If my memory serves, Iron Chef Morimoto , er, 'Resident Evil: Survivor' was a poorly received first-person shooter for the old Ps1. Basically, it wound up being the red-headed step child of the RE series. I really can’t comment on the finer points of the game at this point in time, I’ve never played it. However, upon its initial release, most reviewers proclaimed it to be a but-ugly and spastically controlled House of the Dead rip-off, which only existed to squeeze a few more bucks out of the fanatically loyal RE fan base. So hey, Capcom reasoned, why not make a sequel?!

Resident Evil: Dead Aim itself hasn’t earned many accolades, but is it worth playing?

Starting with simple control issues, the game has some serious, well let's be nice and call them quirks. I must mention that I played the game with the standard Ps2 controller, it was however designed to be light-gun compatible. The aiming while using the standard pad is pretty poor, and drawing a bead on the revenant corpse about to bite your face off is an exercise in frustration. While some would fault the game for this, I realize that it was created for use with a specific peripheral, and in fairness cannot detract much from the final score just because I didn’t incorporate it. (I know some would argue that a game which requires you to purchase a secondary instrument in order to experience a competent level of control is utterly whack, but I’ve gotta be fair here and give it the benefit of doubt.) 

{2/06 A small interjection from future Bog Man, having now tried the game with a lightgun controller, I must say, the character controls are a lot smoother, and the shooting is pretty accurate.}

The game, thankfully, does not use the standard RE control scheme, but the one it uses is odd enough to be very off-putting at first . However, after playing your way through the learning curve, you’ll soon be running down empty halls and dodging zombie bites like a professional. (Yes. A professional zombie bite-dodger.)

The graphics are excellent, which is standard issue for the RE series. Even lacking the usual pre-rendered bitmap style settings, the game looks gorgeous (and the ability to adjust your point of view means no fixed-camera angle related ambushes to worry about!) The only shame is that the environments (a cruise ship, and a high-tech research facility) lack the eldritch ambience of a crumbling old mansion, or fog- shrouded woods.

The sound, well, is a mixed bag. The background music is unremarkable. While most RE games have rather memorable and mood setting pieces, the tunes here simply don’t register in your mind while playing. The background noises are where the game really shines. The unearthly moans of zombies as well as the shrieks and jabberings of some of the more powerful monsters raise some serious goose bumps, and the weapon reports are satisfyingly strong. The main problem here is the voice acting. I’m sure it’s shocking, as this series is know for it’s brilliant mastery of the English language (“You were almost a jiggle sandwich!”) but you will get very tired of hearing these characters speak. Tragically, they chose to give both protagonists accents. How well are these accents realized? The Rajun Cajun, Bruce McGivern is voiced by one Raj Ramayya, and the Chinese spy Fong Ling by Claire O’Connor. Nuff said?

Which brings us to plot and writing. The dialog is rather insipid, and consists mostly of the Hollywood clichés reserved for two people who realize that they’re falling in love with each other despite not liking each other very much. The setup, concerning a gender shifting cult-leader who was fired from Umbrella after the Raccoon City incident, is, well, very odd. Between this and the Opera singing transvestite slug-wrangler in RE Zero, the series has really begun to abandon reasonably realistic plots and really show its anime roots. Some people like anime. Some people like key lime pie. I like neither.

The only thing that makes this title worth playing is the creepy atmosphere. Putting the RE universe into first-person perspective was a stoke of genius. The game draws you in, and makes sneaking down long dark corridors, straining to hear the tell tale signs of shuffling feet and mournful groans a truly nerve-wracking experience.

The game is short, it only took me about four hours to beat the entire thing, even with the little bit of back tracking and cheap boss fights I had to deal with. This might be a flaw to some, but others might find it a boon. Myself, I found that the game was beginning to wear out its welcome towards the end. You can only shoot so many zombies before you just stop caring.
RE Dead Aim is certainly not a classic, but if you’re in the market for some corpse-splattering fun, it’s a solid weekend rental.