Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry [Book Review, book 1]

As many of you know, the Resident Evil canon, and its lore is a tangled mess of epic proportions. Especially since every baseline game is getting a remake nowadays, which obfuscates the established canon even further. The book by S.D. Perry, which is essentially a retelling of the first game, is way out of date for the current timeline, since it was written all the way back in 1998. However, as I see it, it’s one of its strengths too. It builds upon the first Resident Evil title, way before the mess that exists now. That to me, makes it more pure in a way.

What is also interesting is that S.D. Perry didn’t just write this book. She wrote a novelization for all six of the initial games, with two titles that expand on the lore as original stories. So, while most of the books follow the games, there is also a lot of additional content here. Stories that I can best describe as an alternative timeline in the Resident Evil universe, which I definitely get a kick out of. It should be noted that these novels also provide a self-contained narrative that doesn’t require players to juggle multiple versions of the same events.

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More survival horror with Liminal Point

The craze for more indie survival horror games continues unabated with Liminal Point by the two-man developer team HideWorks. The game is far from release, being set to launch next year according to Steam. However, a five-minute trailer was recently released with uncut gameplay, which allows for a peek into the mechanics, and the setting.

From what I can tell from the gameplay shown, it will be a top-down isometric experience, with a striking looking female protagonist. Gameplay, and tone seems to be a blend of classic horror a la Resident Evil, accompanied by a psychological aspect much like Silent Hill 2. The combat also seems to be somewhat more involved than the usual survival horror title. Melee seems to be skill-based, requiring dodges and timing when to attack. Overall, things are looking very promising. Down below, you can take a look at the trailer yourself at the survivalhorrors channel.

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Phase Zero – Demo Impressions

I promise, I didn't mean to release the evil god!

There have been many survival horror games made in the style of Resident Evil, with crunchy PlayStation aesthetics. But most have felt lacking, not living up to the hard-to-reach legacy of the past. So, I’m glad to say, after giving the demo for Phase Zero a go, it shows true potential for the future, while feeling like survival horror from the golden era.

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Resident Evil Revelations – Nautical Zombies

As with many games being ported from a hand-held gaming device, Resident Evil Revelations feels and looks a bit under-cooked for a PC release. That doesn’t mean the game is bad, but it means it comes with certain quirks, much like the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker release for Xbox 360. The maps are confined, and fairly linear with a minimum of exploration, on top of the dreaded episodic nature of the levels (to be played on the go). Despite this, I had some fun with this title, as I find the CAPCOM zombie survival campiness entertaining, especially with their proven third-person controls.

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The Sinking City 2 – Kickstarter

Frogwares just launched their Kickstarter for The Sinking City 2. So, if you want to see a sequel to this somewhat odd Lovecraftian third-person survival horror game, now is the time to invest. I enjoyed The Sinking City for the most part. However, I felt they totally fumbled the ending, coming off as pretty weak and linear. Also, having to run defense for Innsmouthers in the middle of the story felt strange and very forced. I guess, the lure of good-boy points by the press was too tempting, but it didn’t work at all for the narrative. Anti-racism only goes that far, after all. Here is the trailer:

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