TGO Daily | May 6, 2021 | Resident Evil Village Reviews
TGO Daily | May 6, 2021
In The News
Resident Evil Village Reviews
Resident Evil Village has had its review embargo lifted, and critics are generally happy with the game. This entry is a direct continuation of Resident Evil 7 in both narrative and mechanics. It takes places in a creepy village inspired by Gothic horror and European folklore. The player makes their way through the village to see four different castles, each with their own theme and challenges.
Suriel Vazquez’s review (Polygon) focuses on how the series balances being both a horror and an action game. This is less of a horror game than 7 was, but it’s still present:
“Eventually, the swings between horror and action became so common that, moment to moment, I had no idea what I’d see next. That’s the cycle that Resident Evil Village keeps chasing: the hesitation, anticipation, and payoff that make both action and horror such powerful draws. It’s definitely an action game, and despite all the shooting, it’s also a horror game. And while it induces both creeping dread and righteous fury, its biggest triumph is in not-so-quietly arguing that horror and action aren’t that different after all. They’re both just ways to get your blood pumping.”
Ian Walker’s (Kotaku) review talks about how Village evokes memories of Resident Evil 4.
“Despite a lack of real scares and an over-reliance on action over horror in its third act, Resident Evil Village is everything I wanted out of a new Resident Evil game. Combat is hefty and brutal, the monsters are unforgiving and relentless, and the set pieces are compelling enough to make up for some inconsistent pacing and difficulty. Moment to moment, Resident Evil Village consistently surprised me with its dips and turns, the way that first trip through Resident Evil 4 did.”
I found that many reviewers had smaller issues with the game which were ultimately overshadowed by the overall experience. I recommend Alex Donaldson’s (VG247) review which looks at a lot of different aspects of the game, and summarized nicely:
“Taken alone, any one slice of the game – like a single house, the village itself, even the way combat handles – has its issues. But combined, it merges into something that’s still special – even if it isn’t quite as brilliant as Resident Evil 7 or 2 Remake. It’s an easy recommendation…”
Super happy to see this franchise succeeding. I know people weren’t happy with it for a while, but the last four games they’ve put out have been met pretty positively — and I know they have a lot planned for the series moving forward.
EA Acquires Metalhead Software
Electronics Arts have filled in their baseball gap for EA Sports, recently acquiring Super Mega Baseball developers Metalhead Software. We don’t have many details about the deal, but we know that Metalhead will remain in Vancouver and will continue to developer Super Mega Baseball and other titles.
Interestingly, by my count, this is one of their first non-realistic sports games to enter the EA Sports brand. Other games like Madden and FIFA are typically sports simulators, where Super Mega is quite arcadey.
Nintendo Switch News
There are two Nintendo announcements today.
The first is that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is going to be releasing on the Switch on June 25. It sold quite well when it originally released last September, and I’m happy to see it on a new platform.
They also announced a new game called Game Builder Garage, which is all about learning programming and how to make video games. The UI is reminiscent of Super Mario Maker, except players can put together any kind of game they are interested in. It will have interactive lessons, and options to share their created games with others. Interestingly, you’ll be able to plug a USB mouse into the Switch to play this one. Check out the trailer here.
Google Stadia Is Purged
Following the revelation yesterday that Stadia head of product John Justice departed the company, we now know that at least six other prominent roles have left Stadia in the last few months. This includes head of creative services and publishing Corey May, and general manager Sebastien Puel. Many of these people have left to join Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios, which is a new games studio that has partnered with PlayStation on a new IP.
I guess Haven was appropriately named, considering the mass exodus happening at Stadia. We knew that they shut down their internal studios, but at this point I’m starting to wonder who is even left. And what the heck are their future plans? Are they tossing Stadia away like another failed project?
The Grab-Bag
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