Berserker - Tear Through the Game

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Microsoft's E3 '07 press conference was evil, in a good way.

Just got through watching Microsoft's press conference for this year's E3 and I must say that I am now totally hyped! As if Virtua Fighter 5 with online play wasn't enough to make me grin, Peter announced a game that wouldn't be available until 2008. Since he had just mentioned Devil May Cry 4, I thought for sure he was showing a trailer of it since I could have sworn it was pushed back to 2008.

What followed made all time stop around me as I entered a state of shock and extreme happiness.

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting to see anything about Resident Evil 5 at this year's E3. What a shocker!

Let me just post another image since I feel like it.

Chris Redfield certainly has bulked up hasn't he? The full trailer hits Xbox Live on July 26.

Oh man, now to see some more Umbrella Chronicles action later today or sometimes this week. I think I'll feel complete then - well, actually a little overfilled.

Thanks to TheBigG753 from the IGN boards for the clearer second pic.

"Long time no see, Chris."

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Blog comments.

I just noticed that the default for blog comments was set to registered users only. Now it's set to allow "Other" and "Anonymous" accounts, so you don't have to register with blogger to post now. Sorry, I'm still new to this. ;p

Just think, you can flame me now and actually get away with it under an Anonymous account since I won't know who you are - or will I?

"I'm like you, I have no name."

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Don't worry Ashley, Wii're coming for ya.

So I've been playing Resident Evil 4 (Wii) for the past few weeks. Let me start off by saying that I am Resident Evil biased and the new controller setup had little to do with me buying this game. Hell, I could play Resident Evil 4 with a freakin' Power Glove.

With that said, using the Wii-mote actually feels very refreshing once you get used to it. Moving Leon with the nunchuk is one of the best parts for me because it makes moving around a breeze once you become familiar with it. At the beginning of the game, I was getting murdered by the first few Ganados but halfway through everything started to fall in place. The Wii-mote aiming is more precise making headshots much easier to get when in tight situations. I was already familiarized enough with the controller and laser to get headshots almost just as fast though, but still the Wii-mote is slightly better. It really shines during the shooting gallery when quick headshots become important. A green cursor represents the targeting area for the Wii-mote and the cursor will turn red while the Wii-mote rumbles once the cursor has fallen over a shootable object.

I've seen some complain that the Wii-mote setup makes the game too easy and takes tension out of tight situations. I didn't feel that way at all. The tension is still there and the game is still just as tough in some areas.

The Wii version can be played in one of three ways - either with the Wii-mote and nunchuk, the classic controller, or the Gamecube controller. The classic controller's setup doesn't match up with the game that well and there is no way to change the controller setup so the first and third way were my most preferred. While using a controller, the red laser will appear back on screen much to my satisfaction. I still feel that the red laser looks much more natural than a big green cursor.

What about the actual game content? Well, the game remains just about the same. If you've only played the Gamecube version, you'll notice the new unlockable Seperate Ways mode, the Movie Viewer, Leon's and Ashley's new outfits, and the P.R.L. 412 laser for those brave enough to tackle Professional mode. PS2 fans should notice an overall better looking game with added soundbytes, no more pixelated Ganado faces, shootable torches, better lighting effects, and in-game cutscene (no more prerendered [meaning characters wear unlockable outfits as shown in the main game]). I'm not sure about PC fans since I haven't played that version.

I do have a few minor nitpicks though. Leon's gangster outfit is taken directly from the PS2 version, so that model isn't quite up to par with his Gamecube models. This is extremely noticeable when Capcom decided not to include the gangster model in the in-game cutscenes. He is always replaced with the normal Leon model (with or without the jacket) when the gangster model is chosen. Also, on the Seperate Ways mode, the torches cannot be shot still much like the PS2 version. This is all extreme nitpicking from a hardcore fan, but it's still noticeable.

Resident Evil 4 withstands the test of time in my view. It's still just as fun today as it was two years ago. I still get just as involved as I did back then. Now with the new controller setup, it feels slightly easier to play, but again, that doesn't really matter as much to me. This is the ultimate version for any Resident Evil fan. At 30 dollars, it's definitely worth it.

9/10

"If limited life is God's decree, then I shall defy it! And within that eternity, I shall curse Him forevermore."

Monday, July 2, 2007

Darkness will fall.

Wow. I just got finished with The Darkness (X360) just a few minutes ago and I must say this is one of the best FPS's that I have played in quite a while. I'm not really a big FPS (First Person Shooter) fan, but when they have a story this good along with a good single player mode, I tend to find them enjoyable. This one's up there with Deus Ex (Conspiracy and Invisible War) and Breakdown (more of a first person fighter there) in my book.

The main aspect that drags me in is the immersive world that Starbreeze has created here. The characters, voice actors, surroundings, action, as well as story all work well to create a perfect dark atmosphere. The story is surprising and not exactly what I thought it would be like upon first glance. It has a series of twists, one in particular that left me with my mouth open in disbelief. The characters are full of life and add to the story well - even the characters in side missions are interesting. I actually cared enough to perform every side mission that I could find my first time through, which is rare for me considering I usually get bored with extra quests and generally want to plow through the main story as quick as possible with most games.

There is so much eye candy on the screen during fights that combat seems to never get old - I must consume every enemy heart before leaving an area just because watching my shoulder demons feast makes the battle experience feel "complete"! All the powers are useful at one point or another. Some of the powers seem a little too useful early in the game but by the end, the difficulty balances out since the game starts to throw more baddies your way.

The concept of light plays a huge role in this game. The light burns the demon that helps Jackie (main character), so all sources of light can be a threat. I was constantly stopping to shoot just about every lightbulb or streetlight that came into my view out of fear of getting assaulted by a gang of thugs without my cloak of darkness.

All in all, I feel it was totally worth the 60 bucks (well 50...thank you Circuit City!)

9/10

"You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Welcome my minions!

Hi everybody and welcome to my blog!

Many of you most likely know me from my various gaming guides found around the net (GameFAQs, IGN FAQs, Cheat Happens, etc) and you must have been a bit curious about this blog since you copy and pasted that link found at the bottom of my guide into your browser.

Anyway, I created this blog so I could babble and give impressions on the latest video games that I am currently playing or just to talk about video games in general. I might throw in some actual info about my real life on some rare instances or other hobbies. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts at any time.

If you have questions on any of my guides then please just email me. Don't ask them here. This is not the place to ask them.

Just as a little extra, I constantly mention game quotes in real life, for no reason really, just that I find it amusing - if you can guess who said the quote at the end of each post along with what game it is from then you, my friend, win a chili dog.

With that said, thanks for visiting!