biohazard-begin(resident evil)

resident evil 5 UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:10:00 +0000

Capcom's been teasing us with the promise of Resident Evil 5 for quite some time. The highly anticipated follow-up first appeared on our radar in 2005 when it was initially announced. Since then there have been a few appearances and teases for the game, but nothing too meaty outside of trailers and the odd interview. We got a nice surprise at Capcom's recent press event in the form of a new trailer as well as a short look at the game in motion on the Xbox 360, and it has us intrigued.
Producers Jun Takeuchi and Masachika Kawata gave a short presentation that led into a new trailer that they freely admitted would merely raise more questions about what's going on in the game. Takeuchi ran through most of the high-level information that's out for the game. He noted that RE5 is set in Africa and follows Chris Redfield on an adventure that will lead him to discover the origins of the progenitor virus seen in RE: Code Veronica. The trailer was a montage of images and clips that offered a tiny hint at the game's scope and some of the additional locales that you'll reach. We saw ruins, some countryside, riots in the now-familiar village, brutal imagery of locals clashing, and Chris running from a mob. Other parts of the montage included sewers, dogs, fighting on rooftops, a factory explosion, Chris using various weapons, dealing with chainsaw-wielding foes, and a mysterious new female character who welcomes him to Africa. At the end of the trailer, Takeuchi noted that the game is roughly 60% complete and should wind up being more than 20 hours or so.
Once the trailer was over, Takeuchi sprung the surprise and fired up a work-in-progress version of the game on the Xbox 360 for Kawata to play through. The demo opened with Chris Redfield in a house fending off zombies (or whatever the heck they're calling them in this game) as they came in through the front door. From the look of things, the game is sticking pretty close to the core of RE4's combat systems. We saw Chris shoot, stab, and get off a context-sensitive kick on the horde of foes coming at him. As time passed, enemies started pouring down from the ceiling, which added a whole new dynamic to the action. As if all of that wasn't challenging enough, a massive, war-hammer-wielding foe punched a hole through the wall, showing off the new destructible environments and allowing more enemies in.
With the house compromised, Chris was sent running outside through the ruined streets with a mob of foes behind him, including his hammer-wielding friend. The open space offered some new defensive opportunities because Chris was able to ignite some conveniently placed drums, which flamed up nicely and dealt with the smaller enemies. Chris also switched weapons to his shotgun, which tore through groups of foes at close range. Of course, none of this mattered to the massive, hammer-wielding brute who continued to shamble after the hapless adventurer. We then saw Chris take to the rooftops to try to avoid enemies, who simply headed on up after him. The persistent bunch weathered Chris' grenades and weapon fire to keep on coming at him. When none of that worked, Chris nabbed a machine gun and an incendiary grenade and went up to a higher level on the roof to put them to good use. During his maneuvering, he was caught by an enemy and had to shake it off by moving the analog stick and matching a button prompt.
The remainder of the demo showed Chris making use of whatever he could in his surroundings to avoid or defeat his enemies. Takeuchi noted that the town is considerably larger than the one seen in RE4. In addition, he stated that the large enemy with the hammer was basically a one-hit foe (Kawata was using an invincibility cheat for the demo) that players will know to respect fairly quickly. Outside of the demo, Takeuchi didn't offer too much more insight into the game, noting only that more would be revealed at E3.
The work-in-progress 360 version of the game sported impressive graphics and was richly detailed to convey its African town setting. RE5 will run using the most current version of the framework engine that Capcom has been using. Although elements of the visuals were unsettling, they certainly kept with the disturbing theme. Lighting and the like were looking very sharp as the settlement reflected its environment. The detail on Chris is really well done, as are all of his foes and their twisted minions. In terms of audio, the game is sounding great, with everyone's moans fitting quite well.
Based on what we saw, Resident Evil 5 should continue the rejuvenation of the series, which got an impressive jump start with RE4. If the controls remain as solid as the previous incarnation but add some cool stuff, we'll be sold. We're also hoping that there's one heck of a story to be told, one that will hopefully explain the unsettling imagery. Resident Evil 5 is slated to ship during Capcom's fiscal year, which means that it's due at the end of this year or at the start of 2009. Look for more on the game at this year's E3.

