DAY 219 / GAME 219
Unreal Tournament
In the early 2000's, as high-speed internet and online gaming became more and more available there were a number of games that choice picks for me and my friends. Starcraft, Diablo II, CounterStrike, (I was kind of alone on that one.) and among a few others, Unreal Tournament. UT was essentially the one big competitor to Quake III, which was more or less my choice at the time, but I was outweighed by my local friends who much preferred Unreal. Which was neither better or worse, simply different. Nevertheless, Unreal Tournament was a rich first person shooter with a very strong online multiplayer capability. In fact, the entire game exists strictly for arena based multiplayer as is the case with Quake III as well. And although it does contain a 'single player' mode, the only real difference is that you are now competing against bots (A.I. driven players) instead of other online players.
Unreal Tournament really was a game that we put some serious miles on. The core gameplay was solid and not too over complicated. There was no leveling system and the weapons were your typical early-FPS lot. You had a (way overpowered) pistol, sniper rifle, flak-canon, rocket launcher and among a few others, a teleportation tool. This tool allowed you to fire a disc at a desired location, then zap over there with the secondary fire mode. The unintended benefit to this tool was that you could actually use it as a weapon. Like 'telefragging' in Doom, no two players can exist in the same place at the same time. So if you fired the disc in front of where a player was running, you could then teleport into them causing an instant kill. It worked very predictably and was a ton of fun. Makes me wonder if perhaps the developers did design it with that in mind.
I'm guessing part of why we played this for so long was that it was a balanced enough game that one person wasn't always the same chart topper for kills. If I remember correctly, we all had our moments of glory and so noone really got bored of being murdered game after game. The added game modes helped keep things from becoming dry as well. Instead of simply having free-for-all deathmatches, Unreal Tournament also featured a capture-the-flag mode as well as 'assault', 'domination', 'team deathmatch' and a 'last man standing' mode. Assault and Capture the Flag were particularly popular, though darting across the Facing Worlds map through the wide-open midsection with your flag was a daunting task that rarely lasted.
Unreal Tournament really was just the right game at the right time for us. Online multiplayer was just heating up, Massive Online games were hardly common and console online games hadn't hit the market yet. So when we were home, late night at our PC's and we wanted to 'quench our virtual bloodthirst' we hopped into UT's lobby and racked up the 'M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILLS!'. (Game quote only acceptably funny if you've played Unreal Tournament.)
DAY 218 / GAME 218
Resident Evil 6
The most recent Resident Evil title to date, released almost two years ago, would be Resident Evil 6. Taking full advantage of the hardware available, RE:6 is simply an immense blockbuster of a game with incredible visuals and an intertwining 4 part story that follows seven different lead characters spanning a range of the older games in the series.
When you start the game, you have your choice between 3 stories, each with a pair of protagonists, one of which you pick to play as, the other which is AI controlled. Either Leon Kennedy from RE:2 and RE:4, and Helena, a new addition; Chris Redfield of RE:1, Revelations and RE:5 along with the newly added Piers; or Sherry and Jake, Sherry being a side-character from RE:2 who was a small child at the time and Jake who is unknowingly the son of Albert Wesker, the primary antagonist of many games in the series.
Each of the 3 main stories intertwine as the characters meet up in a serendipitous fashion, each with different goals in mind. But each story and set of characters have a somewhat different playstyle. Leon and Helena's storyline is much closer to the Survival Horror roots of the older games, where Chris' is much more run-and-gun. Sherry and Jake's is somewhere in between, leaning closer to the older games. On top of it all, there are moments within the 3 storylines where the pairs get separated, so each choice results in a slightly different playthrough, making for added replayability. And if that wasn't enough, once you've beat the three storylines, you then unlock the Ada Wong mission set which adds yet another narrative to the game.
So much of this game is superbly polished. The environments are thorough and beautiful, the monsters are incredible and horrific and the entire game is full of 'wow' moments of great scale. In particular, the introductory level that you have to playthrough before your storyline choices open up, which follows Leon and Helen through a destroyed section of a fictional city in China. At one point in this introduction you suddenly find yourself in a stretch of highway surrounded by skyscrapers, piles of wrecked, flaming cars and then a wave of zombies that start clambering overtop of the vehicles and inbetween as they begin to rush you. It's a moment that I can only imagine the team at Capcom envisioning for years and finally able to present it properly and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I know some people weren't very with Resident Evil 6's even more action packed move away from the traditional Survival Horror mold Capcom created when they first released RE:1, but truth be told it's very hard to please everyone in your fanbase. Plus, most people I talked to personally who didn't enjoy the game very much had only played the Chris Redfield section, which was admittedly the weakest portion of the game. I really did love it though. The three converging stories took us through all kinds of different locations with different moods, different kinds of action and different kinds of scares. The game plays beautifully and looks incredible. I really had no complaints. It really does leave me exicited for Resident Evil 7, which is rumored to have been in development since before this was released a couple years back. Between that and the recent announcement that Capcom is re-releasing Resident Evil 1 in HD, I'm a pretty happy camper.
