Resident Evil 5 Demo FAQ

As if it needs one. Haha.

This shouldn't come as any surprise that this guide covers the Japanese release of the Biohazard 5 Xbox 360 demo at the moment, but it will be promptly updated on Monday, January 26th if Capcom changes anything for the North American release and I plan to update it again on February 2nd for the PS3 demo. In all honesty, the only difference I am expecting for the North American release is for the Executioner bug to be fixed - he stops randomly and stands still in the Japanese demo.

Resident Evil 5 Demo FAQ by Berserker

This RE5 demo guide has been quite a while in the making and it should serve as an excellent starting point for a full RE5 guide if the majority of this carries over to the full game. I've been looking forward to writing for this game ever since 2005 and hopefully it will show. Anyway, feel free to look over it if you want. The only real spoilers are in the actual walkthrough.

I've gone extremely deep with this one, even managing to highlight beneficial frame cancellations that I've found - now I just hope Capcom doesn't consider these techniques as "game bugs" and strips them out of the NA version. A word of advice: Learn to play with Type B or Type D controls if you want to perform some extremely useful techniques that I highlight in the guide.

Update (1/21) - Everything is finished, but all of this still needs to be confirmed for the North American demo.

Update (1/22) - Updated a few areas of the guide here and there. Some item descriptions were detailed a bit more.

Update (1/23) - Added some extra tips for the Chainsaw Majini miniboss. A few more tips were added in certain areas along with a game bug in Shanty Town. Some typos were fixed as well. The Intro was enhanced a bit - I'm going to spend more time on it next update though.

Update (1/26)- The walkthrough is now fully updated for the North American Xbox 360 release. [SPOILER]They are both nearly the exact same except for some dashboard adjustments.[/END SPOILER] The PS3 version update will follow next week.

Added an Enemies section and added many little extra tips here and there in the main guide. There is now a Co-op mention under Basics since I can now actually get online with the demo again! The differences between the North American demo and the Japanese demo are now at the top.

I'll most likely go back to update Sheva's sections with better info in the next few days now that I can actually play her again without the need of a second controller - I've been playing two-player, one-player if you catch my drift. There's plenty more info to follow in this guide in the coming weeks. I'm not completely sure what that'll be, but I'll most likely think of something else to add.

Update (1/29)

- Each of the four secret co-op melee attacks that must be done off of a Majini bounce, now have a youtube video link accompanying them.

- A new youtube link from Yama at www.biohaze.com for knifing enemies as well as other advanced tips can be found in the tips section (last tip).

- I've started listing the various comments for when the assist button is pressed during certain instances as well.

- I added a new animation for the staggering animation when a Majini is shot in the back of the arm - they lean forward and grab the wounded arm.

- The hidden "shiny stone" in Shanty Town was renamed as a "BSAA medal", since that's most likely what it is and will be in the full game.

- I tried to better format some areas. I'll clean this guide up completely once I'm through with everything that I would like to do for it.

Update (1/30)

- Added more controls to the Controls portion of the Basics section. It should cover every command now. There is an unmentioned alternate run by holding down on the Left thumbstick while holding forward while Type C or D controls are chosen that I didn't know about until a few days ago. I'm still more of an A button runner myself.

- Hazardous Objects and Items/Item Drops section was added under Basics.

- Quick Side Turn Aiming was added to the Advanced Techniques section.

- Added a mention of loading through your inventory in both the basics and advanced techniques sections thanks to BossVirgo19. I also put a separate topic on reloading through the menu while firing that I wanted to emphasize.

- Added some exploitations in the Executioner's AI and Chainsaw Majini's AI that can be taken advantage of at the bottom of the boss fight description for each.

- Beefed up the Major Tip for the Executioner battle a bit regarding the newly found inventory reloading.

- Cleaned up the item display tables in the walkthrough. I still need to make these look better really...