The history of UMBRELLA

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:46:00 +0000

The history of UMBRELLA

1950s December 4
Ozwell E. Spencer, Edward Ashford and James Marcus create/discover the Progenitor Virus. Marcus starts research on the virus immediately.
1963-1967
Over the course of 4 years, a Mansion is built in the forest near Raccoon City, by famous New York Architect George Trevor.
1967 November 10
Trevor's wife and daughter, Jessica and Lisa are invited to the Spencer Estate by Spencer himself. They soon disappear after their arrival. They are both used as test subjects for the Progenitor Virus. Jessica dies, but Lisa lives, and becomes test subject for all of Umbrella's viruses over the course of 21 years.
1967 November 13
George Trevor arrives at the estate, and meets with his host. Spencer tells Trevor that his family went to the hospital to visit his aunt Emma, who had unexpectedly fallen ill. Both of them enjoy a banquet in the dining hall.
1967 November 14
Spencer takes Trevor on a tour around the estate and shows him his vast collection of art objects. Spencer says that he plans to found a pharmaceutical company called "Umbrella", and turn the mansion into a seaside resort for its employees. Lisa Trevor begins to feel the effects of the Progenitor Virus injected into her body four days earlier, and wonders where could her mother be, and if she escaped and left her behind.
1967 November 15
Lisa and her mother eat together. Lisa soon discovers that this is not her mother and feels "different inside". She peels off the woman's face like a mask, and wears it over her own.
1967 November 17
Lisa encounters a coffin, and wonders if her mother's body is inside. She unsuccessfully tries to open it, and tries to figure out why she can't do it.
1967 November 18
George Trevor starts to worry about his family, and is frustrated by the lack of telephones in the mansion. He discovers the entrance to a tunnel in the courtyard, and wonders about this oddity, which wasn't in his original design. Several men suddenly appear, and force Trevor to leave, telling him that he shouldn't wander around without company.
1967 November 20
Trevor wonders where the shotgun that his wife gave to Spencer for his birthday is. He finds a broken one in one of the rooms, but it isn't the same one. Trevor grows more and more concerned about his family, but when he tells Spencer that he wishes to see them, he (Spencer) only laughs and tells him that it is pointless to worry.
1967 November 21
Trevor packs his bags, and is taken to a reception room. While he waits for his host with one of the men that told him to leave the courtyard, he's suddenly injected with a substance that makes him faint, right after the man tells him that his family has died.
1967 November 24
Trevor is imprisoned in a room infested with ant-like creatures, where a man brings him food and tells him that that he's sorry to put Trevor through this, but he’s doing it for security reasons. Trevor remembers that he had designed an escape route out of this room, but wonders if this is merely Spencer's test of the mansion's secrets.
1967 November 26
Trevor looses his lighter, the one that Jessica had given to him for his birthday. He begins to recall when Spencer told him that his aunt was sick and that Jessica and Lisa had decided to visit her, as well as the moment when he was told that his family was dead.
1967 November 27
Trevor escapes from the room, but can't seem to find his way out of the mansion, and doesn't have time to look for the keys he needs.
1967 November 29
Trevor tries every possible way to escape, but realizes that he's trapped. He spots a high heeled shoe in one of the mansion's corridors, and realizes it belongs to his wife, Jessica. He refuses to believe that they shared the same fate as him, and prays for their safety.
1967 November 30
Trevor hasn't eaten in days and begins to feel dehydrated. He starts to regret designing the mansion in the first place, and muses that he should have known better.
1967 December 1
Trevor finds another dead end, and realizes that he's finally trapped for good. In the darkness, something catches his eye. Lighting the last match he has, he quickly comes to the conclusion that the object is actually a tombstone, with his name carved on it. There, Trevor starves to death, and prays for his wife and daughter's lives.
1950s-1968 March 23
Spencer announces to Edward Ashford and James Marcus that he plans to found a company. Marcus doesn’t show much interest in Spencer’s actions, and agrees with anything he wants to do, as long as he can continue his research on the Progenitor Virus.
1968
Umbrella Inc. is founded by Ozwell E. Spencer, Edward Ashford and James Marcus, as a cover up for their Bio Weapon research.
1968
Dr. Edward Ashford supposedly dies of natural causes as his son's research goes through a "difficult phase". The Ashford family name is tarnished and Spencer's influence inside the company grows rapidly.
1968-1970
Alexander Ashford builds a research facility in the South Pole, where he plans to work on the "Veronica" Project in order to revive the tarnished Ashford Family name. He also builds a mansion for himself, modeled after the Spencer Estate.
1971
Alexander discovers the human gene that regulates intelligence after many years of research. He then takes a sample of DNA from his ancestor Veronica, extracts this gene and implants it into the egg of a surrogate mother. Much to his surprise, twins are born from the process. He names them Alfred and Alexia Ashford. Alfred has above-average intelligence, but Alexia is a downright genius. Alexander considers her the literal reincarnation of his ancestor, Veronica.
Mid-1970s August 19
Umbrella Inc. rapidly grows and becomes an international corporation. Ozwell Spencer asks James Marcus to be the director of the new Training Facility, which is built eight miles away from Raccoon City, and is meant to train men and women from all over the world to become Umbrella employees.
1977? September 2
Albert Wesker and William Birkin are recruited by the Assistant Director of the Umbrella Training Facility to be trained as researchers.
1977? September 19
James Marcus creates a new virus by combining the Progenitor Virus with leech DNA. He calls it "T" for Tyrant and decides to keep it a secret from all the other researchers.
1977? September 25
The Assistant Director notes a friendship/rivalry relationship between Wesker and Birkin.
1977? October 7
Dr. Marcus tells the Assistant Director to encourage a rivalry between Wesker and Birkin. The A.D. wonders about the Doctor’s sudden interest in them.
1977? October 23
Marcus begins to think that only humans can be suitable as guinea pigs for his T-Virus Research.
1977? November 15
Dr. Marcus suspects that someone might know about his experiments and T-Virus research.
1978? January 13
Marcus finishes preparing his leeches for T-Virus experimentation.
1978? January 31
James finds out that someone has indeed been looking for the T-Virus and his leeches and assumes it must be the work of Spencer and his lackeys.
1978 February 3
The T-Virus is injected to 4 leeches by Marcus. Their will to survive leads them first to parasitism and predation, and they later begin to multiply. Marcus believes that their single-minded biology makes them attractive candidates for Biological Weapons.
1978 February 10
The leeches grow to double their former size after 7 days pass from the first T-Virus administration. The first signs of T-Virus transformation begin to appear. The leeches start showing cannibalistic behavior, so Marcus hurries to increase their food supply.
1978 February 11
Marcus again finds evidence of people looking for the T-Virus and his leeches. He decides to ask Wesker and Birkin to take care of his lab and research. Little does he know, they've been actually playing him all along in order to gain his trust, as well as some insight in his T-Virus research.
1978 March 7
Marcus continues his research on the leeches. They have ceased cannibalism, and are know working as a disciplined pack. Their evolution goes far beyond Marcus's expectations.
1978 April 22
Marcus's leeches begin to work and move together, and no longer exhibit individual behavior.
1978 April 30
Marcus begins to wonder if a human can be a suitable food source for the leeches.
1978 June 3
The leeches begin to mimic Marcus' actions, a day that he considers worthy of commemoration.
1978 June 3-July 29
Marcus is assassinated under Spencer's orders, which are carried out by Wesker and Birkin. They steal his research on the T-Virus, and claim it their own. Marcus's body is dumped in the sewers under the Training Facility, but the Queen Leech he was researching at the time he was shot enters his body, and the T-Virus it carries starts to mutate Marcus's cellular composition.
1978 July 29
The Training Facility is closed. Wesker and Birkin are appointed as chief researchers in the Arklay Laboratories, which are located under the Spencer Mansion. They also bring the T-Virus research with them, and announce to the other researchers that Birkin was the man behind the creation of the T-Virus, presumably with the assitance of Wesker.
1978 July 31
Wesker and Birkin visit the Arklay Labs for the first time. As soon as they arrive, they ignore the Laboratory Manager and proceed to the main lab. Finally, they are taken to a room where they meet the “Woman”, a female test subject that has been experimented on for 11 years, since her first viral injection on November 10, 1967. Little do they know, this creature is actually Lisa Trevor, daughter of the architect that designed the Mansion.
1981 July 27
10 year old Alexia Ashford is appointed as chief researcher in the South Pole Laboratory.
1981 July 27-1983 December 31
Wesker becomes irritated, since his subordinates do nothing but talk about Alexia every time their research comes to a standstill. Birkin, on the other hand, begins to behave erratically and develops instense negative feelings towards Alexia. Wesker tries unsuccessfully to pull him back to his senses, since their research is not yielding any results because of his behavior.
The T-Virus becomes stable enough to create living biological weapons, better known as zombies, by simply infecting a person with it. However, Wesker soon realizes that the T-Virus isn't powerful enough to infect 100% of the people that are exposed to it. 10% of the test subjects would not become infected, no matter how hard the researchers tried to change this. Spencer starts to provide more funds for the research, and asks the researchers to create a variant of the T-Virus that can infect and wipe out 100% of the people exposed to it. Wesker starts to ask himself why Spencer would want them to create such a thing, since it is starting to become very expensive.
Birkin is able to create another type of Living Biological Weapon, one which relies on its ability to fight, rather than infect. It is designed to kill all the people that wouldn't become infected in the case of a T-Virus outbreak, as well as individuals who wore "Haz-Mat" suits. It is later called the Hunter, and is created by infecting a person's DNA with the T-Virus, and later combining it with the DNA of another reptilian creature. However, the experiments have to be suspended temporarily, in order to protect the test subjects from Birkin, who is carrying out rushed experiments one after another at an incredible pace, with unsuccessful results. Wesker believes that Birkin's behavior is a product of his intense anger towards Alexia, which was founded on the fact that Birkin believed that no one could ever outmatch his abilities, something that Alexia had unknowingly done when she was appointed as chief researcher at the South Pole Laboratory at the mere age of ten.
Wesker, on the other hand, notices that the “Woman”, the female test subject that had been experimented on for years, continues to survive through all of Birkin's experiments, unlike any other test subjects.
1983 January 30
Alfred Ashford discovers a secret room in Umbrella's Antarctic Facility where the Ashford family secrets are kept. In order to enter the room, he needs to obtain his father's family gem, which must be used in conjunction with his gem and his sister's.
1983 February 17
Alfred finally gains entrance to the secret room, where he discovers his father's research notes, and learns the truth about his and Alexia's birth.
1983 March 3
Alfred and Alexia start to experiment on their hated father with a new virus developed by Alexia, which was created by combining the Progenitor Virus with an ancient virus that she discovered in a queen ant's DNA. They also take care that the family butler doesn't find out the truth.
1983 March 3-April 22
Alexander mutates into a hideous monster, and gains the ability to produce a toxic gas, which the blue herb has no effect on. Alexia develops an antidote for the gas, and keeps it in case her father escapes. She soon realizes the great potential of her virus, and decides to name it the T-Veronica Virus.
1983 April 22
The twins chain their mindless father in a cell under the Antarctic Facility, after they realize that their experiment turned into a complete failure. Alexia finds out the reason why the experiment failed and starts to conduct experiments on her own body.
1983
Alexia injects herself with the T-Veronica Virus, and freezes her body in a capsule for 15 years, after coming up with a cover-up story for her dissapearance.
1983 December 31
The researchers at Arklay hear that Alexia has died while conducting experiments at the South Pole Facility. Wesker, however, hears a rumor about Alexia injecting the T-Veronica Virus in her body, and faking her own death. He starts to look for the truth behind this story. Birkin, on the other hand, starts to behave normally again after hearing about Alexia’s alleged death, and opposes Wesker when he tries to get a sample of the T-Veronica Virus.
1986?
William Birkin marries another researcher from Arklay, Annette (last name unknown). She then gives birth to Sherry Birkin.
1988 July 1-December 31
Wesker, Birkin and the other researchers decide that it's time to create a third generation living biological weapon: a super soldier created with the T-Virus, intelligent enough to obey programmed orders. They decide to call it the Tyrant, and begin working on it immediately. However, their research soon hits a standstill: due to the nature of the T-Virus, the researchers are able to create zombies and Hunters out of virtually any human, however, because of the T-Virus' tendency to make the number of the carrier's brain cells decline, only one person infected with the T-Virus in ten million becomes a Tyrant, while the rest become zombies. Wesker starts to feel frustrated by this, until he hears a rumor that a lab in France was able to develop a third generation of living biological weapons, using a slightly different approach: instead of infecting a person's body and brain at the same time with the T-Virus, they created a highly intelligent parasitic life form, which was unable to do anything on its own, until it entered a test subject's brain and took control of it. Then, the subject's DNA composition would immediately start to mutate. The final product was a highly intelligent Tyrant, which would obey orders and was able to operate human weaponry; that was Nemesis.
Immediately after hearing this, Wesker hurries to get a Nemesis Parasite sample, but Birkin strongly opposes him. Wesker manages to persuade him, nevertheless, and that same night, a helicopter arrives at the lab with the samples. Not much time goes by, however, before Wesker finds a problem with the Nemesis: the parasite immediately kills the host after 5 minutes of entering its brain. Wesker and the other researchers can't seem to figure what causes this problem, so they decide to administrate the parasite to the "Woman". Much to their surprise, the parasite vanishes after entering her brain, and no signs of physical mutation are noticeable. However, Birkin soon notices that something inside of her has indeed changed, and carries out full-bodyexams. The discovery of the G-Virus soon follows.
1991
Wesker leaves Arklay, as well as his position as chief researcher, and founds the S.T.A.R.S. Raccoon City Branch.
Early-to-mid 1990s
Birkin moves his G-Virus research to a huge underground complex underneath Raccoon City, after the G-Virus Project gets Spencer’s approval.
1995 July 31
Wesker visits Arklay and reunites with Birkin. The "Woman" is supposedly disposed of by the researchers, after exhibiting strange behavior, and killing three scientists. Her body is taken somewhere else three days later as per laboratory orders.
1980-1998 May 11
James Marcus rises from the dead after his DNA has been mutated enough by the Queen Leech, and vows revenge against Umbrella. This oath would later become the cause, of the Resident Evil.

