Our old protagonist Chris Redfield returns to us in this installment of one the the weirdest, creepiest and probably one of the scariest franchises of gaming history: Resident Evil 5. You’ll be playing as either Chris, or his new partner Sheva Alomar as they make their way through infected Africa in an attempt to escape; and later to reunite with an old friend, and an old enemy. Resident Evil 5 makes many improvements upon it’s predecessor, Resident Evil 4. Although these “improvements” seem to be considered mistakes, and even treason, by some of the hardest of hardcore fans of the series, Resident Evil 5 maintains fun gameplay and even a compelling storyline that will keep you interested in the series for many hours after you beat the game. So let’s sit back, relax and put on our zombie faces as we take a look at Resident Evil 5!

  When you first start up the game you’ll enter into the main title screen with “Resident EVIL 5″ blasting in your ears. This announcer kind of reminds me of a fighting game like Soul Calibur in a way. Despite it being relatively corny, it’s easy to ignore and move into the main menu screen. Resident Evil 5’s menus are easier to navigate than a lot of games I’ve played recently. I don’t understand what’s up with developers and making extremely complicated menus; but Capcom was nice enough to just make a simple list and go with it. Once you dig further into the menus, mostly under “New Game” obviously enough, you’ll immediately see that this game has a lot of replay value. A long list of unlockable action figures, bonuses, guns and outfits are all obtainable through the game by earning “points” by beating chapters. This was definitely important considering the games length of only 6 “acts” as I call them with a few chapters within each act.

  Despite the games length, Resident Evil 5 still maintains an interesting story of partnership (Come on, shippers!), horror, tyranny and tragedy. It may be confusing to most players, including myself, when you first play it if you haven’t been a huge fan of the game for a while. I get the feeling even if you ARE a huge fan of the game, you still probably won’t know what’s going on. If you pay attention to the dialogue and the information given in the game (Or if you just read up on the story on Wikipedia), you’ll begin to understand and then begin to form a bond with the characters. Chris is brawny, idealistic and sharp witted. Sheva is brave, open and surprisingly tough for her size. As you’ll be playing with these two literally through all of the game, I’d hope there would be something you could find to like about them. Personally, I think they made a good team and kept the story rolling nicely. Chris’ sort of “superhero” persona makes him a little corny at times; but so is every major protagonist. Except Batman. Batman is always cold as ice.

  Resident Evil 5 plays mostly like the older games. You can’t run and shoot in unison, which significantly slows down movement and combat scenarios. This is a hit and miss topic with many people, so it really just depends on the player. Personally, I thought it added a nice intense feel to the game. It made every fight feel real and almost scary in a sense. All of the weapons in the game have a much heavier feel than in a first person shooter like Call of Duty of F.E.A.R. because everything is slowed down. Not only are they heavier; but they feel much more realistic. Any weapons fanatic would have a blast unlocking, buying and upgrading all of the guns in the game. And to all of you gamerscore lovers out there, there are plenty of achievements to keep you busy in this title. None of them are ridiculously hard to obtain like in some games; but they are a challenge. If you’ve been a fan of Resident Evil for a long time, or if you like a game with plenty of guns, or if you just like killing zombies, then you shouldn’t have any problems with Resident Evil 5. The learning curve for FPS players can be a little steep; but once you get used to it I’m sure you’d love it.

  I’ll admit, I was worried about the graphics of Resident Evil 5. I’ll also admit that I was extremely wrong in doing so. I was worried because the first time I played the demo, the graphics looked almost muddy. It was hard to tell one thing from another in the environment and everything just looked boring. …Then I got an HDTV. Resident Evil 5 is absolutely gorgeous in 1080p. You can see every detail you could want in the environment and everything is crisp and clear. Some areas can be a little dark for my liking; but that’s why there’s a brightness setting in the menu! The cutscenes look fantastic and it seems to maintain an excellent framerate even during larger fights with bosses. My only real complaint is that even though every person in the game looks real, the skin textures in the game look a little clay-like. It’s a small thing though and it definitely does not hurt the game itself at all.