Update (2/2)

--> GUIDE IS FULLY UPDATED FOR THE PS3 VERSION

Oh yes, the time has come for PS3 fans to take a piece of the action. On Feb. 2nd in the morning hours, the demo of Resident Evil 5 was placed on the Japanese, Europe and North American PlayStations Stores, in that order. The demo clocks in at 942MB total, so set that demo to download and read on.

- Added "Taunting" in the Basics section. It was also added in the Advanced techniques section since it rather useful and its usefulness is not always well known. It can actually change the focus of an attacking enemy to the taunting player. Big thanks to BossVirgo19 for this.

- Added more to the info about shooting an enemy in the upper arm.

- Added a tip on "Performing Chris' Co-op Attack in Single Player" below his list of melee attacks. I've been fiddling with this for the longest and finally found a way! It's not easy, but it's fun to try.

- Changed "Reloading Through the Inventory Menu during a Gunshot" to "Reloading Through the Inventory Menu during a Gunshot or Melee Attack" because both are just as important and are now described in full detail.

- A really neat glitch that gives you infinite time on the Public Assembly was added to the portion just before the Executioner breaks the gate. Big thanks to JillSandwich123 for this impressive find.

- Added a "Maximum Aggression Method" for defeating the Executioner extremely quick.

- Added a "First Floor Metal Door Lock Glitch/Exploit" to the Shanty Town stage. Basically you can bounce a grenade off the building next door from the second floor of the building with the locked door to break the lock and get out of the building early. Big thanks to Adoboros and Mullet Wesker for this.

- Added a tip about tossing grenades over to the BG Production building while playing as Chris and attempting to provide cover for Sheva.

Update (2/6)

- Added my gamertag and PSN ID for people to join up with me online. Please respect my preferences as listed in the guide. See the new "Joining Up With Me Online" section.

- Under "Playing Online" in the Basics section, added info for the PS3 demo.

- Changed Chris "Uppercut" melee attack for a Parasite partner action to "Upward Knife Slash". I didn't notice the knife in Chris' hand before.

- Added "Pointing with your Gun's Laser Pointer" to the Partner Communication portion of the Basics section.

- Added a few more Shanty Town tips (jumping through the window to knock down the first Majini, kicking the wooden door into the Majini from the back portion of the outside of the Slaughterhouse and knife slashing the Majini in the stall).

- A caution about healing while near the Chainsaw Majini was added to the Chainsaw Majini boss fight in Shanty Town.

- Added a co-op strategy for the Chainsaw Majini boss fight.

- A Majini Behavior/Exploits section was added under the Enemies section for Majini.

Update (2/10)

- Added the Minimap to the basics section. I haven't even noticed how important it is until playing online - keeping up with your partner.

- Added "The Ultimate Way to Perform Chris' Co-op Melee Attacks In Single Player" to the Basics section. Works like a charm!

- Updated the Co-op melee attacks for each character with several new tips as to obtaining them including tricking online players into helping you!

- Removed Healing from the Invincibility Frames portion of Advanced Techniques since I have been hit one too many times while attempting it. Could have sworn that there some sort of invincibility frame there though.

- Stressed tossing a grenade at the gate in Public Assembly for the first wave of Majini in the tips section for not using barricades.

- Added a Maximum Aggression method for defeating the Chainsaw Majini with Chris and Sheva or both together. It's more like a complete trap with Chris actually.

Much, much more to come in the next few days!

Update (2/13)

- Renamed "Character Comments" as "Character Responses".

- Added more detailed info regarding critical headshots to the Character Responses portion and added an additional mention of a response during a co-op melee attack. Both characters can actually respond during the middle of a co-op melee attack sequence.

- Added more invincibility frames to the Advanced Techniques section. Here's the full list now:

- While grabbing an item
- While jumping from a platform/vaulting over an object
- Giving an item
- Performing a melee attack
- While recovering from an attack
- Resuscitation
- While grounded
- While on fire (burning animation)
- While holding up arms to block debris from an explosion
- While performing a partner action (hoisting animations)
- Door kick animation
- During a hold, when your character is winning/losing the struggle
- During the game over screen

- Updated the bookcase trick for defending the building in the Public Assembly. A person online showed me that you can actually do it with both entryways!