Resident Evil

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:07:00 +0000

Resident Evil (known in Japan as Biohazard (バイオハザード, Baiohazādo?)) is a media franchise consisting of a survival horror video games series, comic books, novelizations, three Hollywood motion pictures, and a variety of collectibles, including action figures, strategy guides and publications. Developed by Capcom and created by Shinji Mikami, the game series has been influenced by George A. Romero's Dead movies. The games have sold over 30 million copies as of February 2006.As of 2007, the series consists of thirteen games.

Game history
The original Resident Evil made its debut in the U.S. on the Sony Playstation. It was both a critical and commercial success[citation needed], leading to the production of two immediate sequels, Resident Evil 2 in 1998 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999, both also for the PlayStation. A port of Resident Evil was released for the Sega Saturn and a port of Resident Evil 2 was released for the Nintendo 64. In addition, ports of all three were released for Windows. The fourth game in the series, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, was developed for the Sega Dreamcast and released in 2000 (followed by ports of 2 and 3). Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube versions were later produced in the form of an updated version entitled Code: Veronica X.
Despite earlier announcements that the next game in the series would be released for the PlayStation 2 (which resulted in the creation of an unrelated game titled Devil May Cry) series' creator and producer Shinji Mikami decided to make the series exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube[citation needed]. The next three games in the series: a remake of the original Resident Evil, the prequel Resident Evil Zero (originally planned as a Nintendo 64 game) and Resident Evil 4, were exclusive to the GameCube.
In addition, the console received ports of the previous Resident Evil sequels as they originally appeared on the PlayStation and Dreamcast. The remake and Resident Evil Zero were both released in 2002. Despite this exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo, Capcom released several titles for the PS2 that were not part of the main storyline. Eventually, Capcom released the GameCube version of Resident Evil 4 in 2005. A PlayStation 2 version was later announced, which launched later the same year with additional supplemental features. A Windows port was released in May 2007, while a Wii version with the PS2 port's extra features and motion sensitive controls was released on June 19th, 2007.
A trilogy of GunCon-compatible light gun games known as the Survivor series was released. The trilogy consists of Resident Evil Survivor (2000, PlayStation/PC), Resident Evil: Survivor 2 Code: Veronica (2001, Arcade/PlayStation 2) and Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003, PlayStation 2). It is worth noting that Dead Aim is actually the fourth Gun Survivor game in Japan, with Gun Survivor 3 being the Dino Crisis spinoff Dino Stalker. In addition, the North American release of Resident Evil Survivor Gun Survivor games have launched with poor to mediocre reviews that became increasingly better with each installment.
Resident Evil Outbreak is an online game for the PlayStation 2 released in 2004 depicting a series of episodic storylines in Raccoon City set during the same time period as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It was followed by a single sequel, Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2.
Resident Evil Gaiden is an action-adventure game for the Game Boy Color featuring an RPG-style combat system. It was developed by now-defunct British-based M4 Limited. Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton feature in the game, and it is notable for its cliffhanger ending that has not yet been explored in later games. There have also been several downloadable mobile games based on the Resident Evil series in Japan. Some of these mobile games have been released in North America and Europe through Capcom Mobile.

In other media
In addition to video games, the plot of Resident Evil has also been adapted into officially licensed materials such as films, comic books, and novels

Films
There are currently three Resident Evil films, written by Paul W. S. Anderson. Though acclaimed horror film director George A. Romero was hired to write a script for the latest film, it was ultimately rejected in favor of one penned by Anderson.As Romero's script was a close, but not full, adaptation of the game, Capcom believed fans would feel that the movie had been altered too much from the game, and that newcomers would dislike the premise. Sony released a revised synopsis that referred to Extinction as "the third and final installment" of the Resident Evil film series. The movies were mostly panned by critics,but reaction from fans was mixed. Some praised the movie for bringing the series to a mainstream audience,[ while others criticized the fact that it was not a complete adaptation of the Resident Evil games.
Despite the criticism, the films have been financially successful enough to encourage the approval of a trilogy. Released films are as follows:
Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Apart from Sony releasing it's Resident Evil films, Capcom has also created several Biohazard films:
Biohazard 4D Executer (2000)
Biohazard: Degeneration (2008)

Novels

Cover of The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the first game
The earliest Resident Evil novel was a novella titled Biohazard: The Beginning by Hiroyuki Ariga. It was published in 1997 as a portion of the book The True Story of Biohazard , which was given away as a pre-order bonus with the Saturn version of Biohazard and was not sold in stores. The story serves as a prelude to the events of the original Resident Evil, in which Chris investigates the disappearance of a missing friend.
Author S.D. Perry has written novelizations of the first five games, as well as two original novels taking place between games. The Perry series is: The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the first game; Caliban Cove, an original novel set after the first game; City of the Dead, a novelization of Resident Evil 2; Underworld, another original novel set after Resident Evil 2; Nemesis; Code: Veronica; and Zero Hour. The novels often took liberties with the plot of the games, either by giving names to unnamed characters in the game or exploring events occurring outside and beyond the games[citation needed]. This often meant that the games would later contradict the novels by taking the story in a different direction[citation needed]. One notable addition from the novels is the character of Trent, who often served as a mysterious behind-the-scenes string-puller who aided the main characters. Perry's novels were translated and released in Japan with new cover arts by Wolfina. Interestingly enough, Perry's novels stated that Brian Irons was attempting to run for mayor, which was something mentioned in Biohazard: The Beginning
There was also a trilogy of original Biohazard novels in Japan. Hokkai no Yôjû (北海の妖獣, Hokkai no Yôjû? lit. "The Beast of the Northern Seas") was published in 1998 and was written by Kyu Asakura and the staff of Flagship. Two additional novels were published in 2002, To the Liberty by Suien Kimura and Rose Blank by Tadashi Aizawa. While no official English translation of these novels has been published yet, the last two books were translated into German and published in 2006.
Novelizations of the three films, titled Genesis, Apocalypse, and Extinction were written by Keith R.A. DeCandido. Extinction, the novel, was released in late July of 2007, several months before the film's release. There was also a Japanese novelization of the first film, unrelated to DeCandido's version, written by Osamu Makino.

Comics
In 1998 Wildstorm began publication of a monthly comic book series based on the first two games titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Magazine, which lasted five issues. Each issue was a compilation of short stories that were both adaptations of events from the games (alluded and depicted), as well as related side-stories. Like the Perry novels, the comics also explored events occurring beyond Resident Evil 2 (the latest game during the series' publication) and thus were contradicted by later games. Wildstorm also published a four-issue mini-series titled Resident Evil: Fire & Ice, which depicted the ordeal of Charlie Team, a third S.T.A.R.S. team appearing only in the comic.
There has also been a few officially licensed (as well as unlicensed) Biohazard manhua series published in Hong Kong. One of these comics, an adaptation of Code: Veronica by Lee Chung Hing, was translated into English and published by Wildstorm.

Merchandise
Over the years, various toy companies have acquired the Resident Evil license and each producing their own unique line of Resident Evil action figures or models. These include, but not limited to, Toy Biz, Palisade Toys and Moby Dick (in Japan only). NECA currently holds the license. Originally the company was only producing figures based on Resident Evil 4, but extended the line to include characters from previous installments. Tokyo Marui also produced replicas of the guns used in the Resident Evil series in the form of gas blow-back BB guns. Some models included the S.T.A.R.S. Beretta featured in Resident Evil 3, and the Umbrella Desert Eagle in a limited edition that came with other memorabilia in a wooden case, along with the Gold Lugers from Code: VERONICA "Samurai Edge" from the Gamecube Resident Evil remake. Other merchandise includes energy drinks called "T-Virus Cure".

