Preview: Reflecting on the Action of Resident Evil 6

I've always had a sort of love-hate relationship with Capcom as a games developer and publisher. They're one of the biggest names in the industry, known for unleashing a fair few classic franchises upon the world, such as Mega Man and Street Fighter. But honestly, and you'll know this all too well if you've been reading my blog for a while, the company has made some frustrating moves throughout their mostly high-quality legacy of game development. I'm sure we all remember the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3, a superb-looking 3DS title, as well as some recent downloadable content annoyances, but one that really springs to my mind in particular is a certain Resident Evil game. No, I'm not referring to Resident Evil 6, the topic of today's post, but instead to Operation Raccoon City, an action-focused title that basically throws up poor-quality gameplay, pathetic storytelling and absurdly bland characters all over the classic Resi 2. Look up some reviews of the abomination, and you'll know full well what I'm talking about. Of course, you're probably wondering at this point why I've brought up this title, when the subject heading clearly states that this post is meant to be regarding my thoughts on the next main instalment in the long-running Resident Evil franchise. What does the atrocity that is Operation Raccoon City have to do with that? Well, it has a fair bit to do with one aspect of the upcoming release, I'll have you know.

Operation Raccoon City is purely an action-focused game, and not a very exciting one at that. The core gameplay is essentially built on two very generic elements, these being a cover system (never seen that in a 3rd-person shooter before, am I right?) and of course, the shooting itself. Both are badly handled, no doubt, but I'm not here to discuss that. My point is that, if this is what a focus on action could do to a Resident Evil game, all of us need to await the arrival of the sixth main series installment very cautiously, until it finally drops in a hopefully high-quality package at the beginning of October towards the end of the year. Now, don't think I'm booting the game, here, in all honesty I think it looks absolutely amazing, but the clear increased focus on action does bother me slightly. In the first trailer we saw for the game, a cover system was spotted. Big deal, right? Well, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to mess an element like that up, as many 3rd-person shooters have showed us over the years, ORC in particular. I should mention the fact that the aforementioned abomination of a Resident Evil spin-off wasn't developed by Capcom, but was under their supervision. If they gave this the green light, and not Mega Man Legends 3, there's something quite wrong with them. Regardless, with this short piece of word-based ranting out of the way, I'm going to begin my thoughts on what we've seen of Resident Evil 6 thus far, while also reflecting on the main complaint many have with the game, in the space of a few paragraphs. Get ready to experience some word-based hype, folks...

I thought now would be a good time to write up my impressions of Resident Evil 6 so far, considering the fact that we saw a second trailer for the game at Capcom's Captivate event the other day. Unlike the debut trailer, this 3-minute video focused completely on story footage, and it's in this aspect that the next big Resident Evil release clearly won't disappoint. For those who haven't been following the game since its announcement around two months ago, here's a brief summary of what can be gathered from the first two trailers: First off, the brilliant protagonist of the second and fourth main Resident Evil games we know as Leon Scott Kennedy makes a return, and he's looking scruffier than ever 10 years after the Raccoon City incident that occurred in the events of Resident Evil 2. The President of the United States, supposedly the father of Ashley Graham (that's the girl Leon had to save in the fourth main game), has decided to tell the world the truth about the catastrophic bio-terror outbreak a decade prior, but unfortunately for the world, things go a little bit wrong. Well, very wrong. You see, before having a chance to inform humanity of the Raccoon City incident, the President becomes infected and zombified himself, left alone with Leon and his new partner, '''''. The hero is regrettably forced to neutralise him, a decision that would later drastically change the course of history. With the President deceased, utter chaos across several regions ensues. One of these locales is Tall Oaks, a city that has seen the same fate as Resi 2's setting, and it's here that Leon and his partner need to investigate what's going on some time after the former world leader's death. Who could possibly be behind the President's infection? What effect will the biggest scale of bio-terrorism the Resident Evil franchise has ever seen have on its fictional world? All of this looks to be explained in this one release.

REVIEW: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (100th Post)

If anyone were to ask me what the most anticipated release in terms of videogames has been since the dawn of the medium several decades ago, I'd undeniably struggle to conjure up the image of a more packed metaphorical hype train than the one that belonged to Super Smash Bros. Brawl a number of years back. At Nintendo's E3 conference in 2006, this gargantuan beast of a videogame release was first unveiled to the public's eyes in the form of a memorable teaser trailer, and from that point onwards an absolute ton of people, gamers and casuals alike, got very, very excited. And you know what? Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one of Nintendo's greatest and most certainly biggest creations, deserved every last bit of hype it received and then some. For me and many others, no other game beats Sakurai's smashing legend from a content perspective, and I highly doubt anything will top it until the series' next installment drops in several years time. Brawl is truly an absolutely massive game, celebrating almost all things Nintendo in a single, quality package; one very fitting to be reviewed here on the blog as a celebration of 100 published pieces of writing from yours truly. Heck, I'd struggle to think of a more fitting game to review for this oh-so special occasion - Not even titles I prefer in terms of quality such as Skyward Sword, Metal Gear Solid 3 or Persona 4 deserve this one-off spot more than Brawl, and I'll tell you why in the space of several paragraphs and a couple thousand words right now. Here's hoping I do this legend of a game justice...