DAY 217 / GAME 217
Resident Evil: Revelations
When they were in the midst of releasing their latest handheld console, Nintendo ported Resident Evil 5 onto the 3DS in order to prove just how powerful it was. Turns out it ran so well that they released a portion of it shortly after launch under the title Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D. (As it was a port of the Mercenaries side-game from Resident Evil 5.)
Shortly after, now that they'd proven how well the current Resident Evil platform functioned on the 3DS, Capcom released a full title made specifically for the handheld. This would be the first solid Resident Evil title to properly grace a portable system as the only other two games include a Resident Evil 1 port on the DS and a not-so-great top-down title on the GameBoy Color. (Which interestingly enough also takes place on a cruise ship.)
Resident Evil: Revelations turned out to be a very solid title, not only for a handheld game but as a part of the series as well. It was so well received it ended up becoming ported over to all the other major platforms; Wii-U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. In some ways, Revelations is a lot closer in gameplay values to Resident Evil 4 than the more recent and less accepted Resident Evil 5. The game is less action oriented and more puzzle oriented, ammunition is more difficult to come by and therefore exploration is more important. Capcom even went so far as adding a new puzzle feature that plays off of a FPS camera mode for searching inside objects and scanning enemies for weak points and attack bonuses.
Resident Evil: Revelations could be considered Resident Evil: 4.5 as the narrative places it's events between part 4 and part 5 and explains the creation of the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance.) that appears in RE:5. The game follows four major players in the anti-bioweapon fight, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as well as two new characters, Parker Luciani and Jessica Sherawat as they stop yet another complex BioTerrorism threat that used the famous T-Virus created mutations. The majority of the game takes place on a two cruise ships which are, coincidentally enough, sister ships; part of the attempt to reduce the amount of content on the game in order to fit it onto a 3DS game cartridge.
This game handled fantastic, looked amazing and offered the replayability of the best games in the series. With the exception of a limited amount of levels and monster designs, it stacked up strong against it's home console brethren. I played it multiple times and almost made it through on nightmare difficulty, only becoming stuck at the final boss. It also offered a very playable 'raid' mode which find you attacking each level individually with the goal to wipe out every BOW in order to complete it. As you continue your weapons level up as does the difficulty creating this ongoing challenge that really pushes for many hours of enjoyment.
It's easily one of the most fantastic handheld games I've never played, especially one that would typically cater best to a full console experience. It even goes so far as offering local co-op multiplayer via Wi-Fi and some neat little 'StreetPass' features that place people you've crossed in real life into the game. Revelations was so well executed and so well received I feel confident that we'll see another similar title down the road on the 3DS platform and when we do I'll be sure to pick it up without a second thought.
DAY 216 / GAME 216
Resident Evil: 5
The Resident Evil series has a lot of games to cover and the truth is I haven't played them all. Some I didn't realize existed until I started looking for information during the past few days and others just weren't very accessible. Out of the twenty-three games that have spanned the past 18 years I've played about a dozen of them. Now, that 23 includes a number of re-releases such as Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Code Veronica and Code Veronica X (Re-released on the xbox.), as well as Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and Mercenaries 3D which was a portion of RE:5 released on the Nintendo 3DS. But it also includes a large number of Light Gun games I had no idea existed before the Wii title: Umbrella Chronicles. Apparently there was a series called Resident Evil: Survivor for the PlayStation that saw three sequels. There was also an online co-op game for the PlayStation 2 titled: Resident Evil Oubreak that was unfortunately ahead of it's time and required that you purchase the network adapter add-on for the PS2 in order to play. On top of which you had to have some friends who also shelled out for the game + add-on as well or else it was pretty much useless.
Why is this important? Well I guess the whole point is that there are so many great Resident Evil games on the market and I have a tendency to get really excited about the series and then still somehow not touch even the mainstream titles until years after they are released. It took me years to get around to playing Resident Evil 4 and even though I was extremely excited about the release of Resident Evil 5 I ended up doing the same thing. In fact, the whole reason I played Resident Evil 4 finally was because I decided I'd better do so before finally playing RE:5.