- Added the Recovery Swing attack to the Executioner's move list and updated his Berserker Rage just a bit.

- Added a warning about healing in front of the Executioner shortly listed after his move list.

- Added a Maximum Aggression Method for Sheva to the Executioner boss fight and also added co-op strategy for beating him.

- Added a tip for shooting the red explosive barrels while your partner is next to them for the Chainsaw Majini fight. I'll probably receive some hate mails about that one, but hey, it might just save your ass.

- During the Chainsaw Majini fight, added information about running all the way back to the building where the partner action command of hoisting Sheva can be performed - this keeps the Majini off of Chris most of the time.

Update (2/17)

- Added the Majini with the sunglasses and megaphone to the list of Majini that can be gotten in a co-op melee attack sequence.

- Added "While electrified" to the Invincibility Frames portion of Advanced Techniques. Removed "During the Game Over" screen. I know, I know. You didn't notice that useless mention anyway, did you? DID YOU!?

- Under "Giving Items", added a note that you cannot give weapons during co-op play as well as a mention of the amount of the ammo given per give command.

- Added some extra info under the Reloading through Inventory section and Taunting an Enemy section under Advanced Techniques.

- Added tips about slashing Majini that stand on the car or hop over the gate at the Public Assembly and also added a tip about shooting a Majini while it has climbed to the very top of the fence.

- Added the "Turning Swing" to the Executioner's move list. He doesn't perform this move all that much.

- Added a "If your partner hits the Executioner/Chainsaw Majini with a melee attack early" tip to both boss fights. Each of us has our own playstyle, so this is a good way to add some more heated aggression to the more common approach of attacking them.

- Added a tip regarding shooting the Majini in the legs while on the second floor of the BG Production building in Shanty Town. I've been using this method for the longest but am just now adding it

- Added a tip about using hand grenades to intensify the damage while the Chainsaw Majini is stunned.

- Added a Majini Glitch underneath the Majini Behavior portion of the Enemies section. Basically it lets you attack them while the parasite still protrudes from their mouth if done correctly.

- Added a Flying Parasite Behavior/Exploit portion underneath the Enemies section.

- Added a mention of my full guide below. It's almost as if I'm already one fourth of the way through it already.

Update (2/24)

- Added a tip about performing a melee attack again for a missed melee attack.

- Added a mention of performing a co-op melee after a partner assist melee attack.

- Added an extra tip for setting up a co-op melee with another player dealing with the partner commands.

- Added a "partner melee attacks an enemy that you have knocked off the partner with a partner assist melee attack" response mention to the Character Responses section.

- Added a mention of a game bug associated with Sheva's critical headshot response.

- Added quite a bit more to the "Pulling up Inventory During Character Animations" section. Here's the full list:

- the moment when your character tosses off or receives a hit from a grappling enemy
- after sustaining a hit
- while climbing a ladder
- while vaulting over an obstacle/jumping/jumping through a window
- while quick turning (NOT INVINCIBLE)
- in between gunshots (NOT INVINCIBLE)
- during a melee attack, ground melee or partner assist melee
- while reaching down to pick up an item
- while healing (NOT INVINCIBLE)
- during reloading animations (NOT INVINCIBLE)

- Added "Herb Combining during Green Herb Use" to the Advanced Techniques section.

- Added an extra tip about pushing the bookcase in front of the window to the "Tips for taking on the Majini outside the building" section of Public Assembly.

- Updated the "Game Plan (Summary of Owning Him)" for the Executioner boss battle. Added a mention of reloading through inventory during a melee attack while hitting the Executioner.