Super Smash Bros. first emerged on Nintendo's first polygonal 64-bit system back in the late 90's, acting not only as the big N's step in to the fighting genre, but also a dramatic departure from many fighting games before it, such as Street Fighter and the original Tekken. Brawl's pre-predecessor packaged 12 playable characters, only four of which were unlockable, as well as nine stages to do battle on, eight items to make use of and two distinct game modes in the form of a basic single player and local multiplayer. How far we've come since then. As if the sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee on GameCube, didn't add enough, almost a decade later Brawl hit the Wii with the most content found in the series yet, and most definitely the largest amount of things to do in any release in the gaming medium ever at the time. 35 Nintendo all-stars to play as (including a number of 'alter-egos'), 49 items, 41 stages as well as a stage editor mode, well over a thousand collectible trophies and stickers reminiscing Nintendo's vast history, 128 achievements to keep you hooked for countless hours, a full single player (or co-operative, if you wish) adventure complete with fantastic CGI cutscenes and a heap of stages and bosses, the addictive group options the series is known for, many returning modes from the previous two Smash Bros. titles and much, much more. I could write a several-thousand word essay on the metric megaton of content found in Brawl, but I'd rather cut down on that and discuss about my opinions regarding the game. Yes, the amount of things to see and do in this release is certainly plausible, but as the old saying goes: Quality, not quantity. Thankfully, unlike many releases, particularly ones that fit under the fighting genre, Brawl packs a lot of both of these things, blending the standardised Smash Bros. formula with a multitude of modes that are different enough to keep things fresh for a very long time. I've owned the game since before I even received my Wii, and after owning the game for well over two years, I'm still brawling to this day. Nothing screams longevity and lasting appeal more than this title.

At the heart of it all is Brawl's freshest mode, one absent from the first two Smash Bros. releases: The Subspace Emissary. This 10-hour adventure mode sees you taking control of almost every character in the game, and as I mentioned previously, battling a number of bosses and watching some truly brilliant CGI sequences involving the cast. This mode, which can be played on your own or with a friend through local co-operative play, is drastically similar to the Kirby games which is to be expected from Sakurai-san, who is also hailed the pink blob's creator. It's an action-packed 2D platformer with less of a focus on jumping and avoiding obstacles (although this is still evident) and more on beating the living daylights out of packs of truly bizarre enemies to advance. It doesn't work that well as a platformer, in that it's not difficult to slip up and collide with some spikes only to get launched off the screen as if things couldn't get any worse, but ultimately, I digress. Subspace Emissary is admittedly one of the weaker things Brawl has to offer, but having said that it's still a particularly enjoyable addition complete with some memorable and occasionally hilarious sequences. The plot itself is enjoyable, too. In basic terms, an evil known as the subspace is wreaking havoc in what I like to call Trophy Land, a universe housing an unexpected collision of various Nintendo worlds. Samus teams up with Pikachu in order to retrieve her power suit, Fox McCloud is forced rather hilariously to work with Diddy Kong who is trying to rescue his father-turned-trophy Donkey Kong, and so on. All of these branches intertwine throughout the adventure, and eventually even the supposed villains come up against a mysterious force threatening the whole of Trophy Land. Brawl's story takes many well-known Nintendo sagas and manages to successfully combine them while making them feel unique when paired up. All in all, it works. Subspace Emissary is something you'll play through once and unlikely do so again, but you'll love it on your initial playthrough. This mode is only the icing on Brawl's content-stuffed cake, however, hence why I've got it out of the way before the main bulk of the game: multplayer.

First Impressions: Kid Icarus Uprising

I'm going to skip any pointless retrospectives regarding the Kid Icarus series' past this time around and instead cut straight to what they call the chase: Kid Icarus Uprising is without a shadow of a doubt single greatest game to see release on 3DS in the system's current one-year . This retro revival is witty, sharp, fast-paced, and most of all an absolutely gorgeous spectacle to behold. Angelic protagonist Pit's not-so-humble apologies seem just about unnecessary after experiencing the first set of chapters as well as the expansive multiplayer modes and extra content found jammed within what is without a hitch the biggest release on 3DS thus far. Quite simply, if you own Nintendo's latest handheld then one truth is clear: You need this game. And even though I've praised it thoroughly in this opening, I'm going to go into even more detail as to why 3DS owners should definitely purchase Pit's cartridge-based return to glory. Before that, though, I'd just like to announce something: I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I had a preview of the Kid Icarus Uprising well underway and set to be posted the day before the game's release, but that didn't happen by the time I received my copy and became absorbed in the enthralling experience it offered. So, I've decided to write a short but sweet First Impressions post to warm up your cockles for the main event: the review. Before that, though, let's begin with a quick look at Uprising's solo modes...