When the time finally came and I booted this title up on m Xbox 360, I once again found myself wonder why I had waited so long. So much about this game made it impossible to put down. Not only were the visuals ridiculously stunning, leaps and bounds above RE:4, but the entire game was rethought. Of course, this garnered a number of complaints as any great change always does; that the game was now too action oriented, too much of a shooter and the pacing too quick. None of this bothered me. It felt more as if I was less restricted and now they could through hoards of frightening zombies at me without causing me to curse frustratingly at the controls since I can't move and shoot at the same time. All the puzzles were still there, that one rainy moment all Resident Evil games have, that slow revealing transition from small village to huge underground research facility and the same limited inventory system that forces you to make serious choices about what you decide to carry.
Looking back, I almost forgot about how incredible this game looks. The lighting is so accurate, the textures and effects so real the whole game looks even more gritty and cinematic than ever before. It's also one of those few games that looks as good now as it did in the promotional shots that were provided before the game's release. Capcom did such an amazing job of capturing realistic exposure, shadows and some great character design. With the exception of Chris' cantaloupe biceps of course.
Resident Evil 5 also featured the incredible replayability of the previous games in the series, especially when speaking of RE:4. During the course of the game you progress in terms of upgrading your weapons and eventually unlocking some guns that are game-breakingly powerful. This means eventually, subsequent playthroughs are an absolute blast, with no enemy able to stand in your way.
I had a great time with Resident Evil 5. And although for the most part I didn't enjoy it quite as much as part 4, it came real close. And as with most games like this, if it's captured my attention so well that I end up playing through multiple times immediately after the first playthrough, it's a strong game in my books.
DAY 215 / GAME 215
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Next on the list would be Resident Evil 2 but I already did a write up on that one back in March. So with that in mind, I'll continue onto Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Now, technically Resident Evil 3: Nemesis would be the next in line, but truth be told I somehow missed this title when it first came out and when I did go back and grab a copy I tried playing it and put it down a few hours into it with no regrets. It didn't feel like it added anything new to the series and the reoccurring, undefeatable Nemesis boss felt pointless. Even though technically, RE:3 added a few new changes to the gameplay that appeared in RE:0, the RE:1 remake and Code Veronica. But of course, none of it was new going back to play this game after the fact.
As the story goes with Resident Evil and myself, it was one of those games that I never really played through. Like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 7, most of what I had experienced with Resident Evil 2 was from watching while my brother played. And since I wasn't around the whole time, there were large gaps which I had not seen. So, when I left for university with my brand new Sega Dreamcast, I grabbed Code Veronica when it was released shortly after with the intent of having a full Resident Evil playthrough all to myself.
Unfortunately it was not meant to be. You see, as I've mentioned in posts prior, while in university I had this one roommate who was almost more excited than I was about my new Dreamcast. Contrary to his study needs, he found himself practically addicted to a few key games I brought home. Namely Crazy Taxi and Resident Evil: Code Veronica.
So of course, history continued to repeat itself. I was more than happy to sit with him and watch as he played through the majority of this new Resident Evil game and I had the unfortunate fate of having never really seen the full game. I've told myself many times over that one day I will sit down and properly complete it, especially now that they've released an HD updated version on current consoles I really have no excuse.
Either way, I really did love the game. I did play a bit of the initial island and experienced all the great new things about the controls and overall design of the game. Code Veronica made some great new advances as it was the first game on a new console including a big switch from pre-rendered background to a fully real-time rendered environment. The camera was still fixed and the overall gameplay was still the same, but we got to see some great environmental effects like water overflowing in the gutters, realtime lighting and a few points where the camera was allowed to follow or shift into first person for moments like sniping. Being on the Dreamcast as well meant that the life-meter that is usually hidden in the pause menu was now in front of us on the VMU's display screen on the controller. One of the nicer uses of that feature.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica was a step in the right direction for me. It took advantage of the next generation of consoles at the time to move things into real-time rendering, while still maintaining the same visual style and gameplay. It had the expected mood and narrative of a Resident Evil game and introduced enough fresh new content to separate itself from the rest of the series while moving it all forward. If you're a Resident Evil fan like myself and for some reason you haven't tried this one yet, it's well worth it to give it a go. Especially with the availability of the new HD remastered version available for cheap.
DAY 214 / GAME 214
Resident Evil 1
Next on the list would be Resident Evil 1. First released on the PlayStation in 1996, this was the definitive survival horror game of our time. Now, I hadn't actually played this when it first came out. I'm not sure if I was aware of it's existence until two years later when Resident Evil 2 was released. RE:2, which was the first of the series we (my brother and I) had played had a much more prominent advertising campaign and had definitely grabbed our attention whereas the first one was unfortunately overlooked. After thoroughly enjoying Resident Evil 2, we did go out of our way to rent the original; just to see what we had missed out on. We certainly didn't expect the (hilarious) live action introductory cinematic or the exceptionally bad voice acting. And at the time it really just felt like more of the same so after a short playthrough without any ability to save our progress, we put it down pretty much for good. Leaving well-enough alone.