  Voice acting in a horror game is extremely important. You need to feel like your surrounded by undead, ready to eat your brain and claim your body. Resident Evil 5 does just that! All of the voice actors did a fantastic job. Every character sounds like they’re either scared for their lives or ready to tear you to pieces without even thinking about it. The monsters sound disgusting and the villains sound…Creepy. The music throughout the game comes and goes at the appropriate time, sometimes fading in and out to match your situation. There isn’t much to the music, not like in a game like Halo, but you’ll know when it’s there. I was pleasantly surprised when I was walking through the urban environments of Kijuju. All of the foot steps, crashes and gunshots sound real and absolutely amazing through 5.1 surround sound.

  Despite a relatively short completion time of only about five or six hours, a few Nintendo-esque puzzles throughout the game and the fact that it’s not nearly as scary to me as the older games, Resident Evil 5 definitely holds it’s own against it’s predecessors. With a great cast, beautiful graphics, sharp controls and an enticing storyline that makes you beg to know more, the latest hit title from Capcom is definitely worth the money. Running at only thirty or forty bucks from Gamestop, I would recommend going and getting as soon as possible. If zombie games aren’t your thing, at least give it a rent. Don’t pass this one up guys! I mean, come on, it’s Chris Redfield instead of that Leon guy that everyone hates. …Or am I the only one that hates him?

Okay, so you’re a guy. You play video games. With those two traits combined, you are most likely going to find at least one girl in these games you play that you find yourself thinking, “Man, if only she were real…”. If you’ve thought that once, then you’ve probably thought it twice, if not three times. Well, I’m here to give you all a quick look at who I think, over time, have been considered to be the sexiest video game women!

Number 10: Faith Connors of Mirror’s Edge

How many of you bought Mirror’s Edge just for the cover? I mean seriously. It got pretty bad reviews and everything! It was a decent enough game with fast paced, semi-tight controls and a colorful environment. It was also plagued, however, with a bad storyline and almost no personality at all. Despite the problems, a surprising number of people own the game…

Number 9: Cortana of Halo 3

Bet you didn’t see this one coming. Want to know why I picked Cortana out of all people? Take a look at the hundreds of fan-service pictures there are of her out there and you’ll know why. Apparently, being half invisible and blue is quite the turn on nowdays. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

Number 8: Jill Valentine of Resident Evil 3

Classic survival horror game about escaping a zombie infestation? Sweet. Surprisingly cool storyline? Sweet. Playing as some chick with a cool name, and wears a tube top and a mini skirt while killing said zombies? ‘Nuff said.

Number 7: Lilith of Borderlands

As one of the newer favorites among male gamers, Lilith has certainly left her mark all over the internet. In fact, a quick Google Images search will prove that Gearbox even saw it coming! Nice job, devs. You’d never let us down! Too bad she’s really annoying to play as. “Lilith, I’d skag her gully!”

Number 6: Jenny Romano of The Darkness

Poor Jenny. As if being part of one of the most under-hyped games for the Xbox 360 wasn’t enough. She has to be KILLED half-way through it! Am I the only one that lost it at the TV when that happened? Oh well, Jackie. Too bad you won’t ever find a woman that looks this good in your game ever again. Seriously.

Number 5: Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy VII

Come on, now. Who DIDN’T see this coming? Of course Tifa was going to be on here! Being probably the MOST recognized women in video gaming history, Tifa is infamous for hugely popularizing the Final Fantasy franchise. If not for all the wrong reasons…

Number 4: Momiji Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2

Most hack-’n-slash fans will agree Ninja Gaiden is a great series. I also think most hack-’n-slash fans will agree that hack-’n-slash games are much more fun when ninja women are involved. It seems like a lot of people are indecisive who they like better though, Momiji or Rachel. So, I went with the one that wears clothes.

Number 3: Samus Aran of the Metriod Series (and Super Smash Bros.)

Years ago, Samus Aran was considered to be one of the toughest bounty hunters in gaming history. Some people (who must have not been paying attention) even doubted that she was a “she” at all! These doubts were however nullified with the arrival of “Zero Suit Samus” from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Ever since, Samus has been more or less identified for being a famous video game beauty than a hardened bounty hunter. I still wouldn’t want to make her angry though. Those arm cannons will send you straight to Hell before you can even think of a cheesy pick up line.

Number 2: Fran of Final Fantasy XII

Yet another one of the most famous women from the Final Fantasy series, Fran is also one of the smartest. Hooray! Who doesn’t like girls with bunny ears that ride bikes and can shoot down your enemies with a bow? Oh, and she’s also way older than you. Cool.

