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mimzalot · 1 year

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talkin’ about the narrative function of Luis Serra

specifically in relation to plot pacing. there are a million things that I could commend about the way the remakes handle narrative, but I want to specifically talk about chapter 11 of Resident Evil 4 Remake and what it accomplished for Luis Serra, my beloved, re: creating character impact and transforming the RE formula

⚠️ MAJOR SPOILER WARNING FOR RE4R (plus I briefly mention all the other games and Vendetta, too)

so. chapter 11 sucks. but not in a bad way.

at the time of Luis’ death, I remember thinking: oh no, too soon. he just started opening up about his past. I was just getting used to his company! Leon hasn’t had enough time to really connect with him, to make this death scene hurt! it wasn’t until I finished the game for the first time that I realised that it would not have worked any other way, and I’ve been circling it since.

let’s wheel back a bit to think about why Luis exists in this narrative. this could be a whole different post, as he fulfils a lot of roles in the plot, but for this I’ll narrow it down to this key trait: Luis is The Scientist.

Resident Evil has a lot of returning archetypes:

The Survivor – our protagonists, usually some sort of trained professional

The Kid/Civilian – who we look after and protect

The Corrupt Power Structure – our CEOs, Mayors, Police Commissioner, Aristocrats, etc

The Scientist – usually Umbrella (though sometimes we get an Umbrella-aligned person that isn’t a scientist, but is still evil)

each of these play into an existing formula, the purpose of which is to convey more or less the same RE story: behind all suffering is the powerful and corrupt, and funding that corruption is the greed of big pharma and capitalistic evil. The Scientist is attached to that big pharma part, as they always bring in the infections that give us the zombies, Ganado, Tyrants, etc. thus, Umbrella is evil.

this formula creates a very strict black and white picture of Good vs. Evil, with little room for grey. it is Resident Evil after all, not Resident Everyone-Has-Their-Reasons.

RE7 and 8 are significant because of how they started anchoring the POV around “the Civilian” Ethan rather than the professional. you could argue that Claire is a civvie, but she is a Redfield and cannot be counted among the mortals

in RE1 it’s cut and dry: the scientists are the evil behind everything, Wesker is a traitor, and it’s all downhill from here. RE2(R) has William Birkin echoing that Evil Scientist thing, with a slight bit of grey appearing with Annette. but her death isn’t necessarily framed as a tragedy, even so.

you could say that Ada is kinda evil-science-aligned seeing as she is the person transporting the science, but Ada is Ada and, again, cannot be counted among the mortals

in RE3(R), we don’t have a significant science-guy as it’s more about the high-octane, military stuff. but we do have Carlos, and his stupid sexy syringe bite scene – he is an important predecessor to Luis in that he is only saved by the consequences of his employment by ignorance: Carlos didn’t know that UBCS were the bad guys. Luis, arguably, performed his actions knowingly, which is one of the great tragedies of his character and the cornerstone of his atonement.

it’s that knowledge, that conscious alignment with evil that makes each of the Scientist characters slated to die. The Scientist always dies.

we do need to talk about Mia Winters but that’s another text post

Luis Serra, according to his alignment, according to his actions, could be our final boss. if Mendez had re-injected him, he may well have been; a mutated scientist pushed back into his lab, guarding the machine that would heal Leon and Ashley, infected by the virus that he might have helped create. at which point it wouldn’t matter how he felt about it, whether he regretted it: he, like all the other researchers, would need to die or be put down.

but RE4 isn’t about that. RE4 is about change.

if we look into the future, we know that Leon ends up being a guy that sees the grey in all things – even to his own detriment. in Vendetta he asks ‘who’s the bad guy here?’ to throw criticism at the government that would open fire on the wedding of an evil guy, and Chris barks back ‘THE EVIL GUY!’ which perfectly highlights the different journeys these characters have been on, and the unique roles they hold in the RE universe.

one thing they highlighted rather early in RE4R was that Leon did not start with an eye for the grey-zone. he is pissed off by Luis’ mysteriousness, because he’s Umbrella. Leon’s heated about that in particular, and the game reminds us constantly that Leon is not cool with it. and why would he be? Umbrella ruined his life.

the remakes have been paying close attention to cause-and-effect continuity, and at this point in time Leon has been absorbed into the rigmarole of US govt and moulded into an agent, against his will. he is exploited because of the events of RE2, and it’s clear that he has a lot of unresolved (and justified) anger towards Umbrella for creating this traumatic situation for him.

without anything to challenge this, he’d end up like Chris: staunchly black-and-white about who is responsible, who must be held accountable, forcing himself into positions to bluntly counteract Evil where he can.

but instead, Leon encounters Luis.

and the purpose of Luis is to change what it means to be The Scientist, and thereby affect Leon’s outlook of the world. the significance of Krauser then killing Luis is the convergence point of Leon’s worldview shifting: my own people betrayed me and sided with evil. and my enemy saved my life.

