nykings
9th July 2007, 01:26
capcom recently announced the formation of a formal american mobile division and is wasting no time in staking out the space with some of its biggest properties, such as resident evil. the survival-horror franchise is enjoying a massive renaissance, still basking in the critical glow of the successful resident evil 4. however, since an epic of such size and technical requirements could not be scaled down to a cellphone with any degree of reasonable success, capcom set out to create an original game that delivered the elements and essence of the popular console game, but in an experience that makes sense for mobile.
resident evil: the missions breaks down a giant zombie safari into 100 small stages, each composed of a just a few rooms and a small goal, such as rescue a helpful citizen or blow off a zombie’s head. each mission is timed, and depending on how quickly you navigate through the mission, the game gives you a grade. these bite-sized sessions last no longer than a couple minutes apiece, which is the perfect duration for a quick play between life’s other occupations, like work or school. the 100 missions are displayed as a giant branching pyramid. you play through the game on different paths, meaning you could feasibly run through it multiple times without even seeing all of the sights.
the plot starts out simple, with s.t.a.r.s. agent jill valentine checking out a giant mansion linked to the diabolical umbrella corporation. the site has been taken over by the shambling undead, and it is up to valentine (as well as some secret, unlockable characters —— which i am loathe to ruin here) to clear out the zombies and save the proverbial day. valentine has access to a lot of requisite resident evil firepower and items, like herbs. fans will really appreciate that this mobile game does everything in its power to feel like it belongs right next to the rest of the entries in the series.
fortunately, the game doesn’t use traditional re controls, so you just press in the direction you want valentine to run —— no need to rotate her body, then press forward. (bless you, capcom.) the collision detection was something i was hoping wouldn’t suffer, and am pleased to report no hang-ups on invisible barriers. when you move valentine near something she can use, a small icon appears above it, this way you can tell functional doorways and whatnot from the background.
re also employs auto-aim, which is useful for a mobile game where you don’t have the tools for pinpoint accuracy. you switch between running and shooting with a soft key. when you are in the shooting stance, any target within range is painted with a red target. you can pivot to pick off other targets, as well as look up or down. looking up is how you score one-shot kills, which are important in a series known for being a little stingy with ammunition. running out of ammo in this mobile edition is just as painful as it is in the console game. you have access to a knife for up-close attacks, and if you can time your strikes just right, you can do hugely potent counter-attacks that drop a zombie cold.
resident evil runs on 3d-enabled handsets. it uses pre-rendered backgrounds, but casts polygonal models over them. it looks quite nice on the test lg vx8000 i am playing the game on. the models move smoothly with pretty good animation. the texture work is solid, but not spectacular. valentine (and the other humans) got the most attention it seems. many of the zombies look like a collection of gory-textured polygons hastily pasted into humanoid form. the sound is pretty good. there is some beep-boop sinister music, as well as several sound effects for taking shots or picking up items. your characters cry when attacked, zombies make appropriate groans, and monsters, well, make monstrous noises.
closing comments
resident evil: the missions benefits from incredibly smart design choices. recreating an re game in a top-down perspective would have been a little dull. using the familiar fixed camera angles, the pre-rendered backgrounds, and recognizable characters and locations will get the fan base excited. and the way the game is segmented into easily consumed set pieces is great for mobile gamers, as it allows them to play for a few minutes at a time if the real world is creeping in. the game does move a little slow, even with the use of a run command to speed up movement, but the pacing of re has always turned some gamers off while others appreciated the "slow boil."
i think re fans —— and there are a lot of them —— should have no hesitation when considering the download. mobile gamers with a solid preference for puzzle and card games, however, might want to think twice —— as re delivers a more traditional video game experience to mobile.
resident evil: the missions is a collection of 100 new zombie-hunting scenarios based on the events and locations in the original console game. designed for the unique play style of the mobile platform, resident evil: the missions introduces an auto aim feature to the franchise and increases the player’s ammo reserves to intensify the action and frantic pace. additionally, many of the missions have a timed component challenging the player to survive the onslaught of zombies and complete certain tasks before time expires.
