RE: Uprising is an isometric action/RPG where you control Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy as they attempt to survive the zombie onslaughter caused by yet another outbreak in Raccoon City, dodge "Nemesis II", search and locate items which you used to solve puzzles (and get more pieces). As a result, the game feels more frustrating than interesting at times. Controls are clunky, unresponsive, and generally painful to use, and the puzzles positively obtuse. It's as if the game designers decided that the players are barely smarter than the zombies.
The beginning is intriguing enough. Claire Redfield, a young girl related to one of the main Resident Evil characters, was told to go to the Raccon City Police HQ if anything goes wrong, and it certainly has. When she arrived, she found the place empty... Until zombies start chasing her. Fortunately for her, Leon Kenney is on the scene (how?) and dispatched the zombies. Now they have to combine forces to figure a way out of the city by somehow accessing the subway tunnels.
The game has an isometric viewpoint, and is actually real-time, albeit slow. If there are enemies, your gun is drawn automatically (you can choose manual mode too). Then if you are pointed in the right way, and are in range, click OK the gun meter will appear, and the bar goes up slowly. Try to stop the bar at the right place and you get a "headshot". Of course, it can get exciting when 4-5 zombies come after you. Keep in mind that bullets are limited so don't waste any...
You control EITHER Claire or Leon, and can switch at any time. Apparently there's some abilities that's only present in one or the other, but you are never told that until you run into it. For example, Leon does NOT pick locks, but Claire does... but only after you find a lockpicking kit.
The isometric viewpoint is not exactly great for exploration, but it'll do. However, walking speed is excuciatingly slow. Objects are hidden on shelves and such, and you're forced to solve inane puzzles to open up secret closets and such. COME ON! Who the **** sets up stupid puzzles to keep out HUMANS when there are rampaging ZOMBIES outside? And even then it makes no sense to do it BEFORE the zombie crisis got started!
And who the heck decided to spread the ammo cache all over the place? You think the zombie will go for the armory? Hah! Instead, you're forced to read all these stupid documents left all over the place that suggests that the Raccoon City PD is in cahoots with Umbrella Corp. In fact, most of the game is just trying to locate bits and pieces that would open up more areas that would expose more of the area for more pieces, more expose, and so on.
You are allowed only ONE savegame, that's it. So you never really know WHEN to save and when not to. Frankly, just before opening any door would be a good place to start. As opening doors either triggers more zombie attacks, or a new plot which will lead to more zombie attacks later. Oh, and yes, you *do* run into Nemesis II later.
Frankly, I found this game the complete antithesis of a horror game. The idea of a horror game is put you in extremely bad circumstances, danger at every turn, and figure out a way to get out alive. Instead, we got what is practically an exploration game with occasional zombies that aren't that hard to kill, ONE nasty boss monster, and the rest is collecting stupid puzzle pieces and unlock various locked doors where you find zombies and MORE stupid puzzle pieces. There's just nothing SCARY about the whole thing any more. Even reading about all this stuff about the RCPD helping Umbrella Corporation is just not scary. It's getting simply... boring.
Overall, I can't recommend this game when there is the far superior Resident Evil: Insurrection, reviewed earlier.
Overall rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: easy system requirements, some good puzzle moments, simple mechanics
Cons: no 'scary' atmosphere, exploration and puzzle leads to horrible game pacing and boredom
Verdict: skip this game and play RE5 on your console instead
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