Survival Horror Part 1: Intro and Resident Evil

As time has gone by the horror genre has become big in video games and movies. And when you think of video games you think of the genre of survival horror. The most popular enemy of survival horror is probably the zombie. And when you think of dealing with the undead, you think shotgun. So what do you do when trying to find that fabled shotgun? Do you panic or pull a Frank West and use any weapon you can get your hands on? And what if the game has no zombies and you are left battling spirits? What then? Do you run for you life hoping for the best or find some way to fight back? There is only one way to solve this, and that is to discuss some of the elements of the survival horror genre.

Resident Evil

In Resident Evil you usually always start off with the practical handgun....however it usually has very limited bullets. If you find yourself being a clumsy shot, you could find yourself dead or surrounded by zombies without any ammo. But after a little exploration you usually find the all powerful shotgun. With this beast you can make zombies look like easy walking targets. However, the problem with the shotgun is that well like most weapons in a survival horror game, it does not have that much in the way of ammunition. So you find yourself scrambling around looking for ammunition for any of your guns.

And as if needing ammunition wasn't bad enough, you need to find ink ribbon throughout the game in order to save. Why ink ribbon you might ask? Well what else would you use with a type writer? Yes that is correct, you save using a type writer. That old fashioned device for writing that everyone takes for granted nowadays is for a save point. And there are only so many, which requires you to be stingy with your saves. Now being stingy with your saves can also come back to bite as you can die at just about anytime in Resident Evil especially when something comes around the corner and you are not prepared for it.

In all honesty though these issues exist in the original Resident Evil games when zombies were your main enemies. Where fear existed and made you cautious when going around each corner. When the slightest misfire could kill you quickly. And rather then issues, it is more along the lines of the glorifying pieces that made Resident Evil great. In the later renditions zombies were traded in for people infected with parasites. Limited ammo was traded in for more ammo. Limited storage eventually became a lot more storage. The type writer now didn't need ink ribbon...that makes one hell of a type writer. Though eventually the type writer concept is sadly abandoned in the latest iteration. And most importantly crappy dialogue...well that still remains....

Overall Resident Evil is an amazing series whether you are getting eaten by a zombie or punching a boulder the excitement is always there. And if you want fear then you will definitely get a fair dose of that with the earlier original games. So Resident Evil gave a great foundation to the survival horror genre. But it was not the only one to do so. So tune in next time when I tackle the next game of Survival Horror which is Silent Hill! Until then keep a shotgun handy because when we reach Silent Hill you will need it!

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth!: A Review

If I were to say Eureka! You would think I just came upon some great discovery. Though upon further inspection, you would find out that I was quoting a character quite simply. What character might you ask? Well what if I tossed an “Objection” your way or maybe something as crushing as a “take that”? Still not sure the character I speak of? Or well even the game for that matter.

Then let me introduce you to Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth! Fans of the series know about the basic investigations that Phoenix would do. Now you have the real deal investigations with the prosecutor. For those who do not know of Edgeworth he is the iconic rival to Phoenix Wright in the Ace Attorney series. And now he is the main character that you get to use. This game differs from the rest in that none of it takes place in the court room really. It is all about the investigation and getting to the point that Phoenix tends to start from. Which shows just how much Edgeworth has to do (the poor guy!) Also making a triumphant return with a never ending loss of wages is our good ole friend Dick Gumshoe! He aids Edgeworth in his investigations. So now I have given a background to the game, I think it is time to go to my main point and that is a review.

The main thing to mention in this review is that playing the others games will create a much deeper enjoyment. As there are some recurring characters in the game. Now to get to the actual review aspects.

Music and Sound Effects – When you play a video game one of the first things that a gamer will notice is the sound, whether it be sound effects or music. Now sound effects are very important as sometimes they can detract from a game. In this case the sound effects are spot on. They are the classic sound effects that have been used throughout the whole Ace Attorney series! They are basic and perfect for the game they belong to. Next we have the music, and well the Ace Attorney series has always done quite well in this department. Obviously it isn't music on the level of Final Fantasy but it is still of high quality. The music always seems to fit the mood of the event that is occurring. So overall the music and sound effects are the classics they have been the whole Ace Attorney series.

Graphics – The graphics are about the same as the others with what appears to be some touching up here and there and some more crisp details the designs. But overall you get that nice feel that you get in all of the Ace Attorney games. And for a DS game they are pretty good.

Story – Another important facet to any video game, the plot or story. And well as with most of the Ace Attorney games this one has an underlying plot that starts to come together as the cases go on. The cases in themselves are all interesting with unique characters. And that is one of the main draws of the games is that they have awesome characters. As you play you find yourself wanting to keep “pressing” on to find out what other crazy characters that the games have to offer. It is a game that is definitely driven quite a bit by the characters.

Gameplay – Possibly the most important element in a video game, the gameplay. The sound, graphics, and story are great elements...but in comparison to gameplay they are just the bells and whistles. Take Pac-man for example no story to really speak off, basic sound effects yet it is one of the best games ever created because of its addicting gameplay. Anyway I digress as this is about this game and not Pac-man. As far as gameplay goes the Ace Attorney games are basic. They are games where you use the stylus to move by clicking arrows and you can also use it to examine something. Though you can also use the d-pad and buttons if you wish to do so. The different things you can do as well in the game are pressing statements, presenting evidence, and a new one to the series using Logic. In this game different thoughts will occur to Edgeworth and go into his Logic section. There you try your best to put two pieces of logic together to create a conclusion or deduction which leads to something else. And that is there is also the added deduce option for certain situations. In which case you are basically trying to just show a contradiction in between the evidence you have and another piece of evidence. This basically sums up the gameplay for the game.

