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The Resident Evil franchise had come to very much resemble one of the undead, zombie denizens of the series’ Raccoon City, aimlessly shambling along as it was, with camera and control schemes old and decrepit enough as to be near to rotting away altogether. Many fans had abandoned the Resident Evil games when, after 2 phenomenally successful entries, an entire genre of survival-horror clones descended upon gamers, ravaging them with corny dialogue and improbable puzzles involving fragmented crests that open locked doors, and the like.

Resident Evil itself received a third and fourth entry (though Resident Evil: Code Veronica was not enumerated), which, their quality notwithstanding, were widely recognized as more of the same. Then, in early 2005, the languishing series was given a hard enough kick in the pants to bring it back from the (un)dead. Resident Evil 4 was an adrenaline shot right to the heart, and the newly revitalized survival-horror series would once again captivate gaming audiences, garnering many game-of-the-year awards and an incredible amount of praise (not to mention two enhanced re-releases) in the process.

Resident Evil 4 puts players back in the shoes of Leon Kennedy, one of the player characters from Resident Evil 2. Six years have transpired since the virus-generated zombie attack and subsequent nuking of Raccoon City, and Leon has gone from being a raw recruit in the R.P.D. to a raw recruit in the Secret Service. His first mission: get on over to a remote village in Spain where the president’s daughter, Ashley, is being held hostage by a mysterious cult-like group called “Los Illuminados.”

Why would a weird cult kidnap the first daughter, and why is a lone rookie agent dispatched to rescue her? Um, because this is a Resident Evil game. The more important question is: Are there zombies in this remote Spanish village? No, not exactly. MORE »

The Fall release bonanza continues on strong this week, with several big games coming out.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) Mario needs no introduction. This is his first big outing on the Wii, and it is most assuredly a paragon of gaming excellence. No Wii owner should be without it.

Assassin’s Creed (PS3, 360) Ubisoft’s next big franchise? The game throws you into the middle of the third crusade, at the end of the 12^th century, as an Assassin who likes to get his parkour on while investigating and finally putting the hit on his targets. Reviews have been remarkably split on this one, ranging from 10/10 to 6/10. At least it looks cool.

Contra 4 (DS) Yes, you read that right. Contra. 15 years or so later, the Super Nintendo’s Contra III: The Alien War finally gets a real sequel. Forget all the failed 3D nonsense with the Contra name slapped onto it that has come out over the years since, this is the real deal. Developer Wayforward Studios are reverent scholars of the series, and have come up with a DS game that, not only lives up to its name, but also comes up with a sensible solution to the classic DS problem of how to use the second screen. They just make the levels twice as tall, and give you a grappling hook to quickly get to the top screen! That’s awesome, and now I’m ready to kick some alien ass.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3, 360) IO Interactive are the guys behind the extremely well done Hitman series, and this is their latest offering. The titular Kane and Lynch are a couple of ex-con, straight-out-of-a-Tarantino-film types, no doubt out for revenge and/or a briefcase full of cash. If this sounds like a bad action movie to you, then you’re probably not far off judging from the reception the game has gotten so far. Still, there is something to be said for bad action movies, and by extension, bad action movie games. Rent it first, though.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP) Plus is not a sequel to, but rather an expansion of last year’s Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. It adds a mission generator that randomly assembles mission stages from a pool of resources, and an online play mode. Fans of the original game might be interested. Not a bad deal, at $20.

Need For Speed: ProStreet (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2) This year’s Need For Speed curiously eschews illegal street racing for the noticeably lamer legal alternative. The series has historically been shallow racing fun, in contrast to the incredible depth of something like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport.

Orcs & Elves (DS) This first-person RPG originally appeared on cell phones. It was coded by Doom’s John Carmack himself, over 4 days. If you’re looking for something simplistic and a little retro, perhaps, you might want to give it a look.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) Take the entire Resident Evil series’ narrative over its first three entries, and spin it into a lightgun game, and you get Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii. If you liked House of the Dead, you’ll love this.

Before you get ready to watch Tiger Woods win yet another major, or watch some NASCAR or get outside and enjoy the sunny weather - although if you’re down South it might be too freakin’ hot - as always these are the trailers that managed to capture our attention this week, for good or bad.

Resident Evil: Extinction

It’s almost unfathomable how the Resident Evil franchise, has been, well, franchised. The first movie was bad, the second one badder. And this third one looks, let’s just say that the trailer does nothing to make us want to see the movie or make us forget just how terrible the first two movies were.

Resident Evil: Extinction in a theater near you 9.21

Be Kind Rewind

Michel Gondry is back with his third feature film. After the brilliance of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and the strange yet compelling “Science of Sleep” we’ll get down with anything Gondry does. His passion for filmmaking, and it seems like in general is evident in everything he does. This time around he’s got Jack Black and Mos Def as bumbling video store owners who, because of odd circumstances, must recreate all the erased videos in their store. Turns out their homemade versions of classics like “Robocop” or “Ghostbusters” are more popular than the originals. Can’t wait to see them do “Boyz N the Hood.”

Be Kind Rewind in a theater near you 12.21

Lars and the Real Girls

The entire real girl doll phenomena creeps me out. But with this kind of pedigree, including Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer, the story of a hapless socially inept man who falls in love with a doll could be the kind of sweet natured, off-beat comedy that movie goers embrace whole heartedly. Besides, if for nothing else, maybe we’ll get to see Ryan Gosling give his doll a mustache ride. I’m totally growing a ’stache like him.

Lars and the Real Girl at a theater near you 10.12

Dan in Real Life

Steve Carell in a family comedy. He’s a widower who falls in love with his brother’s girlfriend. Dane Cook is said brother and we know he’s kind of annoying but maybe all the quality actors involved with help ease that annoyance. Juliette Binoche is the sexy temptress. We’ll probably see this flick since we have a soft spot for these kinds of family/romantic comedies. Even if we never want to here “Let My Love Open a Door” again in a trailer. A moratorium must be declared.

Dan in Real Life at a theater near you 10.19

Resurrecting the Champ

At some point Josh Hartnett is going to come into his own as an actor. We’re not sure which kind of actor he wants to be, but he seems like he has a hard time deciding whether he wants to be a matinée idol or a serious actor. This time around he’s playing a sports journalist looking to make a name for himself. Sam Jackson stars as a homeless dude (who sounds an awful lot like Dave Chappelle’s Tyrone Biggums) who may or may not have been a former boxing champ. Intrigued to see how this one plays out and surprised we haven’t heard much about this film.

Resurrecting the Champ at a theater near you 8.24

Reservation Road

Not to be confused with the Sam Mendes directed, Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio starring movie “Revolutionary Road.” This one has Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly, Mark Ruffalo and Mira Sorvino in a serious drama about two families ripped apart in the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident. Looks like pretty gripping stuff from director Terry George, who you may remember rocked it with “Hotel Rwanda.” Look for this to be in consideration come Oscar time, if for nothing else than in the acting categories.

Reservation Road at a theater near you 10.19