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| Resident Evil 5 |
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| Survival Horror |
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| Capcom |
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| Capcom |
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13th March 09 |
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Humble Beginnings
I’ve played pretty much all of the Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan) games since they first arrived on consoles; so I think that probably makes me a bit of a fan. When Resident Evil launched on the Playstation in 1996 it was a smash hit across the board. Not only did it look very nice as the game featured pre-rendered backgrounds which instantly gave the game a distinctive feel, but the survival horror game play was kind of a new style of play compared to previous adventure games of the period.
Resident Evil was full of neat touches as players could take control of either Jill valentine or Chris Redfield (members of the S.T.A.R.S team) for two very different play styles through essentially the same game. The combination of rabid dogs and zombies, as well as a whole host of other abominations propelled the game into the instant classic we hold in high esteem. Well I do at least, despite some dodgy controls and even more dodgy dialogue that has become the butt of many jokes since then, such as S.T.A.R.S leader Wesker shouting “Jill, don’t.. open..THAT. door!” Or the bearded Barry proclaiming that “It looks like blood… I hope it’s not.. Chris’ blood” or words to that effect. Who could forget the classic master of lock picking comments from Barry as the team split up for the first time? Pure comedy; now whether this was deliberate or a genuine lost in translation moment we will probably never know but bad dialogue became synonymous with the series and basically we loved it!
Looking back, Resident Evil was full of cheesiness what with the movie like intro that had sections cut out for various global markets, and of course those video character poses which seemed cool at the time but now are the ultimate in cheese. Either way, fans couldn’t get enough as Resident Evil was so popular that barely a year later and a Directors Cut version was released.
Don’t Open That Door!
After the success of Resident Evil anticipation reached fever pitch as fans became aware of the next game in the series. However after the happenings in the mansion of Resident Evil it came as a pleasant surprise that Resident Evil 2 would take place within parts of Raccoon City (the series’ fictitious American town). The other major change for fans was that in Resident Evil 2 players wouldn’t resume the stories of Jill and Chris but would take on the roles of rookie cop Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield’s sister, Claire (who was searching for her brother Chris). Again players could choose from the offset which character they wanted to control and this would present a different path through the game similar to the original with Jill and Chris.
Resident Evil 2 was released in 1997 on the Playstation (even appearing on the N64 at one point) and offered gamers a more gruesome game with a whole bevy of new monstrosities to shoot and blow up, including the infamous lickers (wily beasts with long flickering tongues and deadly claws). I think many gamers will remember their first encounter with the heavy breathing creatures as they passed a window in the game’s police station.
Resident Evil 2 was as every bit successful as Resident Evil despite sticking firmly with its successful formula and playing it safe with no new additions to the game play. Fans were up in arms on message boards over the relationship between Leon and female spy, Ada Wong where there was some sort of love between the two characters even though Ada seemingly double crossed Leon during the game’s ending. The plot was never particularly complex, and served as an excellent excuse to kill and maim plenty of zombie heads, especially when dishing out close range decapitations with a shotgun. In 1998 Capcom released the dual shock version of the game to accompany Sony’s new Dual Shock controller and featured some neat extras once the game had been beaten including the awesome sub game with Hunk and Tofu characters and the awesome time attack mode. If I recall correctly a special gun style controller was also made to accompany the game, although its availability was rather limited and it felt a little gimmicky at the time.
Jill Sandwich!
At the end of 1999 Capcom took the series into new territory with the arrival of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis which brought the welcome return of Jill Valentine from the first game. The story followed on from Resident Evil and showed gamers how tough Jill really was as she battled all manner of creatures across the city streets of Raccoon City. For the first time, players were introduced to a new enemy (Nemesis) who would stalk Jill throughout the game and appear at various points during the adventure. Resident Evil Nemesis also introduced some interactive elements to the game’s cut-scenes where players could choose an action which would then produce a different outcome to whatever situation Jill and new found ally and mercenary, Carlos were thrown into. Resident Evil Nemesis felt like a more traditional adventure game as players predominantly played as Jill and only took control of Carlos for a short section of the game in Raccoon City Hospital.
On a technical level the graphics had improved greatly and appeared less static than in the previous games but still used the forced camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds to bring Raccoon City to life. It was a masterpiece game, and one that is still enjoyable to play today especially as the zombie count on screen at any one time had been ramped up to the maximum for the Playstation.
After several spin off games such as Gun Survivor which offered light gun support and presented a first person adventure with a new hero, there was a brief period of waiting for the next true game in the series, and with the advent of new hardware in the Sega Dreamcast meant a whole new experience lay ahead. In early 2000 Capcom released Resident Evil Code Veronica on the Dreamcast which received mixed responses from fans and gaming press. Not only was Code Veronica a distinct departure from previous games, but it also offered an epic adventure which for some people (myself included) seemed to drag on and on towards the ending of the game. In Code Veronica players assumed the role of Claire Redfield as she searched for her Brother Chris, it was a follow on storyline from Claire’s adventures in Resident Evil 2 and introduced cross dressing elements and madness into the mix. For the first time Capcom decided to ditch the pre-rendered backgrounds in favour of fully 3D environments although they still kept the forced camera angles. Whilst being more dynamic and appearing on more powerful hardware, something was lost as the pre-rendered art had become synonymous with the series. In 2001 A Playstation 2 version was also released with the suitable title of Resident Evil Code Veronica X. A document entitled Weskers Report was also released and filled in some blanks with the game’s twisted and evolving storyline.
