Previewed
11.11.2005
Publisher
Capcom
Developer
Capcom
Format
1x
DVD
Origin
Import
/ Domestic
Available
Dec.31,
2005 (Japan)
TBA,
2006 (USA)
Exclusive
No
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
3D
View
3rd
Person
Genre
Survival/Action
Player(s)
1
Options
Backup
Requires
n/a
Importable
n/a |
| 11.11.2005 |
|
> I've been a fan of the Resident Evil series since the first
game hit the Saturn in the late '90s. Yes, the 3D models
looked rougher around the edges than the more than a year older Playstation
game without the same shading effects put into place, and yes we were forced
to say goodbye to the lovely transparency effects of the PS
game and say hello to net curtain substitutes. However, we must bear in
mind that Capcom found the Saturn hardware
extremely perplexing; I sometimes wonder if any improvements could have
been made if that wasn't the case. So fast forward several years, skipping
past Capcom wishing that the Playstation brand
hadn't spearheaded its way so far into the public consciousness to the
point where Code Veronica was put on the Dreamcast
initially to give the console a fighting chance against the over-hyped
and under-delivering Playstation 2, and bringing Resident
Evil 4 to the GameCube with the same goal in mind...
to almost no avail, Resident Evil 5 has come upon us all,
promising 60 frames per second state-of-the-art realistic graphics and
non-linear (I assume that means free-roaming?) gameplay.
> The official trailer shows an unidentified man who somewhat resembles
Chris Redfield from the first Resident Evil and Code
Veronica investigating a seemingly abandoned town armed with a
hand-cannon. Human-like shadows are cast before the camera as the sounds
of people dragging their feet quickly turn into the dashing of madmen.
Soon these shadowy stalkers deliberately obscured from our view swarm this
lonesome individual who turns around at the sound of this swarm of people
rushing towards him and aims his gun. For the sake of keeping us all in
suspense, the rest has been left up to our imaginations for now.
> Capcom is taking the multi-platform route with the latest
game in its popular Survival/Horror franchise (Resident Evil 5
has been announced for both the PS3 and Xbox 360),
which bodes well for the future for anyone whom can't afford more than
one console. Anyone who doubts the power of the next generation consoles
only needs to take one look at the screenshots of this game to put their
doubts to rest... assuming they are real-time graphics, which wouldn't
surprise me (once upon a time, people thought the real-time cinematics
in RE4 for the GameCube were all pre-rendered).
The level of detail on the main character's face (from hair to stubble)
is simply unprecedented. I remember how impressed I was by how detailed
the real-time 3D character models in Code Veronica for the
Dreamcast
were in their day (they almost looked better than their pre-rendered models,
illustrating the huge leap in graphics from 32 bit consoles), and with
Capcom
always striving to set new standards of graphics, I'm grateful that Resident
Evil 5 isn't being held back by the PS2. Can there
possibly be a crueller fate than that? As games veer ever closer and closer
towards true photo-realism, we can only begin to imagine what the future
has in store for game fans. Of course, while hardcore gamers are drooling
at the mere sight of next generation graphics, casual players might be
wondering why they have to foot the bill for a new console when the all-powerful
PS2
already gives them everything they need... Lol. |
| First
Impression |
|
> Much to my dismay, Capcom took most of the puzzle solving
out of this series when they decided to revamp it by taking Resident
Evil 4 in an entirely new action-orientated direction (unlike Code
Veronica which didn't stray from its old-school roots by having
the occasional brain-teasing stumbling block and where ammo conservation
meant the difference between life or death but took the graphics of the
first three games to the next level). I can't shake the feeling that this
was done to make the game more accessible to casual players. Fewer and
fewer "gamers" seem to have the patience for juggling items and breaking
an old-fashioned code, which might explain why the adventure genre is now
stuck in an inexorable period of decline. Of course hurdles might be frustrating
if you're eager to find out what happens next, but if you want an easy
ride through a suspenseful story that keeps you guessing, then you might
find a good movie more to your liking (and better value for money). Resident
Evil 4 was said to be an Action/Adventure game with an emphasis
on action, so as long as RE5 gives gamers a similarly bumpy
action-packed ride with plenty of scares to throw them off-guard along
the way, I don't think it risks disappointing anyone. Expect more gore,
more dark confining spaces, towering bosses and perhaps even more flesh-eating
zombies in overwhelming numbers. Capcom has made it clear
that RE5 ties up some of the loose ends of the previous games
by continuing the stories they started. If the game is played from the
same over-the-shoulder perspective as RE4 for full immersion
as the trailer strongly suggests, fans should feel right at home. |
[
MORE
SCREENS >> ]
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![[click] for large image](RE5-01.jpg)
![[click] for large image](RE5-02.jpg)
![[click] for large image](RE5-03.jpg)
![[click] for large image](RE5-04.jpg)