REVIEW: Resident Evil 7 (Spoiler Free)

NO SPOILERS!

Worth Playing?

Capcom’s reinvention of a flagship title seems to hold little water compared to its most recent counterparts. You don’t play a big, muscular hero. Your character’s not used to the horrors you encounter. The story itself is comparatively tiny. No world-encompassing, continent hopping adventures here. So, can this possibly be a good game?

The short answer is a resounding yes. Despite the linear gameplay, several factors come together to make this game squeeze you from every direction…literally at times. From being locked into a first-person perspective (a first in the series’ long history), the redneck family you encounter from the beginning, and high resolution gore and lighting detailing your surroundings, the atmosphere will grab you from the moment you take control of Ethan, the main character.

Such a Character:

Ethan is a vast departure from the characters you’re used to playing in Resident Evil. Whereas Chris Redfield was armed to the teeth, Leon Kennedy a hero, Claire Redfield a vigilante, and Ada Wong a super-agent, Ethan is a…regular guy…who decides to chase his missing lady down to a broke-down Louisiana mansion. Capcom might have overdone it in proving how un-heroic Ethan is in the beginning, but their point is soon clear: you are not prepared, in any sense of the word, for what you’re walking into. And it works.

Gameplay:

The gameplay feels clunky, which is straight up old-school Resident Evil. It fits Ethan’s inexperience without bogging you down and making the game feel unplayable. On top of that, inventory control is back to being a huge, no…HUGE part of gameplay. How much healing do you keep on you? Bullets? Weapons? When do you need them most? When is a big boss fight coming up? Of course, with YouTubers playing this game extensively, you can cheat learn all this beforehand. I hope most players aren’t watching first, just because it would steal from the initial experience.

Puzzles abound, another nod to classic games of the series. Most are tame, which will annoy old-school fans; but I believe this ties as much into keeping the pace of the game going as the graphics, the story itself, and the tight quarters you’re stuck in throughout most of the game.

Combat, when it happens, comes with a difficulty spike some players won’t be expecting. Boss fights leave you feeling drained, emotionally and items-wise. Still, victory tastes sweeter than the bitterness of loss.

Fair warning: if you’re walking into this expecting a high rate of head explosions, you will be disappointed. This game is intense! You will not know what you’re walking into at any given time. To accomplish this constant dread, the game leads you through areas where a lesser game would use jump-scares. Resident Evil, however, leaves many of these areas empty. Chances are good you’re going to scare yourself before the game does.

The ‘M’ Rating Matters

Many games hold a Mature rating just because America is a bit wishy-washy on language and nudity. This is not the case with this game. There is absolutely no reason a child under sixteen should be playing this game. This is a grindhouse horror film in game form. Between the dread (both imagined and real), the gore, the uncomfortably realistic surroundings, the characters you encounter, and all that Ethan goes through…I’m a parent, and I’ll not be letting my children experience this game. You can make up your own mind; but I strongly recommend heeding the rating in this particular case.

Pros:

·         outstanding gameplay returning to Resident Evil’s roots

·         a tight narrative that still allows you to explore, solve puzzles, and collect items

·         a new main character who is not super-powered or previously heroic, but enjoyable to play

·         a grindhouse horror movie in game form, with signature Resident Evil wackiness and gore

Cons:

·         puzzles are easy to solve

·         Xbox One players will have a lower visual experience

·         not child friendly (sorry parents)

·         not open world, events are tightly controlled

Final Rating: 9/10

James Neal is an avid gamer, and the author of the fantasy stories listed below. Click the links to learn more and purchase your own copy:

Of Blood and Blade:

$3.99

Paints the Invisible Eye:

$1.75

Divine Right:

Free

The Blacksmith's Reaper:

Fre

Worldbuilding for Storytellers: Part III

Found on-site at http://3oneseven.com/globe/

Hello!  It’s good to see you back for Part 3 (of a 3 part series) on Wordbuilding.  If you managed to miss the previous discussions, get your ass over to Part 1 and Part 2 right now, so all of this makes some sense! (In the spirit of transparency, this post and series originally appeared on the now-defunct blog, RoosterWords)

Worldbuilding: Bane or Benign Exercise?

Writers love their worlds, especially those in fantasy and science fiction.  We have to- we live in them for long periods, soaking in the essence and different flavors we have derived of our own obsessive volition.  All of us must build these worlds, carefully, with great attention to the details.  For some writers, this is the best part of the writing process…creating something out of nothing, ignoring all laws of science, alchemy, and common sense.  For others, worldbuilding is the representation of long-running nightmares.  Where do you fit in?

The End?

You’ve come a long way.  The map to your dream world is in your hand (or on your desk, saved on your computer, whatever).  You’re proud of it, and so you should be.  Characters have a place to go, and a reason to go there.  What’s left?

The painting needs a finishing touch.  Something to protect it from the outside world and all its grubby fingers and damaging wear-and-tear.  A gloss or matte finish.  Maybe even some touchup paint in a few key areas.  Here are those five key areas to look at when you’ve built your perfect world:

1.     Races/Civilizations: Yes, you’ve probably been over this already.  However, this is your last chance before you begin drumming on your keyboard (writing with ink-stained fingers?) to ensure all your chosen races and/or civilizations are accounted for.  Make sure each has a place on your map, even if they aren’t quarantined there.  It’s also good to understand how each race will react to the others upon meeting in the story.  If they never do, that’s fine; but understanding how they WOULD will allow you to reference the reaction within your story.

