Mostly Normal Monthly #0010, June 2021
Resident E3-vil Village
Summer Game Chaos - Chris’s Top 5
By Chris Stern
My favorite games shown at E3 & Summer Games Fest Days 0-2
Happy E3 everyone! While we haven’t seen everything yet — I’m looking at you Nintendo — the conferences have had a wide variety of games, from teeny tiny indies in the Wholesome Direct, to the release date of Starfield. Here are the 5 things that got my blood pumping for the first half of gaming’s week-long weekend.
Redfall by Arkane Austin
Wow, what a way to close a press conference. Redfall is a 1-to-4-player open-world immersive shooter where you use cool guns and cooler special powers to kill vampires. I love killing vampires! I love the confidence of giving a Summer 2022 release date to a game I am hearing about and seeing for the first time. Arkane’s games always impress me, and this games delightful trailer introduced me to four awesome characters with unique power sets. Psychic elevators? Cloaked sniper with a cool crow buddy? Robot dogs? Count me in. This CG trailer captured the vibe of the world. Plus, the official website reveals that the trailer completely buried the lead. Layla Ellison — the character who stole the show for me throughout the trailer — is from Wisconsin. Fuck yes!
Layla Ellison, telekinetic book nerd, Wisconsinite, and total badass - Image via Redfall’s official website
We finally saw Elden Ring
Geoff Keighley finally did it. He got a reveal so hot, so toasty, that it made the whole Summer Game Fest concept worth it. Having embraced the sadomasochism of FromSoftware’s wares, I was primed and ready to see Elden Ring’s gameplay reveal some time this week — it had been forever since we last saw it after all. I could not, however, ever have been ready for what was shown. My notes include: Ghost Horse, Bell Turtle, Big Hand, Spider Man, Snake Face, Light Saber, Wolfman, Ghost Whips, Dragons with Lightning bolts, Magic Death Elk, Long Stabs, Big Swords, and MOST IMPORTANTLY THE HORSE DID A DOUBLE JUMP!?
Behold, the most beautiful tree in the universe - Image via Elden Ring’s official website
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Charmed and Awed Me
I loved the extended look at S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The campfire stories in the trailer each introducing a different aspect of the game drew me into the world of a series I had not really explored before. All of the characters were charismatic, even in subtitled Russian. The gunplay looks tactile, and avoiding the anomalies looked tense as all hell. Also: damn this game looks pretty. I mean did you see that power grid surging with electricity?
You’ve been… THUNDER STRUCK! - Image from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s official website
Death’s Door is on the Horizon
Shown off in a number of different settings during the start of E3, Death’s Door is a cool as heck isometric 3D action game. Look, I hate birds and I recently got attacked in the back of the head by a crow, so the fact that this game where you play as a crow with a sword made this list should tell you all you need to know. Oh, that and it releases in just over a month.
The aesthetic on this one is a huge draw - Image via Death’s Door official website
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters (and the promise for more)
The promise of Final Fantasy I through VI being re-released with new pixel art intrigued me… until they showed that they’re only coming to PC and Mobile… However, my eternally optimistic heart has me sitting and hoping and wishing and praying that they’re secretly also going to come to Nintendo Switch, and SquareEnix was asked to hold off on that announcement so that shit will pop off during the Nintendo Direct tomorrow. The fact that I struggled to pick my top 5 for this list already, and feel like I have neglected a huge amount of indies, makes the prospect of the Nintendo Direct and continuation of E3 very tantalizing. You’ll have to tune into this week’s podcast to hear my full thoughts on Ninty.
One image built more anticipation than 20 minutes of Guardian’s of the Galaxy - Via SquareEnix’s website
Resident Evil Village Review
By Jon Swanson
This game is scary good.
Oh, I get it, the V, I, L, and L make an 8! - Image via Resident Evil Village’s official website
Regardless of whether or not you’re a Resident Evil fan it’s safe to say if you’re an avid gamer you’re familiar with the series. So when I tell you that it’s a return to form it’s important to remember the series has taken many forms over its over 25 year history. From the tank controlled, hardcore survival horror where every save was an arduous decision to the action heavy, boulder punching days of Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil Village definitely leans more toward the action side but strikes a nice balance with some intensely suspenseful moments.
If there is one constant throughout the series it would be the level of ridiculousness the story reaches with each entry. Resident Evil Village maintains this tradition with similar tropes in a fresh way. Your main character will suffer injuries that would leave any human permanently maimed. However, for absurd reasons that are explained with the game’s surprise ending Ethan Winters survives these situations with little more than a wince and a splash of first aid solution. While this might sound like it would break immersion it’s the ludonarrative nonsense we’ve come to expect from Capcom.
A beautiful place to get scared half to death - Image via Resident Evil Village’s official website
Ethan’s far-fetched tale takes place in the beautiful wintry landscape of Eastern Europe. The distant details of a castle facade against the mountainous backdrop are beautiful on the PS5. The same can’t be said once you are taking note of things up close. Rocks and gunk boxes and bags of flour are muddied and overly textured. It’s pretty easy to tell this is a cross-gen title.
The Duke says, “Lemme, lemme upgrade ya” - Image via Resident Village’s official website
Luckily the combat is silky smooth. You will start off with a base handgun and quickly get a shotgun followed by a rifle. These beginning items are upgradeable through our morbidly obese friend, The Duke. Much like in previous entries the starting items can be replaced by more powerful counterparts which can also be upgraded. The best feature, if you’re me, is the New Game Plus mode which allows you to carry over any weapons you had from your previous playthrough and be a complete boss! With this feature as well as many items to collect and puzzles to complete this game can stay with you well past your first 10-hour playthrough.
Resident Evil Village certainly isn’t a must-play game in league with RE4 or RE2 Remake. However, if you’re a fan of the series or genre it’s well-worth your time and $60.