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Recommended Reading: Video games and the issue of slavery
How Historical Games Integrate or Ignore Slavery Amanda Kerri, Rock Paper Shotgun Video games certainly don't claim to always offer a depiction of the "real world," but for those titles rooted in historical events, how the narrative addresses certain events is key. One of the issues those historical games have to wrestle with is how to address slavery. This piece from Rock Paper Shotgun takes a look at how games have integrated events or ignored them completely.
What's on your HDTV: 'Narcos,' 'Killjoys,' college football
This week the NFL preseason is wrapping up as the college football season begins, which also means the end of summer TV and the beginning of fall programming. Battlebots and Killjoys both have season finales this week, while You're the Worst, Narcos and Chef's Table: France all premiere. Meanwhile, a remastered version of Resident Evil 4 is coming to the PS4 and Xbox One while the Attack on Titan game debuts this week. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Charge through 'Resident Evil 4' yet again on August 30th
Capcom announced that Resident Evil 4 was getting re-released on modern consoles earlier this year, but now exactly when the best modern entry in the series will surface. And it's a little earlier than expected, too. Previously, all the publisher/developer revealed was an ambiguous "fall" timeframe. Now? You'll be able to experience one of gaming's best boss fights ever ("Del Lago," pictured above) on your PlayStation 4 and Xbox One come August 30th.
'Resident Evil 5' comes to PS4 and Xbox One on June 28th
Capcom's Resident Evil series set the standard for a generation of horror video games -- so it's no surprise that the company is celebrating the franchise's 20th anniversary by selling some of its greatest hits again. In reverse order. Starting with Resident Evil 6 back in March, Capcom has been counting backwards to the game that redefined the series: Resident Evil 4. That coveted release is still awhile out, but if you need a zombie fix right now, there are options. At the end of June, Resident Evil 5 will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The 'Resident Evil' 20th anniversary means more re-releases
Ready to re-buy Resident Evil 4 again? This time for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? Well, you'll be able to do that this year, but not before developer/publisher Capcom drops gussied-up versions of Resident Evil 6's hot garbage and the divisive Resident Evil 5 first. Come March 29th, the absolute mess that's better known as RE6 will hit the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live stores for $20, with RE 5's African adventure starting sometime this summer and the series' modern highpoint, RE 4, releasing this fall.
'Resident Evil 4' secretly adjusted its difficulty for you
Resident Evil 4 is one of the most beloved entries in the survival horror franchise, and the last game before the series moved towards a more bombastic, action-focused style. There are many reasons to love this Leon Kennedy adventure, but one that often goes unrecognised is its dynamic approach to difficulty. As Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown explains, Resident Evil 4 would subtly tweak your experience depending on how well you were playing. Enemies would deliver greater damage, for instance, and appear more aggressive if you were easily charging through each area, and some players have suggested that ammo drops would automatically decrease for your preferred weapons. All of this culminated in a game that naturally balanced challenge and progression -- you never felt completely safe or in control, but neither did you feel that tricky sections were impossible. As Brown notes, to Capcom's credit they've never confirmed the feature's existence -- all we have are anecdotes and corroborating gameplay footage from the fans.
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'The Evil Within' on PS4! (update: game over!)
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from new-gen consoles. Because games! They're fun!
Capcom releasing HD remakes of Resident Evil 4, Code Veronica on PS3 and Xbox 360
Capcom is celebrating the 15th anniversary of Resident Evil by upgrading a couple of the games to high definition. Resident Evil Code: Veronica X and Resident Evil 4 will be available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live this fall, as seen above in all their HD remastered glory. Our friends at Joystiq have a few more hi-res snaps in their gallery, given the slew of remade games in HD, and even 3D, how excited are you to play yesterday's games with a new coat of paint slapped on? Around here, we're more than ready to give Shadow of the Colossus another runthrough in a new format.
Capcom's titles go on sale for 99 cents
Good news everyone! Capcom's putting some of its iPhone titles on sale this weekend, so head on over to the App Store to pick up Resident Evil 4, 1942: First Strike, Mega Man II, Dark Void Zero, or a few of Capcom's other licensed games for just a penny short of a buck. Not all of the titles are on sale, so no luck with Street Fighter IV or Phoenix Wright, but there are some good options in there anyway. I'm especially excited for Mega Man II, since that was such a favorite of mine as a kid. It turns out that being patient on the App Store can save you a lot of money, and even bigger developers are learning that going cheap, if only for a limited time, can significantly raise apps in the rankings.
