Also known as Gun Survivor 4 if you have a Japanese version. Anyway, I picked up this game about 6 years ago while in line at a Gamestop. Some unlucky sap in front of me was about to let Gamestop give him about $2 for the game and I asked if he would be interested in $5 instead. The Gamestop clerk was a little upset, but the guy took the deal and I waited outside for him to finish up with his transaction. Unfortunately, I never had a Guncon to give it a play through. I picked one up about a year ago and here I am finally getting down to giving it a shot! This will be my spoiler-free review/thoughts/comments/concerns. Basically just to talk about the game.
First things first, this game is unlike any other Resident Evil title. Its a classic third person over the shoulder shooter...up until you raise your gun to fire. When you raise your weapon the game transitions into a rail-shooter. While aiming you can move right or left to fire and go back to third person view to move to a different vantage point. This was a pleasant surprise for me as I went into this game expecting it to be a straight up rail shooter like the other gun survivor titles, which I should note I haven’t had the chance to play yet.
The story seems familiar after already playing RE:Gaiden and RE:Revelation. You are on a boat....and the virus is loose....kill zombies...escape.
Im playing the game on normal and it doesn’t seem to be quite as heavy on the survival aspects of previous Resident Evil titles. While save points are a bit spread out they are STOCKED full of pistol ammunition so you can always run back and stock up if you’re running low. This isn’t to say that the game isn’t fun or challenging. With the game taking place on a boat you constantly find yourself in situations where your movement is pretty limited and this makes for good shoot outs with the rail shooting mechanic.
One complaint I do have about the game ,and this is common problem in the ps2 era, is the environments. Resident Evil has always been about running around and solving puzzles to progress through the games. Previous titles have done a good job of making areas feel and look different then other areas around them to make it easier to navigate the maps when backtracking and puzzle solving. In RE: Dead Aim, almost every hallway and room looks exactly the same as the others and can make navigating the beginning of the game kind of annoying. Because of this I resorted to a game guide to keep on track and from wandering the halls of this ocean cruiser for hours on end.
So heres something very interesting, the main villain in this title is Morpheus Duvall. A man that you find out,through a series of found reports, to be responsible for the original Racoon City outbreak. He , like many RE villains before him, injects himself with a strain of the T-Virus (called the T+G Virus). BUT! very unlike his predecessors when he undergoes his change into a Tyrant...he also goes through a sex change! Seriously, heres a before and after:
Morpheus certainly has some feminine features before the transformation. And I believe Morpheus is described as being “very into” the female figure so its possible he may have already had some work done under that jacket. Now sense its 2016: Disclaimer: I don’t have an issue with a transgender biochemical death machine, but I found it interesting and worth pointing out.
Now possibly even more interesting then that ,also unlike his predecessors, he retains his intelligence once he undergoes the change. This allows him/her to speak to you while kicking your ass. Oh, and did I mention he/she has electric powers? Its like if Electro from Spider-man got lucky with Veronica-X. This really is the most unique Tyrant in the series.
So I’m at the half-way point of the game and its great. If you enjoyed the older Resident Evil titles and never got a chance to give this a go. Do it. The shooting is fun,the story is not half bad, and it gets extra points for being unique. Anyone have any thoughts or memories on the game?
