Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Producer Speaks

Masachika Kawata is a name you're going to hear associated with Resident Evil quite a lot in the months to come. In addition to the twin 3DS projectsResident Evil: The Mercenaries 3DandResident Evil: Revelations, he's also simultaneously handling production duties for the newest console game in the series:Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, first revealed last week.

"The control system for this game has been changed to something you see a lot in third-person shooters,"Kawata told Japan'sFamitsumagazine in the lastest issue. I think fans of that genre will be able to enjoy this game a great deal. You play as a member of Umbrella as you fight off not only the US special forces, but Leon S. Kennedy and the T-Virus-infected zombies as well. It's a chaotic three-sided confrontation that we're depicting with this TPS gameplay, and I think that's the main draw for this title. The game is set somewhere around RE2 or RE3, but it's a completely new story that we're writing -- a parallel world, if you will. There'll be a lot of aspects that'll make series veterans smile, though."

The new RE is particularly noteworthy because Capcom is farming out its development to Vancouver-based Slant Six Games, whose release list up to now consisted entirely ofSOCOMtitles for Sony. As Kawata put it toFamitsu, this certainly wasn't by accident."The idea for this game got its start when we thought about taking the world ofResident Evil 2and using it to try something we've never done before with the series,"he said."It's a third-person shooter in order to take advantage of Slant Six's previous achievements with SOCOM. We've covered a lot of Raccoon City's story up to now, but I think putting the player on the side of the villains will give them a brand new experience. The main keyword during development is 'Kill Leon.'"

In addition to fighting off zombies and special-ops soldiers, you'll also have to deal with some of the Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W.s) that have shown up in previous REs, including adversaries like Nemesis and Tyrant."We'll have several B.O.W.s from previous games, including the Tyrant, appear in this title -- in what way, exactly, we haven't decided upon yet,"Kawata noted."We're also discussing plans for new B.O.W.s as well -- this game is all about new ideas and concepts that aren't beholden to previous titles, so that's the sort of thing I want people to look forward to."

Capcom PR has pegged development of Operation Raccoon City at 45% complete. The game has no official launch date or price yet, but a winter release has been touted for North America."Teaming up with a group like Slant Six that has such a good reputation in the TPS field will let us make a really solid package,"Kawata concluded."The design and other aspects of the game are really coming together well in a unique fashion. It's still a little rough right now, but I wanted people to see it as quickly as we could. I think we'll have a much more complete package to show off around E3, so stay on the lookout for it."

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Xbox 360 Getting New Disc Format, Testers Wanted

Microsoft is currently seeking"multiple thousands"of testers for an Xbox 360 system update preview program. Unlike previous previews, which were for upgrades to the 360 dashboard, this one includes physical items being sent to participants -- it's intended to help Microsoft"prepare for an updated Xbox 360 disc format."

No further details were offered about exactly what the new format is all about. Things will be kicking off in the next two weeks, so those who apply should be receiving a notification by email fairly soon if they've been accepted. You must be an Xbox Live member located in the United States in order to participate; being an Xbox Live Gold member will give you a better chance of getting in.

Those who are accepted will receive a copy ofHalo Reach"along with other possible rewards."Interested Xbox 360 owners can apply for the preview programhere.

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3DS Launch Deals Guide

Going without a pre-order means you run the risk of not getting a 3DS system this Sunday. On the bright side, you do have the benefit of shopping around and trying to maximize your savings.

A number of retailers are offering bundles and discounts on games, and there isn't necessarily a single best offer. Provided you live in a state that doesn't pay tax on Amazon items, that looks like the cheapest way to go -- buying the system gets you $25 off a launch game, but you'll of course have to wait for it to ship next week. More impulsive types can head to Kmart and get $25 off a launch game with the purchase of a system, thoughthatdeal (like all in-store sales) is somewhat mitigated by the need to pay sales tax. The Toys R Us offer of buy one game, get 50% off a second seems like the way to go if you're looking to stock up on games as quickly as possible.

Besides the usual avenues for selling systems, like Amazon and GameStop (both of which are offering up to $100 for DS trade-ins, depending on the condition and model), several other stores will be getting in on the action, albeit with less enticing offers. Target is offering a gift card of up to $50, while Toys R Us will give you as much as $75. Walmart will offerup to $100like Amazon or GameStop, but only stores incertain stateswill be participating.

Read on for the full look at deals being offered on 3DS hardware and games.

Amazon

• Buy a 3DS system, get a$25 creditfor use on select 3DS games.
• Buy a 3DS system, get a freeaccessory.
• Buy a 3DS game, get a$10 creditfor use on a second 3DS game.

Best Buy

• Buy any two 3DS games, get a $10 gift card. (viaCAG)

GameStop

• 3DS Super Street Fighter IV bundle (includes hardware, game, and system pouch) with free 3-day shipping -- $299.97 (black,blue)
• 3DS Samurai Warriors Chronicles bundle (includes hardware, game, and system pouch) with free 3-day shipping -- $299.97 (black)
• 3DS Starter Bundle (includes 13-in-1 gamer pack with car charger, case, headphones, game cases, and more) -- $264.98 (black,blue)

Kmart

• Buy a 3DS system, get $25 off any launch game.

Sam's Club

• 3DS Pilotwings bundle (includes hardware, game, and starter kit with car charger, case, headphones, and more) -- $299.88 (black,blue)

Toys R Us

• Buy one 3DS game, get one 50% off.

