Resident Evil 6 – A Return to the Original and Best Zombie Philosophy?

Little over a week ago, a site was created and began filling the entertainment world with speculation over what the videos could be for. “No Hope Left” was the name of the website and also the slogan for the videos, which quickly became viral. As many rumours began to grow larger by the minute on the internet, an announcement was made that would reveal the intention behind the website and videos on the 19^th of January 2012, at 10pm (UK time). With the Biohazard logos also being used in the videos along with “No Hope Left”, many figured that the next instalment of the original Zombie survival game, Resident Evil, was back and ready for action…

…They were right.

 As promised, the trailer hit the Internet like a punch from Nemesis and was spread around the web quicker than Wesker can move. The trailer revealed important parts of the games story, main characters, storyline and locations were all revealed to some extent from the trailer and the aftermath also. With the rumour mill now turning furiously, what will the next game bring? How will some of the rumoured gameplay mechanics blossom? The time has come for me to keep on turning the rumour mill with speculation which has already been started on the internet.

 In the mid 90’s, Resident Evil became a cult classic by combining refreshing gameplay mechanics and almost unplayable camera angles which made the game scary and also a landmark for the growing Video Game society to follow. From the first we soon had a sequel, which added more dangers than just zombies in Raccoon City. The third title saw Jill Valentine constantly battling a fierce monster in Nemesis. Code Veronica was the last of the ‘classic’ zombie in which the camera angle would have you running around in circles trying to pull off a better shot. The re-launch of the game in Resident Evil 4 saw a change of gameplay, location and, more importantly, zombies. This was still an amazing game which will no doubt be remembered as one of the defining games of the 2000’s but the formula which made RE such a hit, had been altered slightly and although it was still very good, the zombies were no longer ‘zombies’. They were village people gone mad. It was the same for game number 5 also. The main characters were still present in 4 & 5, with Leon and Chris respectively, but the zombie magic was nowhere to be seen.

 Now with the imminent release of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and, more importantly, Resident Evil 6 in November, is it possible that original is best and Capcom are hitting home to the zombie lovers amongst gamers? It has seemed to be such a long time since Capcom released Code Veronica and with all the different zombie themed titles these days, are they merely entering an overcrowded market?

The Trailer for those who have yet to see it for RE: 6:

The beginning of the trailer shows Leon Kennedy being faced a problem in that his close friend, the President of the United States, has become infected after a Bioterrorism attack. This seems certain to involve Leon killing the President but I believe this would just be the start of something bigger. Meanwhile, Chris Redfield has been deployed in China which has also been hit by a Bioterrorism attack. With the world on its knees thanks to the infection, it seems as though the experienced Leon and Chris will have a tough task against this global threat. The setting which the trailer has set and the circumstances seem reminiscent of previous Resident Evils, older titles as well as the more recent 4 & 5 as they were in Europe and Africa. The gameplay itself though, I believe, will return to the modern view from 4 & 5 but the enemies will be that of the older generations. The game seems to be a great mixture of good solid gameplay with enemies which are scary but also more intimidating that the ‘crazy village people’.  

 With so much hype around zombies these days, I felt it was time for the original and best creators of the zombie to revert back to what make the game series what it is today. So many games these days have embraced the zombie or scary culture:

·         Left 4 Dead 1 & 2

·         Dead Space 1 & 2

·         Rise of Nightmares

·         Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

·         Dead Rising 1 & 2, OTR, C0 & CW

 These games, to some degree, have all taken inspiration from Resident Evil, one thing which Resident Evil done better than anyone else was the fact that the game always kept you on your toes. Those savage dogs would jump through windows to foil your calm walk through a quiet corridor. This is one thing which has continued through every Resident Evil, the sense that nothing is as it should be. The Dogs in one, Lickers in two, Nemesis in three, the Regenerators in four and the Lickers again in five. I’m sure six will see a return of the frightening and atmospheric gameplay.

 As I have mentioned before, many fans of the series craved for a return to the classic zombie. With this return however, I am certain there will be newer enemies to face as well. This is set 10 years after the original outbreak and within the story, as well as location, the variety of enemies will be improved. Of course in rival zombie titles, Left 4 Dead for example has a Boomer, Spitter, Smoker, Hunter, Witch, Charger, Jockey and the Tank, as well as common infected. Obviously, Left 4 Dead is more of a fun zombie game rather than horrifying but for other games, the variety of enemies is brilliant as you never know what to expect.

  With so many zombie themed games being released ever since the last Resident Evil, I believe the time is right to revert back to the old style of zombies as well as a new setting and the highly acclaimed third person view in RE 4 and 5. With the game only being announced last week there will be a lot more to come from Capcom as to details of Resident Evil 6. Lets hope that the ultimate Zombie franchise will  continue successful build up after the viral videos... Hopefully we will see it if the zombie apocalypse doesn't come before then.

