I love zombies.
Im not really into other types of horror movies and I dont really dig
slasher flicks, but to me there is nothing better than wasting away an
evening watching Dawn of the Dead or Cemetery Man. Because of this
obsession with the walking dead, the Resident Evil series has always
been a favorite of mine. Of course, I was always a bit turned off by the
mutant plants and giant spiders in the games, but the thrill of blasting
through dozens of zombies was enough to keep me coming back for more. In
Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Capcoms latest entry in the Gun Survivor
series, the zombie to creature ratio is much higher and the gameplay has
been tweaked enough that it is actually fun and undeniably satisfying
even without a GunCon. It isnt a "real" Resident Evil game, but Dead
Aim packs enough zombie killing action to keep any RE fan entertained
for an evening.
Most of Dead Aim
takes place on a cruise ship where psycho cult leader Morpheus Duvall
has infected the passengers and crew with the T-Virus. You play as Bruce
McGivern, an anti-Umbrella operative that looks suspiciously like Paul
Walker. Along the way, youll meet up with hot chick Chinese government
agent Fong Ling and even get to play as her at certain points in the
game. Overall, the story is your standard Scooby Doo inspired "Curse of
the Zombie Cruise Liner" that doesnt really have much of an impact on
the main RE storyline.
The gameplay in
Dead Aim is a mix of third and first person gameplay. You explore the
environment in a third-person perspective with the same tank-like
movement we all know and loathe, but the game switches into a
first-person view whenever you have to blast some zombies. It feels kind
of like MGS2, but the experience isnt nearly as smooth. The transition
between views is pretty jarring and the first time you switch to
first-person mode and are greeted by ugly zombies just inches away can
be a shock. The only bad thing about the gameplay is that it takes the
same number of bullets to kill a zombie no matter where you hit them. It
would have been nice if good marksmanship was rewarded, but that would
have made the game too easy if every creature went down with just one
headshot.
Dead Aim offers
several control options so that even those of us that do not own a
GunCon2 can enjoy the game. In fact, Im going to go out on a limb and
say the game is more fun when you dont use a light gun and use a USB
mouse instead. Let me explain this a bit. The game can be played with
just a DualShock, but aiming in first-person mode is slow and clunky.
The game is meant to be played with a GunCon2, but moving around with
the d-pad on the back of the gun and using the buttons on the barrel to
open doors and such is tricky. You can use a DualShock alongside the
GunCon2, which is the best way to play if you have one, but not very
many people own light guns. That brings us to the last, and most
practical, control option: A DualShock in conjunction with a USB mouse.
You use your left hand on the DualShock so you can easily move around
and open doors. The mouse, in your right hand obviously, allows you
pinpoint accuracy in first-person mode.
The point Im trying to make is that even if you dont have a
GunCon2, Dead Aim is perfectly playable and downright fun. Using just a
DualShock isnt very effective, but if you have a GunCon2 or USB mouse
Dead Aim is very enjoyable.
The fear factor
of Dead Aim isnt quite as high as a standard RE game, but it tries to
scare you in different ways, which is a plus. There arent very many
classic RE moments when something jumps out and says boo, but the
atmosphere adds a lot towards making the game more spooky. First off,
the cruise ship is very dark. The only lighting is from an occasional
lamp or from the flashlight clipped to your characters pocket. This
makes for a lot of moments when you can hear a zombie but you cant see
it. When you hear a zombie moan or shuffle its feet in the dark it is
pretty intense. The zombies themselves add a lot to making Dead Aim
spooky as well. They look awesome from the first-person perspective and
are animated very well. They lunge at you and stumble around (which
makes them harder to hit) in a rather realistic manner that adds a lot
to the game. There are a few disturbing images that will stick with you
as well, like when you open up a bathroom door and find that a person
chose to commit suicide rather than turn into a zombie. Dead Aim isnt
really all that scary when compared to other games in the survival
horror genre, but it does have a few memorable moments.
The graphics and
sound are pretty good, for the most part. As long as you arent
expecting the game to look as good as the REmake or RE0 on GameCube,
Dead Aim is actually pretty easy on the eyes. The lighting effects are
good and add a lot to the atmosphere. The player character models are
detailed and well animated and the zombies, especially in the
first-person mode, are very impressive. The sound in Dead Aim is also
good, for what there is. There isnt very much music, but the sound
effects are outstanding. The sounds of the walking dead are just about
perfect, and the creaking of the ship and the constant hum of the
engines never let you forget where you are. The gunfire in Dead Aim is
well done as each type of weapon sounds very different and all of them
are nice and loud. The graphics could be better, but they get the job
done and in no way hurt the game.
I have to admit
that Dead Aim is what I always secretly wanted a Resident Evil game to
be. Exploring environments in a third-person viewpoint where you have a
wider range of vision is fine, but when Im shooting at zombies I want
to be a little closer to the action. Nothing is more satisfying than
blowing a zombie on its ass with a shotgun blast to the chest at close
range. In a perfect world they would add in the MGS2-esque gameplay of
Dead Aim (minus the light gun part) to a standard RE game and I would be
a happy camper. That probably wont happen, though, and Ill just have
to wait for the next Gun Survivor game to come out. With some gameplay
tweaks and some polish, this series could be great.
Overall,
Resident Evil: Dead Aim is a surprisingly fun way to kill time while we
wait for RE4. The hybrid gameplay isnt as smooth as it could be, but
the atmosphere more than makes up for it. I like the wealth of control
options and especially the fact that just about everyone can get the
full experience whether you own a GunCon2 or not. The only problem with
Dead Aim is that it only takes about three hours to play through it. If
it was a little longer and the gameplay was tweaked a bit, Dead Aim
could be great instead of just good. Fans of Resident Evil and zombie
fanatics will find a lot to like about Dead Aim, but because of its
length it is hard to recommend it for a purchase. Give it a rent and see
if it tickles your zombie bone.