- Added some more tips to the Flying Parasite portion of Shanty Town, edited the walkthrough in some areas of this portion to provide extra info.

- Added a Glitch/Fun Stuff section.

Update (2/27)

- Added a quote to the intro based on an IGN user's response to my RE5 demo info.

- Added the max ammo per inventory slot for the Shotgun (30).

- Added a Shanty Town Knife Run section. Public Assembly may follow - Executioner knifed.

Update (3/2)

- Added a tip about how your character will look in the direction of an enemy to the Tips for Both Modes section.

- Added a mention of sniping the Majini with the megaphone while playing as Sheva.

- Added a mention about swapping ammo right around the time that Chris contact Kirk at the Public Assembly.

- Added a note about how a grenade will disappear if thrown directly before the cutscene where the Majini break through the roof in Public Assembly.

- Added a note about how the Executioner is sometimes invincible to a stun under his attack list in the Public Assembly section.

- Added a Public Assembly knife run section.

- Updated the Chainsaw Majini knife slashing section with a better method.

- Added "Grabbing" to the Majini enemy section.

- Updated the Item Glitch a bit.

Update (3/11)

- Updated the mention of double teaming Majini in Public Assembly. I have actually run across random Majini in that stage that can be bounced around.

- Added in a "Major Tip for Performing a Response" - basically, press and hold the assist button during every response. This works wonders for critical headshots to keep your from saying "Come on".

- Updated the grenade exploit in Shanty Town and the Character Freeze after Resuscitation glitch.

- Added "Immediate Melee Attack after Slashing With Knife" to the Advanced Techniques section.

- Added more tips to both barricading and fighting the Majini outside while near the first building at the Public Assembly.

- Added another Chainsaw Majini exploit dealing with the transformer that he might continually run into.

- Added a "Recommended" method for defeating the Chainsaw Majini and labeled the others as "Alternate".

Dead Rising CtyD Interview

The Bionic Commando Top Secret File podcast that I mentioned in my previous Dead Rising post was done yesterday and it has a most interesting interview with producer/director for Dead Rising Chop Till You Drop, Minoru Nakai in it.

Top Secret File 031 podcast (w/Dead Rising interview)

The actual interview begins 15 minutes and 35 seconds into the podcast. The full interview is a little over 25 minutes. Here's my personal favorite highlights:

25:30 - Differences (this part is fantastic! A list of additions is actually read through)
36:40 - New weapons, extras

It really sounds so much more interesting than what I had envisioned. Instead of a watered down port with Wii controls, it sounds like a complete remake of what we knew from Dead Rising on X360. Knowing so little about the game based on the shallow previews that I've read thus far, it was really good to get some in-depth information this time.

Also, for the some Resident Evil 5 related news, the Europe PS3 demo for Resident Evil 5 is supposed to be up on the PlayStation Store on February 2nd according to Eurogamer. This probably means that the US will get it on the same day as well, approximately one week after the NA Xbox 360 demo release.

Update: US PS3 RE5 demo confirmed for February 2nd on the North American PSN. Official word from Sony - bottom paragraph.

New Resident Evil 5 "Head Stone" Trailer

"Things are really getting interesting now, eh Chris?"

The new Resident Evil 5 trailer up on Xbox LIVE has been dubbed the "Head Stone" trailer, though its pretty much the same as the "Playing God" trailer showcased at TGS '08. Oh my sweet Christmas, if you have not seen this yet and/or you do not have access to Xbox LIVE then please feel free to dive right in at the link below and promptly spoil yourself!

Resident Evil 5 "Head Stone" Trailer

UPDATE: Gametrailers version

It looks so much better in HD quality compared to the cam quality that we have seen on the various gaming sites - you can actually hear the characters clearly now when they speak - I notice that the words do not always match the lip movement though.

The trailer clocks in at a total of 5 minutes and 40 seconds. It reminds us all once again at the end that the Resident Evil 5 demo is coming to the North Amercian Xbox LIVE Marketplace on January 26th 2009. Supposedly the PS3 version is due out on February 5th. And of course the full game will be released on March 13, 2009.