Devil wins converts to Capcom's cause

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:03:00 +0000

Devil wins converts to Capcom's cause
Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles attract huge crowds to publisher's elaborate booth; Wii golf also on hand.
TOKYO--Capcom's booth at TGS this year was all about three games, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, and We Love Golf!, and those three games took up the most real estate at the company's large booth.
Devil May Cry 4 took up the most space, with an entire corner of the booth dedicated to stations that demoed Nero and Dante's latest adventures. There were a dozen PlayStation 3s and Xbox 360s for the public, and a large-screen television continually looped the latest trailers and gameplay footage. As you can expect, the lineup to get a try was quite long--and for the fanboys, the queue lengths looked similar for both the 360 and PS3 versions of the game.
Another game to receive a long line was the Wii's Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. The facade of this area was made to look like a ruined building, and by 10:20am there was a 60-minute wait to play on one of the seven demo units that featured the game. The upcoming We Love Golf--a Wii golf simulator--had 16 Wiis that demoed the title, all of which were placed under some green carpet to simulate grass. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbados' Treasure also had a themed play area, and featured a large, green animal statue at its front entrance.
Capcom also displayed several smaller games it was distributing in Japan, including Moto GP 07, Arcana Heart, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, which it publishes in Japan. Staffers were making sure that anyone who wanted to play GTA was 19 and over, but hardly anyone was lined up to play Rockstar's popular title.

Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:23:00 +0000

Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service
Main article: Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service

The Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, or UBCS, is introduced in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. In that game, numerous squads of UBCS soldiers are deployed to Raccoon City, supposedly to search for survivors and to help contain the zombie epidemic. In fact, they were deployed so that Umbrella could gain reliable field-combat data regarding their biological weapons—a fact known only to their supervisors. One of their number, Carlos Oliveira, is a main character in the game. UBCS members are also depicted in the Resident Evil Outbreak games.
According to files in Resident Evil 3, the UBCS is composed of "nightmen", mostly former mercenaries and war criminals, recruited by Umbrella and trained to deal with "problems caused by illegal products." Their uniform consists of tactical vests, green shirts and tan or creme-colored slacks. They are usually armed with M4 Carbines.

The UT unit
The game Resident Evil: Survivor includes a special force of shock troopers known as the Umbrella TrashSweepers, also known as the UnderTakers or Cleaners. Cleaners appear to have uniforms similar to those of Umbrella's Special Forces Unit, with kevlar vests, gas masks, and gray BDUs; however, they are clearly inhuman. They have unnaturally long arms, they are incapable of speech, and when they are killed, they dissolve into green ichor. According to the game, their role is to destroy all evidence of a viral outbreak, including survivors. The Brady strategy guide describes them as "robotic special forces troops" which dissolve when destroyed so as not to leave evidence of their existence.

The Umbrella Corporation Products

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:09:00 +0000

The Umbrella Corporation Products

In the video game, a contributing factor to Umbrella's success is their non-lethal commercial products. Such products include

Adravil:

An apparently ibuprofen-based analgesic. May be an analogy of the real drug Advil.
Safsprin:

Another of Umbrella's three main public products. Aspirin based, it can be used as treatment for various common, daily illnesses.
Uspirim:

Another Umbrella Aspirin-based product, introduced in Alyssa Ashcroft's good ending in Resident Evil: Outbreak.
Prospirm:

A Product Manufactured by Umbrella as an anti depressant.
Aqua Cure:

Umbrella's crowning public achievement, Aqua Cure is an ointment used on open wounds that made the company famous worldwide. It is considered to be Umbrella's primary public product and is very effective. Most likely, the recurring First Aid Spray item that appears throughout the series is a derivative of this. It is assumed that the T-Virus is used on this product to reaccommodate the damaged cells, though no side-effect has been shown from this product.
Valifin:

A non-canon medication mentioned in the novelization Resident Evil: Zero Hour by S.D. Perry, Valifin is a pediatric heart medication that has a side-effect of renal failure.
First Aid Spray:

Another product of the Umbrella corporation, it is a highly useful first aid spray for cuts and wounds, that the Umbrella Corp. researched and developed.
Computers:

In many Resident Evils are Umbrella computers, varying from office to home computers.

Hundreds of other products ranging from computer software to weapons to drinks and foods to botany products to medical and cosmetics products, have been released to the public from the Umbrella Corp.

Resident Evil scares up CG film

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:20:00 +0000

Resident Evil scares up CG film
Capcom and Sony Pictures coproducing animated film to tell a new story from the zombie-ridden franchise; release set for 2008.

Game publisher Capcom and movie maker Sony Pictures Entertainment have teamed up to produce three live-action films based on the Resident Evil games, each more successful than the last at the US box office. The pair today announced that they are teaming up once again, this time on a full-length, computer-animated Resident Evil feature.
The film will be titled Biohazard: Degeneration (Biohazard is the Japanese name of the Resident Evil series), and will introduce a new storyline within the series' universe. Beyond that, the only detail available about the feature is that it will be released next year.
The companies didn't specify if that release will be theatrical or straight-to-DVD, although game-based CG films have taken both routes in the past. In 2001, Square Enix released Final Fantasy: Spirits Within in US theaters, and then announced its retreat from the movie business after it failed to live up to expectations. Last year it returned to the world of game-based CG films with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which was released straight-to-DVD, but received a much warmer reception than its theatrical cousin.
Capcom has a number of film projects currently in the works. The company is collaborating with Hyde Park Entertainment on a new Street Fighter movie featuring Chun Li as the central character. The film rights to Onimusha and Devil May Cry have also been sold by the company.

Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code: Veronica

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 05:50:00 +0000

Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code: Veronica

See the first screens from the PlayStation 2 version of Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code: Veronica.

Resident Evil Survivor 2: Code Veronica was unveiled in October by Capcom's European division, Capcom Eurosoft, and today the company released the first screenshots from the PlayStation 2 version of the game. The game follows the story of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, but from a first-person view and in the shooter genre. In the game, players assume control of either Claire Redfield or Steve Burnside in two distinct gameplay modes: dungeon and arcade. Both modes offer light-gun support, including the GunCon 2 from Namco, although the game can be played using the standard Dual Shock 2 controller as well.
In arcade mode, the aim is simply to escape from Rockfort Island. The route is split into several stages, with completion of each sector dependent on finding a key and defeating the boss character lurking in the area. In addition to the bosses, players must face an assortment of mutants, ranging from zombies to the deadly Bandersnatch and Nemesis. If players find things too tricky, the arcade mode also offers assistance via the partner system. This allows players to team up with a computer-controlled character to provide cover. If players choose to play as Claire, for example, their partner will be Steve.
Without the assistance of a partner, the dungeon mode pits players against successive waves of enemies, comparable to a survival mode. Completion of a mission is once again determined by defeating a boss, but the more zombies and mutants defeated, the greater the overall mission score. Time is also crucial in this mode, because each time an enemy is defeated, a combo gauge appears and the player must defeat another enemy before the gauge runs out to receive an additional combo score. If players are quick enough and accurate enough, then the combo will keep multiplying, resulting in bigger scores. In this mode, the player's character can select three weapons to take on the quest. Some weapons can be used by both Claire and Steve, while others such as the magnum and the grenade launcher are restricted to an individual character.

Resident Evil Outbreak #file 2#

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:59:00 +0000

Resident Evil Outbreak #file 2#

Roughly a year ago, Capcom delivered its first attempt at bringing the Resident Evil series online with the flawed but mostly playable Resident Evil Outbreak. Now it's back with more of the same in the aptly titled Outbreak File #2, which is essentially a full-priced expansion pack for the original game that has new scenarios, some minor mechanical improvements, and not much else. Outbreak was an interesting experiment a year ago, but since we've now seen the Resident Evil series finally move on with its incredible fourth installment, dealing with the archaic gameplay conventions of File #2 today feels a little like taking a step backward.

That's not to say File #2 is worse than the original Outbreak. If anything, you could call it more of the same. The premise is certainly familiar: Eight citizens of Raccoon City have survived the zombie outbreak and must work together through a series of dire, unrelated situations to defeat the walking undead and make their way to safety. They come from all walks of life. For instance, there's the token police officer, Kevin, who starts each mission equipped with a handgun; Yoko, the hapless student whose backpack affords her double the inventory space; Mark, the burly security guard who's good with melee weapons; and Alyssa, the newspaper reporter who's handy with a lock pick. Each of the eight characters is different enough that who you play and who you take with you into a scenario makes a significant difference.

