would make for a more completed package. It's possible that SEGA could tack Sonic Heroes on as well, but beyond that there are really no other 3D Sonic games old enough to be considered for such a collection. The reason I consider a Sonic Adventure HD collection so unlikely is that Sonic Adventure was ported to the Xbox Live Arcade not too long ago, and SEGA even went ahead and released a Dreamcast collection disc that included the likes of Space Channel Five and Sonic Adventure. Also, Sonic Generations is still relatively recent in gamer's minds, so I can't see SEGA jumping on an HD collection anytime real soon.

3DS review: Resident Evil Revelations

Acting as a bridge between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the highly-anticipated Resident Evil Revelations primarily follows Jill Valentine and her new partner Parker Luciani as they investigate the terrorist group known as Veltro. Jill and Parker are informed that their director, Clive O'Brien, lost contact with Chris Redfield and his partner Jessica in the middle of the ocean, onboard the cruise ship Queen Zenobia. As Jill and Parker soon discover, the ship is infested with zombies that look very different from those in Raccoon City. These infected individuals, known as Ooze, are a grey-blue shade and their skin has been layered over with what looks like putty or clay. Jill and Parker must move quickly if they are to find Chris and Jessica, and unravel the mystery of who is the face behind Veltro as well.

The touch screen menu acts as a sort of simplified take on Resident Evil 4's attache case. You can stock up on herbs and grenades all you want, provided you can find them as they tend to be sparse in the many areas of the cruise ship. There are only three slots for firearms, and players will have to choose an approach that best fits their style, with handguns, rifles, machine guns, shotguns, and magnums all being obtainable over the course of the game. Any guns not on-hand can be stored in a case which can be accessed in certain rooms spread throughout the ship. The resource management aspect is a large part of what perpetuates this Resident Evil's sense of tension, and players will be wise to explore areas off the beaten path to make sure they all well-prepared for the increasingly difficult horrors that lie in wait.

New to Revelations is a scanning device which allows players to detect otherwise-hidden items and ammunition, as well as a few difficult-to-locate enemies. Its primary purpose, though, is to grant players a chance to scan enemies, rewarding them with another herb if they manage to scan a sufficient number. Scanning live enemies will speed up this process considerably, but also has the potential to place Jill in temporary danger, since the scanner's range is limited. It proves a useful means for stocking up on herbs when the count is low, but the potential seems largely untapped. The stylus is also used in a few puzzle sequences that lead the gameplay to feel a bit more varied and interesting.

Enemy designs appear as slight variations on the same general zombie early on, with a standard enemy being followed up with one that is lethal at close-range and another that fires projectiles. As new areas become unlocked, new threats are presented. In partially flooded sections of the Queen Zenobia, Jill and Parker must be wary of fish-like monsters that will lunge out of the water to kill them almost instantaneously. During flashbacks to the Terragrigia Panic (a key plot point that is referenced a number of times), Hunters charge in packs as players provide cover for wounded allies. The boss fights divide into two categories: the legitimately scary and incredibly tense, and the epically-scaled with a higher degree of challenge. It would be a shame to spoil the best of the bunch, but I think it fair to say that the environment can make all the difference in taking on these more powerful baddies, and subsequently having the crap scared out of you.

The Queen Zenobia is comprised of many different areas, from the atrium that basks in a golden glow, to the casino with its flashing lights, to the industrial piping of the lower levels. Most areas are interconnected in some way, and while there is some backtracking to be done, it is never in the style of Metroid. Each area is designed with at least one room to act as a sort of central hub, and though it may not strike players as obvious right away, this saves a lot of time in revisiting old areas in order to access new ones.