Nintendo takes over!
2002 saw a complete shift of the series as Nintendo secured the rights for a few years. Resident Evil was remade on the Nintendo Gamecube, much to the annoyance of Playstation 2 owners keen on another slice of the action. With an unprecedented level of detail using pre-rendered backgrounds Resident Evil Remake was an excellent addition to the series and a game worth buying a Gamecube for. What was also great was the fact that most of the game’s dialogue remained intact, complete with the dodgy lines.
With the rights to the series firmly under Nintendo’s belts in late 2002 Capcom unleashed Resident Evil 0 which starred Rebecca Chambers as the leading survivor. She had appeared as a controllable character in the first game of the series and it was a surprise that she got her own game as she partnered with escaped convict Billy Koen. Resident Evil 0 retained the successful formula of previous games, but also introduced us to new game play styles which enabled players to switch between Billy and Rebecca at will to help solve the game’s many puzzles. Resident Evil 0 was and still is a respectable title and offered gamers the chance to play as two characters versus more organic creatures such as giant scorpions and toads. The series was evolving and it was great to see Capcom trying out new things.
Well things went a little quiet after Resident Evil Zero, yet after some teaser screens being released of a new game in the works titled Resident Evil 4, fans were up in arms once more. Playstation 2 owners got lucky and were treated to the wonderful Resident Evil Outbreak games which allowed players to take their survival horror exploits online for the first time, although the story wasn’t cannon. In Resident Evil 4 Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil 2 fame took the centre stage once more, and this time wasn’t taking any prisoners. In 2004 Resident Evil 4 was released on the Gamecube (with a PS2 version releasing a year later) and was extremely well received. Gone were the zombies of old and in their place were more human like foes who would act far more intelligently than enemies with half a brain. The pacing of the game ditched the clunky movement of previous titles and opted to bring a more arcade experience. The pre-rendered graphics were ditched in favour of fully 3D environments; however unlike Code Veronica players could pan the camera for a complete view of their surroundings. The graphics certainly silenced any nay sayers who said the Gamecube was a kiddie’s toy! I think most people agreed that the direction Resident Evil 4 took felt natural for the series without changing the core element too much. Although naturally some purists would argue otherwise.
A new beginning!
Throughout the history of Resident Evil you may have noticed that one console has been omitted from having a single game appear on it despite the platform being perfect for a Resident Evil title. That’s right Xbox owners have missed out, as Microsoft has never managed to steal or borrow the series from it Japanese roots. Well that is all about to change as Resident Evil 5 has been announced and confirmed for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and is being developed by series veteran Jun Takeuchi . Well what do we know so far other than the leading character shown in the early trailer is Chris Redfield. We know from an ending in Resident Evil Nemesis that Chris set off for adventures in Europe, yet we are informed that his adventures lead him to the dark continent Africa? Looking at the trailer and making a judgement based on the direction of RE4, it is clear that enemies will not move with the speed of snails but will be able to move at speed and perhaps work in groups even more effectively than in RE4. This opens up many possibilities and also if you look at the narrow confines that Chris is in, you can clearly see that the potential for being cornered is great. Were told that the direction for the game will focus around escape, with perhaps many enemies all lunging for the player will no doubt create some heart stopping moments. Perhaps firepower won’t be enough to get by here as players might have to use their surroundings a lot more if they are to survive the horrors that are presented. Will players be able to grab inanimate objects to use against foes a la Dead Rising or will players simply have to hope that their ammo is enough? I hope a mixture of the two is used which would be nice. I certainly feel that we will see plenty of non playable characters in the game and even the return of Claire possibly as an unlockable playable character? Either way past Resident Evils have utilised having characters that are essential to the plot and so it’s a safe bet that we will see them in RE5.
One thing is certain for Resident Evil 5, and that's a shift back to the gameplay style of Resident Evil 0, because we have been introduced to another member of the organization Chris has joined in Africa sent in to investigate a deadly and spreading epidemic, Sheva Alomar. The sassy looking Sheva has been seen to accompany Chris, and although it's not clear whether players will be able to switch at will a la Resident Evil 0, it's hoped there will be moments where we can take control of her in the single player game. The really big news regarding Sheva is the fact that players can now instigate an online co-op game, where one player uses Chris and the other Sheva. From what we've seen there's going to be moments where two players will have to use their brains as well as brawn to pass certain obstacles and so this new element harks back to the Outbreak games of the series. As mentioned, it's unclear how single players will be able to interact with Sheva, and perhaps she will remain AI controlled for the most part. If you recall, in Resident Evil 0 you were able to set the AI to be active or passive, so they wouldn't stand there and get eaten alive whilst you were engaged in other activities.
One thing is clear and that is Resident Evil 5 will look great, and if you watched the trailers and gameplay videos you'll see a game that looks like possibly being one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360. Capcom are promising an even higher level of detail that will surpass any of their previous games, and with the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 at their disposal it’s clear that we should expect the most detailed and action packed game of the series thus far. There will probably be some new details regarding the game at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, and so all eyes (especially for Xbox 360 owners) will be on Capcom to deliver the best Resident Evil game to date. Personally, like you, I can’t wait as this is definitely one game to keep your eyes on over the coming months. Resident Evil 5 is due out on the spooky date of Friday 13th of March 2009.
You can view the trailers and movies by clicking here.
You can view the screenshot gallery by clicking here.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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