Ah, March 13 2009, 5 days after my birthday.

RE5 NA X360 Demo, RE Contest and Kijuju Site Update

RE5 X360 Demo and New Trailer Release

Capcom just recently issued a press release regarding the availability of the Xbox 360 version of the Resident Evil demo on the North American Xbox LIVE marketplace. A new trailer for RE5 will also be released on Xbox LIVE on January 16 - most likely the "Playing God" trailer which was only available on a few gaming sites following TGS '08.

Capcom Blog post


Full Press Release:

“Resident Evil 5” Demo Premiers Exclusively on Xbox 360 Starting January 26

Xbox 360 gamers worldwide won’t have to wait until March 13, 2009 to get their hands on the highly-anticipated “Resident Evil 5.” The next installment of the landmark survival horror franchise from Capcom will take action to a new level with a two-level, playable demo available exclusively on Xbox 360 for one week beginning Monday, January 26. In the demo, players will have a first glimpse of the fear they will never forget, as “Resident Evil 5” makes daylight just as terrifying as darkness. Additionally, a new exclusive high-definition trailer of the game, shown only at the past Tokyo Game Show in October of 2008, will be made available for download on the Xbox LIVE service on Friday, Jan. 16.

Fans will have the opportunity to experience “Resident Evil 5’s” revolutionary new features early, including two-player co-op with voice chat along with new characters, weapons and environments. The demo is set within two stages from the beginning of the game – Assembly Place and Shanty Town -- featuring plenty of co-operative action, shooting, hordes of bloodthirsty infected Majini enemies and a few puzzles to round out the action. The demo has three levels of co-op play: single-player with AI support, two-player split-screen on a single Xbox 360 and two-player across Xbox LIVE.

Xbox 360 gamers will also be first to take on the new enemies in battle, including an army of weapon-wielding infected Majini, the gigantic hooded Majini Executioner and even the dreaded Chainsaw Majini. Players can also choose between the classic “Resident Evil”-style controls or switch to the newer “Action” controls inspired by games like “Gears of War 2” and “Halo 3.”

In this hotly anticipated new title coming on March 13, Chris Redfield returns as the “Resident Evil” hero and heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. Joining forces with a new partner, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to discover the truth behind this evil plot. Utilizing the new co-op mode, players will be able to assume control of either Chris or Sheva and experience “Resident Evil” in new ways.

For more details, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/residentevil5 or http://www.residentevil.com.

(Thanks to Brian for the link.)

The PS3 demo version will most likely arrive sometimes soon as well. PS3fanboy.com has metioned that the PS3 version of the demo will be released on Feb. 5th on PSN, though no official word has been announced. Here is that particular link.

Gamespot article on both versions

Resident Evil Fansite Contest

A new contest involving the various Resident Evil sites across the net has been announced. This contest requires you to check around at various areas in the US and find a group of Kijuju posters then take a snapshot of them and submit them to the Resident Evil site that you want to help out for your chance to win. It is best to get yourself in the picture and/or have up a sign that mentions the chosen fan site of submission to help confirm your own authentic pic.

All details and location lists (in xls or text) can be found right here. I'd recommend helping out The Horror is Alive personally since they have been an extremely great source for RE information over the years, well, for me at least.

I'll have to bow out myself since Mississippi is pretty far away from the locations listed. :(

Kijuju Site Update

The They are in Kujuju site has now been updated with the second in the series of 5 expected viral videos that lead up to Resident Evil 5's release. Keep in mind that the videos take place after Resident Evil 5.

Best Games of 2008

I've been meaning to type this up for a while, but just finally got the urge after seeing after seeing a friend's personal 2008 list.