The main menu found in Uprising's small but mighty cartridge is drastically similar to that of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, giving off a feeling of pure Sakurai charm, and it's on this menu that you'll find two distinct modes: Solo and Together. Both are self-explanatory, but each house a lot more than you'd bargain for. The main bulk of Solo is Pit's quest, which in layman's terms sees the angel returning after 25 years to take down the revived lord of the Underworld Medusa, but a dash of complexity here and a heap of amazing plot twists there the plotline becomes much more than that, without spoiling anything. Pit's not on his own, however, as the Goddess of Light, Palutena, acts as his guide throughout most of the game. Throughout every single chapter there's a large amount of dialogue that can't be described as anything other than absolutely hilarious, without being to cheesy or at all annoying. This bickering and other forms of vocal exchange (including sexual innuendo, bad jokes, jaw-dropping puns, references to other Nintendo titles and some incredible fourth-wall breaking) could've partially broken the game, because it's heard the majority of the time throughout the nine chapters I've played so far. Luckily, Sakurai's crew at Project Sora picked the perfect voice cast, with Pit himself being likeable but rather clueless with his voice reflecting that. Despite the humour, the game still continues to retain a sense of epic scale, marking a fitting return for the original NES game's heroes and villains alike. The visuals are also reflect this epic scale - I won't go into detail until the review, but I can say that while it may not be the most detailed graphically, Kid Icarus: Uprising might just be the most beautiful game to have ever sprouted from any of Nintendo's branches, especially when you flick that 3D slider up. Oh, and the music - Words can't even describe the catchyness of some of tunes I've heard so far, and this incredible tunage looks to sound even better from here onwards.

Of course, the immense production values and ridiculous amount of content found within Kid Icarus: Uprising is only the icing on a very delicious cake - the gameplay itself used to bake the main bulk of which. One big aspect of the game you lot who haven't yet played the game probably want to hear about is the controls, of which many reviewers have been doing anything other than praising. Despite all the effort put into the game, despite all the content, all the gorgeous art and tremendous production values, review scores as low as 4/10 have been 'awarded' to this release because of one reason - you guessed it: the controls. However, you've got to keep one thing in mind about so-called professional games journalists, and that happens to be the fact they're very busy people. They don't have time to go into options screens to adjust controls to their liking, and instead judge games based off the default settings, which even I will admit are fairly poor. However, with some adjustments (namely, an increase in horizontal reticule speed on both Land and Air Battles as well as an increase in stopping speed on the former) they worked perfectly. It is a fundamental flaw that they got the default settings wrong, at least from my and many others' perspectives, but with the adjustments I mentioned they work like an absolute charm, and many who own the game seem to agree with yours truly more than a lot of the press. Don't expect me to be giving this game anything less than a great score when it comes to the reviewing process. As for the gameplay of Pit's quest, I'll also leave that for the review. Got to have something to write when the time comes, right?

Finally, we're brought to the multiplayer aspect of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Of course, the development of this game has been lead by none other than a certain Mr. Sakurai, the same guy who created Super Smash Bros. That alone is enough to say that Uprising is great fun with your friends, or even with computer-controlled bots (all of which have randomised names based on characters and creations from Nintendo lore, which is pretty awesome to say the least). Action is fast-paced and frantic, packed with Dragonball-style action (that means enormous explosions and mega lasers all over the place, folks) that never holds up, while still being perfectly playable. The framerate does indeed play up on odd occassions while playing with other players across the world, but never enough to halt your experience. There's two game modes found in Uprising's multiplayer: Light vs. Dark and an every man for himself Free-for-All. The latter is self-explanatory but still extremely enjoyable, while the former is a lot more interesting. Two teams of three players are tasked with defeating the opposing team's angel, who appears when a team's life gauge is fully depleted through a number of defeats (the life gauge decreases more rapidly depending on the value of a defeated player's weapon, but more on that in the review). The team who defeats the opposing team's angel achieves victory - It couldn't be simpler, but it's still very fun. Overall, the multiplayer mode is even more icing on the aforementioned delectable cake that is Kid Icarus: Uprising. For now, you lot can look forward to my review of the game which will be posted here on the blog in the coming months, but for now please take my word that this is an absolutely amazing achievement in more ways than one for Sakurai, Sora and Nintendo. Next up on the blog is my oh-so special 100th post, so be sure to look forward to that, drop some comments here if you wish and stay tuned in for more on Kid Icarus: Uprising!

