Resident Evil: Dead Aim (PlayStation 2)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.4 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 06/16/2003
• Released on: 06/18/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Resident Evil: Dead Aim (PlayStation 2) Review

There's been a distinct survival horror vacuum on the PlayStation 2 ever since Capcom decided to release the core Resident Evil games exclusively on the GameCube. In an effort to satiate PS2 owners while maintaining its deal with Nintendo, Capcom has released Resident Evil: Dead Aim (which goes by the more unwieldy name Gun Survivor 4: BioHazard: Heroes Never Die in Japan) for the PlayStation 2. Though not a Resident Evil game in the traditional sense, it does capture the pacing and the tone of the series fairly well, and it's generally the best Gun Survivor game released to date.

Much like Resident Evil Gaiden for the Game Boy Color, Resident Evil: Dead Aim puts you on a cruise ship teeming with zombies infected with the T-virus. You start off playing as Bruce McGivern, a US government agent sent to stop Morpheus D. Duvall, the antagonist in Resident Evil 0, from spreading the T-virus any further. Along the way you'll run into Fongling, a Chinese government agent who is aboard the cruise ship for the same reason, and you'll also end up playing as her. Though you'll occasionally get brief bits of back story in the form of cutscenes and documents you find on the ship, ultimately, all you need to know is that there are zombies to kill, and it's up to you to kill 'em.

The mechanics of the Gun Survivor games, which attempt to combine the mechanics of a traditional first-person shooter and the mechanics of a light-gun game, have always been pretty clunky. Dead Aim has its fair share of problems, but it does manage considerably better than previous entries in the series. This is thanks largely to Dead Aim's new camera system, which gives you a third-person perspective when you're not firing your gun. The switch from first-person to third-person can be jarring, but the broader range of vision the third-person perspective affords you is well worth it. Also, Dead Aim gives you an abundance of control options, as the game can be played with a GunCon2, a GunCon2 in concert with a Dual Shock 2, a Dual Shock 2 by itself, or, most interestingly, a Dual Shock 2 in concert with a USB mouse. Each has its pros and cons, with the Dual Shock 2 providing better movement control and the GunCon2 providing more accurate and more visceral shooting, but any of them will work well enough. There are issues, though, that bleed across all the control schemes, such as your character's slow turn-around rate, which, when combined with a sneaky zombie, can prove to be fatal. And though you have horizontal control of the camera while wielding a weapon, you're unable to look up and down, which is just irritating.

Since most light-gun games are spawned from arcade machines, they tend to have a uniformly manic pace, but this is another area where Dead Aim breaks rank. The game moves at a more methodical pace, like a core Resident Evil game, and it makes use of many mechanics that fans of the series will be familiar with. There's a fair amount of exploration as you make your way through the ship, which means you'll be doing a fair bit of item collecting, switch flipping, and key hunting. You'll pick up several different guns through the course of the game, including a magnum, a shotgun, and an extremely satisfying assault rifle, but like in a core Resident Evil game, zombies can be difficult to put down permanently, and ammo can be very scarce. There will be plenty of moments throughout the game where you're better off just running away rather than trying to stand your ground. The whole experience is a real odd blend of standard Resident Evil fare and light-gun action, but it's actually a refreshing change of pace from your standard run-and-gun light-gun game, and on a certain level, it works.

Continue reading

Compare prices for Resident Evil: Dead Aim

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
  Back to product review
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 1 of 1 user review

• 3.0 stars

  "pretty good"

  by renecavazos23 on July 22, 2008

• See 1 user review Write review