Krauser as a cautionary tale almost shows Leon who he could have been, too: not just a guy so affected by fear that he becomes the monster, but also the guy that blindly followed orders and murdered Luis. basically this game is developing Leon’s ability to think critically as a compassionate, traumatised and exploited person. y’know, a guy like Luis.

Leon spends over half of the narrative on the fence about seeing Luis in a grey light. in a game of sixteen chapters, Leon spends two-thirds of his time with Luis grumpy and wary about him. finally in chapter 11, we get a chance to actually see the potential of a friendship grow – and then it’s all too quickly cut short. while Luis is preparing to proceed, and see the light of his actions realised, he is killed.

and what I’m rather stunned by is that I certainly felt it when Luis died, but I felt it worse as the game progressed. the game gives you Luis just long enough to feel attached, and then takes him away so that the potential itself haunts you until the final chapter. the resounding impact of his loss is felt in absence, rather than in presence, and so the heart grows fonder, and the game gives you time to process it, until finally in chapter 15 you’re on the cusp of tears because of the flavour text about a Key. everything that happens after his death is attributed to him. he ends up lingering on the mind after the game ends. hence why I’m writing this friggin text post at 11pm instead of playing Zelda. RE4R created a ghost and he is haunting me.

so, logistically: what happens if Luis dies later in the game? in terms of overall pacing, his death is undercut by the climax, thus the player is not given enough time to really ruminate on his absence. you need those chapters after Luis dies to get that real sense of loneliness, to match the steep downslide of shit hitting the fan that RE4 does so well. moments where you can say to yourself “would be nice if Luis were here”, especially apparent as you are plunged into those horrible labs and begin to receive many insights into the other scientists and researchers. it’s all finally punctuated by Ashley asking where he is and a moment of on-screen grief to keep his absence fresh in our minds. there wouldn’t have been space for this if he died any later than chapter 11. the game would just have to be longer, but then that jeopardises the snappy pace and replayability.

emotionally, if he died later in the game, Luis might have begun to develop a confidence that things were going to be okay. he might have started feeling Leon was enjoying his company, thus making Leon the crux of his atonement, rather than Luis’ own actions. he might have met Ashley, who would undoubtedly be nice to him, and then his death would have been more about the protagonists’ reactions to him than the consequences of his own actions. pacing is a bit of a balancing act, and if you push Luis’ death into chapter 12, the rest of the game starts falling a bit wonky.

any sooner in the game, and the player hasn’t been given enough time to attach to him, so it falls short anyway. this is something that I felt keenly in the original, where Luis was unfortunately too absent from the mainline plot for his loss to be felt, though it did have the shape of this narrative structure – with Luis arriving, and dying, and then being developed in the aftermath of his death via his work, and the truth. I’m so glad that the Remake refined it, so now I can suffer endlessly about it.

and what happens of Luis doesn’t die at all? as I said, The Scientist Always Dies. this is the turning point of the series for grey-zone evil science guys, and to completely switch gears and then let the scientist live just doesn’t feel right for the thesis statement of Resident Evil. any other game, maybe, but RE is so committed to their formula that it would undermine itself. it’s not enough to say “one good scientist <3” then reward him with life; he still dies, and unfortunately that death has massive implications for the series at large – because it is tragic. not disturbingly necessary like disposing of William Birkin, not lowkey victorious like dropping Wesker into a volcano, but tragic and preventable, tragic and heartbreaking, tragic in a revolutionary kinda way. it creates a sense of grief that falls in line with RE’s sense of justice, thus hurts more. and it sucks.

and that’s the real kicker about Luis, eh? I am haunted not just by his absence, but by the fact that he never got to see his actions take form. he died not knowing that he saved the world. he died questioning whether he’d actually made a difference, in himself, or with anything.

all that to say: the purpose of Luis is to begin to subvert the existing narrative structure. to introduce the idea of grey, not as something that absolves you, but as something that bestows nuance upon the ‘enemy’ that RE constantly, consistently holds accountable with rocket launchers. change is possible and difficult and sometimes completely without reward, but it must be done anyway. even if it outlives you. because Resident Evil is about the long-lived legacy of evil – so Luis is about the long-lived legacy of compassion, of atonement, and necessary change. and that’s a legacy that he grants the survivors, and in a larger scope, the world.