Chris shares the spotlight during a sizeable portion of the latter half of the game, while the rest of the cast is comprised of almost entirely new faces. The company of Parker's former trainee Raymond Vester is most welcome, while FBC chief O'Brien fits into his shoes as a commanding figure well enough. The odd couple, Quint and Keith, only play a significant role during a very few key moments. While Quint's obsession with computers and quirky mannerisms can come across as annoying, his behavior is a welcome break from the general 'evil mastermind' or 'heroic badass' formulas that the series has gravitated toward so frequently in the past. The only character in the lineup likely to annoy the hell out of players is Jessica Sherawat. She is obsessed with two things for the duration of each stage of her mission: Chris, and her own existence. She constantly talks about her fit figure and a desire to follow Chris through treacherous areas, then complains when enemies attack. Also, she downright sucks when it comes to providing any sort of assistance. On the flipside, Revelations does well to avoid cheesy one-liners, with only a very few exchanges interrupting the flow of an otherwise well-written dialogue.

Outside of the main story is Raid Mode, a new take on the arcade-style bonus game that Mercenaries was bred from. Instead of managing ammo and items as enemies attack in waves, Raid Mode foregoes any and all emphasis on chaining combos in order to maintain the focus on survival. One enemy after another must be defeated as players make their way through the halls of the ship. Defeating all the enemies in an area will unlock the key needed to access the next section, and ultimately the end goal. The same enemies from the campaign await players, with some variants mixing up the predictable. Smaller enemies might not be able to take many hits before they fall, but their speed and stature can make them difficult to hit. Large enemies move slowly but can take many hits before they are defeated. Players can choose from Jill, Parker, or Chris at the outset, and will unlock new characters as they level up with each new area completed.

While the cast and new T-Abyss virus hold ties to the games that precede Revelations in the Resident Evil timeline, it stands strong as its own individual narrative. With key twists and turns along the way, the story plays out in a very suspenseful manner. Whereas Resident Evil 5 aimed more toward the action side of the spectrum, Revelations presents a balance of the survival-horror and action in the same way Resident Evil 4 did; there are some sections that will require players to stave of hordes of the infected, but by and large the game is concerned with having its characters explore the narrow passages of the Queen Zenobia. The lighting effects and hauntingly gorgeous soundtrack set the creepy tone immediately, and from graphical standpoint Revelations is easily one of the best looking games on the 3DS, if not one of the best looking handheld games ever made.

A few shortcomings hold this handheld Resident Evil from achieving perfection, such as the confusing nature of how the dodge mechanic actually works (even by the end of the game it seems like luck holds greater influence over Jill's ability to dodge enemy attacks than a quick response from the player). The frame rate tends to drop noticeably, if only for a few seconds, when loading new areas of the ship via the connecting hallways. But taking into consideration the polish over nearly every other element of this ten-hour experience, Revelations is a title that puts many a full console retail release to shame.

My rating: 9 (out of 10)

Game Forecast: Summer 2012

There are really only two major retail releases that I am concerned with for this coming Fall. In case my recent posting of their trailers did not provide enough of an indication, those two games are Bioshock Infinite and Resident Evil 6. With the semester wrapping up soon, I have only a few more weeks until I have significantly more free time to focus on gaming and reviews, and I felt this was a good time to provide a forecast of what I am planning to tackle this summer.

The anime aspect of my blog will be a bit more free-form. I only have a few films that I feel a desperate need to view before the end of the year, along with the remainder of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. But I have spent a fair amount of time lately picking up some older video games that I missed out on back in their heyday. As I have made mention of numerous times before, my experience with the core Final Fantasy games is rather limited, and I am going to do my best to remedy that. I am currently in possession of Final Fantasy V, FFVI, FFVII, FFX, and the DS remake of FFIV. FFIV takes precedence over the others simply because of how long overdue the review is, but FFX is second on the list. From there, I can't rightly say at the moment. I've heard great things about FFVI, but I feel like I have a duty as a gamer to play through FFVII. FFV is of little concern right now, and is under the category of "I'll get to it when I get to it".

As I am currently powering my way through Resident Evil Revelations, Pokémon White version will be the next handheld title I plan to focus on. I'm more than halfway through the game, and I feel like I can finish the main game much quicker than FFIV's story. Beyond that, I also picked up a copy of the Gamecube exclusive Resident Evil Zero, which I will play along with some of the Final Fantasy games as a means to break of the monotony and prevent RPG overload. I love RPG games, don't get me wrong. But after a while, it can get to be a tad annoying. I also have The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks to get to at some point.