File #2 plays identically to the first Outbreak, which is to say it plays pretty much like every Resident Evil ever made (except for RE4). You'll move through each dilapidated environment looking for weapons and health power-ups to keep you alive, while searching for items and clues that will help you solve puzzles and escape all the madness. The classic Resident Evil gameplay has always been methodically paced, with a lot of swapping items around in your inventory and readying yourself to take a shot at encroaching undead threats. Like its predecessor, File #2 feels like a mix between an adventure game and an action game, since you're still required to muck around in your inventory, as well as read lengthy files left behind by survivors, all while the menacing creatures of Raccoon City are still stalking you.
A game like Outbreak File #2 demands that you consider everything about the environment and the clues and items you've picked up as you figure out how to solve puzzles and proceed. So it's vexing that the action keeps running in the background while you're trying to combine herbs or study the map for a door you may have missed. It's obvious why this is necessary in the online portion, because it wouldn't be much fun if you had to wait every time someone wanted to reload a pistol. But it would be nice if the offline mode let you off the hook a little, allowing you more freedom to explore and puzzle on your own without having to rely on occasionally incompetent artificial intelligence-controlled allies.
Outbreak was presumably designed from the get-go as a multiplayer experience, and in light of that, its biggest flaw was the difficulty of communicating with the people you were playing with. Unfortunately, Capcom hasn't done much in the last year to alleviate this problem. File #2 again requires you to talk to your teammates primarily through an assortment of canned phrases that cover the most basic areas, like help, go, and thank you. At least this time around, you can tell people you're sorry or announce the name of the room you're currently in. While this style of communiation is at least somewhat unique, it's just not a better alternative to the headset or keyboard support you're probably used to having in most other online games.
At least the scenarios on offer in File #2 are reasonably imaginative, taking you from familiar locations like the Raccoon City Police Department and the zoo (wait until you see what lurks there) to a creepy old hospital out in the woods. As in the first Outbreak, there are multiple ways to get through each mission, depending on the difficulty level and which characters you're using, and since you gain points to unlock movies, alternate costumes, and so on by performing well, diehard fans will find some reasons to go back and play each mission more than once. The designers have granted you a couple of new tricks to help you survive, too. It's now possible to move while shooting, which can come in handy when you need to back away from a rapidly approaching monster. You can also pick up items while you're near death and crawling on the ground. If you've played the original, you know that once you're down on the ground, finding a much-needed health boost is the only thing that will bring you back from the brink. These slight additions are nice to have, but they don't make up for the fact that the gameplay is just too clunky when compared to more-contemporary fare.

At least File #2 is quite nice-looking, just like its predecessor. The eight characters are realistically modeled and animated, if you can get around their peculiar resemblance to certain Hollywood stars. More importantly, the real-time environments are highly varied and feature more random detail than you'd expect to see in current-generation games. Most of each scenario's locations are entirely different--no two rooms look the same--and you'll see tons of little set pieces, like cluttered desks and monstrous plants, all over the place to bring the levels to life. All this detail comes at a price, though. The load times aren't painfully long, but they're frequent enough that they can get annoying after a while. Luckily, you'll again be able to install the game to the PlayStation 2 hard drive, if you own it, which will reduce load times considerably.
A year later, File #2 is so similar to the first Outbreak that only those who really enjoyed that game will find a lot to like in its sequel. The basic concept is firm, but the execution is again too awkward for the typical action adventure fan to get into without a hassle. It would have been nice if Capcom had done more to smooth the flow of the gameplay, especially in light of Resident Evil 4's smashing success, but we'll just have to wait until the next time around for that.

Capcom announces Resident Evil: Gun Survivor 4

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:46:00 +0000

Capcom announces Resident Evil: Gun Survivor 4

Capcom brings its survival-horror-themed light-gun game back to the Resident Evil side of things.

Capcom has announced plans to develop Biohazard: Gun Survivor 4 for the PlayStation 2. This latest game in the series follows games like Dino Stalker and the quite terrible Resident Evil: Survivor and will attempt to combine survival horror with light-gun shooting.
The game is scheduled to release in Japan next year. No plans for a US release have been announced at this time.

Capcom's Resident Evil: Survivor series was first conceived as an opportunity to branch out from the Resident Evil storyline and gameplay mechanics, placing an emphasis on action as opposed to the puzzle-solving elements in the adventure-oriented originals. Indeed, Capcom even went so far as to change the perspective and gameplay to resemble something that you might find in a light-gun game like Sega's The House of the Dead--except the Survivor games didn't force you to move in any particular direction, instead allowing you to freely explore the games' environments and avoid enemy confrontations when necessary. The latest game in the series, Resident Evil: Dead Aim, has many of the same features and mechanics as its predecessors, but interestingly, Capcom has made some changes to make the game feel more like some of the classic Resident Evil titles, the most notable of which is the addition of the third-person perspective.

Capcom shows off

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 14:11:00 +0000

Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles Updated Hands-On
Capcom shows off its Wii shooter set throughout the Resident Evil universe.

We had the chance to get another look at Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii at Capcom's recent London press event. The rail shooter is set throughout the Resident Evil franchise, allowing you to take control of most of the key figures in the early parts of the series. The updated version on display at the event let us try one of two chapters, train derailment or mansion incident (taken from RE0 and the original RE, for those keeping score at home). In addition, it was possible to play two levels as Wesker, a big player in the game's unique story.

The levels all followed the same basic flow of mixing cutscenes and gameplay to tell its story. Control in the game was basically solid, giving players the choice to use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk or the Zapper peripheral, which was what Capcom had set up at all the kiosks. The basic rail-shooting mechanic worked fine and enhances the linear experience by giving you limited camera control as well as the ability to pick up items if you're quick to press A. When facing off against enemies the control scheme broadens up a bit over the standard point-and-shoot mechanic. While the game handles pretty well, we're not entirely pleased with the overall responsiveness of the crosshair. Thankfully, the version of the game on display was still a work in progress.
The visuals in the game are looking solid and on par with Capcom's recent RE offering on the Wii. The enemy character models, zombie, Dobermans, and assorted abominations that have popped up over the course of the series all looked suitably menacing. The playable characters that you have the option to control in the levels look equally sharp in the cutscenes, which help move the story along. The environments were also impressive to behold, thanks to a good amount of detail and special effects such as lighting and weather. The graphics are complemented by a solid audio suite of ambient effects and voice work that helps set the creepy atmosphere and move the story along with some flair.

Based on what we played, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles is still promising, thanks to the RE franchise's rich lore. The visuals are looking good and the audio sets a good atmosphere. Our only gripe is that the game's targeting and overall responsiveness still seem a bit off. Hopefully this is tweakable in the game's settings. Fans of the RE series, or Wii Zapper owners looking for titles to use their peripherals with, will want to keep an eye out for the game when it ships.

TGS '07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles Hands-On

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:53:00 +0000

TGS '07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles Hands-On
Zombies to the left of me, dogs to my right, here we are, stuck in the middle with Capcom as it gets ready to launch its Resident Evil shooter for the Wii.

Resident Evil is hardly a languishing franchise. After all, the series has been around in various incarnations longer than some gamers can claim to have been playing games at all. Current-generation console hardware has opened new technical doors, and the advent of better, cheaper accelerometer technology such as that found in Nintendo's Wii Remote has allowed Capcom to take the series from its survival horror roots to a first-person shooter.
The process to even get hands-on time with the upcoming game on the opening day of TGS is a story in itself. Two waiting lines formed outside the booth, with one offering players a chance to try the game with the Wii Remote controller, and the other to play using the Wii Zapper housing, which turns a standard Wii Remote into a machine gun. We opted for the latter because we suspect that you'll want to play the game that way.
Our time with the game took place on a train-carriage level, and as you'd expect, it was crawling with the undead, zombie dogs, and bugs--no real surprises there. What was a bit different was that rather than shooting power-ups and ammunition dotted around the screen as you would with a game such as, say, Virtua Cop, you'll need to press the Z button to add those items to your inventory. Our demo arsenal included a pistol with an infinite number of rounds, as well as a shotgun, which was great for multiple target kills in one burst. The arsenal also included a submachine gun, which we were forced to use sparingly because ammo was extremely limited.
The Wii Remote's control system is easy to use, and relies mostly on the trigger to get the job done. You'll still need the Nunchuk buttons to switch weapons and pick things up as you go, but the analog stick served only to lean as we moved, not to change the direction of the camera.
Capcom has included a coloured targeting system around the reticle to let you know how much damage you can expect your shots to do. Headshots are the best way to dispatch your enemies while conserving ammunition, and a well-placed shot can do wonders. Umbrella Chronicles also offers helpful guides, and if you're a bit slow off the mark with your aiming, the sticky targeting will help get your shot where it needs to go.
Shooter fans and Resident Evil buffs have plenty to anticipate, with the title already showing healthy signs that it will remain true to the Resident Evil storyline while adding a new type of gameplay dynamic. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is set to shoot its way to the Wii this holiday season.