while capcom really pulled out every tool in their arsenal to show this death’s tragedy, the pinpoint accuracy of how they timed his death in the larger scheme of the game is so pristine that I almost can’t be mad at them for ripping my heart out. ‘cause they earnt it, through careful build-up, and poignant resolution, right up until the moment that Leon quotes Luis upon escaping the Island to make your heart warm up and break at the same time.

so, in short: nailed it. thanks. I will be thinking of Luis Serra forever. amen.

if you’ve made it this far – hi! I’m Mim, I really want to start making video essays with these sorts of analyses for RE, Devil May Cry, Ace Attorney, Zelda and a bunch of other games I love. let me know if you’d be interested in that, I have one lined up for Leon and Luis’ meeting scene that needs video footage. also like 2394823 other thoughts about Luis in particular, but I’m stopping myself now because I want to stream TOTK. pardon any lore inaccuracies I was possessed by Luis feelings and wrote four pages in one unblinking sitting. CHEERS!

#resident evil 4 #luis serra #luis sera #leon kennedy #re4 #re4r #mimzameta #resident evil

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jessy-the-martian-girl · 4 months

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Untitled x-over drabble

Idk how this got into my head and got out in about two hours or so as a somewhat proper story (actually I was translating my Ice Skating story - even almost half-way through already). I'm still a bit shocked how fast this was born (considering the fact that I skipped "translating" part of writing and went straight for writing in English), but I honestly like it. Anyways...

This is a short story (prequel type, I guess, as I'm definitely planning on writing more in this setting in the future) on that wild crossover of Original RE4, Remake and a tint of Dino Crisis (no dinos here yet, though).

It's 693 words, and it starts in my old AU of RE4 OG, about six years after Luis survived his first encounter with Saddler in Leon's presence (well, almost: Leon was a bit late to the party, so Jess had to start saving Luis on her own), got out of the Island in one piece, got a girlfriend. Her name's Jessy Jones btw (I told you, I'm absolutely unoriginal with names) and at the moment of this story she and Luis are already married.

Warnings? Idk, mentions of death? Oh, and it's canon x OC type of story.

And - no worries, Luis will survive by any means necessary.

@fanficanatic-tw, I remember, you asked to be tagged if I get anything new))

Luis was mentally preparing to die. This time it was inevitable, unfortunately. All the odds were not in his favor – and even if he somehow could break free, his injured leg has made escape next to impossible. The cold from the floor and the pillar he was tied to was slowly creeping into his body, making him shiver. Luis closed his eyes, silently sending his last farewells to friends and family, but was abruptly brought back to reality by a sharp tug on the ropes that were holding him in place and an all too familiar voice of his wife, thickly laced with horror and despair, calling his name. - Jessy, - he gasped, realizing that she was really kneeling next to him and trying to set him free. - Por favor, no... Go, leave me. - I'm not going anywhere without you, - she retorted angrily, biting her lips to blood and frantically trying to untie her husband from the center column of this room, filled with equipment of unclear purpose. Luis desperately longed to know how could she possibly find him here, why she was here alone... But time was of an essence and the last thing he wanted was for his beloved to perish with him. He couldn't even tell her who was behind this as all he had was suspicions and a record with distorted voice, that had enlightened him on his fate in a mocking tone when he came to, already tied up. - This place is rigged to explode, - the Spaniard whispered. - And there's not much time left. The brunette just growled under her breath and doubled her efforts, regretting that she didn't get a habit of carrying a knife with her. - Think of our daughter, - Serra once again tried to call to reason. - Mel's only five and she needs at least one of her parents by her side. - But... Luis... - Jessica stopped and looked at him with teary eyes, rising her hand to caress his cheek. - I can't leave you. - I know, - he smiled weakly, too aware of the clock ticking away precious moments. - It's about hard choices. But, please... His wife sobbed and leaned into one desperate kiss, realizing all too well that this was their last goodbye. She knew that he was right and their little Melinda needed at least her mom. - Te quiero, Luis, - young woman whispered, reluctantly pulling away and getting to her feet. - Te quiero, Jessy, - he smiled at her and watched as she turned around and ran out of the doorway, sobbing and never looking back. He only hoped and prayed that she would get out in time and safely find her way home to their little hazel-eyed treasure. Time slowed down again, the wait of death becoming almost painful, but then a distant “click”, that seemed too loud in the silence of the facility, set the things into motion. The floor underneath him started trembling, the following heatwave washed over Serra's body, his ears were stricken with a loud “boom” and he flinched, awaiting the blast getting to him and the following pain before imminent death... Yet nothing happened, and he was deafened by the sudden silence... Sensation of short flight came next, sending Luis into air. He didn't have enough time to muse on where did his ropes disappear as he was blinded by the bright flash of light. Shortly after his back collided with something hard, eliciting a quiet moan from his throat, as he fell to the unexpectedly soft ground merely managing to turn his head sideways for not breaking his nose in addition to all the injuries he had already sustained. - How am I still alive? - the Spaniard quietly muttered to himself, as soon as he blinked away the involuntary tears of pain and was able to take into his surroundings. - ¿Y dónde demonios estoy?* Luis found himself alone and hurt in the middle of an unfamiliar forest with no signs of human life nearby and he had absolutely no idea of what to do now.

