In July, on Presidents' Day, Biohazard lived up to expectations and was released on time.
Hawk, of course, received his three orders well in advance.
Before even opening the package, Hawk had already sensed that this time was different.
The package was unusually heavy, clearly containing more than just a few discs.
"Come on, baby, let me see what you're capable of."
He eagerly tore open the package, revealing its contents.
The three standard NX-sized boxes are roughly the size of a thick, hardcover book.
"SHIT!"
Before he even opened the box, just a fleeting glimpse of the cover made Hawk blurt out a phrase of America elegance.
This cover design is just too damn good!
It was an eye covered in bloodshot veins and dirt.
His eyes were wide open, staring straight ahead, as if he were staring at Hawk.
A line of equally scarlet title text was placed in the center.
[BIOHAZARD]
The designer intentionally left a placeholder space between Bio and Hazard.
At its visual center of gravity, one can immediately sense the meaning it wants to convey.
The root word "Bio" means organism, life, etc.
Hazard, needless to say, means danger or harm.
The mere mention of these two words together sent a chill down Hawk's spine.
Despite the sweltering heat of California, he surprisingly felt a touch of coolness.
However, Hawk is not a coward. Perhaps influenced by his cousin who loves extreme sports, Hawk himself is also a very energetic guy.
After a brief moment of shock, he quickly adjusted to the awe-inspiring presence of the cover.
Hawk picked up the top box and glanced at the bottom left corner.
ESRB17+ (Mature) --.
37
Following two consecutive handheld casual games, GAMENOVA has finally released another limited-edition title.
Hill Climb Racing and Cut the Rope are definitely fun.
But more often than not, he still wants to see top-tier visual games with blood and gore like Quake.
Clearly, this time I've made the right decision.
The box is packaged with high-weight cardboard, and the craftsmanship is quite exquisite. It feels smooth to the touch and does not give a dirty or dusty feeling.
"Boo"
With a little force, the magnetic clasp pops open.
This packaging setup is practically like an invitation to an upscale dinner party.
The packaging alone is worth at least $10.
No wonder it felt so easy to handle when I picked up the package earlier.
Upon opening the box, a piece of parchment paper comes into view, with only a small "GAMENOVA" logo printed in the center of the front.
The logo.
Okay, this kind of thing is purely for enhancing the ritual of unboxing.
After removing the cardboard, Hawk finally saw the contents of the box.
The inner lining is covered with a layer of flocked material, giving it a luxurious feel.
"Two discs?"
Hawk paused, then carefully removed them.
"Oh? It's the original soundtrack."
Besides the game itself, the other disc is naturally the game's album.
Although it's not a vinyl record, this thing can be read and played simply by inserting it into the NX like a game disc.
"Huh? What's this?"
Next to the CD, there was a smaller compartment, which appeared to contain a leather object.
Hawk reached out and took it out.
This is something like a driver's license.
The cover features an unfamiliar logo.
[STARS]
[ Raccoon City Police Department]
"Huh? A police ID?"
Hawk never expected it to be this.
However, he soon recalled the promotional video from June.
STARS seems to be the organization to which the special police officers in the movie belong.
It must be some kind of special tactical and rescue team.
"The information provided is truly honest."
Hawk raised an eyebrow and opened the document.
Just like a normal ID card, it contains a card where you can fill in your personal information.
He keenly noticed that there was another line of small print at the very bottom.
[Voucher entitles you to a 50% discount on tickets to the Spencer Mansion ]
" Spencer Mansion? Tickets? What does all this have to do with anything?"
Unable to understand it any longer, Hawk stopped wasting his energy on it, casually placed it aside, and continued looking inside the box.
A roll of posters, a set of stickers, and an enhancement chip for the NX.
The NX uses optical discs, which prevents the integration of enhancement chips into the cartridges as was done with older ROM cartridges; this is the only option.
Good heavens----
Hawk took stock of the contents of the box and scratched his head.
This is comparable to the deluxe versions offered by major manufacturers, while I only bought the standard version.
I heard the deluxe edition also includes a custom character figurine and Wesker's sunglasses.
"Forget it, no matter how fancy the packaging is, it's just an accessory. The game itself is the main course."
Hawk tidied up his things briefly before picking up the game disc and inserting it into the NX.
If the game itself isn't of good quality, then no matter how fancy the packaging is, it's meaningless.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that inflating the price due to fancy packaging is essentially a form of forced selling.
"The game loads very slowly, much slower than ever before."
Hawk wasn't in a hurry, and took the opportunity to run to the kitchen and grab a bottle of soda.
On such a hot day, drinking a cold beverage while playing GAMENOVA's latest flagship video game is so much fun, bro!
"Swish"
An eye exactly like the one on the cover suddenly opened from the dark background, startling Hawk.
"Cough cough cough----and a surprise attack?"
He wiped his mouth with his hand before picking up the controller and selecting a new game.
"Biohazrd-
A deep, resonant voice began to narrate, immediately setting the tone for the scene.
The voice actor for Darth Vader is very professional in terms of skill; his voice is deep and natural, but without any forced or artificial quality.
"Huh? You can choose who you want?"
It's not surprising that games like the Sims allow players to choose their own characters, since that's what they were originally designed for.
But if I'm not mistaken, Biohazard is a truly narrative-driven game.
Can you even choose characters in a game like this?
That can only mean one thing—
GAMENOVA has prepared full cutscenes and storylines for both characters!
That's an incredible amount of work.
" Jill Valentine and Chris Phil?"
There are two characters, a male and a female. As the character makes a choice, a blurry identification document will appear on the right side of the screen.
It's exactly the same as the one that came with the package.
"I remember Chris lost a teammate in the trailer, that's kind of unlucky. I'll play Jill instead, she's more pleasing to the eye."
[1998]
[JULY]
[ Raccoon Forest ]
Alpha Team is circling above the woods on the outskirts of Raccoon City.
Hawk has already seen this part.
Or rather, everyone who's been looking forward to this game has already seen it countless times.
The opening animation is almost identical to the promotional video from June.
The difference is that the promotional video ends abruptly after the group enters the mansion, and a cast introduction is introduced.
Entering the mansion marks the official start of the game.
This marked the official beginning of the torment.