Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - some of your old friends are back.

Arcade-style undead/zombie/parasite-infested slaying is back for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, and the game plays as good as it looks. Nintendo and Capcom had Mercenaries 3D available for hands-on at GDC 2011, and playing it proved that next-gen console action can work on the small screen.

The demo build has Chris, Jill, Jack Krauser and Hunk available to play, and two maps: “Public Assembly” (Resident Evil 5) and “Village” (Resident Evil 4). I chose Hunk (a personal favorite) and tossed him into Public Assembly. Hunk comes equipped with a pistol, AK-47, grenade launcher, Flash Grenade, ammo and First Aid Spray, making him a very formidable target for enemies.

For anybody who played ‘The Mercenaries’ mode in Resident Evil 4 or Resident Evil 5, it remains the same: rack up as high a score as possible within the time limit by killing enemies. A simple premise, but incredibly effective. A trailer and gameplay footage were released before, but actually playing the game here at GDC is a whole other matter.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (in 3D) looks appealing and does not feel gimmicky — Hunk and the enemies have more of a depth to them, and the controls are easy to familiarize yourself with. Holding the Right Trigger brings you into the first person view for targeting, and pressing A shoots your weapon. The inventory is available on the bottom screen, which can be tapped to change weapons quickly. At first, the feature felt a bit awkward, but after a few minutes of playing, I got the hang of it and was able to switch my weapons effectively according to the situation.

For anyone who was worried about whether or not the first person controls for a handheld Resident Evil would work, they do. Aiming with the circle pad isn’t cumbersome in any way at all, even for players who are normally accustomed to moving the reticule with their right thumb. I had no problems shooting enemies in the head and rocking them with Hunk’s punch. If that wasn’t enough, I could run to the downed enemy and shoot them three times for a prone-kill. These actions are performed with the X button, which will be the context sensitive/action button. Reloading is done by holding the Right Trigger and pressing B.

A notable gameplay change from previous versions of The Mercenaries is that when your character is grabbed by an enemy, rather than shake/rotate the circle pad, a Quick Time Event-like prompt appears and you press the corresponding button to escape. It can be imagined that this decision was made to avoid causing a lot of stress to the 3DS’s circle pad. It’s a change that works, and it is just as effective as wiggling the joystick to free yourself.

Graphically, The Mercenaries 3D looks surprisingly good, even better in person than shown in the most recent screens and trailer. There’s very little graphical tear and I saw very few, if any, bugs at all. The gameplay is very suitable for a pick-up-and-play medium, as maps can be played and beaten within minutes, and constantly trying to improve your score or get better at zombie killing is always a good motivator to play the game once more.

With good controls, excellent graphics, and incredibly fun gameplay, The Mercenaries 3D is sure to be one of the games that will spend a lot of time in the 3DS.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS on July 6, 2011.

Trung Bui

Okamiden preview

Get ready to once again pick up your celestial brush and protect Nippon from all the evils in the world. You may think that in order to do this you’ll need a super strong, masculine hero, but you’re wrong. You’re going to be saving all of Nippon as a puppy. A cute, adorable, huggable little puppy named Chibiterasu. Chibi, also known as Mutt, also known as Pooch, also known as Dude, etc., is the hero of Capcom’s sequel to Okami, Okamiden. We got to spend over ten hours previewing the title, and believe us; we’ve never said “Aww…” so much while playing a game. Ever.

Okamiden takes place nine months after the events in Okami, developed by Clover Studio, which has since gone under, in 2006 and later re-released for the Wii in 2008. Okamiden takes all aspects from the original game, for better and for worse.

In the opening levels of the game, you’re teamed up with your new partner, Kuni. The lovable Issun is still in the game, and pops up from time to time, but only as a miniature helper. Kuni is the son of the swordsman Nagi and his love interest Kushi from the first game. Kuni and Chibi start their adventure once again learning the ropes of the celestial brush, and gaining powers that are very reminiscent of brush strokes in the first game. A new technique in Okamiden is the power of Guidance which allows you to lead your partner to various to areas which will help you to solve puzzles or acquire treasure from chests.

Brush strokes such as Sunrise, Rejuvenation, Power Slash, Bloom, Vine, Cherry Bomb, Waterspout, Galestorm, and more all make their appearances in Okamiden in one way or another. This time around, the children of the respective Celestial Gods grant you their powers, resulting in absolutely adorable cutscenes in which you can’t help but smile.

The brush strokes are also very intuitive with the DS controls, much better than they ever were for the PS2 or even for the Wii. Strokes are easy to draw now, and most of them turn a different color so you know that you’re doing it right. For example, when you draw a Waterspout the ink turns blue, or when you draw Vine the ink turns green.

The story is very dynamic, the characters are all endearing, but none of that helps the fact that the cutscenes in Okamiden are long, and pop up all the time. Half of the time you’re actually playing the game, while the other half you’re just watching the events play out. The option is available to skip the cutscenes, even if you’ve never watched them before, but valuable information and tons of super cute scenes play out during them so we didn’t mind watching them. This is the type of thing that also happened in Okami, and we wish that they would have used at least some voice acting this time around.

