As originally printed in The Davis Enterprise (reprinted with permission)
Love.
Exciting and new.
Can’t you feel it in the crisp February air? There’s a whole new batch of games to fall in love with. Some are old favorites that’ll re-light the spark. Others are new flames where everything’s fresh surprising.
Come aboard. We’re expecting you.
Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube; $49.99; Rated M for Blood/Gore/Intense Violence; residentevil.com)
(five stars)
The series that helped launch the survival-horror genre returns from the grave after a long sleep. Sure we got to see “Resident Evil” in two film installments, but no matter how high Milla Jovovich kicks, the silver screen still can’t tear us away from having the daylights scared out of us in front of a warm game console.
With the exception of our hero, Leon Kennedy, who we first met in “Resident Evil 2,” and the title, the Evil we’ve become accustomed to changes drastically:
No Raccoon City. No top-down camera angles. No wonky controls.
And… No zombies?
Instead, government agent Leon Kennedy is sent on a mission to a dreary Spanish countryside to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter. The setting would seem normal by all accounts, if not for the fact that all of the villagers have a crazed look in their eyes and seem hell-bent on killing Leon. After plugging a couple of rounds into the first villager who attacked him with an axe, Leon is greeted by a drove of torch-bearing, pitchfork-wielding villagers.
Apparently, they don’t take kindly to strangers.
And so begins the most survival-filled horror game available for any system. Radically different than its predecessors or imitators, “RE4” keeps the player running scared with only short periods to catch your breath before being chased again.
And I mean “chased.” Unlike the gimp-legged undead of prior games, the Residents of this “Evil” are very much human (perhaps more than human), who charge after Leon with madness in their eyes. Rather than stand and wait to be shot, they bob, dodge, and weave away from Leon’s weapons and look for an opening to attack.
Figuring out how to dispatch these nut-jobs is a nail-biting endeavor in itself. Out manned, and low on ammo may mean plugging a villager in the leg so you can run past as he drops to the ground, or shooting a stick of dynamite out of his hand so as to blow up the whole lot of them. These types of decisions are aided by the new over-the-shoulder camera which allows Leon to target body parts with laser-site precision.
But sometimes running is the best option. With context-sensitive events, Leon is able to scale a ladder and kick it down to stop the villagers from following him. When surrounded inside a house, Leon is able to jump through a window, hopefully, to safety. Self-preservation, however, is only a commodity available through the first half of the game. Once the President’s daughter is found, Leon will have to make sure the coast is clear for her as well- and unfortunately for you, the First Daughter isn’t much of a survivalist
Along the way, expect plenty of plot twists, giant freakin’ scary monsters, and a burlap-sack-wearing, chainsaw-wielding freak to keep you on your toes.
Speaking of chainsaws, to cement the experience of “RE4,” fans should check out the limited edition “Chainsaw” controller made especially for the game by NubyTech (www.residentevilcontroller.com), which guarantees a unique blood-spatter pattern for each controller- the perfect Valentine’s gift for that special psychopath.
This one’s an, ahem, no-brainer- if you own a Gamcube and you’re over 17, it’s a must-have.
Sleep tight.
Mercenaries (Xbox, PS2; $49.99; Rated T; lucasarts.com)
(four stars)
The “go anywhere, do anything” style of gameplay inspired by “Grand Theft Auto” has become cliché. Bound to be as much a staple of gaming as first-person shooters, the best we can hope for is that developers take this style and put it to original use.
Thankfully, “Mercenaries” does this just fine.
Threatened with the knowledge that the charismatic leader of North Korea, General Song, is secretly developing nuclear weapons, Allied forces launch a preemptive war against North Korea. In addition to the Allied Nations, political interests from the Chinese and South Korean governments, and financial interests from the Russian Mafia cause these factions to also enter the fray.
Players enter the military theater as a member of EXOPS, a group of professional warriors who ally themselves with the highest bidder. Standing to collecting the $100,000,000 price on General Song’s head, your character will undertake missions between factions in order to earn money, supplies, and information leading to the location of General Song.
Working into one faction’s good graces, however, runs the risk of displeasing another. When the Russian Mafia wants you to steal supplies from the Chinese, the reputation and trust you earned by working for the Chinese will plummet, should you be discovered to be working against them.
This gives the player a lot of choice in how they go about accomplishing missions. Sure you can always run in, guns blazing, but if you expect to ever get work from you target again, stealth and covert operations are the way to go. Why alert everyone to your presence by planting C4 explosives at the base of a building when you can just call in an aerial bombardment from afar by using a laser-guided attack?
Of course, with all “GTA”-like games comes the ability to hi-jack vehicles, and “Mercs” is no different. Any vehicle, from civilian to military, Hum-vee to Heli can be “borrowed” to use in a mission, or to travel from one base to another. Might I recommend grabbing the latter when possible- traversing the terrain in a helicopter means a quicker commute between military encampments than by car or, heaven forbid, on foot.