Number 1: Aerith of Final Fantasy VII

Have you ever looked up Final Fantasy? I’m sure you have. I’m also sure you’ve seen pictures of the shiny woman above, Aerith. She’s by far, from my experience, the most beloved and well known (Just before Tifa) character in the Final Fantasy series. Many people had no idea who she was until they either watched some cut scenes on YouTube or read about it; but no one could resist the tragedy that was her death. Many people, including myself, were simply stunned when they played through Final Fantasy VII. If they were anything like me, they simply went into denial and believed she’d be back by the end of the game. She, unfortunately never came back. This sad story of the death of a beautiful woman has made Aerith one of the most famous and well known characters, let alone women, in the history of video games. This is why she has earned the spot of number one! I mean come on! She has a great story, was a nice character; and you might as well admit it, you think that innocent look is just adorable.

—

So there you have it! These are the women in video games that have been deemed the “Sexiest of Video Game History”. What do you think? Who do you think should have been on the list? Or do you think someone else deserved the number one? Just drop in and leave a comment to let me know!

  Is it an RPG? Is it a first-person-shooter? It’s Borderlands! Many, many, many RPG and first person shooter fans around the country were heavily awaiting this release. When Gearbox finally let hit the shelves here in the U.S. on October 20′th, fans went crazy to get a copy. After selling out at most retailers within the first week, there’s no need to say that it’s been a huge success. This is, in my opinion, one of the few games of the last few years that deserve this kind of success, too.

  After what seemed like a dry spell of boring, predictable and redundant first person shooter releases, Borderlands is a beautiful, refreshing look on things. Seeming like the older, more hardcore cousin of Fallout 3, Borderlands boasts of a huge, colorful world to explore with many “interesting” NPC’s to interact with, lots of ugly enemies to kill and an asinine amount of weapons to choose from. This was enough for me to go ahead and work on getting a copy.

  Once you begin the game, it immediately begins to show you it’s sense of humor. After the first (and hilarious) cutscene, you’ll be asked to choose from one of four characters, or classes if you will, to play as. Brick the tank, Mordecai the hunter, Roland the soldier (medic), or Lilith, the siren. Each of these characters have particular advantages in the world over the other; but in all honesty, you’ll be able to play however you want no matter who you choose. The only real difference will be the skill set.

  All of the characters in Borderlands have somewhat of a backstory, but the game itself is pretty lacking in story. I expected this ever since I saw the first screenshots. I expected ridiculous amounts of violence and a lot of humor. Did it deliver? Oh yes. Some people have been pretty disappointed by the almost complete lack of a true story, and I guess that’s an understandable perspective. What many players must remember is that Borderlands isn’t just an RPG. The RPG elements within the game are pretty thin compared to a game such as Final Fantasy or the Elder Scrolls series.

  Delving into the storyline is not what Borderlands is about. It’s about getting your class, tweaking it to your liking, and blowing some uglies back into the hole they came from. Beautiful, isn’t it? With that kind of game comes a need for tight controls, however. Fortunately for us nitpicky shooters, Borderlands continues to deliver in controls. Everything is tight, responsive and quick, just as anyone could have asked for. My only complaint is the driving. Most followers expected something that lived up to the vehicles in Halo 3; but the driving in Borderlands is kind of awkward for the most part.

  I have, however, heard even more complaints about the artificial intelligence. That being said, I have a few myself. Most of the enemies are smart enough, and they all put up a good fight. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the bosses. If you’re an experienced shooter fan and you’re expecting a huge challenge from the bosses in the game like the infamous “Rakk Hive”, then you will in fact be disappointed. It almost reminds me of Fable II. Once you hit a certain level, everything pretty much becomes a piece of cake. It’s pretty easy to hit the 30-37 level by the end of your first playthrough, too.

  There are no difficulty settings in Borderlands; but after you beat the game there IS a feature called “New Game Plus”. What this allows is for you to be able to go through the single player campaign, starting from the beginning, but with your previous character with all of your experience and loot. That’s pretty sweet. It would be more difficult, but I get the feeling that it would mirror the first playthrough by the end of it.

  None of this would matter without great graphics and sound, would it? Thankfully, yet again, Borderlands doesn’t disappoint. Everything on the world of Pandora is cel-shaded. It gives it an almost comic-book feeling as you play through huge fights and explore around the world. Unlike many cel-shaded games, all of the colors in the world have a particular “pop” to them thanks to the slight border around everything you see. Every character, weapon, rock and piece of garbage stands out and has a place thanks to this.

