The above video is showing Resident Evil 4 running on the Apple iPhone. Apparently this is an accidental leak by Japan’s AppBank (App Store). The game doesn’t appears to be a fake as Leon’s animations corresponded with the thumb movements.

More reasons for gamers to get the iPhone / iPod Touch hmmm?

I have mixed feelings when it comes to Resident Evil : The Umbrella Chronicles. The game isn’t bad yet I can’t actually say it’s great as well. It depends on where the player stands; if you are expecting this to be a carbon copy of House of The Dead, you will be disappointed. If you are hoping to learn more about ‘behind the scenes stuff’ and the fall of Umbrella Corp, you are probably in for a treat. I was kinda hoping it to be a balance of both but the weight is shifted more to the later.

As most of you would know by now, this game will basically bring you through the events of Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 1 and Resident Evil 3, the side events involving Wesker, Rebecca, Ada, Hunk and lastly the fall of Umbrella Corp. Lets get one thing straight here; blasting through RE0, RE1 and RE3 in Umbrella Chronicles wouldn’t actually make you understand the full story behind each events. It’s like reading a novel from first chapter, jumping to the middle chapters and finally to the end. Do yourself a favor and play the previous games before going through this one (or at least know the stories and the characters involved)

In terms of gameplay, it feels like a watered down version of House of the Dead. Sure you unload hell lots of bullets on zombies and you also get to pick up (upgradeable) weapons as you go along which is great. However, the feedback (from the guns) made on the enemies just doesn’t feel like there’s any impact at all. Half the time I wasn’t even sure if I was actually hitting those zombies standing far behind in the background.

The graphics in Umbrella Chronicles looked pretty good but the music could use some serious … serious work. I think Capcom tried to recreate the eerie atmosphere (nostalgia?) by recycling some of the old tunes but it just turns out to be a huge put-off. I do believe I almost fell asleep during some of the stages. Inconsistent framerates (which dips below 30) adds more fuel to the fire, especially on the final mission.

Aside for a few bad points, Umbrella Chronicles does feature some good parts. There are tons and tons of hidden documents to be found throughout the game, which helps to cover some of the cliffhangers in the main storyline. There are also tons of weapons, ranging from your average shotguns and sub-machine guns to a more buffed up magnum revolver and grenade launchers. All weapons are fully upgradeable, increasing their ammo capacity and firepower. To have a full complete set of the items/documents is no easy feat and it is impossible to get all them with just one run-through.

From a personal point of view, I think Capcom should have added more extras to the game such as ‘never seen before’ dialogues or video clips. That will make the replay value much higher as compared to just getting documents. To be honest after 4 to 5 rounds, it’s beginning to feel like a drag. Same monsters popping out of the same location spitting the same …. spit.

Overall it’s a pretty decent game that will satisfy Resident Evil fans. I wouldn’t recommend this to hardcore rail shooters but if you are hoping to get into the series, play the previous games before going through this one.

Rating :

Pictures from Gamespot

If you have been reading game magazines (e.g. EGM) from the old days, you might have probably notice that Resident Evil 2 looked different from how it is now. I’m pretty sure that I saw Chris in the early screenshots and the police station was a lot gloomier. The truth is that, Capcom scrapped the game when it was reaching 80% completion rate and took the gamble to re-do the entire thing. It’s not to say that Resident Evil 2 is bad (it’s a damn good game) but I have to agree with PlaystationMuseum that if Capcom were to release that old build, it will still be a good game. But heck I still prefer the current Resident Evil 2.

However I can’t really say the same for Resident Evil 4. After watching the “hooked man” video, I really wish Capcom had release that version instead. It’s has such a terrifying atmosphere that probably puts other Resident Evil games to shame. That’s just my opinion anyway and yes .. I’m a sucker for Fatal Frame games. Been playing them too much

Resident Evil “1.5″

Resident Evil 4 “Hooked-man” Build

Back in the old days of playing Resident Evil games, I sometimes wish that I could dump some of the items on the floor instead of putting them inside the magical storage box. Well I got my wish in Resident Evil 0, but not in the way I wanted it to be. Let’s just say that there are both advantages and disadvantages of having to implement that kind of system.