GC '07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles Hands-On

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:30:00 +0000

GC '07: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles Hands-On
When it's raining zombies, it's always good to be carrying an umbrella.

It was a bit of a surprise when Capcom brought the hugely successful Resident Evil series to Nintendo's GameCube, which, for better or worse, had become known as a family-friendly system. Now that the Wii has become hugely successful across all demographics, it's no shock at all that Resident Evil is headed to the Wii in the form of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. We've seen the game not once, but twice before, and at the Leipzig Games Convention we got a third taste of the game in the form of a new playable level.
For the uninitiated, Umbrella Chronicles is an on-rails shooter that takes place in locations from previous Resident Evil games. The game can be played with a Nunchuk in the left hand and Wii Remote in the right, but it's best played with the plastic gun peripheral. This molded piece of plastic holds the remote in the gun barrel and the Nunchuk where the handle is.
Sure, this solution sounds absurdly simple, but it works quite well and you have a surprising amount of control at your fingertips. You aim by moving the gun, fire with the trigger, pick up items with the C button, change weapons with the D pad, and reload by shaking the gun for a second. Because the game is on rails you have no control over your character's movements, but you can look around a bit with the analog stick.
The new level we got to play took place on a train and should be familiar to anyone who played Resident Evil Zero. Playing as Bill we slowly made our way through an old train car... and then the zombies attacked. Using a handgun we fended off the hordes of undead, quickly adjusting to the controls and aiming accurately. It's helpful that your aiming reticle glows when it's over a zombie's weak point. Not only does this allow you to dispatch them faster, but it also saves ammo. Your handgun actually has unlimited ammo, but other weapons such as the machine gun and shotgun have limited ammunition, so you'll want to make every shot count. Not all of your weapons fire bullets--you can use a knife to fend off enemies that have attached themselves to you by holding down the C button and waving the controller. This came in real handy for the little grublike creatures that dropped down on us from the ceiling. We also caught a quick glimpse of a swordlike weapon called the Samurai Edge in a different level but didn't get to use it.
Other than the control scheme and the Resident Evil theme, Umbrella Chronicles plays like most other on-rails shooters. There were a few pauses in the action to help build tension and give your trigger finger a break, but outside of those few moments our time was happily spent taking down zombies and tearing up bits of the environment as we moved from car to car. Eventually we made our way through a hatch on top of the train and into a driving rainstorm, but just as things began to get really interesting the demo ended, meaning we'll have to wait a few more months until the game's release to finish the job.

Resident Evil 5 coming to 360, PS3

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Resident Evil 5 coming to 360, PS3

Capcom's flagship survival horror series will infect both Microsoft and Sony's next-generation consoles.

Since January, GameCube owners have been the only American gamers able to enjoy Resident Evil 4. But while the best-selling, critically lionized title will arrive on US PlayStation 2s in the fall, it looked like Xbox owners would never be able to help Leon S. Kennedy slay the series' signature undead hordes.
However, today Capcom announced that Resident Evil 5 is coming to Microsoft's next-generation console, the Xbox 360, as well as Sony's PlayStation 3. The announcement came in the form of a press release on the English-language section of the Investor Relations part of Capcom's Japanese corporate Web site.
The news came as only a small surprise, as Capcom executives had declared their admiration for both Sony's and Microsoft's next-gen consoles when they were unveiled in mid-May. "Utilizing the PlayStation 3['s] and Xbox 360['s] unprecedented power, Resident Evil 5 promises to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism, and control," read the release.
The announcement of an Xbox 360 Resident Evil 5 does mark an increasing change of heart for Capcom. Traditionally, the company has given Microsoft's current-generation console, the Xbox, only tepid support in the form of rereleases of older titles such as Genma Onimusha. However, that changed during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, with the unveiling of Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance and Final Fight: Streetwise, two top holiday titles that will ship on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 simultaneously.
Capcom's brief announcement did not mention a ship date for Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360, which is due in Q4 2005, or the PlayStation, which currently has a "spring 2006" launch window. American Capcom reps told GameSpot that they "do not have any further details at this time" on the announced versions or a potential version for Nintendo's Revolution, which was not mentioned in the release.
However, Nintendo fans shouldn't give up hope entirely. Resident Evil 4 spent nearly four years in development, meaning that Resident Evil 5 likely won't arrive before the Revolution's expected late 2006 launch. Given that the Revolution development kits went out in March, a version of the game could still be in development for the mystery-shrouded console.
While Capcom's release had little information on Resident Evil 5, the latest issue of Famitsu revealed many details about the game. It features an interview with the game's producer, Jun Takeuchi, best known as the producer of Genma Onimusha and Onimusha 3. He also worked on Resident Evil 1 and 2, handling character animation and directing the creation of gun models.
Images of Resident Evil 5 featured in the magazine shows that the series' setting has dramatically changed. Instead of the creepy dark atmosphere of previous installments, RE5 takes place in a hot and sandy desert city under a pounding sun. There are also scenes of unlit areas such as alleyways and buildings that sport the same shadowy atmosphere as previous installments.
The Famitsu images show an unshaven man in a short-sleeved shirt who appears to be the main character in Resident Evil 5. Armed with a handgun and knife belted to his shoulder, he is outnumbered and being chased by a mysterious group of enemies shown in silhouette.
Takeuchi commented that RE5's setting was inspired by the 2001 war movie Black Hawk Down, in which a crowd of angry Somalis swarm over an American helicopter after it crash-lands. Technically, the surviving soldiers have a lot of room to run inside the city, but they are quickly cornered by the massive crowd that comes after them. Takeuchi says that he hopes to achieve a similar kind of experience and "madness" in RE5.
When asked about the unshaven man, Takeuchi said that the core developers for RE5 include staff members that worked on RE1, hinting that it might possibly be Chris Redfield from the original Resident Evil. Takeuchi also revealed that RE5 will be an authentic sequel to the series' main storyline rather than a side story. He added that if the main character is indeed Chris, the developers might be preparing to create some kind of a conclusion to the series' long storyline.
In terms of the mysterious enemies, Takeuchi commented that they are displayed in shadows because they will feature new elements that can't be disclosed yet. However, he hinted that the talking enemies in Resident Evil 4 were something he hopes to expand on in RE5.
As expected, Resident Evil 5 will take advantage of the PS3's and Xbox 360's high-definition graphics. Takeuchi said that one of the main goals of RE5's development was to use said graphics to deliver a tangible "atmosphere" to the game, to the point where the player can almost feel the hot air of the desert.
When asked about how RE5 will actually play, Takeuchi said that he hopes to bring back RE4's gameplay in RE5. He commented that Resident Evil 4 caused a lot of excitement at Capcom, since director Shinji Mikami had successfully made major changes while still keeping the essence of the series intact.
When Takeuchi was asked about the game's release, he avoided giving a straight answer, only stating jokingly that it will come out "before the launch of PlayStation 4." Later, Takeuchi explained that projects for next-generation consoles will easily spend three to five years in development and that work on RE5 is expected to take a bit of time, since it's currently Capcom's main focus.
Capcom may exhibit a one- to two-minute high-definition trailer of Resident Evil 5 at the Tokyo Game Show, which is where the images of the game in Famitsu were taken from.

Resident Evil 5 Update

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:45:00 +0000

Resident Evil 5 Update

Everything we know about the next generation of Resident Evil.

by IGN Staff

July 20, 2005 - The latest issue if Famitsu is home to first details and screens for Resident Evil 5. As we reported earlier, Capcom is bringing this next generation survival horror title to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with veteran developer Jun Takeuchi serving as producer.

Since our initial story, we've learned more details on the game. Takeuchi is somewhat vague in his discussion of what we can expect from the title gameplay wise, revealing only that Resident Evil 4, with the wealth of changes made by director Shinji Mikami, caused excitement amongst Capcom's development staff as a whole, particularly those who had worked on Resident Evil for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Even with the changes, Takeuchi states, there was no mistake that you were playing Resident Evil. We can apparently expect something that, similarly, maintains the taste of Resident Evil while featuring big changes from the traditional play format.

