Ending B

Hello internet. I'd like to welcome you to a new segment that I call So I've Been Watching... okay, it's basically So I've Been Playing except with movies... deal with it.

Over the weekend, I saw Resident Evil: Afterlife. So how was it? Let me tell you!

Please take off your 3D glasses. This review is in 2D.

As with most of my reviews, there will be a few spoilers, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

... More

As the title of this article suggests, I've been playing Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360. I'm roughly half-way through the game (chapter 3 of 6, so that sounds halfway to me). This is what I think so far. I'll make sure to not reveal any spoilers that I've discovered in game and out.

Hey there, baby.

RE5 seems to be taking several steps forward as far as game mechanics goes. While I've only played the co-op mode once, I enjoyed myself. A friend of mine, Mike, and I played through the first chapter (I was Sheva and he was Chris). It was just a lot of fun, though I'm having a hard time articulating why.

Ah, Chris in a wonderful moment of chivalry.

But I'm sure most of you know the old saying, "One step forward, two step backwards," right? Well, I have the feeling this is how RE5 is playing out. Item management is a nightmare in this game (they only give you nine slots per character!). RE5 divides the game up into chapters (just like RE4), but you can go back to previous chapters to stock up on ammo health items. Call me crazy, but having a surplus of supplies kinda takes away from the "survival horror" aspect. I also discovered that while there are two main characters, I can only play is Chris until I beat the game, a move that the series has never done, and quite frankly, I don't like. They also took out save-points, so the only way you can save your progress is to complete the chapter (you can quit anytime and retain any items you collect). This also means this is the first Resident Evil game ever to NOT HAVE TYPEWRITERS!

The story almost seems haphazardly put together and I also have a problem with the major "plot twist." It relies on information that they make up at the beginning of this game instead of relying on events in past games. For those of us who played Resident Evil: Code Veronica, there was a perfectly good character they could have used for the mysterious agent. All they would've had to have done is include Claire in some way shape or form (possibly as a playable character) to make it work. I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to reveal spoilers in two games.

Uh... this isn't what it looks like...

Yes, I know this sounds mostly negative, but you have to keep in mind that I am not done with the game. By the end, I could really love this game, you never know. So far, I'm giving it a tentative recommendation. If you're a fan of RE, chances are you've already bought it. If your interested, I suggest you get together with a friend who owns it and give it a try (you defiantly have to play then co-op mode).

Kaboom!

Despite my severe sadness over the death of Jill, I decided to download and try out the Resident Evil 5 demo from Xbox Live. It's a little under half a gig in size to download, so it will take a while before you can play it. On the other hand, it is free!

First of all, while you can play the demo in a CO-OP mode, you can only play it with someone in the room (no Xbox Live). But it's a demo, so that's fine. There are two levels for you to try out: Public Assembly and Shanty Town. Public Assembly is pretty frantic with an unlimited number of zombies. You'll probably die pretty quickly. The Shanty Town is a bit more laid back, which I think is perfect for a demo.

You have both Chris and Sheva with you, but as far as I can tell, you can only control Chris. Both characters have a pistol and another weapon (Chris has a rifle and Sheva a machine gun). You'll probably use the pistol for most of the demo. It's kinda like if they let Ashley have a gun in RE4, and it's pretty damn fun.

Chris and Sheva do make a good duo, but not as good as Chris and Jill... sorry, still bitter.

I actually made it pretty far on the demo. I think I got to the end boss (a guy with a chainsaw). He made quick work of my team (mostly because I didn't have a shotgun).

This is a demo, but I hope they make some changes to a few things in the final version. First of all, this demo goes back to the old RE standby by of "One item, one item slot" and you only have eight each. I honestly hope that was just for the sake of the demo because it's a tad bit to hard to try and switch your weapon while your character sits there like a moron. Second, as I stated before, I hope you aren't stuck playing Chris the whole time. It would be cool to switch back and fourth between Chris and Sheva.

The full game comes out in March, so I'm looking forward to its release.

Jill was better.

Sorry about that...

No, no I'm not.

I found this picture while surfing Gamepro.com

I made this comic after I found out earlier today.

Poor Jill. She has suffered the fate of all my favorite characters...

"September 28th, daylight... The monsters have overtaken the city... somehow... I'm still alive..."

- Jill Valentine

For those of you who are wondering why this was posted, or what relevance this has, September 28th 2008 is exactly 10 years after the incident at Raccoon City set in the Resident Evil series (specifically RE3). Plus, it's the only date that I can remember because Jill actually says the date in game. Happy... Zombie... Day? Hmmmmmm... maybe I should come up with something else.

Yeah, sure, you're a police officer... riiiiiiight.

I was watching some of the E3 coverage on G4, and I came in just as they started the Resident Evil 5 coverage. They showed some of the gameplay, and it looks very similar to Resident Evil 4 (which is good, RE4 was awesome). BUT, I was really excited to find out that RE5 will have a co-op mode! In co-op, you play as either Chris or Sheva as you blast your way through zombie hordes to do... something... I actually have very little idea of the plot on this one. Still, I've been waiting for something like this for a Resident Evil game for a while (something that's not Outbreak or Umbrella Chronicles). I guess I've have to wait until March 13th, 2009, to get my hands on this baby.

Dibs on the sexy chick with the shotgun!