2.     Changing World: Worlds change, even the real, solid earth we live and breathe on.  This is no less true in fiction, especially in fantasy or sci-fi worlds where things have a tendency of getting blown up in large chunks (read: continents).  If this will happen in your story, make sure you’ve got a way to acknowledge those changes on your map.  While the reader doesn’t necessarily need to know before it happens, the writer benefits greatly from the pre-determination.

3.     Series of Events: You should go back to your timeline and check for any nuisances or events which now seem out of order.  You know your world better now and there just may be a contingency, which a fan will later exploit (publicly or not).  Take the time now and be sure you know you history!

4.     Economic Oppression: One of the most difficult things I have had the displeasure of discovering is the economics of my regions.  Being that I work in fantasy, I have a hard time believing all my cultures use the same monetary system.  Creating an economy may come naturally for you.  If so, you just avoided hours of wide-eyed, psychotic cussing.  Y’know, the kind where everybody within two miles of you is wondering what the hell just happened?  No?  May just be my neurosis.  The point is, to remain relatively believable; you must have rich, poor, and middle “classes.”  This goes a long way towards endowing each person in your story with at least some character…based on their wealth.

5.     Start Writing: You’ve done it!  Ain’t that masterpiece looking freakin’ awesome?  All that’s left is, well, everything else that goes into writing…writing, editing, reading, editing, rewriting, editing, query, query, query, PUBLISH!  Hey, you didn’t choose this profession because it was easy or because it made sense, did you?  Maybe that should have been your very first question!

 

by hextupleyoodot @ http://www.deviantart.com/art/Embers-374439119

Download a copy of my “Story-Boarding Room” that I use for my own works.

How do you feel about the Worldbuilding For Storytellers series?  How did I help you; and could you use more information to deepen your understanding?  Comment below so I can work to make your world perfect!

Worldbuilding for Storytellers: Part I

Image found at http://ipadminibackgrounds.com/digital-earth-2/

In the spirit of transparency, this series was originally posted on the now-defunct RoosterWords blog.

Worldbuilding: Bane or Benign Exercise?

Writers love their worlds, especially those in fantasy and science fiction.  We have to- we live in them for long periods, soaking in the essence and different flavors we have derived of our own obsessive volition.  All of us must build these worlds, carefully, with great attention to details.  For some writers, this is the best part of the writing process…creating something out of nothing, ignoring all laws of science, alchemy, and common sense.  For others, worldbuilding is the representation of long-running nightmares.  Where do you fit in?

Keep in mind, this guide is not just for writers. Geared for them, sure, but tabletop gamers, videogame developers, and anybody else who deals in stories can benefit from this guide. Me personally, I've been a tabletop gamer for ten years, and a DM/GM for five. Of course, I LOVE building worlds.

The Beginning: Staying Vague

My experience has been to start the worldbuilding process by keeping everything vague.  There is plenty of time to develop all those bothersome details later.  Like the artist creating a masterpiece, you must sketch all the pieces before you can put any paint on the paper.  In fact, thinking of your world as a painting may help you “see” all the inter-connectedness as you move from outline to final product.  Maybe that is just the artist that resides within me.  Here’s how to approach your “sketch.”

1.     Create a map (if not using Earth as your setting): This does two things: First, it allows you to physically see your world, how it is shaped, how continents and/or areas come together.  I also suggest you study how rivers and seas flow in real maps, so yours can be as convincing as possible.  The second thing?  When you’re ready to publish your masterpiece, readers will also get to “see” your world in a physical manner

2.     Decide on a Theme: Every book out there that is worth the ink (digital or otherwise) it’s printed from has a theme- a unifying concept.  Decide what your theme is so your story can, at the very least, have some semblance of grace within its pages.

3.     Decide on a Timeline: Yes, science fiction generally takes place in the future, fantasy in the past.  However these are not concrete rules; and even if they are for your story, you still need to define what flavor your world will have.  Are you telling a story based loosely on feudal Japan, or Middle Ages Europe (no, these are NOT your only choices, budding writer).

4.     NOW Add Some Details: Give your map some countries, regions, states, cities, etc. until you know what you need to push your story forward.  Develop a broad timeline of major events in your world, and where they occurred (trust me, this helps keep plot moving logically).  Decide on some landmark locations your story will take place at.  This is also the time to decide on things like how magic (or technology, or mixes) will work in your world.

5.     Develop Your Crisis: As every story has a theme, so too does it have a crisis.  Something which your protagonist must overcome; and it won’t be easy to do so successfully.  There is no formula for developing these types of situations (or if there is, I haven’t found it yet).  This is your time to shine, put your creativity to the test.  If nothing else, use a tried but true crisis until your imagination decides to hit you in the head with a stone and give you something better!

Do you agree that Worldbuilding should start out vague?  Do you start differently when creating your world(s)? Use up the comment space below and let me know how you feel about worldbuilding, this post, or whatever!  I respond to all legitimate comments, and moderate to keep things decently clean.

This is part One of a Three part series on Worldbuilding.  You can find Part II and Part III as well. James is rather fanatical about building worlds, He hopes to successfully bring magic back on a different planet which he intends to call: JamesWorld.  Here’s hoping he comes up with a better name.  Get to know him on Facebook or on Twitter @JamesNealWrites.