Resident Evil: Dead Aim

"A surprisingly satisfying experience in a series which is usually unsatisfying"

The Gun Survivor series has had extremely low values in the past. While the games got better as sequels progressed (Gun Survivor 3 was better than Gun Survivor 2 which was better than Gun Survivor), Capcom really hit the ball in the 4th title of the series, subtitled ''Heroes Never Die.'' While the game hardly ever plays that cool subtitle out, the overall game as a whole is simply fantastic, and also, like the first Gun Survivor, is a completely original chapter in the Resident Evil series (Gun Survivor 2 was based on CODE: Veronica while Gun Survivor 3 was based on the Dino Crisis series).

Controlling the main characters, Bruce and Fongling, with either the Dual Shock 2 or the GunCon 2 are surprisingly simple. Unlike the first 3 Gun Survivor games, the perspective for traveling is in the third person (like the ''main'' BioHazard/Resident Evil games), which moving them easy. Bruce or Fongling turn based on a dial control system. Tilt the camera and they move straight ahead. Turning the characters means turning the camera, as stated earlier. It's a little bit slower than it would be in a traditional Resident Evil game, but a far improvement to the clumsy and flawed controls of the third person movement in the earlier titles. Another control strength is the addition of USB Mouse support. Plugging in a USB Mouse means that the mouse can be used to shoot enemies in first person mode, making targeting a simple process. Another trick is using the GunCon 2 and the Dual Shock 2 at the same time, allowing for some unorthodox 2 player mode. One can move around with the controller, while the partner can do the shooting.

The framerate is also a solid 60 frames per second, with occasional slowdown (it IS a PS2 game) during parts with many zombies in a room. The slowdown doesn't really hurt the gameplay much; it's only a little annoying. Otherwise, the gameplay is fast and furious, and a step in the right direction for those who thought that Resident Evil Zero was too slow compared to the faster-paced Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The zombie movements are also fantastic and tense, far more realistic than most other Resident Evil games.

Combat (shooting) is in first person, like the original titles, but it's a little more manageable this time. The GunCon targeting is accurate as a whole, while with the Dual Shock, it's a lot easier than before. The third person aspect is a lot like the earlier titles; go to a room, grab a key, and then return to the other side of the building to unlock a door, beat a boss, kill some zombies and move on. There aren't any actual guessing game puzzles here this time; just pure key fetching, which isn't completely bad at all; it's simplistic and actually a whole lot more life-like for those who complain about the Resident Evil series' unrealistic puzzles.

As for graphics, they're not as good as the original games that were released for the GameCube (REmake and Zero), but are definitely much better than both Gun Survivor 2 and Gun Survivor 3. Character models are surprisngly detailed, with great polygon counts. The game also looks very smooth, and features both good lighting effects and dark effects. The blood effects are also even more realistic than the blood effects in Resident Evil Zero. They drip on walls, and soak into carpet. It's a very good looking game.

Sound-wise, it's a little like Silent Hill 2 in terms of sound mood, but the sound is clear and authentic, like that of a true ship. You can hear cargo moving around, and the ship rocking. Footsteps sound hollow, and steps over metal make clanking sounds. The voice acting is my biggest complain. You can hardly hear what the characters are saying. I'm playing the Japanese version right now, and the subtitles are not in English, therefore some importers without the best sound systems will be left in the dark. Hopefully, the U.S. version (RE: Dead Aim) will fix this problem, or will have subtitles.

The story takes place in 2002 (a few years after the last BioHazard/Resident Evil) where a terrorist group has stolen a T-Virus sample from an Umbrella Lab in France and unleashes the stolen virus on an Umbrella ship out to sea in the Atlantic. Bruce is apparently there to stop it for the Americans, while Fongling is there to stop it for the Chinese government. Zombies and other monsters popular both the ship and the island of the game, whom Bruce and Fongling both must destroy.

The length of the game might seem long at first, but in the end, it's definitely a short title. It can be beaten in 40 minutes during replays. Not much is given for replay value, other than you can play as Fongling after beating the game once with Bruce. Unlike Resident Evil 2, however, you'll play through the EXACT SAME GAME as the first time. The first time through, we would play as Bruce and occasionally switch to Fongling. If we're playing as Fongling, those occasional switches become gametime with Bruce. Oddly, none of the cut-scenes change when we play as Fongling. It's disappointing to see so many unexplored areas of both the island and ship, that could have easily been filled with an alternate scenario for Fongling. If you're wondering, Bruce's game is the true one. But since the game is already wonderful, it doesn't do much at all to hurt the overall package.

What's surprising is how the game feels like Silent Hill. The map, the flashlight, the animations, the sounds, and the graphics all look like they were created by the Silent Hill team at Konami rather than a Capcom team. It's a surprising revelation, but not an unwelcome one. Honestly, this is a Resident Evil title you can decently compare to the Silent Hill games, but the overall comparison is still that the games are different.

As the entire game package, Gun Survivor 4 (RE: Dead Aim in the west) is the best Gun Survivor game of all time. When compared to the traditional Resident Evil games and other lightgun shooters, opinions are a mixed bag between all of us, but for me, I think Gun Survivor 4 is somewhere in the top 5 Resident Evil games of all time. It's a satisfying game with good production values.

Graphics 9.5
Gameplay 10
Sound 9
Control 9.2
Replay Value 8.9
Animation 10

OVERALL 10
Normally, the game would be rated 9 on my scale, but since the game is an enormous improvement to Gun Survivor and Gun Survivor 2, I can't help but give this game a perfect rating. Purchase this, if you're a Resident Evil fan. You'll probably like it. Then again, you still might end up disliking it. Try a rental if you're still skeptical.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/03, Updated 03/01/03