RE DS

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="20f785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Mikes Homepage</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mikes Homepage"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id397.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sweet Home"><U>Sweet Home</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id420.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bio Hazard"><U>Bio Hazard</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id427.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resident Evil"><U>Resident Evil</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id428.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE2"><U>RE2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id429.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE2 Beta 2"><U>RE2 Beta 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id430.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE3"><U>RE3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id431.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Code Veronica"><U>RE Code Veronica</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id432.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE4"><U>RE4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id425.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Gun Survivor"><U>RE Gun Survivor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id433.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Gun Survivor 2"><U>RE Gun Survivor 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id434.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Dead Aim"><U>RE Dead Aim</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id435.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE0"><U>RE0</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id436.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Outbreak"><U>RE Outbreak</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id437.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Outbreak 2"><U>RE Outbreak 2</U></A>   |   <B>RE DS</B>   |   <A HREF="id439.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE Gaiden"><U>RE Gaiden</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id440.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE NVirus"><U>RE N-Virus</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id394.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Crisis Evil"><U>Crisis Evil</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="210d2b03.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id426.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resident Evil Series"><U>RE Home</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Platform</B></div> <div> NDS</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>RE DS</I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="e1ca0900.png" border=0 width="160" height="144" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The game is improved in many ways as well, adding a helpful 180-degree turn, which allows for quick about-faces and makes it easier to target that sneaky zombie creeping up behind you. Some other much-needed additions include a quick-reload function that reduces fussy menu hopping and a permanently mapped knife button, keeping a quick knife slash just a button press away when pulling out your gun won't do. In the rejigged Rebirth mode, Capcom decided to reinvent the experience a bit for fans, implementing some hectic first-person combat scenes using the stylus and touch screen, and adding various puzzle-solving segments and CPR-related and defensive moves that make use of the microphone function. And making use of the DS' wireless capabilities, Deadly Silence lets two to four players play wirelessly. Unfortunately, these modes require multiple copies of the game (one for each person playing), but once you connect, it's actually quite fun, whether you're playing cooperatively (in which all players share a life bar and must escape the mansion in time) or competitively (in which players try to escape the mansion the fastest or kill the most enemies). Extra puzzles have been added in many of the save rooms as well, offering players the chance to gather extra herbs and items they couldn't in the original. Other more subtle improvements, such as an ever-present map on the DS' top screen and the redesigned inventory menu, make Deadly Silence a much more user-friendly affair than the PS1 original.</div> <bR> <div> But in all the ways Deadly Silence has stepped forward, some things were ignored, while others simply got lost in translation. After all the sequels and years of finessing and innovation, and especially after the staggering goodwill generated by the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4, why didn't Capcom fix some obvious problems? Things like having to press a button to walk up stairs or being forced to control a character that moves like a tank. You'd think Capcom could have added true directional control to the Rebirth mode at least. The simple ability to drop items would have been welcome, too, but wasn't included, requiring players to be extra careful with what they pick up. Sure, the storage boxes remain, but it's still a hassle when you're between boxes with a full inventory and you need a space for a key. Ironically, the creaky door-opening cut-scene that signaled a transition from one room to another still exists, if for familiarity's sake only, since it's actually skippable by pressing B. And while the first-person combat found in Rebirth mode is interesting, why can you only ever use a knife?</div> <bR> <div> Perhaps the biggest "problem" with Deadly Silence is that it's just not scary anymore. The genre has picked up and since introduced far greater frights than what the original offered (Silent Hill and Fatal Frame, take a bow), and downsizing the original Resident Evil to a handheld experience takes away a lot of the fear. It was mostly, after all, the atmosphere and mystery that made up for the slightly broken gameplay, and all these years later the question must be asked, "Who is going to want to play this again?" Besides those who've never tried this game before, probably not too many people. Though an impressive port, it's a port of a game that's been ported (and even remade on GameCube) time and time again. The Rebirth mode alone is not enough to warrant recommending this to Resident Evil veterans, although the multiplayer modes make it an easier sell (provided you have enough friends with their own copy). Even then, despite the wealth of characters you can unlock for that mode, you never actually see any of the people you're playing with onscreen (other players are represented by colored stars). From a purely technological standpoint, Deadly Silence is a mostly excellent game, but one that is -- in terms of fixing what was wrong with the original -- only partially successful. If you're a black-and-blue Resident Evil veteran who's been down this path before, there's not a ton here worth replaying. But if you've only hopped on as of the last couple episodes and want to see what all the fuss was about nearly a decade ago, then by all means jump right in. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="e1b61cd0.png" border=0 width="609" height="461" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> </tr></table></body>