Is Capcom On Acid?

I gotta’ ask, because in light of their recent games, I’m convinced they’re either certified geniuses who are pushing the boundaries of gaming, or else upper management is on something and no one has the guts to rebuke their suggestions.

Like at the moment I’m playing a game called Killer 7. I’m three levels into this beast and still have no clear idea of what’s happening because the story is so fragmented, creepy, brutal and downright psychotic, that even though I’m compelled to play to see what happens next, I can’t piece together any kind of narrative that makes sense. All I know is some guy in a wheelchair named Harman Smith has the ability to manifest his other 6 personalities, and they are all–just like him–stone cold killers, each with a different specialty. Over the course of the game, I’ve seen people having conversations get their heads blown open, only to continue the conversation, even though their scalp is dangling on the back of their head like an open lid, with brain still on it. I’ve seen women slit their wrists and spray blood all over a wall just to destroy it. And I’ve shot a guy’s traditional Japanese theater mask, only to have him put it on afterwards while giving me the finger with both hands.

It’s fun. It’s insane. I have no idea what it’s going on.

And then there’s Haunting Ground, also by Capcom. Straight out of the horror movie conventions, you play an incredibly hot and helpless blonde by the name of Fiona who’s largely incapable of defending herself from her pursuers in a huge gothic castle, the chief pursuer, Debilitas, is a large, brutish oaf type with huge dark eyes that make him look like some kind of steroid mutated baby. It’s obvious he likes Fiona a LOT, but it’s so creepy being a girl chased around by this guy that my fiance can’t even watch me play the game because it just makes her WAAAY too uncomfortable.

When I see games like the above two, Clocktower 3 (Which is another horror game involving a helpless female) and even Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube, I begin to realize that Capcom is taking some mighty insane chances playing with the form of games. It’s all a little hit and miss (I STILL can’t make up my mind whether I actually LIKE Killer 7, but it sure is interesting) but I gotta’ give ‘em credit for at least being brave enough to take the path less trodden and give us something new.

Oh and 58, 000+ words today.

Crap. 42, 000 words left.