Images shared by the magazine were taken from a two minute high definition video clip in which the game's main character finds himself in the alleys of a desert city, being chased by a mysterious group of enemies. In describing the setting and content of the game, Takeuchi recalls a scene from the film Black Hawk Down, when a US chopper crashes to the ground and is swarmed by natives. The theme of getting out of a tight corner is a staple of the original Resident Evil, and is something that the development staff wants to work on with RE5.

The video does not actually reveal the nature of the enemies that are pursuing the main character. The primary enemy is a new element to the game and it's currently a closely guarded secret. The enemy are meant to come after you in great numbers, conveying the sense of insanity of hoards of natives that Takeuchi took away from Black Hawk Down. We can apparently expect something along the lines of the primary enemy in Resident Evil 4, who spoke a language that you were unable to understand and were more advanced than the zombies that have appeared in previous RE games. Takeuchi and crew are actually working on ways to make the enemy even more expressive this time around.

The development staff is paying extra attention to the game's environments, with Takeuchi stating that one of the tastes of past Resident Evil games was that of the player walking slowly through a dark and damp environment. This time, we can also expect wider, brighter environments, including scenes of intense sunlight.

As expected of a next generation game, RE5 runs in high definition, and one of the things the development staff wanted to do was use the new visual power at its hands to communicate the sense of atmosphere to the player. The images in the trailer clip are meant to convey a sense of high temperature. In fact, heat is a central theme to the game, with Takeuchi suggesting that when it's particularly hot, you'll want to cool down in a cave.

With regards to main character and background setting, Takeuchi states that we should be able to figure out the main character when we consider that members of the development team that created the original Resident Evil are working on this game. This would suggest that the main character pictured in the magazine is Chris (the bearded character in all the screenshots does resemble an older version of Chris).

Takeuchi won't reveal when we'll be able to play Resident Evil 5, only stating that we'll have to wait until the next generation systems are available. He assures us that out of all of Capcom's game projects, this one is getting the most attention, and this is why development will take some time.

A Capcom representative reveals to the magazine that a Tokyo Game Show showing for Resident Evil 5 is not out of the question. IGN is hoping that, with Sony's PlayStation Meeting press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon and Microsoft's Xbox Summer scheduled for this coming Monday, we'll get a glimpse even sooner than that.

directory page

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:42:00 +0000

Directory Seo Supreme

Helpedia Directory - Games

Resident Evil 5

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:42:00 +0000

Resident Evil 5

Rarely has a sequel been as important as Capcom's Resident Evil 5, too, this offering being the first true next-gen offering, set for release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in late 2008 or early 2009. The new Resident Evil really does promise be one of the games by which the next-generation is measured, with extreme levels of detail, realistic characterisation and lashings of atmosphere promised.
Beyond the fairly obvious hyperbole surrounding this big name offering, Capcom are claiming that this title will help maintain their reputation for excellence and innovation - so the game is going to have to deliver far more than just sharper, more detailed locales. Indeed, such is the weight of expectation that there was nigh on a revolt among PlayStation fans when the publisher admitted the game was also bound for the Xbox 360 console.
Still, one man's loss is another's gain, and Xbox 360 gamers won't be worrying about Capcom's impudence, instead, they'll probably be salivating over the emergence of this series on their machine, Resident Evil having sold some 27 million copies worldwide. Veteran designer Keiji Inafune is overseeing the project, which has been pushed back somewhat as the publisher divert certain resources the way of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (yet another example of the Wii's success taking firms by surprise?).
Inafune-san has already stated that certain online features will be included in this RE outing, but details are rather scant to say the least. Producer Jun Takeuchi has also revealed that players will be able to shoot down hurled objects as with the last iteration of Capcom's survival-horror series. Cleverly, hero Chris Redfield will also be able to interact with environments far more than before. One example is when Redfield comes into contact with too much heat, such exposure producing hallucinations and mirages. Redfield's eyes will also take time to adjust moving between light and dark, adding another layer of tension and fear to the proceedings (what you can't see, you can't shoot).
As well as taking advantage of the latest technology in a proper 'next-gen' fashion, Capcom are also shaking up the setting with Redfield and his group (the BSAA) off to battle odd happenings in a mysterious desert location. Set 10 years after the original Resident Evil, we're told the game will also explore what has happened to Redfield in the interim. A female character from the series' past will also make a brief appearance, we're told.
More intelligent foes seem likely with Resident Evil 5, too, the desert colony setting playing host to a "new kind of evil," according to the game's makers, with early footage pointing to hybrid humanoids under the control of a malevolent force. These enemies appear to be a far cry from the rotting corpse zombies of past RE iterations, though this move would continue the advancements made in Resident Evil 4. has stood the test of time, and the degree to which Capcom have risked the wrath of their fans by altering it. With the game seemingly at least a year from release, it may simply be too early to tell, suffice to say that we're eagerly awaiting our trip into the desert, whatever evil may be lurking there.
We'll bring you all the latest new on Resident Evil 5 as we get it.

While the game will be played in the third-person for the most part, with Redfield occupying the left hand side of the screen, Takeuchi-san is also promising several new evolutions of the series from Resident Evil 4, which featured no-nonsense action gameplay and plenty of polish which appealed to existing fans and also attracted new plaudits.
To conclude, while the 'next-gen' credentials of this new title appear secure, thanks to the manner in which the visual and technical enhancements will add to the gameplay, what is less clear is how the gameplay from Resident Evil 4 has stood the test of time, and the degree to which Capcom have risked the wrath of their fans by altering it. With the game seemingly at least a year from release, it may simply be too early to tell, suffice to say that we're eagerly awaiting our trip into the desert, whatever evil may be lurking there.
We'll bring you all the latest new on Resident Evil 5 as we get it.

Milla Jovovich : Alice

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:20:00 +0000

A secret experiment…a deadly virus…a fatal mistake. Based on the wildly popular video game series, Resident Evil is an action-packed thriller starring Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious) and Eric Mabius (Cruel Intentions) in a battle of good and evil, human versus computer, the living against the Undead.
Something terrible is lurking in the Hive, a vast underground genetic research facility run by the Umbrella Corporation, a faceless bio-engineering conglomerate. A deadly viral outbreak occurs, and in response, the Red Queen - a vast supercomputer that controls and monitors the Hive - seals the entire facility to contain the leak, killing all the trapped employees.
Alice (MILLA JOVOVICH) and Rain (MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ) must lead fellow commandos to isolate the virus that has wiped out Umbrella’s entire research staff. The team soon discovers, however, that the workers are…not…really…dead. They are now the ravenous Undead, and they are prowling the hive. One bite or scratch from an Undead causes infection and worse, instant transformation into their kind.
Alice and the military task force have three hours to complete their mission before the virus threatens to overrun the Earth. To access the Red Queen, the team must pass through a series of increasingly horrifying obstacles in the maze-like hive. These include deadly lasers, mutant dogs and a vast specimen room where Alice witnesses the results of Umbrella’s evil experimental research. Alice soon discovers that the former humans are the ghastly result of Umbrella’s latest project gone awry -- the T-virus.
Initially designed to combat ageing and fight nerve-based diseases, the T-virus has the ability to reanimate dead cells. Alice realises that an unknown saboteur has stolen the virus and freed it into the hive’s atmosphere. That’s how the outbreak occurred. Who would do such a thing, and why?
Confronting the giant computer, Rain demands that she guide them to the surface. The Red Queen agrees, but insists that no one who is infected will be allowed to escape. Unless of course, they can find the Anti-Virus first. Standing in their way is a genetically mutated experiment that is now a vicious creature known as “the Licker,” bent on destroying them all. The Licker’s strength increases with each victim it slays–making the team’s job even more deadly.
Will the team defeat the Red Queen and find the anti-virus in time? Or are they doomed to turn? Who, if anyone, will escape the evil Hive alive?

Resident Evil 5 Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:33:00 +0000

Resident Evil 5 Revealed
The first details, images of survival horror's leap to PS3, X360.

Only six months after the release of the critically praised Resident Evil 4 onto GameCube, Capcom has already followed up with the first official details on Resident Evil 5, the next survival horror game in the latest issue of Famitsu. The surprise? It's not headed to GameCube, but PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. No more exclusivity for Nintendo, it seems.

Scans of the publication originated from website Game Front before their servers overloaded and message boards lurkers took over. The low quality of the scans means translation work hasn't made it's way out just yet, but while I slowly work through my Japanese-to-English dictionary, we already a vague idea of what to expect from the first screen shots.