*"And where the hell I am?"

#OG!Luis Serra x OC #Luis Serra x Jessy Jones #Luis Serra #Luis Serra x OC #my fanfiction #wild crossovers

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narukouzumakinamikaze · 1 year

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Okay just finished RE4 remake. I know it’s been a week, what took me so long.. anyway I loved it. Loved the original so it’s hard to mess this game up considering how beloved it is and how many ports it has. They had to get this one right.

I love the enhancement to the knife in that you can actually parry and sneak up on enemies to kill them. I didn’t play the demo so during the village I had to idea I could do that until they did the tutorial.

I also loved the changes and enhancements to the village and the stage design. Of course the start of the game shows that there’s going to be lot of changed to the world, but after the villager part I’m like, this is familiar but also new and I enjoyed it immensely. Some parts of the game was taken out, like the whole lift part where you have to ride the lift up with Ashley and kill/dodge the attacks while you’re riding. And the fire stage in salazar’s castle. But they also added other stages to make up for what they took out. Like the Luis mine ride. And I can say I didn’t miss any of the stages that were taken out. Like, I noticed they were gone but I enjoyed the new stages as well. It was all new but also the same and I loved it.

I also love the new enemies as well as the environmental changes. Enemies can now be caught in bear traps and the animals can actual cause damage. It was hilarious when I realized that the cow killed the chainsaw in the village for me without me noticing. But when I turned and seen the cow just standing over him along with some dead villagers, I just laughed. And the boar headed enemies with the hammers was a surprised that I welcomed. When I first started I thought I was doing terribly, but when chapter two came and I had mad stuff, I realize I was doing just fine.

Oh, speaking of the enemies and thinking i was doing bad, the village part was a pain, only because the enemies have new attacks. When the lady with the pitchfork charged at me, I was so confused. Leon also moved slow and draws his gun so slow so that was annoying. But once you get the hang of it, it’s all good. I figured the reason I felt Leon was going slow was because I was used to a more faced paced game. I’ve seen a post where someone also complained about how slow Leon is, and even Cory kenshin voiced it in his video. But again, it’s probably because I’m used to a more face paced game. Also, the lake monster fight was better in the original. Idk why it’s a chore in the remake. He throws when I don’t even throw.

Now the story is pretty much the same, but with some new enhancements. I really liked that they did more with the whole Plaga inside Ashley and Leon in this one and made it more relevant to the plot. I’m the OG it consisted more of just making Ashley walk towards Saddler but in this I appreciate that Saddler did try to use that control to kill Leon. I liked how they added context to the village as well and Mendez.

Moving on to characters, I don’t understand the praise for the remake characters. Like at all. It’s probably because I didn’t see any actual issue with the way they were in the original, but the remake did nothing for me. Not saying the remake characters are bad, they just don’t do anything for me character wise.. I think my issue is that they took away from the characters and added what they thought was better, but it didn’t really make the characters better for it.

For example, Leon meeting Luis was rushed, and they also cut out the talk they had when they were tied up in the OG. This gave context to Luis as a character. So they cut that out to give Luis a whole chapter to give exposition that was never in the game. When people say he’s better, I don’t understand how when we’re not given any reason for his change of heart. If he wanted to help he would have unlocked Leon from the chain instead of throwing the key. Up until that point all he wanted was to get the Amber so he can leave. Nothing at all gave context or development to this idea that he wants to help him. On top of that, the whole chain scene was poorly done because Luis just randomly decided to make himself suspicious without any reason to do so. What about the remake am I meant to think is better than the original, when he’s not written any better?

Ashley as a character can be summed up as a quote from capcom, and in paraphrasing, “we changed her clothes because it’s cold where she is so it makes more sense for her to have warmer clothing.” What this means, is that it ignores the fact that Ashley was kidnapped, so her clothing would not reflect the environment she’s in. I’m surprised people aren’t complaining that capcom didn’t give her a gun considering she’s leons partner. It seems like people didn’t like the fact that she was kidnapped and was just scared and wanted to leave and wasn’t enthusiastic about her situation. So when the game makes it so that she wants to be Leon’s partner, and she’s happy to help, it’s considered good writing because females have to be tough to be good characters.