There are a few other games that I am considering purchasing for the summer as well, though I certainly would not start on any of these until I had broken off a sizeable chunk of the pile I've already amassed. Those titles under consideration are: BlazBlue Continuum Shift II (3DS), Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii), and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360). Also, I have every intention of purchasing Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, though I do not know if I will actually pick it up on the August 28th release date or if I will wait until it has already been out for a while and save myself a few bucks.

So there you go; the outlook for my summer games. Even if I do not manage to complete every game listed before Bioshock Infinite and Resident Evil 6 arrive, the only games coming out after them that I'm particularly interested in are Pokémon Black and White 2 and Halo 4, games that I honestly know very little about in comparison to all of the aforementioned.

Resident Evil 6 Mercenaries mode wishlist

With Resident Evil 6 launching this Fall, I’ve lately found myself spending a fair amount of time revisiting the Mercenaries modes in RE 4 and RE 5. While it was never a big selling point for me when I first picked up Resident Evil 4, Mercenaries mode has become one of my favorite bonus gametypes of any video game I’ve ever played. I love the intense, arcade-style time-sensitive play style, and I feel just about every one of the levels is designed quite well. Admittedly, I’m a bit partial to the characters available in RE 4, though I think as a whole the Mercenaries experience plays out much more smoothly in RE 5. There has been no confirmation as of yet if Resident Evil 6 will include a Mercenaries mode. But if the bonus game types that were included in Revelations and Operation Raccoon City are any indication, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that RE 6 will include something similar to Mercenaries mode.

So far, the reveal trailer has shown us the three main characters of Resident Evil 6, Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and one unnamed newcomer. Assuming Mercenaries mode is included, it’s a pretty obvious conclusion that each of these three will be playable in the aforementioned bonus game type. But who else might be thrown into the fight? Resident Evil 5 granted players some flexibility with different weapon loadouts and costumes for characters, but for the sake of this list, I’m only going to be focusing on the characters I think could make for strong additions to the Mercenaries roster.

Ada Wong - At the end of Resident Evil 4, Ada took off with the plagas sample to deliver it to Wesker. Now that Wesker is presumed dead following the events of RE 5, I think it’s safe to say that Ada will play some role in RE 6. It’s difficult to guess as to how directly involved with the events of RE 6 Ada will be, but frankly I was a bit surprised her name wasn’t even mentioned in RE 5.

In RE 4’s Mercenaries mode, Ada was fast and agile. She let her stilettos do the talking when it came to close-quarters attacks, and was granted a sniper rifle, TMP, pistol, and incendiary grenades. Ada was a character designed for players who were more concerned with being able to move around quickly and put some distance between themselves and the encroaching hordes of the infected. Why not bring that same style back for RE6 - I mean, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right?

Hunk - Probably the most difficult to master from the RE4 Mercenaries lineup, Hunk relied heavily on his TMP and grenades. I think the explosives-oriented character type is one that, when placed in the right hands, can produce some impressive results. I don’t think there needs to be much of a change from Hunk’s RE4 incarnation, though perhaps he could be granted use of a few of the trip mines from RE5.

Rebecca Chambers - Rebecca is another character that caters to a very specific crowd. She’s quite heavily stocked up on health supplies, while her default weaponry is rather basic. The approach with Rebecca is one that requires a lot of patience and well-placed shots. But again, she is one of those characters that, when placed in the right hands, can rack up significant combos.

Claire Redfield - Capcom has focused largely on three characters as the poster children for the Resident Evil franchise – Leon, Chris, and Jill. Jill’s role has become increasingly prominent through RE5 and Revelations. That said, I think Chris would be at too much of an advantage within the story mode to have Jill at his side the entire time. And it’s been a while since Claire got play time outside of the Chronicles games and most recently Operation Raccoon City. Claire’s inclusion would be in keeping with the likes of Barry Burton in RE5’s The Mercenaries Reunion, and might cater to some of the old-school fans, regardless of what her loadout is.