  The developers must have driven themselves crazy on the sound. Every gun has an individual, satisfying sound when you fire it, making each weapon that much more fun to use. All of the people on the planet sound exactly how you would imagine them too. Back-wood, inbred hill-billys. Borderlands doesn’t have the same monumental, prestigious music that you would hear in something like Call of Duty or Halo; but that’s simply because it’s not meant to. It’s supposed to look, sound, and feel like a run-down piece of trash world; and it does.

  If you want a game that packs a huge punch, a world with lovable, funny characters, while still maintaining the heart of an RPG, then this game is for you. If you want a deep, emotional role playing game filled with mysterious characters, puzzling quests and an epic storyline, then this game isn’t for you. …Why would you even look into it if that’s what you were looking for? Seriously, look at the cover!

  Oh, and this is definitely a game that you will want to play with friends. It’s fun by yourself; but as long as it’s with friends that you can work with, Borderlands becomes infinitely more fun.

  Two days ago, only a day before it’s release, video game analyst Michael Pachter accused 2K Games and Gearbox software of releasing Borderlands prematurely. He stated that sending it out in 2009, along with games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, that they were only sending it “out to die” and that the other releases were going to “kick it’s butt”.

  Mr. Pachter couldn’t have been more (predictably) wrong. Randy Pitchforth, Gearbox’s studio chief, couldn’t be happier with the release. Borderlands is already selling quite fast, and according to Pitchforth himself, it’s becoming hard to find and he urges gamers to pick it up quickly if they want to play it soon.

  On his Twitter, Pitchforth warned, “Getting reports from everywhere that Borderlands is selling out. If you want a copy, grab one fast. Supply and demand.”

  This is probably just some hype from the chief himself; but you do need to look at the sales. Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age are both going to sell well, yes. They may sell even better, but they are most certainly not going to sell out Borderlands and kill it. Borderlands has been hugely anticipated by a dedicated fan base for a long time, so the idea of it being drowned by something just because of it’s release date is absurd.

  Don’t forget to drop a comment and let me know what you think! Or you could email me at darthv3gan@gmail.com. Do you think Borderlands deserves all of this praise? Do you even LIKE Borderlands, or do you think it’s just a “Fallout 3 ripoff?” Either way, I would love to hear your opinions about it, oh great internet!

  Are you an experienced FPS gamer? Have you played Quake? If you haven’t played Quake then you’re not an experience FPS gamer! I mean, seriously! Who at least hasn’t heard of Quake? Or id Software, at the very least.

  Well, if you’re like me and have been an id fan for a long time, then you’ve probably played Quake 3 or one of the distributions of it like Team Arena. I spent hours and hours playing that game long before Call of Duty 4 was even though about. Even after I became an avid fan of Wolfenstein, I still played Quake 3 on a regular basis. Seriously, I still love this game. I had to stop eventually though simply because no one played anymore. Anyone that didn’t use mods, at least.

  Fortunately for all of us old school Quake 3 addicts, this has changed! When the (open) beta for Quake Live was announced in February this year, I became quite excited and signed up immediately. I was, however, disappointed when I tried to play it. It was, for me, very buggy and wouldn’t run on any of my browsers except Internet Explorer (shudder) for some reason. I quickly gave up and moved on.

  My interest has just recently been sparked in Quake Live though. I got on for the first time in a long number of months, got my Xbox 360 controller laid out with xpadder (http://xpadder.com) and started up a match against Crash. My only response was “Holy crap!”. I was seriously impressed with this. I’ve been playing online matches since and I am completely addicted.

  Quake Live uses a modified version of the original id Tech 3 engine that was used in Quake 3 Arena. Thanks to that, the matches are still as beautiful, fast and intense as ever. Every map looks great so far and every part of the environment is as smooth as it should be. All of the weapons are just as gorgeous and as hard looking as ever. It’s just the most beautiful browser based game I’ve ever seen.

  Whether or not you can enjoy these graphics is a different question though. It is hard to run the game on high quality and not experience any lag for me, considering I’m on a laptop. I play, right now, on low-quality and everything is still vibrant and colorful. Textures just suffer a good bit, especially on the weapons. Does this make the game any less enjoyable? Not even close.