There’s a whole lot to destroy and do in “Mercenaries” when it comes to completing the missions, but interestingly enough, not much to do besides completing the missions. What we’ve learned from “GTA” is that with this style of gameplay, it’s not so much what you do to get through the game, as much as it is what you can do outside of the game to keep you playing and exploring. “Mercenaries” could stand to benefit from more distractions, like mini-games, to keep us wanting to spend all of our free time in a war zone.
NFL Street 2 (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube; $49.99; Rated E; easportsbig.com)
(four stars)
I can’t believe the Eagles did it last Sunday!
That’s what I’ve been trained to say should the Superbowl come up in conversation anytime this week. That, or “The Pats man, they’re unstoppable!” I’m not much of a football fan, so it’s always a little tricky being a male and keeping up with conversation this time of year.
Thankfully though, the release of “NFL Street 2” gives me a good way to distract the conversation when I’m asked my opinion about the Big Game.
Returning at the end of the regulation season, “Street 2” gives gridiron gladiators an updated helping of street rules, right around the time its big brother “Madden 2005” is growing old. All of the flash and glam of EA’s Street series returns with an explosion as the game’s AI makes the running game more difficult, the hits more brutal, and the unstoppable power of the game-changing “Gamebreaker” twice as deadly.
New additions to this year’s line-up of too-cool moves are the use of walls in helping your team to score a TD. It appears that the players in “Street” have been playing some “Prince of Persia” in the off-season, as they now have the ability to run along-side of walls in order to dodge an on-coming tackle. While receivers can also use walls to spring themselves higher in the air to catch an, otherwise, incomplete pass, Quarterbacks can perform a wall-hop to get a little more air before gunning the pig to an open man.
A story-mode, of sorts, has found its way into a sports game this time around, having gamers create a player and play pick-up games in order to recruit a team. Once the team is assembled, gamers will take on some of the roughest in the ‘hood in order to establish their reputation around the city. Unlocking plays, special moves, and equipment are just a few ways for you to dominate the playground.
Once you’ve tired of taking on computer opponents, jump online to saddle up against some real competition. In addition to pick-up games, a whole variety of school-yard favorites (Crush the Carrier!) is available.
The game moves along, graphically, at a smooth pace, with all players resembling caricatures of themselves. “Street” never takes itself too seriously, and with the exception of some questionable in-game music, the overall experience is fun and flashy.
EA’s “Street” series of sports games have found themselves a great niche for those intimidated by the simulation-style of games like “Madden,” or who just want to relive the glory days of skinning their knees on the asphalt while tossing the pig-skin around without the need for penalties, time-limits, or wardrobe malfunctions.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath (Xbox; $49.99; Rated T; eagames.com)
(four stars)
“Oddworld,” the quirky series that has followed the mis-adventures of out-of-this-world characters like Abe the Modokon and Munch the Gabbit takes a turn for the Strange. If you thought this was going to be another platforming adventure game with the same characters we’ve seen before, buddy were you wrong.
Instead, the “Oddworld” universe expands with the release of “Stranger” which is, of all things… a Western-styled First Person Shooter?
Well, not exactly.
Actually, “Stranger’s” charm is the fantastically integrated first-person shooting and third-person action platforming- sort of a “Halo” meets “Red Dead Revolver” meets “Jak” meets the bizarre humor of “Oddworld,” all resulting in a fantastic adventure.
Players take control of Stranger, a bounty hunter who resembles the love-child of Clint Eastwood in “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” and a mountain lion. Our serape-wearin’, gravely voiced protagonist wanders the Odd-West collecting bounties in order to get a fist-full of moolah. Selecting which bounties you’ll hunt is all up to you- the information you gather from one mark may help you capture the next.
With your new-found wealth, you can upgrade the effectiveness of the ammunition you shoot with your double-barreled crossbow. Be careful how much ammo you shove into your pack, though, they have a tendency to get feisty when cramped in small places!
Yep, that’s right; “Stranger” brings a new meaning to the term “Live Ammo,” as all of the ammunitions you use throughout the game are tiny creatures, which you’ll actually have to hunt in order to replenish your supply.
Each creature has its own use, and the ability to fire two types of ammo at once means a whole lot of customization for how to capture your bounties. For example, set a trap by shooting a whole bunch of Fuzzles on the ground (think: fuzzballs with razor teeth and a surly attitude), then fire a chattering, obnoxious Chippunk to cause an enemy to chase after the Chippunk and watch as your foe walks into a trap, leaving you free to walk up behind and collect your pay-day. Or, if you need to incapacitate a group of baddies- fire a skunk-like creature and let it release its worst.
No, this game is never going to be seen as the next must-have shooter. It doesn’t have an online component or even a multiplayer mode, which is sacrilege for an FPS. What it does have are beautifully rendered graphics, great sound, and a sense of humor that surpasses “the weird kid” in your high school homeroom who became surprisingly endearing.
Never intended to dethrone “Halo 2,” “Stranger” stands as an out-of-place shooter/adventure game, but does so proudly and successfully.