? - I don’t know which face to put with this last one. In RE4, Krauser was absolute power house for those who knew how to use him properly. In RE5, Tribal Sheva could prove to be a force to be reckoned with, a bow and grenade launcher in her arsenal. I could care less if their RE6 equivalent is granted use of an actual bow or not. But what I am concerned with a character that is something of a heavy-hitter. Someone whose loadout is limited to one or two weapons, but has one distinct means of attack that can spell imminent destruction for the infected. Now, I do feel the way Krauser was handled in RE4 proved a bit more balanced with the rest of the cast than Tribal Sheva did in RE5. And that has to do with the fact that his mutated red arm can only be used a few times per match. Whether this heavy-hitter’s most noteworthy attack is time-sensitive or activated after a set number of kills have been chained, the more careful planning is required when playing with such a character, the better.

DLC review: Resident Evil 5 - Desperate Escape

While Lost in Nightmares focused heavily on the classic horror aspects of Resident Evil, Desperate Escape does the opposite, presenting a short side story brimming with the tense action that Resident Evil 5 is so frequently noted for. It's also a considerably shorter DLC package. Whereas Lost in Nightmares had a slow pacing centered around solving puzzles and defeating a few particularly strong enemies for more than an hour, Desperate Escape runs for approximately forty-five minutes (depending on the difficulty setting).

The story picks up with Sheva's longtime friend Josh Stone finding Jill Valentine not long after she was rescued from Wesker's control device. Jill has some valuable information for Chris regarding Wesker, while Josh has a contact with a helicopter that can provide them a lift out of the area, which is crawling with Majini. The two will have to fight their way through the plagas-infested horde to get to safety, and each area layers on to the presentation of an uphill battle (both figuratively and literally). Despite the sizeable number of Majini that appear in Desperate Escape, this feat is quite easy. Only a few sections present noteworthy difficulty, adding turrets and a handful of the stronger Majini into the mix.

This DLC is entirely devoid of any puzzle elements. Any keys players need to acquire will be placed immediately preceding the door they unlock. However, certain gates are barred shut and players will need to temporarily leave their partner behind to unlock them. But only one of these is presented at a particularly tense moment, leaving the rest to seem somewhat trivial. The element of challenge best represented in Desperate Escape is supply management. Players will need to determine who gets what weapon, and what ammo they are going to use as there is not an abundance of health or ammo throughout.

A new character named Doug is introduced early on, a friend and colleague of Josh's. He serves primarily as a plot point, being the pilot of the helicopter that is en route to pick up the two lead characters. Near the end of the DLC, Capcom tries to draw some emotional connection between Doug and the player, which ultimately falls flat due to the fact that the experience is so short.

Desperate Escape is an interesting experiment on Capcom's part. In many ways, the tense atmosphere of this DLC is reminiscent of The Mercenaries mini-game. But as a side-story to Resident Evil 5, it is significantly lacking in a few areas. The whole scenario presents an adrenaline rush, but not a single scary moment. It's also not that difficult, though Capcom might have been able to mask the lack of a challenge by including quick-time cutscenes - again, these are entirely absent, though there are a few segments that practically beg for them to have been incorporated. Given the fact that Josh and Jill's run to safety is territory that was more familiar to fans of Resident Evil 5 than the incident at the Spencer Estate prior to the release of the DLC, Capcom did a decent job. But it is just that - a decent job; nothing outstanding here.

My rating: 7.25 (out of 10)*

*(rating applies solely to downloadable content, not its inclusion with the content on the original game disc or other downloadable content)

Resident Evil 6 reveal trailer

Odds are if you are a fan of the Resident Evil series, then you've already seen the reveal trailer. But if not, here it is in all its glory. I for one am pretty darn excited for this game - it looks like a nice blend of the more action-heavy recent entries and the classic horror that made the series famous in the first place. Between this, Revelations, and Operation Raccoon City, 2012 looks like an awesome year for Campcom's zombie franchise.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Triple Impact Trailer

A new trailer for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has been released. It provides a brief glimpse at the story of the game, which will seemingly deal not only with the Umbrella squad, but with the USS members who seem to want to help any survivors of the outbreak. Based on the information revelaed thus far, it sounds like Operation Raccoon City will be more action-oriented, not unlike Resident Evil 5. This trailer seems to support that, though is certainly a tense atmosphere with all of the mayhem happening. It will be interesting to see how the whole package unfolds come March.