@SimonMarshall6

GTA V – The Evolution of a Cult Classic

 Little over 7 years ago, Rockstar let loose a game that would not only capture gamer’s admiration for an already successful series, but defined a genre by becoming the bestselling game on the PS2. With the typical rags to riches story came freedom and custom options which made you feel like you were Carl Johnson. While some things were unrealistic, the game never felt too “Arcade like” and the replay value of the game was second to none. You could spend a whole day doing the same thing and it would not get tiresome. For me personally, it is my favourite game of all time. The next release from the GTA series, GTA IV, took more of a more series approach to the sandbox genre. Now, with GTA V being revealed in November and a possible release this year, I will be taking a look at how GTA has changed from having jetpacks and rolling down a mountain in an Ambulance to blending into society and becoming an undercover criminal (almost).

 As I’m sure many of you have seen the trailer and if not, here it is:

Definitely a feeling of Deja Vu with the Vinewood sign, the beach workouts, Mount Chiliad, crop fields and running through the ‘hood’ from ‘Five-0’.

 With many details being speculated after the trailer, we can only take so much from the trailer but based on GTA’s past, we can guess what the beginning of the game will be. In both GTA: SA and GTA IV, the main story was about a ‘rags to riches’ story about average people who want to live the American Dream. At the beginning of each game, both main characters seem to be of poor background. CJ is a gang member who is nothing more than a street thug and Niko Bellic who is a veteran of a war in Eastern Europe. Both characters pretty much came from the gutter to make their name. As has been speculated in GTA V, the new character could be a middle aged gentleman, possibly a family man. He appears several times in the trailer, but then again, this could put us off of other things which involve people in the trailer:

·         A civilian turning down drugs

·         The man in the car folding the roof back then later being chased by the police

·         The criminal fleeing from the law on foot

 All players are possibilities. But the with the way in which Rockstar have brought GTA IV down to Earth, it seems likely that the middle aged man who is seen to rob the bank, look out onto the city and drive the blue convertible. This may seem the more realistic choice but hopefully it won’t be him. I feel as though past GTA characters such as Tommy Vercetti amd CJ had far more charisma around them. Niko just seemed dull and not too fun at all. Incidentally, this leads me onto my next point about ‘fun’.

 From GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas, the series gradually built itself up to allow the player to play the game how they wanted it to be played. In 3 you couldn’t jump out of a moving car or swim but by the time SA was released, you could fly jets, cruise around in jetpacks and have CJ workout at the gym. GTA IV was a slight let down in this sense. Of course you could eat from take-away diners, fly helicopters and gun anything down but the game itself felt… different. The large open world of Vinewood, as well as the jets and planes in the trailer, suggest that the aeroplanes could be making a comeback for GTA V. An all new cover system for the 4^th game was introduced which partially seen an end to the hysterical shootouts while being chased down by the Police and then eventually the Army. The multiplayer aspect to GTA IV was a major plus point for the most recent release as players, to this day are still getting their fix from the GTA multiplayer and is still quite popular. Rockstar seem to be quite the masters with multiplayer, as seen with Red Dead: Redemption.

In San Andreas, you could personalise your version of CJ to exactly how you wanted him to be. You could make him fat, lean, skinny or any way you wanted him to be (almost). The customising options were brilliant. With GTA IV though, there wasn’t as much freedom and this was a bit of a let-down. The custom abilities you could create in SA eclipsed the mere clothes swap in GTA IV. No matter who the main character will be in GTA V, you can only hope that Rockstar’s return to Los Santos includes all the custom options that were available 8 years ago!

 Since the last instalment, there have been several games released which have used GTA’s past formula to score success. Games such as:

·         Saints Row 2 and The Third

·         True Crime (although you play as a cop)

·         Crackdown 1 and 2

·         Driv3r

·         The Mercenaries series

 Some of these games have sold well, especially Saints Row and Crackdown, but none of the titles can touch the complete feeling that ‘old school’ GTA gives you while taking on the dullest of missions. This is why I feel GTA needs to go back to the previous method of utter mayhem and great story mode. No other game can even come close to creating a game the way in which GTA creates GTA. That is why each release is similar to that of a Blockbuster movie, it is guaranteed success.

  Will the next GTA revert to the old style of carnage? Or maintain the newer, more realistic style of modern day criminality? To be honest, Rockstar knows how to make a gaming success. Anything with the big black R with an orange background knows how to make a successful game. I think that the Grand Theft Auto series has turned a corner from the San Andreas days with GTA IV. The more serious approach was an angle which some didn’t take to it immediately. The trailer for the next release looks to follow similar suit.

My head is telling me one thing but my heart is telling me another.

