Editorials
Break Out The ‘Resident Evil: Outbreak’ Remake
With the HD update of 2002’s Resident Evil REmake just over the horizon, I can’t help but feel the need to have a few of the more underappreciated RE titles from that era make a similar triumphant return.
An Editorial By Clark and Zac Thompson
Back in 2003, before the core Resident Evil games were forever changed from the classic format, series fanatics were treated to a truly unique and exhilarating experience that was Resident Evil Outbreak.
The game was truly a dream come true for this RE fan in a few pretty big ways. In the early core games of the series, where you routinely bump into, and occasionally fight alongside different support characters, the idea of these characters being controlled by a friend was something I’d routinely daydream about. That was now a reality.
In addition, Outbreak‘s setting, which was Raccoon City during the viral outbreak, gave players the opportunity to experience the area along with the early to late stages of the chaos culminating the the cities ultimate destruction, like never before.
However, the gameplay was a little stilted and disjointed. The core experience had the heart of Resident Evil but something felt off. Now that the online gaming community is exploding, there is no time like the present to make Outbreak a defining multiplayer experience through a crisp remake that would help pull the series back to it’s roots while taking the pulse of more modern gaming experiences.
The besieged Racoon City is the perfect setting to bring the heart of Resident Evil back to the series and the multiplayer experience of terror has yet to be perfected, but with Capcom in the drivers seat, I believe a RE Outbreak Remake could do the trick. There are the minor experiments in Resident Evil 5 and 6, but those feel like cheap examples compared to Outbreak.
To put it bluntly, Outbreak — along with its sequel — deliver on almost every level.
First of all, instead of just you and one other friend, game sessions were comprised of of four characters selected from a group of eight, each possessing their own strengths, weaknesses and special abilities. There was even melee combat and some mild weapon crafting, not to mention the ability to move with your weapon drawn.
The ten scenarios, five for each game, sprawled a great deal of interesting areas over the course the the mayhem. And best of all, it was all presented with the same dynamic camera angles that made the series famous, but in a fully 3D world. The end product feeling very similar to Resident Evil: Code Veronica in it’s visual aesthetic, with an added polish reminiscent of the Resident Evil REmake. It was a beautifully rich and atmospheric experience.
With all that in mind you’ve got the recipe for the perfect rebirth of the franchise. There is a certain magic to these scenarios that begs to be in a faster paced multiplayer world. With the introduction of full voice communication and tossing the predetermined vocal cues you can help create a more modern experience, but use it is a location based way that only allows those close to you to actually hear the things you’re saying.
That’s true horror, especially if you can’t tell someone’s dead, only to enter a room and hear screams of agony before their mic goes dead.
The game also had you exploring the underground facility from Resident Evil 2, the hospital from Nemesis, the underground tunnels, a burning hotel teeming with Lickers, Raccoon City University, a forest outside the city and my personal favorite, The Raccoon City Zoo.
If we want a rebirth of the magic of the first few installments are retooled Outbreak experience is the only answer. The games have always been about bands of survivors, and elevating the terror through friends will both increase the fear and fun. It allows Resident Evil to evolve in a new way, still keep a more action oriented pace that made it successful as of late, but still keep the roots of what made it great in the first place. Plus, you’ll still have zombies.
At the end of the day, both of these games were classic Resident Evil experiences that were largely swept under the rug. The gameplay, atmosphere, visuals, enemies and music were all fantastic. These titles truly deserved a wider audience, and with a few tweaks, mainly the addition of voice chat, and perhaps some new content, now would be the perfect time for an HD overhaul. Especially with the current popularity of co-op play, combined with faster connection speeds and the current love of gaming nostalgia.
Clark Thompson is a 31-year-old horror fanatic currently residing in Kelowna B.C. His main goals in life are to one day experience a zombie apocalypse, and/or undergo surgery to have his heart mounted on the exterior of his chest. You can reach him at clarkthomspon@yahoo.ca or on facebook Clorkwork Torange.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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