25 Days of Villains - #3: Albert Wesker

"The right to be a God... That right is now mine."

A product of the Umbrella Corporation, Albert Wesker was the standout member in the Wesker children project. He spent many years as part of the Umbrella team, before transferring to the S.T.A.R.S. division of the Raccoon City Police Department. As Umbrella began experimenting on animals and people, Wesker began to lay out plans for his own rise to power.

During the Mansion Incident, Wesker duped his S.T.A.R.S. team into believing he was their ally and commanding officer. Faced with the mutated plants and animals that infested the mansion, all but a few of the team members died. While Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine stopped the Tyrant, Wesker led them to believe he had been killed by it. In reality, Wesker had injected himself with a chemical provided to him by former colleague William Birkin, and his body was resurrected, now with superhuman abilities.

Years later, Wesker sent Ada Wong into a remote region of Europe to retrieve Plagas samples. Ada crossed paths with Leon S. Kennedy a number of times, and though Wesker was likely aware of the aid she provided Leon, did nothing to interfere. He was prepared, however, for Chris Redfield to come looking for him following the Kennedy report that Leon followed after his eradication of the Los Illuminados.

Wesker then travelled to the estate of Ozwell E Spencer, who revealed to Wesker that he had been the one in charge of all the experimentation and bio-organic weapons. Spencer had hoped to use these to force the next phase of human evolution, but with both the Plagas and the Progenitor Virus at his disposal, Wesker informed Spencer that he would assume that role and shape the world to his own ends. As Wesker killed Spencer, Chris and Jill entered the room and engaged him in combat. Despite their skill with firearms, the duo could not compete with Wesker's inhuman physical strength and speed. Wesker leapt from the window, taking Jill with him. This led Chris to believe her dead, when in reality Wesker had taken her prisoner, attached a control device to her chest, and commanded her as one of his underlings.

Eventually Chris and Wesker met again in the Kijuju region of Africa, where he and his new partner Sheva Alomar took on wave after wave of Plagas-infected Majini and wildlife. These proved stronger than those Leon had encountered five years earlier, but the two manage to track down Wesker through Ricardo Irving and Excella Gionne. Wesker revealed to them his plans to unleash Uroboros worldwide by spreading it into the atmosphere, as well as the fact that Jill was still very much alive, albeit under his control. Chris and Sheva struggled to free Jill, but eventually succeeded. Afterwards, Chris and Sheva followed Wesker to his jet, fighting him in mid-flight until the aircraft crashed into a volcano. Furious with the duo for having foiled that which he had waited so long for, Wesker unleashed his own mutated form. While he nearly killed Chris and Sheva, he was forced into the lava and blown up by an RPG round as Jill and Josh Stone came to the rescue.

Throughout all the Resident Evil games, Wesker carried himself with a cool confidence. Despite the fact that much of his achievements were met through manipulation and murder, he did have a hand in much of the research he ended up taking for his own use. His idea that humans needed to be saved through a forced evolution into something monstrous and controllable, as well as he desire to be akin to a God shows his delusional mindset. And it is because of this that he shows little to no restraint in just how evil he can be.

Boss theme:

Halloween special - five scariest video games

In the spirit of the Halloween season, I thought it appropriate to visit some video games that did a really great job of creeping me out over the years. While my original focus was going to be solely on the 'scare factor' these games delivered, I realized games can take more than one approach to this. Some of these games utilize the more traditional 'jump-out-of-your-seat surprise' routine, others use the bizarre and unexplainable to mess with players' heads. Some are even almost wholly reliant on the atmosphere of the game's environments to convey the dark mood. In light of this, the list that follows is comprised of the top five games that I found to be the scariest, eeriest, or most haunting in nature.