It was four years later, in 2002 that I had honestly re-experienced Resident Evil 1. In the same year that Nintendo and Capcom finally released the prequel, Resident Evil 0 for the GameCube, they had also re-released an updated version of Resident Evil 1. This version had been rebuilt almost completely from ground-up. They replaced the live-action cutscenes with fantastic new animated sequences, rewrote portions of the script and recorded all new dialog. They also included freshly rendered backgrounds and an updated game engine that rendered out the real-time bits at a much closer match, along with a special method of integrating full motion video into the background to allow for lighting effects, rain and other moody environmental touches.
This game really does set the standard in which all the other in the series follow. And although that's me speaking having not truly played much of the original and assuming that fancy graphics and gameplay tweaks aside, that it's not too far from the original. I'm assuming (from what I've played) that the locations, overall script, characters and plot, monsters and music were the same. And though the new version shines so brightly that the old one is hardly playable in comparison, it's the long creepy hallways, cawing of crows outside the windows, rainy forested setting outside and slowly revealing secret lab inside that I will always remember when I think about this game.
I love so much about this game. I love the intense horror aspect of it all, the slightly sci-fi elements, the blend of action into it all, the big guns and limited ammo, thought provoking puzzles and haunting locations. I love the quiet moments that let you enjoy your surroundings punctuated by the terrifying moments that include everything from your run-of-the-mill wandering zombies to giant snakes and zombie sharks. I can't say (as some people do) that I want Capcom to return to this original style as I do so thoroughly enjoy each and every iteration of the Resident Evil series. But truth be told, I would love to see what they could do with today's technology and the older style of game. Be it in the form of a complete rebuild of say Resident Evil 2, or a whole new game we haven't seen yet. A man can dream.
DAY 213 / GAME 213
Resident Evil 0
So here I go again with another anthology post. Now, I've already covered two of the many Resident Evil games, but there are still plenty that I've played and loved. I can't decide if I should be going through these in order of release, order in which I've played them, in order of favorites, order in which the plot of each game takes place or the order of which simply smells the best. But, to keep things simple I suppose I'll go through them in title sequence, since it's also pretty close to the order of release and the order of the plot. Resident Evil 0 was, if I remember correctly, the 5th Resident Evil game to be released. Labeled '0', this title is, as it sounds, a prequel to the first RE game that was first released on the PlayStation. At one point, Nintendo struck a deal with Capcom that saw an exclusive remake of RE:1 on the Nintendo GameCube alongside a port of RE:2 and RE:3 Nemesis. But before this had happened, Capcom had been working on Resident Evil 0 as a game for the Nintendo 64. However, size limitations on the cartridges meant it was delayed and instead released on the GameCube instead.
With the exception of Resident Evil: Code Veronica, released on the Sega Dreamcast, all the RE titles to date used the same pre-rendered backgrounds with realtime characters overlayed. Resident Evil 0 was the last of the series to use this fixed-camera, fixed-background style with the stop-and-aim gameplay before we saw the release of Resident Evil 4, also on the GameCube. As the last of the lot however, RE:0 really does the series justice. The GameCube was much more capable than the fifth generation consoles before it and so the prerendered backgrounds looked incredible, realtime content matched much nicer and the cutscenes looked gorgeous. Controls were cleaned up, load times reduced and the whole experience rivaled the first game to take a seat as possibly the best Resident Evil game to date. Especially for those who prefer the original gameplay and pacing.
Resident Evil 0 follows two main protagonists; field medic Rebecca Chambers and ex-marine Billy Coen. Although it's a prequel, the timeline is actually pretty tight alongside RE:1, if memory serves correctly. Rebecca was part of the S.T.A.R.S. team which ends up at the infamous mansion in Raccoon City, but gets split up and becomes entangled within the bizarre plot of Dr. James Marcus is he uses the original T-Virus in combination with leeches as a delivery system. Similar to what we see now with Resident Evil 5, Zero allows you to control both Rebecca and Billy throughout the same playthrough, swapping between the two as you see fit. Which also allowed for a slightly larger inventory system. Though I can't remember if it was because it was a larger shared system, or that each character had his/her own, effectively giving you double the capacity.
Nevertheless, Resident Evil 0 was easily one of the finest of the series. Where RE:4 was praised for it's innovation, this should be praised for it's faithfulness. And although if Capcom just kept putting out Resident Evil games of this design, they would undoubtedly get tired, the fact that this exists means that at least we have that one great title that allows us the experience of the first game, without the experience of having to actually play the first game. Because if you're anything like me, you quickly forget about the awful load times and turn of the century graphics that the 5th generation consoles carried with them.