The following is my personal list of games that I enjoyed in 2008, so you're not going to find Gears 2, Fallout 3 or any other games that I haven't played yet in this list, even though I'm sure that they should receive just as much attention as the following. For the most part, I stick with multiplatform games because they seem to be available in genres that interest me the most.

These are really not listed in any particular order, but my personal game of the year is stressed greatly. Read on. You might be surprised at my pic for best game of this year.

Games of the year:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots


I have a few complaints here and there with this game, but overall it was extremely satisfying to the Metal Gear fan inside of me and it did indeed bring a great close to the Metal Gear story if it actually does decide to end here - probably won't but, you never know. To me, the lengthy cutscenes were never felt near as much in other games as they were in this installment, mainly because the gameplay was so much better here. I wanted to play more of the actual game and watch less cutscenes, but as the acts of the game progress, the story becomes even more greatly emphasized and the cutscenes take priority over just about any move that Snake makes.

The first day I got this, I played the living hell out of it. I think I actually beat it in two days. Everything that I could think of that I wanted answers for was resolved in this installment and it sure did make me drop my jaw at some points. If you haven't already spoiled this game for yourself and still have the urge to play it then just stay off of the message boards. One main kicker can be spoiled so very easily.

Soul Calibur IV


Oooo, I had a feeling that this game would be absolutely excellent in terms of fighting and it most certainly was. The graphics were incredible and the overall fighting engine was easy to learn but very difficult to master just like all the other SCs. Though a bit laggy on both consoles, the online experience was very satisfying whenever I found an opponent equal to me skill level online.

It was very hard to choose between fighters, but I think I found my main three characters to play. Out of the three that I used to play all the time, I had to drop Seong Mi-na since I didn't really like her newfound flashiness, but I kept Yun-Seong and Rock then added a secret apprentice to them as well. I've also made up plenty of custom characters as well, which surprises me, considering how much I've been against the addition of edit character ever since SC3. The novelty got to me this time I suppose. But anyway, which of you out there wants to challenge my Frank West, Agrippa, Claudia, Chris Redfield, or Galford?

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix


Oh, what a wait we had here. It was worth it though. Back before I had broadband, this game was the main reason why I wanted to get it. The characters are all redrawn with a more updated look but they all retain just about the same exact frames of animation from the old Street Fighter II with a few little changes thrown here and there to spice up the battles a bit. It plays old-school but has an entirely new look to it. The game looks absolutely beautiful in high definition.

The online play is nearly flawless from what I have seen. I have run across some sound glitches associated with online play, but the lag isn't that bad at all on either version of the game. Also, another thing that pleases me greatly: Guile has his old voice back, which is a gift in itself when I look back at SSFIIT!

Dead Space


This game takes the RE4-style gameplay and completely runs with it. Dead Space has some of the most convenient and easy to use overall controls and gameplay of any horror/sci-fi game that I have played. The cutscenes and overall story is mainly presented in real time and the action hardly ever lets up since there is hardly ever a reason to put the controller down.

Most of the story is told through logs - text, video, and audio - and isn't really all that deep, but by the end of the game, it kept me wondering about many things associated with the overall plot. I wanted to go off and read the comics and watch the DVD movie and try to delve deeper into the overall information surrounding the Marker. Both forms of story extension are quite good, by the way, make sure you view both if you want the full Dead Space experience.

The Dead Space universe is full of such potential and I hope EA realizes and gives more thought to this fantastic horror/sci-fi experience that they have created. The whole situation is just a like a Raccoon City that could be explored here and there with so much more depth if one was willing to try.

Prince of Persia


The overall look of this game alone in absolutely breathtaking and had me stopping to admire its beauty quite often. Maybe it's because PoP was my first full game to play in high definition. I don't know.

The overall platforming was usually pretty laid out for the most part but it all had such a smooth and easy flow to it that felt satisfying. The battles were really the only downfall to me. They relied way too much on button prompts for my taste giving me less of a feeling that I was actually fighting my opponent. All too often, battles felt more like a big QTE.