Capcom and Bioware disappointed in iPhone app performance
We've heard a lot of interesting things from big companies on the App Store -- some of them have released games and apps with not a lot of success compared to more high-profile indie groups, while some seem to have nailed down a little bit of profit from Apple's platform. Capcom is apparently finding itself in that first group -- the company's latest financial reports state that it is fairly disappointed in the performance of its App Store titles. Resident Evil 4 sales have "increased gradually," while even more anticipated apps like Street Fighter IV and Phoenix Wright have only "achieved their projected sales." Which may be good news, but it's not exactly a glowing result for Capcom's App Store efforts. Meanwhile, EA's partner Bioware is licking its wounds from its first iPhone effort. Greg Zeschuk says that Mass Effect on the iPhone "wasn't even a mistake as much as we took a guess, our guess was wrong, and we learned something in the process -- that the fundamental tactile gameplay is actually the key thing on the platform." He sounds really disappointed with sales -- he says that the company originally believed a strong story could keep players interested even through fairly generic gameplay, but it turns out that iPhone gamers are more interested in the experience than the text that backs it up (not hard to see -- look at Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, or any other huge iPhone games with barely any backstory at all). It's interesting to see big companies dealing with the App Store platform, and struggling to figure out how to implement iPhone apps. I think we'll see even more experimenting on this front from even major software studios.
UK TV presenter delivers 'chilling verdict' on violent games
Call it a hunch, but we're not convinced that UK television presenter, Anne Diamond, is an ideal choice to "review" games which she says make her "hair stand on end." Though she brushes off several titles which are "so mindless it would be hard to see them as a destructive influence," the ones with "gratuitous use of violence and bloodthirsty imagery" really draw her ire. Honestly, we'd be bitter too if we had copies of Dead Rising LODGED IN OUR SHOULDERS. In a response to Thursday's publication of a Dr. Tanya Byron-led review of video game violence, the UK's Daily Mail has delivered a one-two punch of sensationalist misinterpretation ("allowing children to play on computers unsupervised is as dangerous as letting them play outside on their own") and misguided scaremongering, offering the task of analyzing and rating already-rated violent video games to Diamond. Her "chilling" verdicts are all neatly assembled below a snap of kids playing the infinitely sinister Mario Kart 64. After glossing over Dead or Alive 4 (she wasn't keen on playing as "a martial artist in the fantasy Ninja-style mode"), she becomes truly horrified by a game that "wallows in violence for violence's sake." This dubious honor goes to Resident Evil 4 which, in case you forgot, is about "a cataclysmic chemical attack" spawning legions of zombies which "don't stop until you shoot them in the face or slash their arms off." "This game shouldn't be allowed to be sold, even adults," says a Diamond in the rush to pass judgment. After being "stabbed to death with pitchforks amid fountains of [her] own blood," she calls it quits and declares, "This kind of violence can only be bad for you." Well, that's what the healing herbs are for, Anne. [Thanks, Duncan]
Streaming HD video games demonstrated at IPTV World Forum
IPTV set-top box manufacturer Amino made a first recently, when it showed a live demo of G-Cluster streaming games played in high definition via its AmiNET130 STB. The G-Cluster service has been around in Japan for a while, it runs all the processing on a server, while the audio and video streams back to the user, but this is the first time its shown the technology used in HD. Resident Evil 4 and Sensible Soccer aren't quite as detailed as Call of Duty or Gears of War, but with enough bandwidth, it might not be long before we don't have to buy a disc or download a game at all.
Rumor: Resident Evil 4 to blame for no Capcom in Brawl
Before the deluge of Super Smash Bros. Brawl information following the Japanese release, we were still all hoping to see Mega Man, Leon Kennedy, or maybe even Ryu appear in the game's sizable roster. Now that the dust has cleared, with no Capcom characters in sight, the only question left to ask is: why?Kotaku has reportedly spoken with insider sources at Nintendo, who claim that the lost exclusivity of Resident Evil 4 caused Nintendo to reconsider the inclusion of Capcom characters in Brawl. RE4 was originally meant to be exclusive to the Gamecube, but concerns over sales led Capcom to release the title on PS2, and later on PC, with additional content.While Nintendo has the right to be peeved about the broken exclusivity agreement, the addition of Capcom's franchises to the Brawl lineup could have only benefited Nintendo, and created more hype for the title (if that's even possible). While we're a bit unsure whether to buy into this rumor, if true then we can only hope that Capcom and Nintendo kiss and make up in time to offer some new characters as downloadable content (hey, we can dream, can't we?).Update: Slight factual error corrected; Capcom announced the PS2 version prior to the release of the Gamecube version. [Thanks, 2bit]
Four48 crew takes on the world in Resident Evil 4 race
With three marathon gaming sessions neatly tucked under their belts, the Four48 crew are starting to get a little overzealous. Attempting to beat four Zelda games in forty-eight hours was a lofty enough goal -- but for their latest effort to raise cash for Child's Play, they're attempting to establish global domination by besting seven other teams in a race through Resident Evil 4.The first team to cross the finish line (via jet ski, if memory serves) nets themselves a copy of No More Heroes, along with bragging rights in the rapidly expanding competitive marathon gaming scene. As always, you can watch their live webstream to see if the Four48ers can back up their boasts -- that is, if you can stand ten straight hours of listening to the death rattles of Spanish pseudo-zombies.
