Resident Evil: Dead Aim

Resident Evil: Dead Aim
North American box art
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 3
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Director(s)	Eiro Shirahama Takuya Iwasaki
Producer(s)	Tatsuya Minami Kouji Nakajima Hideshi Tatsuno
Writer(s)	Noboru Sugimura Junichi Miyashita Toyokazu Sakamoto
Composer(s)	Nobuyoshi Sano
Series	Resident Evil
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	JP February 13, 2003 NA June 17, 2003 PAL July 9, 2003
Genre(s)	Light gun shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ACB: MA15+ CERO: 15+ ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: M

Resident Evil: Dead Aim, known as Gun Survivor 4 Biohazard Heroes Never Die (ガンサバイバー4 バイオハザード ヒーローズ・ネバー・ダイ, Gan Sabaibā Fō Baiohazādo Hīrōzu Nebā Dai^?) in Japan, is the fourth release in a series of light gun shooter video games by Capcom. It is also the first in the franchise to feature first-person shooting alongside the third-person movement seen in its predecessors in the Resident Evil series. It was developed by Capcom's Production Studio 3 and could be released for the PlayStation 2 as the company's then-effective exclusivity contract with Nintendo pertained only to numbered entries in the series.^[1][2]

Gameplay

Dead Aim uses a third-person view when moving, but switches to a first-person view when aiming and firing a weapon, with a dot in the center of the screen to help the player aim. It is one of the few Resident Evil games that allows the player to move while aiming, and the game also supports the PS2 light gun.

Plot

Story

A mid-western town in the United States called Raccoon City was destroyed when a mutagenic viral weapon known as the "t-virus" was leaked into the nearby Arklay Mountains in July 1998, followed by the release of the t-virus into the sewers of Raccoon City itself in September of the same year. The resulting incident forced the United States government to destroy Raccoon City via surgical missile strike after most of the population was infected with the leaked viral strains, becoming zombies. Although the Umbrella Corporation was implicated in the incident and severely pressured by outside influences to confess their crimes and abort their research, they refused to do so, conducting further research into the strains in clandestine, secluded laboratories. When a large amount of a recently developed hybrid viral agent known as the "G virus" is stolen from the Umbrella Pharmaceuticals Development Center in Paris by a former Umbrella researcher, Bruce McGivern is sent in by the U.S. government to retrieve the virus and neutralize the threat.^[3]

This game begins somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean on board an Umbrella-owned luxury ocean liner, the "Spencer Rain" in September 2002. All personnel on board have been infected with the t-virus stolen by former researcher Morpheus Duvall. The player assumes control of Bruce McGivern, a member of the Anti-Umbrella Pursuit Investigation Team, a US government task force devoted to investigating and preventing the illegal activities of the Umbrella Corporation. Unlike the previous two Gun Survivor titles in the Resident Evil universe, this game features navigation from a third-person perspective as the player moves the character around to explore the environment and avoid encroaching threats. Combat is still undertaken in first-person view.^[4]

The story also features Fong Ling, a Chinese agent for the Ministry of State Security. Ling is ordered to infiltrate the hijacked vessel in the Atlantic Ocean in order to eliminate Morpheus and obtain the G virus. Initially apathetic towards the presence of a rival operative, Ling must ultimately utilize Bruce's combat prowess in order to survive their precarious situation.

Characters

• Bruce McGivern (voiced by Raj Ramayya) - A member of the U.S. Stratcom, McGivern is cocky and brash, and has a tendency to adopt a "shoot first, ask questions later" policy, with little regard for the consequences following his actions. This has often left him in many hostile situations, although in the end, he always somehow comes out on top. McGivern's mission is to destroy the plans of Morpheus Duvall and retrieve a t-virus sample.

• Fong Ling - (voiced by Claire O'Connor) - A Chinese intelligence agent employed by the Ministry of State Security, Fong is infamous for her cold and stoic demeanor. Upon learning of her brother's involvement in anti-government activism, Fong arrested him. Following his arrest, Fong's brother was swiftly executed, although she has never questioned the actions of her boss and remains absolutely loyal, stopping at nothing to accomplish her objectives.

• Morpheus D. Duvall (voiced by Angus Waycott) - A former member of the Umbrella Corporation's Arklay Research Team, Morpheus was made the company's scapegoat following the initial catastrophic incident which occurred at the Arklay Research Facility in 1998, resulting in the deaths of numerous Umbrella employees and the demise of Raccoon City's elite law enforcement unit, the STARS. Morpheus, bitter and vengeful, distanced himself from the company, becoming mentally unstable in the process. He and an unspecified team of colleagues then stole samples of the "t" and "tG" viruses and hijacked the "Spencer Rain." Insane and ruthless, Morpheus infected everybody aboard the cruiser, including his entire team. He is utterly obsessed with beauty and grace, his ultimate ambition being to create a beautiful and elegant world by destroying the cold and ugly world which exists today. Being megalomaniacal and highly narcissistic, Morpheus believes himself to be a portrait of perfect beauty and has undergone plastic surgery to maintain his youthful appearance. After being seriously wounded by Ling, Duvall injects himself with the tG virus.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	65% (28 reviews)[5]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	C[6]
Allgame	[7]
Computer and Video Games	6/10[8]
Eurogamer	7/10[9]
GameSpot	6.4/10 [10]

Dead Aim had a mixed reception. GameSpot gave it a 6.4 saying "It's not the best Resident Evil game, and it isn't a stellar light-gun game, but Dead Aim creates an interesting, unique hybrid of the two, and that is a commendable feat". IGN gave it a 6.9 praising it as the best in the Gun Survivor series, having stellar graphics, but criticized it for its cheesy dialogue and unoriginal premise. X-Play gave the game a 4/5.

The 2005 crossover game Namco x Capcom featured Bruce and Ling as playable characters.

References

1. ^ Capcom Co., Ltd.. Resident Evil: Dead Aim. (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.). Scene: staff credits. (17 June 2003)
2. ^ "岡本氏インタビュー". Nintendo Dream. Mainichi Communications Inc.. 6 September 2002. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20080509055454/http://gc-space.com/top/infomation/9p2002/0906b.htm. 
3. ^ Resident Evil: Dead Aim Game Manual. Capcom, 05.
4. ^ Resident Evil: Dead Aim Game Manual. Capcom, 10
5. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/residentevildeadaim?q=Dead%20Aim. Retrieved 2010-05-11. 
6. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2006664. Retrieved 2010-05-11. 
7. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". Allgame. http://allgame.com/game.php?id=36785. Retrieved 2010-05-11. 
8. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". Computer and Video Game. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/search.php?id=5765. Retrieved 2010-05-11. 
9. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/game/resident-evil-dead-aim-ps2. Retrieved 2010-05-11. 
10. ^ "Review: Resident Evil: Dead Aim". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/residentevildeadaim/index.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B1. Retrieved 2010-05-06. 

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Resident Evil: Dead Aim at MobyGames