Grave Gamer News & Views — capcom

Trademark Filing Outs “Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps” 

Something (resident) evil, this way comes.

Capcom is once again tapping into their survival horror wellspring if a recent trademark submission is any indicator. Originally filed simply as ‘Umbrella Corps’ with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (or, Never Heard of It for short), another filing was spotted by DualShockers.

The second filing, put in toward the Japanese Patent and Trademark Office, reveals the full title of Capcom’s mysterious game/thing as ‘Biohazard: Umbrella Corps’ – what we’d call Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps due to, funny enough, trademark enforcement protecting a hardcore band Westerners are way past caring about.

Until Capcom is ready to let the genetically altered cat out of the bag themselves, we’ll have to sate our curiosity on the thrills of copyright law. But what’s in a name?

The series has never been shy on slapping a number on main releases, so it’s not very likely this is Resident Evil 7. The mixed success stew that is the spin-off seems a better possibility. The last title to use Umbrella in its christening was the lightgun experiment Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, but that title’s sequel saw fit to carry the Chronicles name as more of a series denotation.

2012′s half-cocked co-op shooter Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, on the other hand, focused exclusively on a squad of Umbrella mercenaries blasting apart the titular town’s B.O.W.s. Despite getting a well deserved meat-check from every gaming publication on the map, that offshoot fared well in terms of sales (but still doomed to a second life lining Gamestop $4.99 bins nationwide).

Could Umbrella Corps be the bargain bin successor we’ve all been absolutely, desperately clamoring for? Or has Capcom finally listened to my countless emails demanding a beat ‘em up in the RE universe starring Barry Burton where you attack zombies beard first? Fingers crossed.

Ken’s Rockin’ A New Look in These SDCC Street Fighter V Screens

And honestly? Mr. Masters is looking straight up beast. Very keen on seeing if they the rest of regulars are receiving a next-gen revamp (’cause Ryu and Chun-Li look pretty much like same ol’ Ryu and Chun-Li).

The majesty of Beardy Burton.

Street Fighter V Character Art

Resident Evil 0 Returns to Consoles in Early 2016

Following the surprise success of Resident Evil HD Remaster, Capcom has announced it’s going to keep the remaster gravy train, er, full of warm gravy? All right, that got away from me – Capcom announced yesterday that horror-laden prequel Resident Evil 0 is next up on the remaster docket and that’s just gravy (shit! What is wrong with me?).

First released on the little-loved little love machine, the Nintendo Gamecube, in 2002, RE0 follows the ill-begotton journey of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team’s 19-year-old medic Rebecca Chambers. The prequel details Rebecca’s worst night ever (before her other worst night ever in the Spencer Estate) as she partners up with a stoic convict named Billy Cohen and unravels a mystery surrounding the very origins of the Umbrella Corporation itself. What it doesn’t unravel is why Becca wouldn’t fucking mention any of these events to her comrades the next day in Resident Evil, but whatever – that’s video games.

Staff members that worked on the game thirteen years ago are back to oversee the remastering – including original director Koji Oda. Here’s a fun video of him having a green herb throttled his way by producer Tsukasa Takenaka. It’s fantastically awkward, and much bowing ensues.

Though it beautifully evolves the high fidelity graphics first found in REmake, RE0 doesn’t rank high on my list of survival horror favorites. A hastily utilized character “zapping” system and obtuse inventory mechanics that made it too easy to lose integral items throughout the stages (sometimes for-fucking-ever – lookin’ at you, train sequence) turned this horror romp more grueling than gruesome.

Despite its flaws (no item boxes?! I don’t care if they’re physics bending magic, I love them!), Zero still earned the respect of Resident Evil fans and will likely satiate gamers looking for more survival horror than boulder-uppercutting horror.

Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is set for a *long breath* PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC release in early 2016 *exhale*.