Best of the Rest: Griffin's Picks of 2007
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)For a port of a two-year-old game, RE4: Wii Edition didn't have a whole lot going for it. It had the same extra features as the PS2 port of the game, not-so-updated graphics, and slightly lower reviews than its original iteration -- and yet, somehow, just by changing how the game is controlled, Capcom created an entirely new adventure. When the peculiar controls for the Wii were first announced, this is the type of interactivity that I imagined from the future games for the system -- responsive, accurate, and realistic. The only way they could have made the gunplay feel any more natural would have been to package the game with an actual gun, which you shot at the on-screen zombies. Once.
Best of 2007: Worst attempt at a cash-in
During 2007, lots of companies realized that the Wii was doing good. Perhaps, too good. So, they scrambled to make games that they could port or "enhance" for the Wii, or other games that were made to take advantage of the console's adopters who were new to gaming and thus susceptible to spending money on crap games the unique capabilities of the Wii's controls scheme, causing a slew of cash-ins on the console that didn't necessarily bring anything new to the Wii other than another game sitting on the shelf. So, let's look at those games and you tell us what the most shameless and useless game of the lot is.
Buy the 'last copies' of these cheap games at Best Buy
As one of those irritating "Black Friday" deals that gets desperate people outside at 4am, Best Buy will be offering four Wii games at a discounted price of $19.99 on Friday and Saturday. The selection includes enough of interest to make it worth leaving your family on Thanksgiving night to go camp out in front of an electronics store! If anything is.We won't speak for Rapala Tournament Fishing! or Brunswick Pro Bowling, although if you're going to buy those, you might as well do it at a reduced price. More likely to be cared about is Sonic and the Secret Rings, which might well be $20 worth of game. The best deal is Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, which, at $20, is about what you'd pay for a new copy of RE4 on the GameCube. If you don't see these on the shelves, just wait until a blueshirt comes by with the "last one" of the game you're looking for. [Via GoNintendo]
Resident 'Wii'-vil 4 ships a million units
Looks like the spit and polish Capcom put on Resident Evil 4 for the Wii paid off as the game has shipped one million units worldwide. It seems we're now able to say that the Wii version of RE4 brought the old game back from the bargain bin grave and gave it life once more at a consumer friendly $30 price.Capcom plans to keep showing that third party developers can cash in on the Wii with the launch of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles on Nov. 13 and We Love Golf early next year. It's worth noting that Capcom really has been the publisher to watch on new consoles. So far they've had numerous million sellers this generation like Dead Rising and Lost Planet -- well, at least outside of Japan.
Resident Evil called 'racist video game series'
An author on left-leaning AlterNet.org not only jumps on the controversy of Resident Evil 5's alleged racism, but calls it a "racist video game series." The article is such a mess that you really have to enjoy it for its absurdity. The piece starts by saying those who go to see the "blockbuster Resident Evil: Extinction" in the theaters may want to play the game, but those who do "will likely enter a world little-known beyond the expensive and expansive universe of gaming, a world increasingly populated with very dangerous depictions of nonwhites."The author only covers RE4 and RE5 in declaring the series racist. For RE4 he says its Spaniards have "stereotypical Mexican accents" and that RE5 "could be a training video for a white supremacist race war or another U.S. military adventure in one of the increasing numbers of deserts on the planet." Beyond the Resident Evil series there is a rehash of the Haitian controversy from GTA: Vice City -- although the author is way off in his timeline calling GTA: VC "this year's most popular video game." There's a lot more "racist" issues brought up, but the article really stands as great piece to highlight how even when you introduce diversity to gaming, it's not just the extreme exclusionists who get upset and don't understand why there are women, gays, non-whites in games, but the extreme inclusionists too. Although in the inclusionist's case they want a rosy picture painted of the non-majority group; however, that's boring for narrative, unrealistic and in the end racism really depends on context. There are more moderate views on race issues in video games and that really shouldn't be forgotten. The AlterNet article is just so weird in its "one step forward, two steps back" presentation, we can't help but share.[Via GamePolitics]
Lair dev laments hideous Wii games, blames budget issues
Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht sees potential in the Wii's graphical hardware, despite its technical inferiority to its competitor's consoles. Speaking to RevoGamers, Eggebrecht laments how Wii titles whose aesthetic is more geared toward "traditional, more photorealistic" visuals do not push the hardware. "There you really have to push it," he said, "and they're really not pushing it. Why not? Hmmm. I don't know, the hardware is very, very easy to understand."As for the reasons, Eggebrecht speculates it's a mixture of developer's laziness and a publisher's unwillingness to provide a large enough budget, both related to the Wii's image. Factor 5 has previously shown the GameCube hardware more than capable of gorgeous visuals with the Rogue Squadron series, and Capcom has also shown off technical prowess with Resident Evil 4.If more games show off the Wii's graphical capabilities and consumer expectations increase, perhaps developers and publishers might be more eager to step up their own visuals / budgets. Imagine the possibilities now that there's more memory (and duct tape!).As for returning to work with Nintendo, Eggebrecht showed willingness but revealed no plans. "We're honestly at this point thinking about several titles in development and we haven't settled quite yet on which platform or which platforms if one of them is," he said. "So might be PS3, might be Wii... we're totally open to that."[Via CVG]