So how does Resident Evil 0 stands out after half a decade? To me the graphics, the gameplay, and the storyline are still top-notch when comparing to present games. It doesn’t have that old feeling (as compared to Resident Evil Code Veronica) and the way the game presents itself is just fantastic. Like the remake, the animation of the characters are pretty realistic and it feels more natural. It’s definitely a huge improvement over the robotic movements presented in the earlier series. However, the robotic controls are still here (not that I have any complains about it).

“Get down and stay down!”

The storyline starts off before the events of Resident Evil. Bravo Team of S.T.A.R.S were send out to investigate a series of grisly murders in the Arklay Mountains region outside of Raccoon City. Along the way, Bravo’s helicopter suddenly malfunctioned and crashed in the forest. From there the game begins.

At the start of the game, you play as Rebecca Chambers and shortly after that you will meet up with Billy Coen. Both characters have their own differences but in my opinion it’s pretty minimal. To put it simply, Rebecca is the brain while Billy is the brawn. However, both characters have no restrictions when it comes to using items and weapons.

As I have mentioned above, Capcom has implemented the ‘drop your shit anywhere‘ system for Resident Evil 0, for the better or for the worse it’s up to you to decide. If you didn’t catch my drift, it means that you can place your items anywhere on the floor without the “hassle” of running back to the a box to store them. I have given the word hassle a double quote because it’s still going to be a hassle one way or another. Even though you have two characters running together (a maximum capacity of 12 item slots), it’s still impossible to carry everything with you. Items such as shotgun, grenade launcher and the grappling hook takes up 2 slots one go, thus forcing you to drop your items somewhere and return back to pick it up when you need to use it. Provided that you have finished the game at least once, you will probably end up running back and forth bringing all your items to a newer area, preparing yourself for the unexpected (like what I did)

“Oh shit it’s a Mimicry Marcus!”

One thing I notice about Resident Evil 0 is that zombies are the minor group and most of the time you are fighting off against creatures like leeches, giant centipedes or some weird bugs. There is only one monster I hate in this game and that is Mimicry Marcus. This @#$% leech zombie is hard to kill (if you don’t have any flame rounds or mokolov cocktail) and it packs a punch on its attacks. Few hits is enough to get your character to ‘danger’ zone, especially Rebecca. One good thing tho, at least the monsters here do not regenerate like the Crimson Head from Resident Evil Remake. It feels like a time bomb everytime you left a zombie ‘uncleaned’ (you don’t know when they will wake up).

Resident Evil 0 maintains the same great quality like any other Resident Evil games, with a bit of minor setbacks here and there. The only disappointing aspect I have of this game is that, the scare and eerie factor is not as high as I hoped. Regardless I really enjoyed playing Resident Evil 0 and anyone who owns a Wii should definitely pick this gem up. This is one of the best games available on the Gamecube and you shouldn’t miss it. Take full advantage of the Wii’s backward capabilities.

To be honest I can’t believe I manage to survive up to this stage. Today marked my submission for my final assignment and now I just have to worry about the exams. Hell at least the hard part has finally ended for this term. Feels really great! Next term will be a slow term for me. That gives me plenty of time to keep this blog updated regularly and to finish off tons of games that I have put off for the past months. There’s still two Legend of Zelda games to complete along with some PSP games.

After playing Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, my hands starting itching for Wind Waker. I asked Neko to help me search on Ebay and we manage to find a copy. It arrived at his place last week and I should be receiving it pretty soon. He manage to help me find a 3rd party Gamecube controller and the memory card as well. Pretty hard to find a Gamecube controller in stores nowadays (other than PlayAsia).

Last week I picked up Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP. It’s actually a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which didn’t see the light outside Japan back in those days. To sweeten the deal, Konami added the original (PC-Engine) Rondo of Blood along with Symphony of the Night. You get 3 games for the price of one. I will have my review on the game up later.

Lady luck was on my side last Monday. I went to catch Resident Evil Extinction (which is actually kinda erm .. lame?) with my girlfriend and I manage to find a copy of Resident Evil (Remake) for the Gamecube. I have been searching this ages, was going to get from Ebay if everything else fails.

I think I have enough games to keep me company for a long while, a long while.