I think Leon’s character was bad. I get the game wanted to be more serious, but they took away Leon’s personality to do so. This one is boring and so generic. There’s no banter with Salazar, no joking with hunnigan. No joking with Ashley. He’s just serious and it took away any charm he had as a character in the original. If you like serious characters power to you, but this Leon just felt super generic, which is sad. I think the only scene I enjoyed, was when he comforted Ashley. And the scene where he’s walking through the hallucinations.

Mendez was an improvement. He actually seemed threatening, and that part where he trapped us and we had to run away from him, nerve wrecking. I also liked the lore we got from him as well.

Salazar, in the way of Leon, they took away his personality. There’s nothing memorable about him in the remake at all. In the OG he has his banter with Leon and his temper. But in this one there’s nothing to say. He’s just there because he was in the OG game.

Krauser.. calling Leon rookie made the relationship impersonal. I guess they were more co workers than comrades, which is sad because they could have also built that relationship but did nothing with it. When he called Leon comrade in the OG, it made their relationship seem deeper. In this one, not so much.

Saddler. Nothing much to say about him. I feel he’s the same but they did more with the plays in Leon’s body then in the OG, which is nice.

All in all I really enjoyed the game. Again, I’m not saying any of these characters are bad except for Leon, so don’t take this as me saying remake Ashley and remake Luis are bad.

#resident evil #resident evil 4 remake

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greenyandlazy · 1 year

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Having finally clocked the RE4 remake, I have a compulsion to speak my thoughts into the void. This is basically just going to be a bullet point comparison of certain aspects of the game and which version I personally feel did better.

But first! Overall I’m very happy with the remake! I think it did a really good job at maintaining the spirit of the original, even if they did cut out quite a few things that made it so beloved, they added in some aspects of their own that were fantastic. They also honoured the original in little ways that were wonderful. Now onto…

- The gameplay;

The original’s was revolutionary, and it’s no surprise that 18 years later the remake’s are overall better. Tank controls are no problem for me so I don’t particularly care about it being updated to something more modern. What really stands out is the knife being more heavily involved to the point you can do stealth kills and parries. That was a brilliant addition.

- The areas;

In summary of quality, the village is better, the castle is about the same, and the island isn’t as good. The last was trimmed down significantly (they cut the U-3 boss fight!) and veteran players can really feel it. The sections with the regeneradors weren’t as scary either when they used to be the most terrifying aspect of the game. At this point in time I can’t pinpoint why, by the island section left me with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction, which is a problem when it’s the final part of the game and there’s nowhere to improve because you’re at the end.

- The dialogue;

Come on, the original wins hands down. But I love that they kept Leon’s personality so that he came up with some new campy dialogue in the same vein.

- The shooting gallery!

Oh my god, it’s just so amazing! It was such a small, fun, totally out of place side game in the original, and they took it to 11 in the remake! It’s so insanely fun AND we get to hear more Merchant lines.

- The heroes’ characterisation;

Leon is *hand-wave*. I admittedly prefer his original personality where he was more cool-headed and snarky, but I like how they did him in the remake as well. With how much more serious the remake was, I don’t think his original characterisation would’ve worked anyway.

Glad we got the ending scene with Ada in the helicopter, because otherwise I’m very let down. She gets less scenes and has less of a presence in this one. It’s like they have her there because she was in the original, not because they wanted her there. It’s a concerning trend I’ve noticed RE doing lately regarding her character.

Ashley is about the same. I know most people are happy with her “improved” characterisation, but really she was just as good in the original. The only difference is that she didn’t have dialogue saying how she wouldn’t run away and that she felt good about helping Leon every second area. In fact I found her characterisation a bit annoying in the remake because it felt like they put a big flashing sign over her head saying, “Look at how much tougher she is this time!” when she did all the same things in the original.

Luisss. So much better. He was criminally underused in the original and deserved so much more screen time. I still prefer his original character design, but I can’t deny his jacket in the remake is fly as hell (I want to own it). The voice actor and mo-cap actor did a fantastic job and gave him so much emotion. Him being revealed to be a repentant Umbrella scientist made so much sense and fit in perfectly.

Mike. What the fuck accent was he supposed to have?

Not sure if he’s a hero or not, but the Merchant’s oh-so slight expanded characterisation was very welcome. He’s been a fan fave for ages, he deserves more moments!

- The villains’ characterisation;

Saddler isn’t as good. I like how he leans into the religion aspects more, but it’s at the cost of his controlling bastard tendencies which made him such a great villain originally. Also, with him not hacking Leon’s comm device we lose a ton of his best moments. I also don’t like the vague implication he was under control by the plagas. He was better when he was fully in control.