Elika and the Prince kept me entertained greatly throughout their journey. Their voice actors did some really good jobs in helping to bring out the overall feel of the two throughout the entire story. I listened to just about every talking prompt that I could throughout the entire game thanks to their interesting personalities.

Devil May Cry 4


Really I considers DMC4 as my second best game of the year. It wasn't perfect but dear god, I explored so very much of this game and enjoyed it so greatly while doing so.

I had such built up anticipation for this game early last year and the game was really well worth the hype that I built up for it. It was one of my first games to go out of my way to get both versions for. Nero was a blast to play with and I absolutely love how easy he is to use. It doesn't take that much effort to be flashy with him but he still takes quite a bit of skill and timing to master.

Dante, on the other hand, is still harder to play and has been toned down a bit since DMC3. To me, the only real flaw in this game dealt with Dante - mainly his stages didn't always have the same quality feel that Nero's stages carried since quite a few of them were simple retreads through the same exact stage that Nero went through with a different enemy setup. Dante still got quite a few new weapons that kept him satisfying until the very end though - who could forget Pandora or wielding Vergil's sword, Yamato?

Like DMC3, I also enjoyed the overall soundtrack to the game. The theme song - We Shall Never Surrender - was so beautiful and played through my comp speakers as I prepared ASCII and overall guide format for a good two months prior to the game's release.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed


This is my pick for best game of the year. Seriously. Yeah, right here - a downloadable game. Bionic Commando: Rearmed is so very true in keeping the same feel of the original game and it's such a blast to play overall. I could pick this game up and play it at any time and not get the slightest bit bored with it. Here's some of the main reasons why I like it so much:

1) It's hard as hell but it keeps me playing no matter how many times I screw up because there is such a sense of accomplishment after you get through one its tough stages.

2) It has some overly stunning graphics for a downloadable title.

3) It has some rather impressive and catchy remixed music (I load up the game sometimes and allow the main menu music to play in the background while I do other things).

4) The bionic arm is even more fun to use than it was in the original (grab enemies!) and the game actually teaches you how to use it well this time through some well-explained tutorials. The original didn't have any real good explanations, but Rearmed actually taught me some techniques that made me want to return to the original game in order to play it better.

5) The game has tons of extras and so much replay value. There are many reasons to go through a stage again. Walkthrough beside you or not, it takes quite a bit of skill to unlock everything, especially if you're trying to get all of the achievements or medals (PS3 version).

The only bad things that I saw about the game is that the overhead levels could become repetitive after getting caught by convoys so much while trying to reach a destination and the game could have benefitted from online multiplayer but all the conmplaints are so very minor when everything else if flawless. Above all, this was my game of the year. It makes me happy and keeps me Grinning in anticipation for this year's Bionic Commando title (pun intended). I'm so glad it was pushed away from RE5's release date, so I can fully enjoy both games when the time comes.


A game that surprised me:

Silent Hill: Homecoming


I formed the idea that this game would be crap, because I deemed it as such judging from what I saw of it up until its release. It didn't ever seem to impress me no matter how much I saw of it.

It wasn't that bad of a Silent Hill at all though. Homecoming had some good scares and I actually liked the new action approach that this installment carried with it. It was a nice change of pace from the usual Silent Hill. The streets of Silent Hill looked very pleasing this time around and the real time Otherworld changes were a definite plus just like they were in the movie.

The overall story was kind of weak compared to the other Silent Hill games but it has its moments. I think Double Helix did an overall good job and deserve some praise for what they did here. I remember after playing it for a few minutes, I had to stop playing and open up MS Word then start the game over, because something told me that I had to write up something based on my first playthrough.


A game that probably would have been included but it's actually 2009 material for me:

Little Big Planet


Keep in mind that I just started this game a few days ago, but it is already one of the most memorable games that I have played in 2009.

