Resident Evil 5 Preview

The 5th installment of one of the video game industry’s most respected franchises is to be released next week, let’s take a look at what’s in-store.

How Does It Work?:
Based on my experiences with the demo, it’s safe to say that RE5 handles more or less the same as RE4 did. We are given the same 3rd person over-the-shoulder view, and the aiming appears to be the same as well. The enemies this time around are much smarter than in previous installments. Capcom have continued to stray away from the stereotypical zombie and opted to go with mind-controlled humans (as in RE4) instead. This means your foes will be able to run, and possess a wide array of melee weapons. New to the series is the co-op mode. Players will be able to team up with friends online or offline in order to play through the game as a team. I played co-op with the A.I. in the demo, and my experience was not a positive one to say the least. Hopefully Capcom will improve the A.I. for the full game so those who wish to play solo will not have a stressfull time.

What Does It Look Like?:
RE5 look stunning. Both cut-scenes and gameplay look very realistic. One can even see the veins buldge in Redfield’s arm (see above photo). The shadows, the landscape, the enemies, everything looks well-polished and it looks just as good if not better than Resident Evil Degeneration did.

Who Is In It?:
Players will be controlling a familiar face in RE5. The main protagonist is none other than the first installment and Code Veronica’s Chris Redfield. Chris has joined the Bio-terrorism Secuirty Assessment Alliance, which sends him to Africa to investigate some odd occurences. His partner will be a new character by the name of Sheva Alomar. Sheva will be the character controlled by the 2nd player in co-op mode. Also returning is antagonist Albert Wesker. Wekser will be joined by a woman named Excella Gionne, and it is also said that Ozwell E. Spencer will be introduced.

The release date for RE5 is March 13, 2009, so save your pennies. Based on my exeperiences with the demo, this will be rent at first for me. Althought I don’t doubt that I will buy the game afterwards.

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Street Fighter IV Preview

It’s that time again. That time that only comes once every 8 years or so. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for a new Street Fighter installment.

How Does It Work?:
Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono said that this installment will be more akin to Street Fighter II than the third release was. After hinting at the possibility of having Street Fighter II-like bonus stages (car smashing goodness!), Ono and his team decided against this for the arcade version because they believed this would cause arcade operators to lose too much money. Notice they said nothing about the bonus stages not being in the home versions, so let’s keep our fingers crossed. The new ‘Focus Attack’ feature allows for players to block a move by their opponent, and unleash a powerful counter attack. Ono says the reason this has been implemented is to give the game a feel not unlike boxing, rather than button mashing chaos. Also new to the series is the ‘Ultra Combo’. This takes the Super Combo feature from the past, and turns it up a notch. When players are hit by their opponent their ‘Revenge Gauge’ will slowly fill. Once it is full players can unleash a flurry of punches, kicks, or what have you on their opponent, complete with cinematic camera view.

What Does It Look Like?:

The 4th installment of the series boasts beautiful 3D characters and backgrounds rendered in 3D. However, gameplay will stay remain in 2D due to, as stated earlier, the team wanting to keep that Street Fighter II vibe.

Who Is In It?:
Street Fighter IV will contain many of your past favorites including: the original 8 from SF2, the 4 ‘boss’ characters from SF2, Akuma, and 5 new characters. The home version will include 8 extra characters not available in the arcade version such as: Cammy, Dan, Fei-Long, Rose, and more.

What’s In It For Me?:

So what exactly are all the things the home version is going to have that the arcade didn’t? Let’s have a look.

– The choice between English and Japanese voice acting

– Animated opening and ending sequences for each character’s story

– Bonus stages/DLC

– ‘Challenge Mode’

– A ‘Collector’s Edition’ release containing: a guide done in comic book style, a disc with the animated short The Ties That Bind as well as selected trailers, the game’s soundtrack disc, a Ryu figure for PS3 owners, A Crimson Viper figure for 360 owners, and five downloadable character outfits.

So there you have it, Street Fighter IV out on February 17, 2009. I’ll be playing it, will you?

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