Live from a long time ago, I bring to you old news! Today I dedicate my post to all things horror related within the video game industry! *applause fills the room/office/cafe/wherever you might be* Included in this post you will find trailers for each of the discussed games. Enjoy!

First I would like to go over some news surrounding the Resident Evil franchise. On the horizon we will be seeing the release of several new titles including Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and Resident Evil 4 (The Wii Remake).

Resident Evil 4 (Wii remake): Essentially a port of the extremely successful Resident Evil 4 title released for Gamecube, PS2, and PC, this title finds its way onto the Nintendo Wii with all of the extras of the PS2 and PC versions of the game, and enhanced controls to take advantage of the new Wii remote. Although this sounds like an attempt to further capitalize on the cash this title has earned, advance reviews from Japan have had nothing but very positive things to say about this new control scheme, stating that this make the action more frantic and in your face. The game will retail on June 19th for the low price of $30.00 (only $10.00 more than the currently available versions). Quote from IGN: “Judging by the scores, the Wii could have a critical hit. Two editors awarded the game a perfect 10 out of 10. The other two were still impressed enough to award a score of 9.” – Nintendo Wii

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles: Straying from the typical 3rd person view, and heading for a rails style shooter, the Nintendo Wii is being given its first exclusive Resident Evil title. Although this is going to be drastically different from other games in this franchise, I have to say that I am truly excited for this title. As stated, the character’s movement will be handled on a rails based system, and all aiming will performed by using the Wii remote as the firearm equipped at that time. Initial impressions seem to be very positive, complimenting the game on its intuitive and responsive controls. The story will be told from the Umbrella Corporation’s point of view in order to provide insight into the inner workings of the company, and its ultimate downfall. Players will see the return of familiar characters such as Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, Hunk, Carlos Oliveira, Rebecca Chambers, and Billy Coen. From the preview videos on this, the environments seem to be very moody, detailed, and more importantly, interactive. The action on screen seems to affect everything you would expect within its surroundings. Seeing picture frames tumble off the wall in a furious attempt at surviving is breathtaking. If fans can accept the changes to how the game is played, this will surely be a successful title. – Nintendo Wii

Resident Evil 5: Although little is known about story or characters, this game (from the trailer at least) appears to take place in a desert like area, possibly in the middle east. Zombies seem to make a return as opposed to the parasite infested villagers from Resident Evil 4. From the little footage we have seen of the game in action, these zombies appear to be much fast than those in previous Resident Evil titles. A comparison to zombies from the new Dawn of the Dead remake is often used to describe how these new zombies seem to behave. As far as gameplay is concerned, due to the location of this game’s events, heat plays a large role in the action. If not controlled, the temperature can adversely affect the player by providing hallucination like effects, interfering with the player’s ability to properly aim at and dispatch targets. This game is being directed by the same person responsible for Lost Planet and Onimusha (Jun Takeuchi), and although these are great games, I have my doubts about whether or not he can recreate the atmosphere from previous titles. Let’s hope for the best. – Xbox 360, PS3

The next very popular series I would like to briefly touch on is the Silent Hill series. Up to this point, being a console exclusive, the franchise is now taking a leap to the PSP with the new title, Silent Hill: Origins.

Silent Hill: Origins:” Where do we come from?” A common question. “Where did the town of Silent Hill come from?” A more important question. In this prequel to the Silent Hill franchise, the Origins of this town will be revealed. Could that be why the name of the game is Silent Hill: Origins? As with all other Silent Hill games, the character being played will be one not seen before. Our protagonist (although that isn’t that a title reserved for the ‘good guy’ in the story? We all know that the main characters in the Silent Hill games aren’t the best of persons.) Travis O’Grady, a truck driver with a dark past, finds himself driving through the town of Silent Hill when he is stopped by what appears to be none other than Allesa Gillespie, a character familiar to those who played the first Silent Hill title, or watched the Silent Hill movie. Being a prequel, we can expect to see some common characters to the first Silent Hill game. Aside from Allesa, confirmed characters also include Dahlia, Lisa Garland and Dr. Kaufmann. The game will focus on the melee combat of old, and feature similar obscure puzzles. It sounds like the development team is playing it safe as far as gameplay is concerned; not changing any of the core concepts a great deal. I am personally a giant Silent Hill fan, and own all titles released thus far. This will be the title which forces me to purchase a PSP, something I have avoided due to its huge library of fun games. *scarcasm* – PSP