Resident Evil

Is the game industry in a state of arrested development? We present our take on Heather Chaplin's incendiary GDC presentation. Plus, the proliferation of co-op, the viability of OnLive, and lessons learned from Leisure Suit Larry. With Chi Kong Lui, Mike Bracken, David Stone, and Tim Spaeth.

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Topic and Game References:

• Final Fantasy 11
• OnLive
• Resident Evil 5
• Heather Chaplin on "Burned by Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant" GDC 2009 Panel
• Fable
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
• Madworld
• Gears of War 2
• Leisure Suit Larry

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Just found this in my inbox, courtesy of the good folks at Capcom.

We are happy to announce that the wait for new Resident Evil 5 content is almost over!  The new online multiplayer Versus mode will be available to download on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, April 7, 2009.  For 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE, or $4.99 on the PlayStation Network, Resident Evil fans will be able to go up against each other for the most terrifying Versus mode to date.

Versus allows up to four players to match wits in online battles across two very different game types. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis. In Survivor’s Rule, players hunt the most dangerous game, each other! Players can begin the hunt as Chris, Sheva or other secret characters, and choose from either one-on-one or two-versus-two team matches for either of the two gameplay styles.

There aren't many video games that do a good job of bringing in significant others, at least not of the kinds of games that I like to play. Sure, there are the standbys like Guitar Hero and its ilk. Super Mario Galaxy did sort of okay in this respect, albeit in a limited fashion. Of course, there are many Wii games that appeal to spouses, such as Wii Sports, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and countless other lesser titles. But those aren't the kinds of games I usually want to play. So what's a gaming-oriented guy to do? Enter Resident Evil 5.

I forgot to post this yesterday, but just in case you missed it, here's the trailer for Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

This Wii-exclusive is a sequel to the on-rails shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and promises to take players back to some classic Resident Evil environments and let them shoot hordes of flesh eating zombies while doing it.

Expect to waggle your Wii-mote at The Darkside Chronicles later this year.

Don’t get me wrong. I really like DLC when it's done right, and it's something that I think is going to become a very vital part of the industry, if it hasn't already. (And really, I think it already has.)

That said, certain companies and their practices are really starting to piss me off.

In my mind, it seems to me that the proper role for DLC is to extend the life of a game after it's been out for a while and would ordinarily have been put aside in favor of newer releases. Perfect examples would be something like the add-on missions for Oblivion, Mass Effect or Fallout 3, each new piece of content able to reignite interest in games that would likely have been traded in or covered with dust on a shelf if not for the knowledge that something else would be coming down the pike. A trait common to all of these is that their core games were all unquestionably complete in and of themselves, including all the trappings we'd expect.

Update: Capcom has now stated that the PSN price for the DLC will be $4.99 and not the earlier stated $3.99

Christ, this looks like a video game site today. Capcom not only announced their Wii games this morning, but also dropped another bomb with the news that Resident Evil 5 will feature competitive multiplayer.

The new mode (called Versus) allows for four players to match up in two different game modes. In Slayer's Rule, players compete to earn points killing Majinis. In Survivors Rule, they hunt each other. I can kind tell which mode is going to be more popular…

The PVP content will be available on Xbox Live (400 MS points) and the PlayStation Network ($3.99) a few weeks after the game's release (which is tomorrow if you're not keeping track…).

We've all been waiting for the Resident Evil Wii news hinted at recently, and today we finally have it.

Capcom announced Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for Nintendo's popular home console today. The Darkside Chronicles is a brand-spankin' new adventure, a sequel to Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

If that weren't enough zombie slaughtering news, there's more. Capcom also announced new Wii versions of Resident Evil Zero and the GameCube Resident Evil remake as part of a "Resident Evil Classics" line of titles.