@SimonMarshall6

The PS Vita - Why It Will Fail

 With the imminent release of the Playstation Vita, games shops, websites, blogs and forums have been lighting up with features and videos of Sony’s latest handheld gaming device. Sony has promised great new graphics, new Sony apps, fresh games and the intention to revolutionise an already crowded market. With the failure of Sony’s last handheld device, the PSP, still fresh in the public’s mind, I ask, will the Vita be accepted by the public and embraced like the Playstation? Or, will it merely be an insignificant failure in the gaming world? That is why I am writing this on my blog.

 The PSP, in the public’s eye, will always be seen as a failure. Like many other ‘fads’ prior to the 2005 release, its success was short lived and never lived up to the hype. It could do most things. You could watch movies, TV shows, listen to your songs, surf the web and of course, play PSP games. Aside from the PSP game part, the handheld system was merely an iPod which by this time was gaining momentum to take over the world. Personally, I spent my first ever months wage on a Sony PSP and loved the fact that you could do all these things (as I didn’t have an iPod). The games I bought at the time were Ridge Racer and Fifa 06 (I think). I must have owned the PSP system for around 3 months until I sold it. It was far too big to carry around in your pocket, the graphics were poor (Fifa as I recall was very pixelated) and was more of an inconvenience than a gaming revolution. Soon after the hype had calmed down, the sales had calmed and the games were getting worse. The PSP had had its day, not long after being released. Different models being released which claimed improvements and I haven’t even mentioned the monumental catastrophe which was the PSP Go. All in all the PSP was a failure and I fear the same for Vita, as Sony hasn’t learnt lessons from the past.

 These days, everything can be done from Smart Phones. Gaming, internet, music, TV and movies can all be utilised in some way on Smart Phones. As I have mentioned before, Apple have created a new era for gaming which HTC, Samsung and Motorola have all embraced, while Sony have not. As well as the fact most people already own a Smart Phone, the games are substantially cheaper. The RRP of a brand new Playstation Vita is around £39.99. The most successful gaming app ever on Smart Phones is Angry Birds which started out as a budget app on i-Tunes and has now became a global phenomenon. Merchandise, several varieties of the game available and now every handset wishes to have this addictive game on its phones. Of course there will always be a place for big budget games but for this low cost, addictive type of gaming, it seems to be much more appealing to the masses. The type of people who are willing to pass the time playing games while travelling to work or school as well as surfing the web, texting and watching TV shows. All of which is available on Smart phones. Most is available on the Vita, but not all. This is definitely the biggest problem with the Vita. Where does it stand in the market? The handheld console generation is dying in my point of view with the exception of one company and product, Nintendo with the 3DS.

 The masters of handheld consoles have yet again captured the public’s hearts after a more than shaky start with the 3DS. As much as the console is an evolution for gaming with the 3d technology, early sales suggested that it was due to falter. After releases of Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D World as well as numerous Zelda titles, Nintendo was back on track as more and more 3DS’ were selling out. This is the major difference between the Vita and the 3DS, blockbuster game titles with Mario, Zelda and Star Fox. Mario and Zelda both have millions of fans who would buy any game that is released and not even how often a Mario or Zelda game is released, it will still receive great press and loved by the public. This is something I feel which Sony cannot replicate in fact, no-one can replicate. Mario is appealing to kids today and adults who grew up with him in the 80’s and 90’s. The charm of Nintendo is priceless which appeals to everyone. Even if you are a Sony or Microsoft “Fan-boy”, you can’t help but appreciate Nintendo’s continued success in the gaming market.

 The one thing I feel which the Vita has above any of its competitors, whether its Smart phone or 3DS, is the technology which is integrated in the system. The touch sensitive back seems to be the most impressive evolution of the handheld which the Vita offers. You can control the on screen action, without your fingertips getting in the way.

Kotaku explained how it will be implemented with Fifa 12:

"One of the features they can up with is touch-panel shooting, where you use the rear panel to aim and kick. When you tap, the ball goes to the spot that corresponds to wherever your fingertip is."

This is certainly something to look forward to because of all the touch screen gameplay and mechanics these days; it will be refreshing to feel as though you are controlling everything with your fingertips, without them getting in the way.

 Playstation 3 fans may be excited to hear that you can play PS3 games on your Vita as well. Although all in all the cost of a PS3 and Vita would be well in excess of £400. The powerful graphic system is produced by a Quad Core Power VR Graphics Processer. Most of the games too will be available to download as well as some larger sized titles being available to physically purchase. A neat system called “Near” will let you know if any of your friends are nearby and if so, you can challenge them to a game wirelessly.

 All in all, I feel as though the Playstation Vita has several promising features. The graphics, advanced controls and ability to play titles from its big brother. In a crowded market of portable gaming, I feel as though the Vita will have an initial buzz, or maybe when the price is dropped (similar to the 3DS). Although this buzz will be short lived and will go the same way as the PSP and other handhelds have gone before it. Another victory for the smart phones!