RESIDENT EVIL 5 – Releases 2008
This has been highly anticipated since Capcom reinvented the Resident Evil series, and pretty much the entire survival horror franchise, with their chart topping Resident Evil 4. With Part 4 topping out many of the Top Ten Best Video Games Ever lists, Capcom had a lot on their plate to think about. So they decided to change the series again… and it sounds good.
Resident Evil 5 has been moved to what appears to be a Haitian or African village with plenty of desert. Not only is the locale different as the previous entries, get this- the zombies are fast. Oh and they bleed from their eyes and noses. The above-the-shoulder camera will still be utilized as it worked well in Part 4. But also added to the mix is the element of heat and bright light. You see, Chris Redfield is out in the scalding hot sun without any sunglasses. The genius of this is that the light and heat actually affects his vision, energy, weapon aiming abilities, and may even cause him to hallucinate. The gameplay has been amped up with new combat techniques like quick dodges, kicks to the chest, vaulting off objects, and fighting off chokeholds.
But the plot remains a mystery. It previewed at E3 earlier and left many unanswered questions- What does Chris’ new BSAA unit stand for? What will the machete on his back be used for? Who is the mysterious woman that appears? Who is Chris talking to on the headset? I, for one, cannot wait to find out.
SILENT HILL 5 – Releases 2008
I would like to say I am interested in this one, but Part 4 was completely different from the rest of the series and this isn’t looking much better. Team Silent was replaced by The Collective as developers and this plot seems odd.
This entry follows a veteran soldier searching for his younger brother after returning from his tour of duty. Not much else is known, but it can be assumed that 1. This sounds nothing like the previous games, 2. The character might have decent weapons training, and 3. This may just be used to milk emotion out of people upset about the war in Iraq.
CLIVE BARKER’S: JERICHO – Releases Oct. 23rd 2007
Clive Barker’s tale involves the reappearance of a lost city controlled by evil. This first-person shooter takes the Jericho team of seven hunters through time as they slay nasty critters and monsters. The game features “survival moments” where your character is quickly given 3 options that you must act on. This makes the game more interactive and the possibilities are hopefully endless.
All seven team members have supernatural powers and you can jump between playing any one of them. Church is a ninja that cuts her hand. When the blood hits the ground, it turns into a mist that freezes foes. Black is a sniper whose ghost bullet can be guided through multiple enemies. But Delgado sounds the most fun. He has weapons grafted to his arm and can turn his skin on fire to burn enemies.
F.E.A.R. FILES – Releases Nov. 6th 2007
Okay, here is the quick backstory- Sierra owns the name “F.E.A.R.” and developer Monolith owns the actual game. They got pissy with one another and the subsequent dual sequels to F.E.A.R. will no doubt confuse fans. The first (sort of) sequel is by Sierra who developed the expansion packs to the original game. Added on, this greatly increases the gameplay and features longer missions. The price is unknown but will be under the now standard $60 tag.
The total package includes more multiplayer maps, 2 new single player campaigns, and 2 separate stories told via the new expansions packs. “Extraction Point” begins right where the first one left off with the team trying to reach the extraction point after the helicopter crash. “Perseus Mandate” follows a whole new squad dealing with the same events, so this parallel story may feature a few familiar locations. New weapons and enemies were added as well.
Xbox 360 Warranty Extended:
For those of you who have received the dreaded red ring of death (flashing red light signifying hardware failure) can rest a little easy. Microsoft finally acknowledged this problem and has extended the warranty to 3 years. This is also retroactive and includes those who bought theirs during the launch and extends until Nov. 2008. They will repair the Xbox for free and cover shipping costs. For those who previously repaired theirs at their own cost will be reimbursed. This is said to put Microsoft back $1 billion and they are still keeping tight-lipped as to why this red ring phenomena is occurring in an estimated 33% of their systems.
Molly Celaschi