#5 - Bioshock

This is a game that is more invested in delivering its narrative than it is scaring players. And what an awesome story it is. But the developers decided to have some fun with scaring the crap out of players just the same, at a few key moments in Bioshock. There are the generic situations wherein a Splicer will run around a corner and catch you off guard - the Houdini splicers are notorious for this, with their ability to teleport. But I found fighting Houdini splicers to be more tense than scary. The Spider splicers, on the other hand, are pretty creepy. They crawl on the ceiling of Fort Frolic, making a clink-clank noise with their hooks, and jabbering on about how they want to hold your Little Sister. Because of the multi-level layout of Fort Frolic and the fact that it's such an expansive area, you can't always see where these enemies are. A few of them go the extra mile and dress up in plaster, posing as statues until you turn your back.

The worst offender, though, is the Medical Pavilion. It's one of the first areas you explore in Bioshock, and is home to the crazed Dr. Steinman, who spends his days turning people into Picasso paintings. Watching him gouge a corpse before he introduces you to his other works is pretty disgusting. Meeting the other denizens of the Medical Pavilion will give you the heebie-jeebies. Most notably, a group of splicers shut the lights off and run circles around you. Another hides behind a casket, waiting to attack should you choose to approach it. Another medical member crawls around inside the morgue compartments, while one of his colleagues floods the Dentist practice with gas to temporarily blind you so that he can sneak up behind you, not attacking until you turn around and see his mutated face up close.

Though the game does contain some great moments to scare players, they are mostly limited to a few areas. Don't get me wrong - the points in question are very effective, and the crazed behavior of the splicers is in keeping with the overall theme of the game. But as a whole, Bioshock does not exude 'scary' like the rest of those on my list. With that said, on to number four!

#4 - Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4's setup is a great teaser of everything that will ultimately unfold. After a drive down a muddy, unpaved road deep in the forests of Spain, Leon is separated from his chauffeurs. From the sounds of things they have met an unfortunate fate, but Leon has to press onward to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States. He comes across a village of locals who are burning the corpse of one of the drivers, and the moment Leon steps past the fence line, they all swarm him, wielding sickles and hatchets. With limited ammunition, Leon seeks to barricade himself inside one of the ramshackle houses. As soon as he's blocked the door, the sound of a chainsaw can be heard as a man wearing a potato sack over his head makes Leon his number one target.

Few games start of as intense as Resident Evil 4. The survival-horror elements are retained throughout the rest of the game by limiting Leon's ammo supply at key points, and subsequently throwing seemingly insurmountable odds at him. This can be anything from a cabin where Plagas-infected locals spill in from every window on either floor, or trying to balance fighting an El Gigante whilst ensuring Ashley's safety. Aside from this tension, there are plenty of jump scares sprinkled throughout, from dodging the spear-tipped tail of Salazar's Verdugo to a flaming body suddenly erupting from behind a door.


Enemy designs ooze horror through plentiful variation. Sure, it's both bizarre and gross when a Plagas rips open the skull of one of the Ganados and begins to flail about its tentacle blade. But it's even more unsettling to deal with the borderline-invisible Novistadors that crawl around the castle sewers and puke acid all over Leon's face. Or the Garradors, who - though blind - will slowly walk about a room, waiting for Leon to make the slightest noise which will prompt them to charge, running their blades through his head. Or perhaps the creepiest of them all, the Regenerators, whose heavy, nasally breathing can be heard from a few rooms away, leaving players confused as to which door this nasty actually lies behind. Plus, Regenerators have multiple Plagas within their body that can only be pinpointed with a thermal scope attachment for the sniper rifle. And the time it takes to stop, zoom, fire, and reload cuts close to the time it takes the Regenerator to reach Leon once he's been spotted.

I would rate this game higher, but the longer you play Resident Evil 4, the more comfortable you get with it. It still maintains its identity, but the jump scares become less frequent and the tension amounts to more of an action-packed experience than a horrific one.

#3 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I know what you are probably thinking: 'how in the world can he rank Majora's Mask higher on the scary-scale than Resident Evil 4?' Well, it's a different kind of scary - frankly, I think the terms 'haunting' and 'eerie' are more appropriate when describing Majora's Mask. It's also much more consistent than the jump-out-and-get-you moments in Resident Evil 4.