Mendez only a got a minor expansion in showing how overly religious he was, and that was all that was needed.

Fitting with the feel of the castle section overall, Salazar is about the same in quality. I didn’t feel like they improved on him, but I also didn’t feel like they made him worse. The brief moments where he and Leon got up in each other’s faces were standouts per normal and they should’ve had way more interactions. His boss fight was a lot more challenging, which is great, and music that plays during was phenomenal.

Krauser. This is one where I can’t decide which version I like more. On one hand, I prefer his original manner of speaking which really shows off how level-headed he is and the odd moments of almost intimate dialogue he sends Leon’s way during fights. I really dislike how condescending he is towards Leon in the remake, whereas part of his appeal originally was that he saw him on equal footing with himself and treated him as a serious threat. At the same time, the remake gives him much more backstory and talks about Operation Javier in a lot more detail. His section ended up being the standout for me on the island in remake because of this and his overhauled interactions with Leon that really showed how highly they once regarded one another. Also, not related to his characterisation and not to be rude to the new VA, his original baritone voice was way better.

I have a few other thoughts, but when someone asks me what I think of the game, these are the things at the front of my mind.

In the end the remake did what I’d wanted, gave me two fantastic versions of the same game. It didn’t make the original feel aged at all, and in fact it’s made me want to go back and play it again.

#resident evil 4 #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil

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raspberry-rampage · 1 year

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tumblr 2022, huh

TOP 22: Glad to see so many things I recognise and like, like ST and TOH. Happy to see my boy Steve up there, though it’s probably thanks to him being shipped with a certain metalhead, but ships talk later. This was a weird year for me, got into many new fandoms (ER, TOH, ST among many), cooled down on old ones, but hey, still alive for more bullshit - and isn’t that the tumblr motto of life? More of my thoughts below.

anime and manga: So shocked (sarcasm) to see BNHA and SXF so high... Dunno, stopped caring about the first one so long ago and quickly got bored of the second one. Honestly, I'm not really in these fandoms anymore, I just don’t vibe with so many ongoing shows. Cheers to KNY being on the list though. And Witch Hat Atelier LET’S GOOOOOOO

anime and manga characters: Same as above, fell out of love with so many series... So funny to see Reigen up there. My boy Dabi is #10, fuck yeah, so much higher than his milquetoast little brother! Can’t believe Sasuke is top 15, that’s sound like a joke.

memes: I’m out of touch with memes, man. I only remember “live XYZ reaction”, the blorbo discourse, morbin’, and that fucking movie.

movies: I still haven’t seen No Way Home cause they’re not putting it on vod ugh. Glad to see Encanto on top, I think it deserves it (though I have mixed feelings about so much Disney on the list). LOTR being on the list made me so happy. And Do Revenge is #12! Very good, it’s a cool movie. And it’s fucking hilarious that American Psycho closes the fifty.

music: So happy to see The Amazing Devil on the list, their music is bomb. I also saw my beloved Florence on the list, as well as FOB, P!ATD and Zeppelin. nice :^)

ships: I don’t like By/ler, simply cause I don’t like Mike. Give Will a different boyfriend please. And ofc Ste/ddie and Ron/ance are there... Idk man, I prefer He/llche/er and Jan/ce. I know these are hetero and you may think I’m hom/opho/bic or some shit, but fuck you, I just don’t think those characters suit each other. Har/ringr/ove is still on the list, it’s such a nice minifandom so it fills my heart with joy. Honestly, the list has pretty much all the major ships of ST fandom. De/st/iel still going strong lol (have I mentioned I still haven’t watched this show?). Lumity FTW, ecstatic to see my girls so high. I’m not really big on Hu/nt/low, but maybe it’ll grow on me with S3. Surprised Ge/rask/ier is still so high, seeing as S2 was another fuck you to their relationship.

tv shows: No surprise that ST is top. Glad to see TOH and ATLA on the list. Surprising to see LOTR:ROP so low (or is it?). Another surprise was seeing She-ra on the list - don’t get me wrong, great show, but didn’t know the fandom was still alive, happy for them though.

video games: Colour me absolutely not surprised that I have no interest in the top 10 games that mainstream cares about. Good for Stray to be so high, need to watch a playthrough of it sometime. It’s so strange to see Skyrim on the list but no Elden Ring - they even used Ranni’s hat on the graphic. I think The Quarry is there mainly thanks to their big promos and stuff. It was a good game, not my cup of tea though. Ecstatic to see Bloodborne still going strong. A bit of a surprise to see RE8 still there, but maybe DLC livened up the fandom a bit. We’ll go crazy with RE4 remake in March, don’t worry.

video game characters: Oh yeah, let me see... Once again, disappointed with top 10. Didn’t know F/NA/F was so strong on tumblr. I can’t believe there’s so many Twis/ted Won/derl/and characters there. Not even Ranni or Malenia? Wtf??? I recognise almost nobody here, and like nobody at all. There’s only maybe 12 games between 50 characters, that is so weird. Wait, I just saw Sora made it, that’s fucking hilarious.

And about their ST post: I saw that cheeky dig at Billy, but can’t sense if it’s malicious or not. Also, they called Steve a dad. No, he’s a mum, get it right.

#personal #tumblr 2022 #riv rants

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thegraytalon-blog · 5 years

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Resident Evil 2 Review (Remake)

Overview:

Hey everyone, once again The Gray Talon takes aim, chooses his targets wisely and considers his prey carefully and TODAY we will be diving back into the zombie infested town of Raccoon City as Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to see how this remake stacks up. Is it a truly a definitive survival horror modern masterpiece on a title that is over 20 years old or is it a cheap knock off for a quick cash grab like other remakes or remasters rather, have done oh so many times in the past since this console generation started? Let’s jump right in and find out! (And once again I will do my best to not spoil the plot.)

Graphics:

It’s 2019 and in this day and age one may begin to ask how much better can graphics truly get? And the answer lies no further than with Resident Evil 2. The new RE engine that Capcom is using holds such weight and presence here that you will begin to pause for several moments at a time as you take in the awe-inspiring meaty visuals on some of the zombies as they begin to deform and deteriorate before your very eyes whether it be from examining their idle corpses or studying and counting the pieces of brain chunks left after taking their heads off with that faithful shotgun or magnum. In terms of performance, I was playing this on my Xbox 1X and honestly it was damn near flawless. The framerate seemed consistent and almost locked at 60FPS for the most part, except during some intense action sequences when it dipped to below 50FPS but that was few and far between. Output on the 1X was a true 4K at 2160p. From the opening sequence to the part where you turn over that zombie’s head to reveal some juicy chunks of flesh to the first appearance of the horror that is Mr. X, the game is a true delight to witness through and through.

Gameplay and Control:

What happens when you marry the atmosphere, item crafting, inventory management and horror of RE7 with the camera and control scheme of RE4? Sex, people. Pure, simple, unadulterated, prolific and glorious sex is what you shall receive in return. This is quite possibly the most fluidly controlled RE game I have played since RE4 rolled around 15 years ago. The controls are air tight and responsive, allowing you to navigate the eerie police station and lab with ease. The signature shortcut 180 degree snap feature returns in RE as well that they have trademarked over the last 2 decades, where you hold down on the joystick and press X or A to quickly turn around in the opposite direction. A useful tool indeed when Mr. X comes a’ knockin! Now in terms of movement and combat, the game offers you several options. You can opt to simply run away from all forms of zombies and lickers who are trying to chow down or cop a piece of your ass like you’re grade A top choice meat in the mile high club and the only female member of a flight surrounded by ravenous love starved men. Or on the flipside, if you decide to run and gun your way through, might I suggest heavy emphasis on the GUN aspect and light on the RUN. Especially when lickers are present. You want to tip-toe around them and walk on eggshells whenever you see those Gene Simmons from KISS impostors lurking about. When you fire you always want to aim true for their heads, especially on Mr. X, even though shots only stun him, leaving a small window of time for you to run past and make your escape. In terms of weapons and upgrades, you start off with a simple handgun and have to work your way to unlocking other weapons via key cards or solving puzzles for guns such as the beloved shotgun, SMG, flamethrower and grenade launcher. You can also unlock greater inventory capacity via weapon holsters that are picked up during each separate campaign that makes life a lot easier. And finally, the puzzles are quite elaborate, just as they were from the original RE2 back in ‘98, so be prepared to put on that thinking cap throughout both Leon and Claire’s campaigns as you scratch your head to solve chemistry puzzles and even have to convert binary code to unlock elaborate doors in the lab sections.

Story/Campaign/Narrative:

The setting is 1998 in a small mid-western town of Raccoon City. You’re playing as rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy going to the police station for his first day on the job and/or a 90′s punk rock poster girl, college student Claire Redfield who’s in search of her brother Chris when all of a sudden the zombie T-Virus has just been unleashed onto the town and their stories converge at the police station where the majority of the game transpires.. For a 21 year old game, Capcom has made sure to make RE2 feel all grown up. While story aspects remain the same from the original release, they hired a brand new cast for voice over work as well as recreated most of the way scenes play out, like the first introduction to the illustrious Mr. X. Each campaign is fresh yet familiar and, for example, Leon’s first sighting of him is nuanced and a slow burn in a dark corridor, whereas on Claire’s run, although you first spot him in the same place, it is in a completely different and quite sudden, fast paced, way. The core of the narrative revolves around Leon and Claire both trying to achieve the same goal of figuring out a way to survive within the confounds of the Raccoon City police station while working separately in their unique campaigns. Things go awry and snowball downward and take them from the police station to the sewers and right to the laboratory where the T and G viruses are made once good ol’ Mr X shows up. And in case anyone hasn’t a clue who I’m speaking of, let’s just say once Mr. X shows up in his trench coat and fedora, you’ll do whatever it takes to stop yourself from crapping your pants suit while fleeing hastily in his opposite direction because if he catches you, well, then let’s just say he will give it to ya! And you’ll go down harder than than a hooker on a weekend romp in Vegas because this dude moves like the T-800 and hits like Mike Tyson. Prison Mike too mind you so stay frosty! Each campaign is about 6-8 hours long, depending on your pace and offers another set of playthroughs on Leon and Claire’s “B” side, which means you will start off in different areas and end up following different routes and pick up different gear at different times, etc. to receive a new and true ending. I suggest you play Leon A scenario first, then go on over to Claire’s B scenario for the final and let’s say, good ending. So we’re talking a total of about roughly 16 hours, over 24 hours if you play through the game 4 times for shits and gigs. Overall the game is heavily story driven and robust, leaving players feeling the true meaning of survival horror along the way as you try and unlock the mysteries surrounding each of the viruses associated with the aloof Umbrella Corporation.

Sound, Music and Voice:

From the sounds of your character’s breathing as a creaking old wooden floor squeaks beneath you as you’re walking down a supposedly empty hallway to the terrifying growls and grunts of the zombies plowing towards you to munch on your no no parts, the sound effects are simply magnificent and remarkable. Sometimes the sound of silence is the biggest star of the show since Capcom does a tremendous job at making the player feel tensed up as they navigate the dark, gloomy and bloody corners of the police station. Just when you think the coast is clear and you’re about to reach that sweet, sweet save room, something unexpected usually happens that may cause you to almost lose control of your game pad and bowels as well. The music is subtle yet effective. The slow paced ambiance of woefully sounding background noises are a nice touch as you traverse the environment, carefully inspecting your surroundings ensuring your survival. The weapons too, when used, sound just as you would expect them. Nothing quite satisfies to the very core like hearing the sound of a shell of a shotgun or magnum blast and watching the zombie’s head explode in front of you like a popping a fat, overbearing zit. Or using the flamethrower and hearing the cracking sounds of fire as your enemies are burnt to a crisp then listening to the residual hissing sounds after you barbecued them like a rack of ribs on the 4th of July. The voice acting is surprisingly well done too. While not a familiarized sounding Leon from previous RE titles, I am glad they got someone who sounds fitting for the role. Fitting in a sense of a young buck who is just starting off in the real world and has yet to earn his stripes, but by the game’s end does so, ten-fold. Claire, too, sounds good and almost a little too surprisingly upbeat for the madness that is commencing around her. The supporting cast also does a great job to display the weighted turmoil surrounding them and the situation that they are all in.

Replay Value:

High as a kite on a windy March day! I had to literally drag myself on playing through this game a third time. I was infatuated with the entirety this game had to offer. I have not been this glamoured by a Resident Evil game since the likes of Resident Evil 4. There is just so much to go back and do too in terms of getting all of the playthroughs, weapons, upgrades, items and hey, even speed runs to unlock such things as infinite ammo. Who wouldn’t want to barrage Mr. X with a plethora of rockets or grenades to see if you can actually kill that rat bastard?

Conclusion:

My final score for Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake is going to have to be a 9.5/10. Simply remarkable on all fronts. The video game industry now has set a new bar and new standard for remakes. Other companies are going to have a tough time toppling this undead opus. After you have finally run through both Leon and Claire’s individual campaign’s and the bittersweet zombie blood smoke has settled, what more can I say about this magnificently crafted game, other than why are you still listening to my dumbass for? Go play it for yourself to experience the horror and greatness!

PRO’S:

A beautifully yet horrifyingly detailed world from characters to environments.

Superb story with many terrifying moments.

Rewarding inventory and upgrades.

Satisfying camera and controls.

Tons of replay value.

CON’S:

If only playing one campaign it may be a bit on the short side for some.

A slightly long learning curve for newcomers as ammo tends to run very scarce at times.

#video games #reviews #resident evil #capcom

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