Walmart

• Buy a 3DS system, get a freeflex case.

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Halloween, Scream Movie Studio Getting into Games

The film studio behindHalloween,Grindhouse, andScary Movieis getting into the games business, opening the door for new videogames based on its properties.

The Weinstein Company announced today the creation of TWC Games, a label formed with the help of videogame consultancy firm Beefy Media. The deal will help TWC Games to find developers and publishers to produce its new games which, from the sound of it, might have a focus on the digital side of the industry.

"The video game marketplace is changing at such a rapid rate,"said Weinstein co-chairman Bob Weinstein."With all of the digital platforms, there are so many opportunities to broaden our audience with compelling, high quality, cost-efficient, video game entertainment."

The Weinstein brothers co-founded Miramax Films in 1979, which would go on to distributeClerksandPulp Fictionbefore being sold to Disney. The duo then formed TWC in 2005. Some of TWC's properties are specifically mentioned in the announcement, includingScream,Hellraiser,Halloween,Scary Movie, andChildren of the Corn. With the exception ofScary Movie, the company clearly has a sizable stable of horror films to based its videogames on. Given the success ofDead SpaceandResident Evil, that could be a genre that TWC Games chooses to focus on. It's also possible the fact that primarily horror films were highlighted is simply a coincidence.

Were aHalloweengame made, it wouldn't be the first. There was an Atari 2600 gamereleasedin 1983 based on the original movie. And although its box art featured the same images as the movie's posters, the game itself was devoid of any further connection to the big-screen version, including character names. Some imagination was required to connect the game's knife-wielding antagonist to Michael Myers, who went unnamed in the manual.

"Mobile, social, and console platforms"are noted as the potential platforms for TWC Games, so it's at least claiming it won't exclusively focus on retail console releases or Facebook games. Beefy Media will"oversee all production aspects of the games."A post on Beefy'sblognotes,"{W}e have a bunch of products in development,"although you probably shouldn't count on hearing about the particulars anytime soon.

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This Bear Wants To Eat Your 3DS

Those shopping around for something to protect their new 3DSes might want to take a look atCTA Digital's 2in1 Padded Puppet Pouch, the only videogame console protective case I know of that also functions as a bear puppet.

One of the cool undocumented features is that the bear can lay down flat, making it a perfect bearskin rug for your action figures. You can recreate the sex scene from the end of Metal Gear Solid 3 using the 2in1 Padded Puppet Pouch and some imagination.

The 2in1 Padded Puppet Pouch is available right now for only $9.99 onAmazon, hurry before they're all sold out.

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New Resident Evil Makes You One of the Bad Guys

A new team-based Resident Evil game fromSOCOM: Confrontationdeveloper Slant Six wasrumoredlast year, and we now appear to have the first real details about the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title.

EntitledResident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, the game puts players in the shoes of an Umbrella Security Services member tasked with killing both zombies and"pretty much every survivor possible,"according to the May issue ofOfficial Xbox Magazine(as reported byStickSkills). The game will take place in 1998, during the initial outbreak seen inResident Evil 2and3. That means you'll be seeing key characters like Leon Kennedy at various points throughout;"Kill Leon"was a recurring theme during OXM's demo, though another of the game's factions, US Spec Ops, could be asked to save him. In other words, Operation Raccoon City will allow you to"change the history of Resident Evil."

It will have a much darker tone than previous games (as if the zombies and devastation weren't dark already) and will feature four characters in the USS squad, which was inspired by Hunk from RE2. Combat won't simply consist of headshot after headshot -- you can do things to mix it up like luring zombies into attacking other enemy soldiers. You'll also earn experience points that can be cashed in for new abilities and weapons.

Although it's not mentioned in the details that have been released, the game seems to lend itself to multiplayer, which fits in with the original rumors that Slant Six was working on a multiplayer Resident Evil game. Between Operation Raccoon City being scheduled for this winter,RE6on thefast track,The Mercenaries 3Dcoming to 3DS, and theHD re-releasesofCode: Veronica XandRE4set for this fall, it looks like there won't be any shortage of content from the series, which is precisely what Capcomwants.

Source:VG247

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This Week in Retronauts: Game Boy Advance Turns 10

At the end oflast week's episodeof theRetronauts podcast, I mentioned that the next show would focus on the history of 3D gaming. It seemed like a good idea at the time, what with Nintendo's 3DS launching in just a few days. But I had completely forgotten thatthis Monday was the 10th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance's Japanese debut. That seems like a more interesting call-in topic (in the sense that more people have owned GBAs than have owned systems capable of 3D imaging), so it looks like we're changing gears:Episode 6 of Retronauts Live will be centered around your memories of the Game Boy Advance.

As usual, the number to call is415-547-8778(Kids! Ask your mom or dad to help you dial!). We'll be accepting calls Friday afternoon from4 to 4:30 p.m.Pacific time (which is, as you may well know,7 to 7:30 p.m.Eastern).

Chances are pretty good that you owned a GBA and had some fun times with it. Or bad times! Like when you inadvertently set fire to your hair by sitting too close to a lamp because otherwise the screen was impossible to see. We would like to hear about these experiences, and maybe about the skin grafts you had afterwards. So, call us Friday and take part in our next podcast! We couldn't do it without you. Well, we could, but it would be 30 minutes of awkward silence, which would really make for much of a show.

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