reHorror: Metal Gear Evil

Okay, first things first: I love Metal Gear Solid. It may not top Resident Evil as my all-time favorite series, nor does it top Metroid for second place, but Metal Gear Solid still holds a special place in my ration-sized heart. So, I know after reading this article’s title you’re probably wondering just what in the blue hell Kojima’s complex, stealth-action series has to do with Capcom’s Resident Evil. Well, after taking in all the Resident Evil Revelations media we’ve been exposed to thus far, Resident Evil is seemingly starting to delve into Metal Gear Solid territory in terms of plot. And guess what? Resident Evil Revelations’ newest trailer all but continues to make me feel this way, which I’ll be breaking down with this week’s reHorror.

Before you start reading, make sure to check out the trailer for yourselves below, if you haven’t already:

Don’t get me wrong, I really love and appreciate Capcom’s decision to inject a greater sense of importance and complexity to the series’ lore with next year’s release of Revelations, but I’m more than aware that a fair share of fans out there are quite upset about having all these new faces being brought in, and all this conspiracy and clone business in their beloved survival horror series. And quite frankly, many have been left confused, especially by this latest trailer. I for one am strapped and ready to be taken for a wild ride come February with Revelations’ promising storyline. I absolutely can’t wait to see all the craziness and, um, revelations that’ll be brought into the series with this 3DS exclusive.

What’s the secret behind Veltro? Why does the FBC’s main man Morgan look so evil? What of that Chris “clone”? And what side is Raymond Vester really on? All these and more are questions that swim through my mind on a daily basis (is that healthy?). So, yeah, I’m quite glad that Revelations is shaping up to be the game that not only brings back the series’ long-lost feeling of survival horror, but also the game that’s shaping up to have one of the best storylines in the series to date.

Let’s start things off by addressing an addition that’s been highly demanded for the game: zombies! The last time we saw a zombie in Resident Evil Revelations was back in its reveal trailer (well, it certainly looked like a slimy variation of a classic zombie). Since then they’ve been quite absent from any media released for the game. That should change, especially since the enemies used to be quite synonymous with the series, before, you know, Resident Evil 4 and 5 came in with their parasitic threats. Well, it looks like we’re all aboard the same boat when it comes to wanting these classic foes to make a comeback with this game. Now, what I’m about to delve into is just pure speculation, but you gotta admit it’s pretty darn cool and would make for quite an awesome twist if it were to happen.

Okay, so we know the floating metropolis of Terragrigia has been totally destroyed by a Hunter-led terrorist attack by none other than Veltro. We also know that there’s a seaside village area of sorts that we’ve gotten a glimpse of before in a piece of concept art. We see this same area again here, and it happens to be right near where Terragrigia used to be. I’m sure a lot of people died when Veltro attacked, and I would love to see said deceased people emerge from the water as T-Abyss infected zombies to attack that nearby village. Yeah, chances are it won’t happen but it would be quite nice nonetheless. It could prove to be a set-piece moment with hordes of zombies attacking Jill, Parker, and O’Brian.

So what about this Morgan guy? We were just introduced to him yesterday thanks to Capcom-Unity revealing him (along with O’Brian and Raymond) as a playable character in the game’s Raid Mode. We also learned that he’s the head of the FBC (Federal Bioterrorism Commission). But is he really a good guy? I know he’s elderly, but he just looks evil to me. And he doesn’t seem to get along with O’Brian either, as we see in the trailer’s opening segment, where the two are coversing about what’s just happened (the attack on Terragrigia). O’Brian advises Morgan to extract his people from the hot spot, seeing as how they could potentially lose some “crucial evidence” that could give them a strong lead on Veltro. We also see Raymond and Morgan together, so is the mysterious red-headed wonder on the side of good? Well, I’m not so sure about that.

Now this is where the Metal Gear comparisons start to rear their head. Basically, I see Morgan as a sort of Big Boss figure. It’s pretty clear that in the chain of command, the FBC is higher in ranking than the BSAA, so Morgan definitely seems to have more power than O’Brian. Speaking of O’Brian, I see him filling a sort of Campbell like role in the game, especially since he’s going to be much more invovled with your mission, while Morgan remains behind the scenes. And you know what that means…Yes, I get a strong feeling that at the end of the game we’re going to find out that Morgan is actually an antagonist, possibly being involved somehow with Veltro, or maybe even having previously been involved with Umbrella before their “fall”. Also, not unlike Big Boss, Morgan seems to be the one calling all the shots. I truly believe him and O’Brian will be at odds throughout the game.

Then we got Raymond Vester. Here’s another mysterious character who was initially believed to be part of the Organization (you know, the same one that Ada served). With this new trailer, we’ve learned that the red-headed wonder is actually involved with the FBC, but to what extent is currently unknown. I mean, he’s seen conversing with Morgan in the same room, so we know they have some sort of connection. But then again, Morgan may end up  being a bad guy, so Raymond may not be any different. Which leads to the next Metal Gear comparison.

I truly see Raymond playing a role not unlike that of Ocelet. We may think that we know for a fact just who he’s loyal to, but we may end up being surprised as the plot thickens. Ocelet can be seen as a triple traitor, perhaps Raymond will be something similar. Having served the FBC, now seemingly aiding the BSAA, all while truly serving another, unknown organization (THE Organization, perhaps?). I don’t know about you, but to me Raymond definitely seems like an Ocelet-esque character.

Raymond then states how they’ve (him and the FBC) already killed those bastards, referring to Veltro. Perhaps the faction has led an attack on the terrorist group in the past, being led to believe they were as dead as Raccoon City, only to be met with their “resurrection.” Or maybe Morgan’s covered up Veltro’s true whereabouts, letting everyone know that they’re in fact dead when they’re really just in hiding. Keep in mind this is just my own personal opinion, so please provide your own over the matter in the comments below.

We then get to see a bit more of the Hunter-filled attack on Terragrigia from some different angles. Jessica and Parker are also revealed as the two passengers aboard the helicopter we saw them from behind in before. O’Brian also states how the FBC made a big mistake. What exactly is this mistake? Did they perhaps underestimate Veltro and their potential for bringing hell on Earth? Or maybe this has something to do with what Raymond said before, pertaining to their previous defeat of the terrorist group. Maybe the BSAA were the only ones truly convinced that Veltro was still around and kicking.

Regardless, I’m quite surprised to see that Parker and Jessica used to belong to Morgan’s group, especially since I’m heavily speculating that said head honcho’s a bad guy. But hey, this just means that we may be set for even more crazy twists in the game’s plot. Chris and Jill are both separated, and now they’re partnered up with these two new characters. Maybe Morgan intentionally had a strong say in this, aiming to mine some information from the BSAA. At this point there’s just so many potential outcomes to theorize about, so I’m quite eager to see what all of you have to say about this. Hell, I could be wrong about all this and Morgan & crew may end up being jolly ol’ good guys.

And as I’ve said before, we haven’t even seen any of these new names mentioned in Resident Evil 5. An omission that leads me to believe that something’s definitely going to happen that may result in all these new characters dying or maybe just mysteriously disappearing, pulling off a Billy Coen in unison.

Then we get some quick cuts showing off some of the bigger BOWs you’re going to face off against. These variations of the Ooze should definitely prove to be a bigger challenge than the standard, humanoid ones. For a series that’s known for having some truly awesome boss battles and memorable creatures, it’d be no surprise to expect the same from this game.

That first baddie up top looks absolutely huge. It kind of makes me think back to the boss battle we had against Excella in Resident Evil 5. Hell, even the one below it, the huge tentacle, makes me think of her too, especially since she wrapped her tentacles around the ship in RE5 in a similar manner, with players having to perform QTEs to dodge her attacks. Then you got the last guy at the bottom, who we got a peak at in the game’s Gamers Day 2011 trailer after he bursts through a wall. He sort of look like a ‘roided up Mordin from Mass Effect 2. But maybe that’s just me.

Here’s a shot that goes by rather quickly. Here we see a buttload of FBC vehicles, possibly getting prepped to depart and head into one big mission. Maybe this takes place a year before Revelations, in which Veltro attacks Terragrigia. Or maybe this is happening at the same time Jill and Chris are each on their own individual missions, with their new partners, formerly from the FBC.

The Sorrow! The trailer ends with a very revealing look at Veltro’s creepy leader, sans the gasmask. He does look quite frail and he’s also pretty old, so my previous theory of him having some form of disease may end up having some truth to it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way implying that if you’re old you have a disease, I’m just stating that perhaps the gasmask is there for a reason. Maybe he’s trying to get his hands on some form of virus that grants the user immortality? With all the satanic banter coming out of him, I really wouldn’t be surprised. Has Veltro really been resurrected (somehow)? Or were they never dead to begin with? I’m sticking with my theory that Morgan has something to do with these guys. And hell, I may be the only one who thought this but the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the Veltro leader unmasked was Morgan.

Maybe the FBC is really an organization on the side of good. But still, I don’t think that we’ll have both the BSAA and FBC both completely battling for the good of humanity. One of those groups has prove to be a little more lenient towards the dark side, which in this case is given a physical form in Veltro. And it’s obviously not the BSAA. Maybe when all is said and done, Chris and Jill opt to just forget everything about their new partners (Jessica and Parker, respectively) to move on from all the betrayal and deception they may have experienced in Revelations’ story. And if the FBC is such a powerful and important organization, as they’re being presented with this new trailer, then why weren’t they even mentioned in Resident Evil 5?

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With Resident Evil Revelations the series is seemingly gearing up for a Kojima-like story, no pun intended. Should that really  be a bad thing, though? I mean, the series will be taking players back into the world of survival horror with this game, and now with this new complex plot that’s set in place, it’s just icing on the cake. Why stick with a tried and true method of storytelling when you could change things up and give fans a different type of complex tale that’s different from what they’ve been used to before in the series? I’m definitely excited about everything we’ve seen from Revelations, and I’ll continue to count down the days until February 7 like it’s the second coming.

What do you think about Resident Evil Revelations’ story thus far, and where it’s heading? Are there too many characters? Do you feel like the game should stick with a more easy to follow, more contained plot? Sound off in the comments below!

 

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