  All of the gameplay features from the original Quake 3 are still present and they all work perfectly together. It’s essentially the same exact game. Whether or not this is a good thing is only a matter of opinion. If you’re looking for anything new compared to the old game, you won’t be impressed it except for the fact that it’s browser based. If you wanted to be able to play the game you loved with a large, active community then you will have no reason to dislike this.

  Joining and choosing matches is actually easier than before. Now before you even start playing you’re required to play a match against Crash to determine your skill level. That saves you from being thrown to the wolves immediately and lets you get a feel for the game. This isn’t really a game you should be playing if you’re brand new to Quake 3 though because most players are experienced players from the old game so it’d probably be best if you have at least played the original. When looking for a match, you simply browse a list in the internet browser that you can filter to your liking. It is seriously almost too good to be true.

  Really, if you don’t believe me that there’s a fast paced, fun, browser based and capable version of an amazing first person shooter out there then go look for yourself. Just head on over to http://quakelive.com, register, and install the plugin. It is quite heavy on the javascript though so be sure to have all of the requirements met. It also, unfortunately, only supports Windows and Mac based computers. Sorry guys with Linux! Oh, right. Google Chrome is not supported. Sorry everyone.

  Playstation 3 fans went crazy around the globe when they heard the rumors that the January 2010 release of Mass Effect 2 will be coming to the PS3. This was excellent news considering the PS3 has so far been lacking in major game series, especially those that were on the Xbox 360 and Windows Live.

  These dreams were in vain, however. As it was just recently announced by EA that, just like with the Left 4 Dead listing, that the Mass Effect 2 bundle was bogus. That’s…That’s really disappointing. Not only is the Playstation 3 lacking in exclusive games; but just great games in general. After Square Enix and Konami decided to share Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid with the Xbox 360, there are very few PS3 exclusives that would entice a person to purchase it over a 360. Granted it still has games like Killzone, Infamous, and Uncharted; but all of those games can be easily replaced.

  I would expect to see a port eventually. I mean, come on. It wouldn’t make any sense not to eventually put it out for the Playstation 3. It’s an entire group of people, and a whole other money pile for EA to have part in. I’m thinking it will end up like Bioshock and just eventually be ported later after the release. Considering the fact that PS3 version of Bioware’s “Dragon Age: Origins” is labeled to come with an “an unlockable item for Mass Effect 2″, I won’t be shocked if they do SOMETHING to make it work.

…Or, they could just completely let us down. Thanks EA.

  Anyone familiar with FPS games has probably heard the term “Crytek” or “CryEngine” at some point. …then probably forgot about it. If you haven’t heard about it, CryEngine is a game engine that was made popular by the EA published and Crytek Frankfut developed “Crysis” series. This series was famed for it’s gorgeous graphics and tight gameplay. It was, however, also know for it’s insanely high system requirements. Most everyone who wanted to play this game, at least at an enjoyable level, was required to upgrade their computer; or their video card at the very least. It’s a bit of a bittersweet fact considering it caused so many problems for so many people because it was such a beautiful game.

  Other than Crysis, the only other hugely known games that have used CryEngine are the MMORPG Aion and Far Cry. The latter of the being owned by Ubisoft. With that being said, it’s understandable why Crytek president and CEO Cevat Yerli would want a larger piece of the gaming industry. While working towards licensing the latest engine, CryEngine 3, to other developers, Yerli had this to say:

  ” [CryEngine 3] is the only game engine solution that enables real-time development and can ensure teams are able to maximize their own creativity, save budget and create greater gaming experiences,” boasts Yerli. “Even producers, project managers, and suits will love CryEngine 3!”

  No matter how many nice things Yerli has to say about the engine, it’s still going to be rough competing to the likes of the Unreal Engine 3 by Epic Games. Unreal Engine 3 has been the most largely used engine in this gaming generation. After winning out against the general failure that was idTech’s latest engine after Doom 3, UE3 became the standard.

  Due to the fact that there are already major standards in the market, most game developers and artists are already familiar with a certain engine. Switching from one to another, especially with such a dramatic difference between the first and the second, it seems an almost futile attempt on Crytek’s part.

  Despite the amount of pessimistic things about switching to CryEngine 3 for most developers, it is good to see Crytek at least trying to get it’s name to grow. Already having a number of gorgeous games under their belt, it’s hard to imagine that at least one more well known series won’t take notice.

  What do you guys think? Do you think it’s a good idea? What games can you see using it in the future? …Or do you just hate Crytek in general? Whatever the case may be, feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think!