First look: Resident Evil: Dead Aim

Capcom showed off a build of Resident Evil: Dead Aim, a PlayStation 2 shooter that marks the latest entry in the Gun Survivor series, at its press event yesterday. Surprisingly, unlike the previous entries in the series, Resident Evil: Dead Aim actually looks pretty solid. Thanks to the combination of a solid graphics engine and gameplay, the latest Gun Survivor game may be the best yet.

You'll assume the role of Bruce MacGavin, a member of an anti-Umbrella search and pursuit team who must retake a hijacked cruise ship on the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the presence of the good old T-virus makes MacGavin's job a bit more difficult, as zombies begin popping out of the woodwork. Seeing as you're outnumbered several times over, making it through the game will require you to know when to go in guns blazing and when to quietly creep by unnoticed. If you have to make like an action hero, you'll come across a respectable arsenal of weapons in the game, including a handgun, a shotgun, an assault rifle, a grenade launcher, and a particle rifle.

The gameplay in Resident Evil: Dead Aim stays true to the basics of the series and will focus on exploration, puzzle solving, and combat. The new twist is that you'll now be able to alternate between first- and third-person views depending on the situation. During shooting sequences, your view changes to a first-person perspective. When you move, the view kicks back to third-person. The system is still a little clunky in spots, but it's something that could be fixed before the game ships. The game will support the GunCon 2 controller.

Resident Evil: Dead Aim seems to be one of the most promising Gun Survivor games to hit in quite some time. The game manages to offer a solid gameplay experience and look pretty good while doing it. Resident Evil: Dead Aim is slated to ship this June for the PlayStation 2. We'll bring you more on the game in the coming weeks.