Update: The Big 100th Post and Other Incoming Pieces

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. No, the world hasn't come to an end just yet, please continue to write off all that silly speculation as insanity for the time being. Anyway, the purpose of this update post is to divert your attention in the direction of an oncoming storm. A very positive oncoming storm, that is. While every post on this blog is a celebration (apologies for the grating cheesyness of the latter nine words) there's little that could be more important than the big 100. As it stands, this is the 98th published post here on the blog, so in little time you'll be seeing the post-count of this one-man publication reaching triple digits, in turn answering the question: What could possibly be the 100th post here on the blog? I'll let out some clues for now to leave you readers guessing until the piece is finally posted later on in the month, shall I? First off, it'll be a review, as per usual of a game. A very important and rather massive game, to say the least. No, it's not the latest Legend of Zelda epic, Skyward Sword, as that wouldn't really be a surprise considering the fact I've already announced that in a previous update. It's a game that I've referenced many a time in quite a few pieces since I first started up this site, just as the game itself references a lot of other source material. If I've still left you guessing at this point, please take my apologies - I won't be dropping any more clue bombs until the review itself is posted. What I will be revealing is other, less secretive posts I'm working on at the moment, many of which are almost finished. Now that's some good news after the decrease in a post count the past three months...

I'll admit it here and now: Countdowns have taken a long while to finish of late. I promised I'd have my Top Ten Most Anticipated Games of 2012 posted before January ended, and frustratingly I couldn't find the time to finish it until the latter days of February almost a month later. Not only that, but the piece was so unexpectedly lengthy that it took two posts to be neatly packed up and published. I guess I've just got too good at writing, right guys? Exactly. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that, if I don't want to burn myself out too much, I should take time on longer posts like that and several other countdowns I've promised of late if I want to keep producing shorter, sweeter pieces and a faster pace. The last two months are more than a good excuse to do this, and if you want even more evidence then let's put things into perspective for a moment: the Tekken 3D Prime Edition Preview, posted last month, took under a day to write and proof-read, and that was a pretty high quality piece if I do say so myself. With that in mind, surely you'd like to see a higher rate of posting here on the blog, as would I. So, as of now, the Top Ten Personal Favourite Games list that I promised in the last update I wrote will not have any kind of deadline. Hopefully by doing this, I'll be back to finishing four or five sweet pieces of journalism posted every month, some of which will indeed be bigger than others. Moving onwards, I'll reveal the upcoming posts you probably don't know about that I mentioned earlier before writing about a completely different subject. Thankfully my more important posts aren't this convoluted.

Naked Snake likes to describe his food as 'tasty'. I like to describe his game as more than that: absolutely friggin' incredible. Expect a review sometime in the future

In the last update I wrote up, I mentioned that I've got a number of reviews in the works that haven't yet been posted. Well, those reviews are still very much in the works, or haven't been started yet. Aside from the top secret piece mentioned at the start of this update, I've oddly and surprisingly not got many other reviews planned. You'll still be seeing the likes of Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Kingdom Hearts 2 and Persona 4 reviewed in the next set of months, but other than the possibility of a few surprises thrown in for good measure, not a whole lot else. However, before I forget, I have been playing through the fantastic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (the original PS2 version, not the recent 3DS re-hash) and I'll definitely be writing a review of that at some point in the future, albeit not before the aforementioned posts I've got in the works. The main bulk of any new announcements this month enters this update in the form of general gaming-related pieces; Previews, my opinion of some demos, and various other things. Tomorrow, you'll be seeing a preview/rant based around Kid Icarus: Uprising, the re-incarnation of the classic 80's series left long in the shadows, only to be brought back to life by Masahiro Sakurai twice over (the first time in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and second with this stellar-looking 3DS release). So, what could I possibly be ranting about? I think it's quite obvious: the critics' general response to the control system of the game. I'll leave anything about that until the actual post, mind. Moving on, following my 100th post I've also got a journalistic look at the seemingly excellent Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure, a rather fun demo of which was recently released on the 3DS' eShop free of charge. I'm sure everyone else who has tried out the demo will agree that this rhythm action-meets-Professor Layton experience will be a strong 3DS title when it's released. Other than that, you can also expect the usual straight off the top of my head gaming banter, hopefully keeping that dipping post count up for once. Like the last update, I'll also be signing off with a quick list of what's to come for all you lazy people out there. Later, readers!

Upcoming Posts Round-Up (Post-22/03/2012)
Mystery Review (100th Post)
Preview: Kid Icarus: Uprising
Preview: Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure
Review: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater