Resident Evil: Afterlife

I loved the first film. It was subtle, dark, claustrophobic, suspenseful and really well made considering the somewhat limited budget. The second film was also really good, branching out into more open environments with a cold-blue look to it. However, the franchise took a blow to the kneecaps with the third film. It didn’t really feel like a Resident Evil film, just your generic zombie film full of clichés. And Alice turned into a Jedi, what the Hell was that all about?

But here we are with the release of the fourth instalment, Afterlife. It’s action-packed, it’s over the top and it’s completely in your face.

Watch out, boys.

First off, as Ray_squared stated in his blog post, the film starts out slow. But not for the first 5-10 minutes. More like the first 2 minutes. There’s actually a very fun action scene around the 3 minute mark that introduces the film perfectly. And starting a film slowly isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Especially if it’s the fourth part of a franchise. The audience is already familiar with the premise and consequently doesn’t want to see things getting blown up within the first 30 seconds. Unless they’re fucked in the head.

The main cast consists of Milla Jovovich as Alice and 3 characters from the video games – Ali Larter as Claire Redfield, Wentworth Miller as Chris Redfield and Shawn Roberts as Albert Wesker.

Alice don’t need to flashlight… *desperately tries to think of a Chuck Norris inspired “fact” and fails miserably*

Jovovich does a great job as Alice, as usual. All the Jovovich trademarks are there: the gravely voice, the inviting eyes and the sheer amount of badassery as she subdues her foes with ease. Larter also does a fine job as Claire Redfield, but furthermore gets to do a lot more stunts than she did in the third film. And they really pay off.

This. Scene. Is. Awesome.

Finally, Roberts is a fantastic Albert Wesker. Jason O’Mara was great in the third film, but he didn’t really do a lot. Roberts however has a very big fight scene with Claire and Chris Redfield that completely took my breath away, especially with it being in 3D. As Ray_squared mentioned several times, this fight scene is the best scene in the film.

There are several Matrix-esque shots in RE: Afterlife.

One of my only problems with the film is contained rather neatly within one man – Wentworth Miller. He’s a good actor, but I just can’t see him as Chris Redfield. He doesn’t look that much like him, his hairstyle’s all wrong, his head is bigger than his biceps when it should be the other way around and he’s barely in the film apart from the Wesker fight scene. This is just my opinion and I’m sure some people will love him as Chris Redfield, but he just doesn’t do it for me.

According to Ray_squared, the supporting cast are there merely to fill up space. And in a way, he’s right. But one or two of them do have an extra layer of depth than the others. One of them is even slightly significant to the plot. But only slightly. So don’t expect to see that many of them in the next film, just expect to see the majority of them get killed one by one by flesh-eating zombies. Yum.

“Tell me, Mr. Anderson – er, I mean, Redfield…”

I was shocked when I read Ray_squared’s blog post to learn that there were barely any zombies in the film. And now that I have seen it, I can honestly say that he was more or less right. There’s one scene where Alice owns a couple of them and a fight scene between Alice/Claire and The Executioner from Resident Evil 5, but that’s basically it. Although, both of these scenes look amazing in 3D. So it’s not all bad.

The film didn’t feel short to me, in fact it felt like the perfect length; exactly the same as all the other films give or take a few minutes. The pacing was good, the action scenes were fantastic, the acting was solid and the 3D was the best I have ever seen. But my other problem is the ending. It’s somewhat… erm, abrupt. I was sitting there thinking, “Please don’t end, please don’t end, please don’t end, please don’t end…”. And then it did. On one of the biggest cliffhangers imaginable.

This thing got quite an applause when it lumbered onscreen.

There’s a few inconsistencies to be found, e.g. where did The Executioner and the Las Plagas infected come from when they weren’t even mentioned in the other three films?, what are the chances that Claire and Chris Redfield find each other in the middle of a zombie apocalypse at the exact same time?, why was Wesker defeated so easily?, etc. But overall the film was brilliant. Paul W.S. Anderson has not disappointed and assembled a well written, produced, directed, performed, edited, even marketed addition to the Resident Evil franchise. Even if it is a little silly, OTT and in your face.

PS. Wait until after the cast list at the end for a small cameo and a hint of a sequel.

The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse

We all know it’s coming. Whether it be a rabies-related virus, a military experiment gone wrong, voodoo, toxic waste, or whatever, the Zombie Apocalypse is coming and we must all be prepared for when it arrives. Because it will eat you alive and make you its slave if you don’t resist it.

I think I’d do well in a Zombie Apocalypse. Having mastered the Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, Doom and Half-Life series I’d be willing to bet that I’d be able to defend myself fairly vigorously against oncoming hordes. That is if there were any weapons lying around, and if there weren’t I’d just to what Frank West did in Dead Rising – use anything as a weapon.

Not too sure as to what type of survivor I would be – the leader, the team player, the cocky hothead that runs off by himself or the pathetic wuss who hides in the wardrobe – but I’d assume that I’d be a combination of the the hothead and the wuss. I would stock up on weapons/ammo, find a decent hiding spot and go medieval on any zombie that tried to eat me. Maybe take a couple of headshots with a sniper rifle from a hight vantage point whilst eating twinkies.
I wouldn’t bother teaming up with any other humans, they’d just get in the way. And if any of them got infected then they might infect me and that would be unacceptable. I don’t think I could ever forgive them for that.

Zombies don’t particularly scare me, only if they’re running at top speed towards me in a dark and confined space. But as long as I don’t see any zombies wielding chainsaws then I should be fine.

Oh, and don’t forget about Nazi Zombies. They’re the worst:

Left 4 Dead > Left 4 Dead 2

Not a year after L4D1 was released, Valve announced L4D2. Before it even came out people decided that they would continue playing L4D1 and that L4D2 was going to suck. After it was released many of those people were convinced to abandon L4D1 and move onto L4D2. I however, am one of those who didn’t chose to move on.
Sure, L4D2 is a good game and I do play it from time to time. But L4D1 is still a better game, and here’s why:

L4D1

L4D2

Left 4 Dead is all about zombies. Now tell me; of the 2 screenshots above, which one are you more likely to run away from? The first one? I thought so. L4D1 was much scarier than than L4D2:

- Every campaign was at night, making the zombies even scarier.
- You were confined to small areas including buildings with tight corridors that were easy to get lost in .
- You didn’t have any melee weapons so you had to rely entirely on your gun.

Whereas in L4D2:

- Almost every campaign is set during the day, making the zombies no more than Rabies infected humanoids.
- Really big open areas such as a shopping mall and a theme park (no, not “carnival”. I’m not American) so it’s impossible to get lost.
- You don’t have to worry about being swarmed by common infected because you have melee weapons.

What happened Valve? L4D1 was brilliant game that captured every vital concept of a zombie/survival-horror game and you squandered the lot with L4D2.

Oh, and did I mention the L4D2 survivors? Bloody hell!

L4D1

L4D2

The first game’s survivors were much more profound, more likeable than the second game’s. Bill is your awesome war veteran still alive and kicking, Zoey is the adorable team mascot, Louis is the cocky office worker and Francis is the hotheaded biker who hates everything.

But all that went south when Valve decided to introduce a new set of survivors. So for L4D2 we got Nick the dick-headed hillbilly, Rochelle the immeasurably annoying hillbilly, Coach the badass yet incompetent hillbilly and Ellis the… well, hillbilly. Surely you’re noticing some kind of pattern here.

And to top it off, the gameplay is basically the same in both games. L4D2 tried to make it different by introducing 3 new Special Infected (Charger, Spitter Jockey) but they all just seem to have been used for comical effect. Running into an open area to see one of your teammates rugby tackled by a Charger, gobbed on by a Spitter or face raped by a Jockey never really contributes to the fear factor given to you by L4D1′s Hunters or Boomers. They just make you piss your pants with laughter. Not that that isn’t fun, it’s just missing the point.

One final thing; the Boss Special Infected (Tank & Witch) were absolutely ruined in L4D2. In L4D1 the Tank ran at a suitable speed allowing you to get away if you wanted to. Now, it’s almost impossible to get away because the Tank runs too damn fast. And the Witch, once this mysterious weeping woman whom you were advised to avoid is now this lumbering, easily killed bint who’s in dire need of a hug. If only she wasn’t so violent while doing it.

Left 4 Dead 2 – Aussie version

IGN AU review.

Those poor, poor Australians. They are seriously missing out. Hopefully some of them can get their hands on an unedited version and play the game to it’s full potential.

Video uploaded by yours truly.

Left 4 Dead 2 review – 9.0

Left 4 Dead 2 – PC, Xbox 360

Rating – 17+, M

Just one year after the first Left 4 Dead, what some people class as “too soon”, we have Left 4 Dead 2. The second zombie apocalypse simulator from Valve. You play as one of four resistance fighters who must shoot, slice, decapitate and blast their way to safety.

Here’s a message to all the people who boycotted L4D2 – Stop whining, it’s better than the L4D1 in almost every way. The graphics have been bumped up immensely; giving you elegant and vibrant daytime environments (which were completely absent in L4D1 as the entire game took place at night), there’s a hell of a lot more gore, new special infected and of course melee weapons. Instead of just shooting zombies you can now bludgeon and dismember them with axes, machetes, frying pans, guitars, baseball and cricket bats, crowbars, batons, katanas and… chainsaws. *Insert massive homicidal smiley here*

There are also some new modes called Realism and Scavenge. In Realism mode, the survivors play through the campaign with all the coloured lines that highlight supplies, weapons and other survivors removed and all the infected are harder to kill. As if you thought the Expert difficulty couldn’t get anymore… difficult. Scavenge mode has survivors try to fill up a car or a generator with gas whilst fighting off the infected, and it’s the infected’s job to stop them from doing so. The Survival mode from the first game’s DLC is also in there as part of the full game.

Still not convinced it’s better than L4D1? Well like I said earlier, the whole of L4D1 took place at night. But not only that, the environments weren’t all that exciting. You were mainly just running through buildings with the occasional street or rooftop. In L4D2 you get to play through a swamp, an abandoned carnival (complete with a rollercoaster), a parish, a sugar mill (with thunder storms) and a hotel… which is on fire. Each campaign is longer than the ones found in L4D1 as well. Valve really went all out on this one.

The survivors that you help through these environments are also a lot more characterised this time around. I instantly knew that I would like them all when they introduced themselves to each other on the first level. And when I say “all”, I mean ALL. No cocky office workers to be found here.

Shooting zombies is a lot of fun, as you’d expect. And Valve have done a fantastic job of capturing the essence of a zombie apocalypse. If you’ve seen any zombies movies such as Dawn Of The Dead or 28 Days Later, then you’re going to feel right at home. Everything down to how the zombies walk, run, groan and die is absolutely spot on.

I can’t really think of anything bad to say about Left 4 Dead 2 apart from little nitpicks. It’s a sequel that hits all the right notes, bringing a new and exciting experience than the first and is a ton of fun. But if you didn’t like the first game, then I’m afraid you won’t like this one. Seriously though, who didn’t like Left 4 Dead 1?

The Good.
- Tearing up zombies with melee weapons leaving their blood and guts all over the ground is so damn satisfying.
- Better characterised survivors.
- New special infected, new weapons and bigger and longer environments.
- New modes add to replayability.

The Bad.

- The gameplay is almost exactly the same as L4D1.
- I miss Zoey.

My Score.

9.7/10

Australian version of Left 4 Dead 2

As some of you may already know, Left 4 Dead 2 was refused clarification in Australia due to it’s graphic and violent nature. Which meant that it would not be sold in that country. Valve have now created an edited version which has been accepted by the Australian Classifications Board. The changes will include reduced blood/gore, dismemberment/decapitation will be removed and bodies will disappear as they hit the ground. To give you a good idea of what this may look like, here’s what the German version of the original Left 4 Dead ended up becoming.

All I can say is, Australia needs to get with the fucking program. This is an adult game, and for a damn good reason. That doesn’t give you the right to ban it so that even adults in your country can’t play it.

And what age do they think we’re living in? The 90′s? Are we 8-years-old? Bodies in video games don’t disappear when they hit the ground anymore! These changes are just gonna make L4D2 look cheap, outdated and extremely cheesy.

I guess it’s better to play an edited version of it than not being able to play it at all though, but it still makes me feel sorry for the Aussies. They get all the decent weather, good food, amazing wildlife, but shite video games. And they’re hundreds if not thousands of miles away from anywhere else, so it’s a bloody chore for them to import games from other countries.

I suggest that we all to to Australia, dress up like zombies and storm the Australian Classifications Board’s headquarters. That’ll teach ‘em to take L4D2 from the Aussies. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what the Aussies are doing right now.

Left 4 Dead

I should be getting Left 4 Dead for the PC on Wednesday, only a year after the damn thing came out. It sucks not having a decent computer for the past 6 years, I missed out on a lot of games. This of course means I’ll have to get Left 4 Dead 2 for Christmas, but what’s wrong with that?

EDIT: Scratch that first though, L4D’s currently being sold for half-price on Steam to celebrate the new DLC. Guess who just bagged themselves a copy.