Alright, first things first:

MetroidxHalo 2 Chapter 14: [link]

Now, this chapter was supposed to be finished last week, but I ended up getting sidetracked by a few things. The first and most obvious two are school and work, in particular that I’ve just had my work hours doubled (whoo!). But the third and fourth can be summed in two words: Co-op.

On the one hand, we have Gears of War 2. Having had our fill of competitive multiplayer for the moment, Justin suggested we mix things up and go back to the campaign, this time on the absolute hardest difficulty, Insane. Let me tell you, “insane” describes it quite nicely: player characters can’t survive more than three hits from ANYTHING (and the majority of enemy attacks are one-hit kills) and regular footsoldiers take entire clips to kill off. Several portions of the campaign required multiple attempts, and we found ourselves praying for another checkpoint to keep us from having to replay a brutal encounter or scenario. We managed to do it, though, and it was rather hilarious how the Brumak section at the very end of the campaign was a cakewalk even on the hardest difficulty setting.

On the other, however, is Resident Evil 5, and this game most definitely deserves a journal talking about it. There are some critics who claim that the 5th numbered entry into the series is no longer “scary”, but they seem to be confusing Resident Evil with Silent Hill; Capcom’s survival horror games have always been about the jump-out-of-your-seat surprises and disgusting freakshows you’re forced to fight in your quest through the game, and RE5 is no different. In fact, in many aspects, RE5 is very much like previous games in the series: you amass a supply of weapons (ranging from pitiful handguns to shotguns, sniper rifles and grenades), desperately horde the ammunition to supply them, and carefully use your arsenal to fight off monstrous enemies as you progress through the story. The one thing that RE5 does do differently is allow you to bring a friend along for the ride.

Now, one thing you should know that many of you are probably aware of is that Justin and I absolutely love cooperative games; no matter what insanity a game may throw at you, it’s easier to deal with them when you’ve got a friend you know you can trust watching your back, and generates some great stories the two of you will be talking about for days. We’ve fought our way through RPGs like Diablo, shooters like Gears, even fighting games that allowed for tag-team options like Soul Calibur 4, and in the process we’ve developed our coordination into something that is truly to be feared (there are plenty of Gears 2 Wingman matches, for example, that we’ve completely dominated.) Part of it comes from getting accustomed to each others’ tendencies and specialties: when Justin calls dibs on the shotgun and hands me the sniper rifle instead, I know he’s not screwing me over because we BOTH know he’s more at home throwing it down with our opponents on the front lines while I’m more comfortable hanging back and providing support with precise stealth attacks. The other is the aforementioned trust. Rewards earned are shared equally and aid is given without hesitation, so we never have to worry about whether or not our partner will follow through in a pinch; as soon as one of us gets in trouble, the other will immediately drop whatever we're doing to lend a hand. These qualities definitely came in handy when it comes to RE5’s campaign.

Another thing that critics have been complaining about that didn’t seem to hold water is that RE5 is too easy: in short, IT ISN’T. We played through on Normal difficulty and ended up with more than a few close calls and failed attempts, since the game throws tough bosses and hordes of enemies at you on a regular basis, often without a break. Just got through with that horde of Lickers? Here, why don’t you wash it down with ANOTHER BOSS BATTLE. Just managed to survive an ambush by annoying zombie dogs? Don’t worry, we’ll wait until you’re in the middle of that tight passageway before throwing another group of archers at you (by the way, pseudo-zombies with AK-47s? NOT FUN.) They even got pretty skimpy with ammo in the latter half of the game; by then we’d retired our handguns for machine guns and shotguns, and during the last chapters the majority of ammo pickups were for HANDGUNS. So when RE5 started giving us lemons, it was left up to our teamwork to make lemonade.

Taking a few notes from Gears and Left 4 Dead’s cooperative elements, RE5 is another game that practically requires its players to stick together at whatever costs. If your health drops low enough, you’ll slowly bleed out and die unless your partner can get to you and fix you up. If you get ambushed by an enemy (grappled by a villager, pounced on by a dog or latched onto by a flying creature, and that’s not even the worst that can happen), you’ll be vulnerable until either you can free yourself or your ally knocks them off; when you’re trying to fight a chainsaw-wielding miniboss and a villager jumps you from behind, it’s definitely preferable that your partner help you out rather than wait around for the chainsaw maniac to get in some free shots. Many of the bosses also require teamwork, with one player using a special event weapon to make the boss vulnerable (weapons that, as luck would have it, take too long to switch in and out in order to take advantage of the vulnerability) while the other dishes out the actual damage.

It's too bad I'm not an artist, or I could write a series of comic strips chronicling some of the funnier incidents from our adventure (like one instance where I was CERTAIN that the knee-high holes in the walls around a puzzle room meant we were about to get attacked by annoying zombie-dogs. Well, fortunately I was wrong; we pulled the lever and no zombie-dogs. And UNfortunately, I was wrong; WE GOT JUMPED BY A BOSS INSTEAD)

The unlockable Mercenaries mode is also helluva-lotta fun, as predicted from its addictiveness in Resident Evil 4. Online co-op for both Mercenaries and the main campaign also certainly help matters.

The last thing I want to talk about before I go is a new show by Joss Whedon (of Firefly and Buffy fame) called Dollhouse. [link] It's an odd little science fiction show centering around the idea of programmable people: individuals who have their base memories and personality wiped clean, then hired out by clients and imprinted with the memories and personality the client wants them to have. It's essentially the idea of a Callgirl taken a step further: instead of your rented individual just pretending to be what you want them to be, they ACTUALLY BECOME that person. Then when the job's done they're whisked back to the titular Dollhouse and wiped again to await the next job.

Several critics have argued that, because there are so few consistent characters, that the show lacks a heart and potential for development. Well, six episodes in and I can quite confidently tell you that's utter nonsense; Whedon's full story-telling talents are on display here with plenty of interesting situations and thoughtful philosophical moments. Main character Echo doesn't SEEM to have much to her until you notice that, very subtly, she's starting to retain aspects of her imprints; an idea, a memory, a behavior, etc, that are starting to bleed over into subsequent imprints. And her Handler (aka the bodyguards that protect the Dolls from the shadows during their jobs and then return them safely to the Dollhouse) Boyd is my favorite kind of bad-ass; honorable and moral, but he doesn't hesitate to start busting heads and taking names when needed.

Ok, gotta run: time for lunch, then work, then class. Next on the agenda will probably be the next chapter of my Diablo 2 story.