Resident Evil 5 is the name of the game, and surviving the new DLC mode requires strategy. On The Download this week will be taking an in-depth, but spoiler-free look "Lost In Nightmares." We will also recommend surviving Mercenaries mode with a few new characters, as well as the nostalgic prowess of "Lost In Nightmares" that had me grinning thinking about it 24 hours later. This is a bit of a guide, but I was careful with my spoilers. (Trust me, Resident Evil fans will really dig this DLC.)
First and foremost, what is "Lost in Nightmares?" When playing through Resident Evil 5 for the first time, do you remember the whole part where Jill and Chris go to confront Wesker in a mansion library? Well, this chapter is the events leading up to that fateful encounter that leaves Jill prisoner to the Matrix-ripoff Wesker. Your mission should you choose to accept it, is to investigate a mansion in search of clues about Umbrella head-goon Ozwell E. Spencer (the propagator of the progenitor plague) in the hopes of finding Albert Wesker.
Right from the moment Jill used her lockpick skill on the mansion door, nostalgia kicks in. Jill and Chris are now investigating a Raccoon City mansion clone. Dinning hall to the left, L-shaped corridor to the right, and a massive staircase straight ahead. You'll investigate all of these areas, looking for silver medallions to shoot, as well as passwords for some puzzle solving. This area is safe to split-up in, but it still feels safer to have your buddies close by. There are a few brilliant scares that were well timed and worked great with the original mansion setting.
Jill: "Hold on, my nostalgia sense is tingling." Chris: "Whatever. I'm gonna go play with that typewriter over there - I think I still have a ribbon or two left."
While searching for Passwords to a computer, you'll discover a lot of journals very similar to the original Resident Evil. One of them is even identical, but I'll let you figure out which one. You'll also play Moonlight Sonata on a piano (only, because Resident Evil 5 loves it's quick time events so much, you have to press buttons to continue playing), use the fireplace in the dining hall to complete a puzzle, and collect crank shafts, emblems, or shards of something to complete puzzles.
Once you get past the Mansion, the real interesting danger begins. You suddenly find yourself in a grotesque dungeon littered with bodies, blood stains, and clues. Follow the trail, and you'll run into a new gooey monster to fight. This bad-boy is wielding what looks like a giant anchor for a ship. Four massive sharpened points, dragged across the floor just waiting to impale Jill or Chris. The monster itself is huge. It wears a hood, and has a giant slimy-looking growth on its left shoulder. Just a hint: shoot the growth, as it has a blinking eyeball of a weak spot just out of view if you're facing it.
With two players, flanking this enemy is your best bet. As Jill, the slightly faster and smaller character, it's easiest to run past the beast in narrow corridors. You will run into about 10 of these at random moments, so be careful as you round blind corners, or jump wildly into a situation. Protip: for the love of all that is good for you, play this DLC co-op. Asking your A.I. partner to politely lour these hulking masses of angry flesh in a circle for you simply doesn't work. A.I. partners will also get themselves cornered and gouged far more often than your human partner, who you can yell "Watch it, keep running!" at effectively.
Jill: "Remember the last time we saw one of these?" Chris: "Yea, it was a rotten flesh-eating zombie." Jill: "I Dare you to touch it."
This brings us to the most creative, interesting part of the DLC. As Jill and Chris find their way through the dungeon area, they'll be suddenly dropped into a pit. This drop will lose all of their weapons, and they are left defenseless against the big bad gooey thingies. Here is where co-op is more essential than anything I've seen. I won't give too much away here, but I will tell you: Timing is very important. You will be expected to defeat many of these enemies without your weapons. Use your environment, and keep the "bait" in mind. Jill runs past these guys the best with her tiny frame, so having her lour the enemy into dangerous situations to keep them there while Chris uses the environmental finishing move works best.
The boss battle here us full circle to where the full game picks up again. You've found the secret-containing library in the mansion, complete with Wesker. Battle it out in the way only Chris, Jill, and Wesker can - a little over the top, with quite a few quick-time-events. Stupid QTE's, grumblebackinmydaygrumble.
The DLC is relatively short at about an hour or so, but wholly satisfying. It's 400 with a few achievements attached to it. So if that's what motivates you, there's your ticket.
Today we're getting a taste of what General Knoxx has to dish out in the new Borderlands DLC "Secret Armory of General Knoxx" on the Xbox 360 for 800 ($10). PS3 and PC gamers, don't fret - you'll be down and dirty in the armory by Thursday for the same $10. Also, General Knoxx has a freaking mech-tank-thing. It's pretty sweet. (There was a bit of controversy about the release of the General Knoxx DLC, but it has been confirmed that it is still being released on time).
For those that really music games but are a little tired of the same-old-music games, Fret Nice has you covered. The game itself blends music game influences with a platforming gameplay style, perfect for arcade gamers that like a little of both. Fret Nice will debut at 1200 or $15. Also on the Xbox LIVE arcade front, Perfect Dark HD will only have 2 player co-op. Co-op will still be available both online, and offline. The pricetag for Perfect Dark HD has also dropped to 800 or $10 from the originally forecast $15.
Free For You
Alien Breed Evolution: Episode 1 has a trial for you. Local co-op on a beautiful shared screen puts 2 marines together on a ruined ship. You'll be navigating around debris, locked doors, and pits full of crazy mean aliens. Aliens will appear from holes in the ground, and already inhabited rooms. You and your buddy will shoot at these guys using your awesome no-need-to-reload guns in a hybrid third person shooter/top down shooter. The gameplay is really smooth, and definitely worth taking a look at in the free trial at least.