Producer Jun Takeuchi of Street Fighter 2 and the Onimusha series is overseeing the project. Current speculation suggests the main character featured in the screens is none other than Resident Evil 1 and Code Veronica star Chris Redfield, but we can't confirm that just yet. It's already obvious Capcom's following in the successful footsteps of Resident Evil 4, with several in-game images clearly mimicking the game's over-the-shoulder action style.

What is surprising, however, is the game's bright atmosphere, a stark contrast to the dark, dreary environments usually found in Resident Evil games. There's even one screen shot where a blaring sun high up in the sky blocks the camera's view of several approaching enemies who happen to look suspiciously like zombies. Could we be seeing a return to classic form this time? Time will tell.

We'll be watching for an official announcement from Capcom soon. Expect more information on Resident Evil 5 (and likely other Capcom next-generation games) during the upcoming Japanese conferences from Microsoft and Sony.

Resident Evil 5 Trailer Impressions

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:25:00 +0000

E3 2007: Resident Evil 5 Trailer Impressions

Sequel? Stand-alone entry? Speculation runs rampant in our impressions of the trailer.

July 12, 2007 - While most of the news revealed in Tuesday evening's Microsoft E3 press conference seemed somewhat expected to fans and industry analysts alike, Capcom's unveiling of a Resident Evil 5 trailer caused quite a buzz of excitement. My fist thought upon seeing the trailer--mingled, of course, with unbridled excitement--was that the aesthetics looked similar to those found in Resident Evil 4. The game's setting seems to be a dilapidated village that looks straight out of something found in the bowels of Serpent and the Rainbow, and the villagers are especially similar to the "not zombies" found in Leon Kennedy's now classic mission to save Ashley Graham. Featuring eyes that shine with a hybrid of madness and lucidity, the townsfolk don't appear to be along the lines of the rotting, shambling undead found in earlier Resident Evils. The emphasis on the next generation of the not-zombies' mental clarity is stressed by villagers rallying around an apparent leader speaking to the masses through a megaphone. Could Resident Evil 5 be a true sequel to Resident Evil 4, then? It's certainly a possibility, as the fourth game in Capcom's long-running series has enjoyed success on three different systems. Then again, it could be argued that much of Resident Evil 4's success came from the game's almost total reconstruction of almost every series staple--no real zombies, a control scheme that felt more manageable due to the implementation of a better camera system, and no wacky mansions with even wackier puzzles. Perhaps Capcom aims to re-invent the series yet again in order to attract new players, similar to Resident Evil 4? Everything is merely speculation at this point, of course. Whether a true follow-up or a separate entry in the series, there is no doubt that whatever the game ends up fitting in the series' zombified storyline, new theories, trailers, and screenshots will be the focal point of much conversation and debate until its 2008 release.

resident evil :Project Alice

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:43:00 +0000

fictional character and the primary protagonist of the Resident Evil film series, based on the Resident Evil series of survival horror games created by Capcom. She has no basis in the games, but her existence mirrors several characters. In Resident Evil, she is displayed as suffering from amnesia. In Resident Evil: Apocalypse, she portrays a rugged hero, now having a more clear purpose. She will play a similar role in the up-coming Resident Evil: Extinction.

Alice is portrayed by Milla Jovovich in all three films. Though she does not appear in the games, she does eventually interact with a number of characters from the games including Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira and Nemesis. Her primary antagonist is the Umbrella Corporation, which was the company she used to work for.

Alice is also known as Janus Prospero, Alice Parks, and Alice Abernathy, primarily in novelizations.

Resident Evil: Extinction

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:47:00 +0000

Resident Evil: Extinction is again based on the wildly popular video game series and picks up where the last film left off. Alice (Milla Jovovich), now in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again joins forces with Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps), along with new survivors Claire (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke ) and Nurse Betty (Ashanti) to try to eliminate the deadly virus that threatens to make every human being undead…and to seek justice. Since being captured by the Umbrella Corporation, Alice has been subjected to biogenic experimentation and becomes genetically altered, with super-human strengths, senses and dexterity. These skills, and more, will be needed if anyone is to remain alive.

Resident evil dead aim: information

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:17:00 +0000

Resident Evil: Dead Aim

Resident Evil Dead Aim (also known as Gun Survivor 4 Biohazard: Heroes Never Die) was a slight surprise announcement made by Capcom Japan during 2002. While everyone expected another Survivor title to appear eventually, the fact that it actually looked like a heavy amount of work had been put into this title was perhaps the most the surprising part overall.

According to early news reports, the game begins on a ship, and the story is based on an original unused concept originally made to have been used for Resident Evil 3. The game is also following another recent trend by Capcom of incorporating Japanese musicians in their games, with a Japanese band called "Rize" and their song "Gunshot" appearing as the title track to the game.

The graphics are surprisingly detailed and clean, and the game also allows a mixed 3rd and 1st person ability (which should please the many, many people who asked about this ability in the original Survivor on PlayStation and every Survivor game since). The game also has some impressive effects that have been displayed to us such as body movement effects (being slammed back by the recoil of being hit for example) and some of the best blood effects ever seen in any videogame ever. The game also contains some very decent CGI cutscenes (it is also the first Resident Evil based Gun Survivor title to do so).

The Japanese release was made in Feb 2003, with US and PAL editions due to be released a few months later in June of 2003. More information on the various details of the game can be found within the links to the top left.

Oh and for all the people who will ask where Gun Survivor 3 was, well it was a Dino Crisis title... released in the US and PAL areas under the name "Dino Stalker" so you've likely seen it somewhere and not known this.

Resident evil dead aim:character

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:15:00 +0000

Morpheus D. Duvall

Age	32
Blood Type	n/a
Height	n/a
Weight	n/a

Morpheus D. Duvall was working for Umbrella's viral research & development department. Very much fascinated by the T-Virus and seeing it's possible potential, he has decided to steal it. With him are a group of followers who helped him accomplish it. Escaping on one of Umbrella's cruisers, the T-Virus is leaked and all hell breaks loose.

Fong Ling

Born in The People's Republic of China, Fong Ling is a 25-year-old operative who was sent to investigate the Spencer Rain after Morpheus Duvall tried to extort $5 billion U.S. from the American and Chinese governments. Though she is well trained in hand-to-hand combat, her sense of marksmanship far outweighs any of her physical abilities. Ling was almost eradicated by her government for various state crimes, she was saved from execution only by the quick thinking of Bruce McGivern. Her whereabouts are currently unknown, though she is assumed to be in the company of the U.S. agent.

Bruce McGivern

Though Bruce McGivern doesn't figure into Umbrella's difficulties as closely as some of the other individuals on our dossier, this 27-year-old American operative was involved in the destruction of the Spencer Rain after Morpheus Duvall attacked the ship and released the T-Virus. McGivern is known for his "shoot first, skip the questions" approach in missions, and it is this recklessness which surely saved his life while dealing with Duvall post-metamorphosis.

NEMESIS

noreply@blogger.com (ball) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:15:00 +0000

Nemesis is a fictional monster from the Resident Evil series of survival horror games. Nemesis, is a biologically engineered creature created by the Umbrella Corporation and appeared as the title character for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It also appeared in the 2004 film, Resident Evil: Apocalypse,

Nemesis was developed long before the initial events of Resident Evil. The European Branch of the Umbrella Corporation originally developed the “Nemesis Project", a Tyrant bio-weapon that could follow orders. Later, Umbrella moved the project to the Arklay Mountains, shipping a box containing a prototype Ne-a parasite specimen to Albert Wesker.

From there, Wesker and William Birkin conducted several experiments on the parasite. In the most notable of these experiments, the scientists injected the parasite into the body of Lisa Trevor, Umbrella’s long-time guinea pig. Additionally, the experiment’s findings allowed William Birkin to develop the G-Virus.

Nemesis is the title character and main antagonist in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The Umbrella Corporation deploys Nemesis to hunt and murder the remaining members of Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.). One first encounters the creature outside of Raccoon City’s police department, where it brutally murders Brad Vickers. Nemesis will continue to pursue and confront the player’s character, Jill Valentine, through various parts of the game.

Nemesis, draped in a trench coat, will attack the player with a five-shot rocket launcher, hands and tentacles throughout the game. A player can injure Nemesis through means of weapons fire and later industrial strength acid. Throughout the course of the game, the detrimental effects of the NE-T virus twist Nemesis’ physical build. After having its trenchcoat burned off, Nemesis's tentacles will grow larger on the right arm. Later, after being decapitated and falling in acid, the player will finally encounter Nemesis as a grotesque digestive organ with disfigured limbs. While lacking the dexterity and attack power it once had, Nemesis is more resilient. A player can defeat Nemesis by utilizing a railgun, rocket launcher and .44 Magnum revolver.

from wikipedia