to begin the experience, players select the number of missions they wish to tackle. like its console namesakes resident evil: the missions features several of the main characters from the franchise and sports a fixed, third-person camera that switches seamlessly between viewpoints as the character navigates the game world. to assist in the journey through this house of horrors crawling with zombie.
resident evil: the missions breaks down a giant zombie safari into 100 small stages, each composed of a just a few rooms and a small goal, such as rescue a helpful citizen or blow off a zombie’s head. each mission is timed, and depending on how quickly you navigate through the mission, the game gives you a grade. these bite-sized sessions last no longer than a couple minutes apiece, which is the perfect duration for a quick play between life’s other occupations, like work or school. the 100 missions are displayed as a giant branching pyramid. you play through the game on different paths, meaning you could feasibly run through it multiple times without even seeing all of the sights.
the plot starts out simple, with s.t.a.r.s. agent jill valentine checking out a giant mansion linked to the diabolical umbrella corporation. the site has been taken over by the shambling undead, and it is up to valentine (as well as some secret, unlockable characters —— which i am loathe to ruin here) to clear out the zombies and save the proverbial day. valentine has access to a lot of requisite resident evil firepower and items, like herbs. fans will really appreciate that this mobile game does everything in its power to feel like it belongs right next to the rest of the entries in the series.
fortunately, the game doesn’t use traditional re controls, so you just press in the direction you want valentine to run —— no need to rotate her body, then press forward. (bless you, capcom.) the collision detection was something i was hoping wouldn’t suffer, and am pleased to report no hang-ups on invisible barriers. when you move valentine near something she can use, a small icon appears above it, this way you can tell functional doorways and whatnot from the background.
re also employs auto-aim, which is useful for a mobile game where you don’t have the tools for pinpoint accuracy. you switch between running and shooting with a soft key. when you are in the shooting stance, any target within range is painted with a red target. you can pivot to pick off other targets, as well as look up or down. looking up is how you score one-shot kills, which are important in a series known for being a little stingy with ammunition. running out of ammo in this mobile edition is just as painful as it is in the console game. you have access to a knife for up-close attacks, and if you can time your strikes just right, you can do hugely potent counter-attacks that drop a zombie cold.
resident evil runs on 3d-enabled handsets. it uses pre-rendered backgrounds, but casts polygonal models over them. it looks quite nice on the test lg vx8000 i am playing the game on. the models move smoothly with pretty good animation. the texture work is solid, but not spectacular. valentine (and the other humans) got the most attention it seems. many of the zombies look like a collection of gory-textured polygons hastily pasted into humanoid form. the sound is pretty good. there is some beep-boop sinister music, as well as several sound effects for taking shots or picking up items. your characters cry when attacked, zombies make appropriate groans, and monsters, well, make monstrous noises.
closing comments
resident evil: the missions benefits from incredibly smart design choices. recreating an re game in a top-down perspective would have been a little dull. using the familiar fixed camera angles, the pre-rendered backgrounds, and recognizable characters and locations will get the fan base excited. and the way the game is segmented into easily consumed set pieces is great for mobile gamers, as it allows them to play for a few minutes at a time if the real world is creeping in. the game does move a little slow, even with the use of a run command to speed up movement, but the pacing of re has always turned some gamers off while others appreciated the "slow boil."
i think re fans —— and there are a lot of them —— should have no hesitation when considering the download. mobile gamers with a solid preference for puzzle and card games, however, might want to think twice —— as re delivers a more traditional video game experience to mobile.
resident evil: the missions is a collection of 100 new zombie-hunting scenarios based on the events and locations in the original console game. designed for the unique play style of the mobile platform, resident evil: the missions introduces an auto aim feature to the franchise and increases the player’s ammo reserves to intensify the action and frantic pace. additionally, many of the missions have a timed component challenging the player to survive the onslaught of zombies and complete certain tasks before time expires.
to begin the experience, players select the number of missions they wish to tackle. like its console namesakes resident evil: the missions features several of the main characters from the franchise and sports a fixed, third-person camera that switches seamlessly between viewpoints as the character navigates the game world. to assist in the journey through this house of horrors crawling with zombie.