Aside from Kuni, Chibiterasu also partners up with a slew of new characters, all with their own respective abilities, that are reminiscent of people from Okami. A valley boy-esque member of Waka’s moon tribe named Kurow with has the ability to walk over chasms, a stubborn mermaid vassal of Otohime named Nanami who can control water, and a headstrong actress named Kagu with the ability to vanquish spirits, who trains in Sei’an City where Queen Himiko once ruled.

Characters aren’t the only thing that is back in the sequel. A lot of Nippon’s various locations are back as well, and look almost as good as they did in the original game. If you’re familiar with the locations from Okami, you’ll have no trouble navigating through the world in Okamiden. Very little is closed off for the player, and areas like Sei’an City seem just as large as in the first game, and are still inhabited with all of the same lovable characters like Mr. Flower doing his silly Gura Shuffle.

There are also a handful of brand new areas, all filled with interesting characters, side quests, and items for you to collect. These cities are a joy to explore, and as you gain new abilities you can always go back to them to find even more items.

It’s simply amazing how stunningly beautiful Okamiden looks. The cel-shaded, watercolor graphics transport fantastically to the DS system, and each level is vivid with so much color and life that every once in a while you have to stop to admire your surroundings. Using bloom on Guardian Saplings in Okamiden is just as beautiful as in the first game. But because of how much information is constantly being put on the screen, frame rates did suffer a tremendous amount throughout our preview, and the game can get very laggy at times.

Another thing to note is that, just like with Okami, the game is very easy. We hope that the final product has a few notches of difficulty to at least make us feel like we’re in some danger during random encounters and boss fights. The puzzles are also quite easy, and while fun to solve, they were never quite difficult enough to stump us.

As it stands now, Okamiden is shaping up to be an epic adventure. With a huge ensemble cast of characters, a variety of brush strokes, a vivid, gorgeous world to explore, and only minor inconveniences here and there, this adorable game is one you should definitely keep your eyes on.

Leah Jackson

Pokémon Black & Pokémon White

Pokémon Black & Pokémon White are the first games of the long anticipated fifth generation of Pokémon. These games are due for release in Japan in September 18th 2010 and are said to bring about a revolution of Pokémon. .

These games are set to feature the previously established assortment of Pokémon, but will also contain a massive amount, 156 in fact, of brand New Pokémon. These Pokémon are the only ones you will encounter until the main game has been completed

In addition to that, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White take the 3D attributes previously included in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver and take them to new levels by including things like fully 3D bridges and a completely 3D city.

Pokémon Black & White are set in the region known as Unova. Unova is a region far away from the previous regions, requiring you to get there by Boat or Plane. It has a large city called Castelia City, with loads of buildings and sky scrapes for you to explore. Outside of the city and Unova remains to be predominantly industrialised with various factories and train tracks existing in the various areas. As the games are set in a region far away, the main game will not feature any old Pokémon until you have beaten the main story. The games also have you playing as protagonists older than the previous playable characters.

Pokémon Black & Pokémon White are to be compatible in with the games of the previous generation; Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver through the aspect of the game known as the PokéTransfer so you can complete the Pokédex. In addition to this, there is a method called the Transfer Machine which works only for a certain few event Pokémon. Through this, some event Pokémon can be traded over to these games to unlock new things such as the Monster Fox Pokémon, Zoroark.

Features

There are numerous featurres introduced within the game. First, in battle, there are two further methods of battle; Triple Battle & Rotation Battles. Both of which have you send out three Pokémon at once in order to battle with varying mechanics within it. In local wireless and over WiFi, there is also the Wonder Launcher which is a function that allows you to use items during battle, but at a cost. In battles, the camera is also dynamic, zooming in and out on the Pokémon while they move in a variety of animations

Much like how Gold & Silver introduced the concept of the Day/Night cycle, Pokémon Black & White introduce the concept of Seasons. These seasons change a variety of factors including Wild Pokémon, location aesthetics and even the background music. The seasons rotate at the start of every month so you don't need to wait long until the next one.

The games also introduce a variety of new multiplayer aspects including the Xtransceiver, a DSi & 3DS exclusive feature, that allows for video chat with you and your friends. In addition to that, the games can now connect to the Internet for access to a site called the Pokémon Global Link. The Global Link allows you access to Random Matches on the Internet, capable of being ranked based upon your performance, as well as a section called the Dream World which will allow you to obtain non-Unova Pokémon, some of which have new abilities, and items that also cannot be obtained in Unova such as Berries. In addition to this, the games also have the Entralink feature which has you visit a friend's game and complete certain missions in order to get various power ups which last a short time in the main game.

The game's story features you having to stop Team Plasma, a team who, unlike previous teams, want to do good and intend to stop what they perceive the slavery of Pokémon caused by trainers. In addition to this, you also have to travel the region in order to get 8 badges once more.

DSi Enhancments

As stated above, Pokémon Black & White are DSi Enhanced. As such, they will only work on DSis of the same region as the game. However, despite this, there are a variety of new features exclusive to the DSi. First is the Xtransceiver which does allow for voice and video chat between up to 4 friends locally and 1 friend over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In addition to this, Pokémon Black & White are capable of connecting to the Internet via the WPA encryption as opposed to previous games only being able to connect to WiFi through no encryption, or WEP.
The games can be played on any model of DS