Majora's Mask is the darkest of all the Zelda titles. It's also one of the most depressing and twisted games I've played in general, regardless of genre or date of release. The game presents you with a daunting task - stop the moon from falling and subsequently crushing all the inhabitants of Termina. Oh yeah, and you only have three days to do that, so get crackin' or everyone's going to be pummeled into the ground. As you meet each character and help them in both the main story and sidequests, you relate to them and begin to genuinely care about their individual stories. It's one thing that I've always found Zelda games to be great at. No one will be spared - not even young Romani, who will be abducted by aliens if Link is unable to defend the ranch. Even though the moon falling is the work of Skull Kid, I still felt like I would be guilty of not saving everyone if I failed to complete the game.

In Ocarina of Time, Link became friends with the sages and Shiek, all of whom proved strong in their own distinct ways. Though Link had to rescue each from a sort of slumber or imprisonment, they aided him in his quest to stop Ganondorf. In Majora's Mask, the heroes of Termina - Darmani the Goron and Maiku the Zora - both die. Each of them teaches Link a new song before passing on to the afterlife, and leave him with transformation masks. Link is essentially wearing the faces of a dead Goron and Zora, which is about as gross as it is disturbing.

From the ominous chanting in the Stone Tower Temple, to the bizarre twangs at the Great Bay Coast, to the downright stomach-churning sounds that carry across Ikana Valley, the soundtrack does more than its fair share to emphasize the haunting nature of Majora's Mask. It is a perfectly creepy marriage to the dark color palettes exhibited in the game's dungeons, and the designs of enemies like the monstrous fish Gyorg and the grim-reaper-inspired Gomess. The atmosphere of this game seriously creeped me out as a kid, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't still find it disturbing today. I mean, have you seen Link's Elegy of Emptiness statue?

(Fun fact: If you look at the mask on the cover of the game cartridge, official game guide, or even a Google image of it, Majora's gaze follows you no matter where you are standing.)

#2 - Limbo

Limbo is a curious case. It is largely a throwback to old school platformers, and relies heavily on puzzle mechanics which are clever and challenging. The game itself is not terribly long. What makes it so creepy is little more than the art style. Were it not for the classic horror black and white filter, enemies would appear as other humans much like the protagonist. Monsters would be visible from a distance, and players would know where to jump to avoid spike pits and bear traps.


But then, the game would lose all of its atmosphere. Frankly, the story is completely up to interpretation, not delivering any voice work or text boxes. Players are meant to believe there will be some sort of prize at the end of the road - the gray, darkening road. The ending is melancholy and open-ended, while the journey there is marked with grotesque insects and humanoid figures that seem hell bent on your destruction. Traps riddle the forest floor, and one flick of the joystick could mean the difference between staying afloat by aid of a box and drowning. Limbo utilizes the most simplistic approach to horror, and it works incredibly well.

#1 - Silent Hill 4: The Room

Where Silent Hill 4 surpasses the competition with flying colors is every unexplainable element therein. Giant two-faced baby monsters chasing you through corridors, tentacles rising up from the floor to grab your legs – it’s all so alien and bizarre that one can’t help but respond with instinct, running away at the sight of these creatures. The fact that you are only allotted the use of certain objects as weapons doesn’t help the situation either. I mean really, are you going to charge headlong at those two-faced baby monsters with a lead pipe? I don’t think so.

But the horrors are not limited to the different Silent Hill portals. Each time you return from your… ‘adventures’ (for lack of a better term), there’s something new and out-of-place in your apartment. It might be the upper half of a human torso sprouting out of the wall above your bed. It might be a bleeding bag in the fridge that emits sounds similar to a cat. It might even be a bunch of crying baby fetuses that have somehow manifested themselves inside of the walls. Even if you do your best to avoid these more obvious scare tactics, you might witness a disembodied head fall by your window. Or perhaps Robbie the Rabbit is staring you down through the hole to the neighbor’s apartment.

The game couples dark fantasy elements with an art style that performs a balancing act between gothic and industrial. The soundtrack often aims more for odd, inexplicable noises than actual music. All of this topped off with the fact that you are alone and trapped like a rat for the entire game perpetuates a sense of serious tension and anxiety. The fact that, more often than not, you have no idea what to make of things makes this the single scariest video game I have ever played.

Happy Halloween!