This game makes me happy that I still play video games. It gives me faith that publishers will continue to innovate and find new ideas that will surprise me as the years continue. I hardly ever journey outside of my usual genres, which is kind of sad in a way, because I almost missed out on this little gem that I would have probably never had gotten around to.

Little Big Planet is interactive happiness. It allows you to customize to your heart's content then sit back and take your creation on a spin through a world full of simplicity, yet so very pleasing and comforting that you won't even mind the everyday platforming that you'll be engaging in.

One of the best parts about the game is the ability to go online and enjoy the creativity of others. I have run across quite a number of user-created levels that were outstanding, such as a level dedicated solely to Silent Hill, Dead Space, and even Star Fox. It's amazing the amount of creativity that can be displayed in this game from a gamers' perspective. And there is so very much to do and collect from where I stand right now.

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And there you have my pics for 2008 with a dash of 2009. I have a feeling 2009 is going to be even better overall in terms of gaming. Well, it's more than a feeling actually... psychic powers tell me it will be for sure. :)

Dead Rising CTYD Extras and Questions

Dead Rising News

Full Famitsu Scan (warning: full image might scar your mind forever)

Just recently Famitsu released pics of some of the new outfits for Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (the other outfit is in the full scan). I have to sometimes wonder what goes through the creators' mind with some of these outfits - it's all hilarious to me though. Hopefully some more Capcom characters will follow.

There is another pic of the Nathan Spencer outfit over at the Capcom Blog.

Also, over the Capcom boards, you can submit some questions which might have the chance of being answered by Producer/Director of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, Minoru Nakai. Users with the chosen questions receive some free Dead Rising Capcom releated items. The thread can be found right here for anyone that is interested. The deadline for submitting questions is Wednesday.

Resident Evil 5 News

Recently, the Japanese Biohazard site has been updated with a new look showcasing a BSAA database server, and there is now a Kijuju blog up on Blogger which is updated by Adam, who seems to be making a living in Kijuju. He also details his meetings with the "mysterious blonde woman". Capcom appears to be having a lot of fun in the comments section of the most recent post. :D

The RE5 Theatrical Trailer that is on the RE: Degeneration DVD and Blu-ray is up on Gametrailers and some new pics of the leech-like enemy are available right here.

If you haven't taken a look at the Kijuju site yet, then show me some support and visit the They Are in Kijuju site. I know. I know. I'm sorry... but really, come on and humor me with your left mouse button if you haven't clicked it yet. :D

EGM Cancelled

If you haven't read about it just yet, UGO entertainment has just recently acquired 1UP and all of its sites and has already begun making changes under their new control. Basically long-time running magazine, EGM was cancelled and there were many layoffs of employees previously associated with the 1UP site.

CapKraig over at the Capcom Blog made a real good post about this yesterday dealing with his time at EGM. Previous Editor-in-Chief James "Milkman" Mielke recently posted up on his blog what will be the final issue cover of EGM and this issue will be released on the 1UP site within time.

I can't say much about the 1UP site since I never have used it much, but EGM was always my favorite pic of the magazines that are out on the newstands at the moment. I enjoyed the editor personality quite a bit but one of my favorite features was the way that EGM handled reviews - usually each big game has three reviewers that would give their opinions and overall score. To me, it's very beneficial to the reader to get an opinion from multiple reviewers for some games since the opinion of one individual doesn't always leave me in a state of satisfaction, but to hear from multiple reviewers, you get more of a sense of content in the overall thought of the gaming magazine.

I've been reading them ever since they first started about 20 years ago and even enjoyed the side magazine associated with them, EGM2 which later became Gamenow. I still have tons of old copies of these magazines lying around my room right now. It's hard to see a such a famous magazine suddenly get cancelled like this without even the ability to have a final printed issue dedicated to saying "goodbye".

So long EGM, you will be missed, and I'm sure your absence will hit me even more when I clean my room even more closely later in this year (as I said earlier, I have a lot of old EGM issues around here).

thanks to Mirax for the first two links