Replayability – This game doesn't have a lot in the replayability department. You can always go back and play a case that you have beaten again but other than that going through it once will fulfill your needs. Extra runs through the cases may give a more developed understanding of the story but other than that there is no extra reward.

Time to wrap this review up. Well I guess this review would be for fans of the game mainly though perhaps it will get non fans to think of looking into the series. This game has many enjoyable facets to it whether it is the quirky characters, the satisfaction of beating a case, or the thrill and excitement of proudly being able to finally shout Objection! This game has a lot to offer, though in comparison to the others in the series some of the cases are not quite as memorable though still are quite good. So remember everyone dig hard for the facts, confront the contradictions head on, and teach those cases who's boss. Until next time.....I leave you with...a proud Objection!

Rating: 3.5/5

A-F-R-I-K-A?

So, first thing's first. I have heard tons of people criticize the title for its spelling. Therefore, I'd like to address it. Most vernacular or traditional languages on the continent spell Afrika with a "K". There ya go.

So..there you have it.

Afrika is Rhino Studio's first attempt at creating a game on the PS3. Unfortunately, reviews have been mostly unfavorable as it just doesn't appeal to most audiences. Most people I talk to about it just assume it's insanely boring. Actually, I'd be willing to bet that most gamers of today who would even turn it on, wouldn't even last 15 minutes before switching it out for some more Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. The reason, I believe, is that gamers of today need that constant stimulation of every sense, However, I have always been a huge supporter of new ideas because the thought of another damn shooter makes me want to kill myself. I will admit that my first impressions of Afrika were...



...well, a bit off. Don't get me wrong, I was really excited to play this title regardless, but I was a bit skeptical. I mean, back in the day, Pokemon Snap kicked ass!...but Afrika? Eventually, when I finally did get to playing the game, I was actually pleasantly surprised. The first couple parts of the game are spent riding around with a chauffeur as he shows you a couple of the landscapes. He lets you out of the jeep every now and then so you can get used to the free roam mechanics. (If you get the chance, take a photo of the driver, it's worth it.) I was instantly both amazed and disappointed by the graphics. The animals are beautifully animated with realistic motions and impressive interactions with the environment around them. Also, the camera and camera equipment, at least in the upgrade shop, are quite exquisitely detailed. Even when you are snapping photos and adjusting the camera settings, such as the Aperture or Shutter Speed, it's pretty realistic as to how is affects your photos. Unfortunately however, the environment details is where the graphics fell kinda flat (pun intended.) The ground is mostly nondescript mixtures of greens and browns, and some lazily rendered bushes among the wasteland. There really isn't much to look in the Afrika for quite a while, except some scattered trees and bushes. Speaking of which, the damn bushes will most definitely be your biggest pain in the ass whilst playing this game...I guarantee it. I would like to invite you to just take a look at these methodical..conniving..underhanded...assholes!
LOOK AT THEM!



Countless times have I been driving over the crest of a hill just to find a bush on the other side. You're thinking, "No big deal," right? This wouldn't be a problem, if not for the bushes being made out of wrought fucking iron! My very first time seeing one of these bushes, my thoughts were, "Hmm, this jeep going at 30-40mph and therefore, should just crash right through these puny bushes," but boy was I wrong. No matter how fast you are going, when you crash into the bush, you are brought to a complete stop. Then, you have to wait for you character to finally feel like putting the jeep in reverse. You sit there for a solid 5 seconds or so before the jerk puts the jeep in reverse...and those are some tedious 5 seconds after the 80th or so time you run into a goddamn bush! UGH!



Anyway..
The gameplay works well enough, but definitely could have been touched up to run a little more smoothly. Walking around, driving, crouching and climbing up trees sometimes becomes tedious. There were multiple times where my character decided to run funny while I was trying to make him run away from a pissed off baboon. Damn monkeys made me lose my film so many times...



Something I found rather funny, actually, is the manner in which you lose your film. If you get charged by a rhino, mauled by a hippo, or even trampled by elephants, your character gets away unscathed. He is temporarily knocked out, and you lose all your film. You aren't hurt, your camera stays in perfect shape, but the film that was inside the immaculate camera is destroyed...what the Hell..

Next are the missions. They are presented to your character via in-game email and are the driving force of the game. The missions are always photograph animal "X" doing action "Y" and it doesn't ever get too difficult. Doing missions gives you more money to upgrade your camera and buy more equipment. The missions also allow you to open up more areas to explore and teach you new techniques in photography. Some missions are even for big name companies like National Geographic and your photo will be presented on its cover...you even get an in-game copy of the issue. This game is actually sponsored by a lot of really big name companies including Sony and National Geographic.

I guess, for me, that there is just something satisfying about capturing the perfect shot of a giraffe after being hidden in a tree for several minutes or setting up a trap camera to get pictures of unsuspecting meerkats. My favorite part though, has to be the special event missions. The very first one, you are trying to take a photo of a cheetah hunting an antelope racing over the desert at like 60mph. These event missions are what I look forward to every time I turn on the game because it's just awesome to photograph events like these...



..even if they aren't real. All in all, I think Rhino Studio's had an awesome idea, got really excited, created amazing animals...then half-assed everything else. I haven't even mentioned that there aren't even any voice overs in this game, which is almost a necessity in today's console generation. I did enjoy the game and do not regret for a second making the purchase. If nothing else, I supported a company trying a new idea, which is fucking hard to come by in today's world.

I give Afrika on the PS3...

3/5 Indestructible Bushes!