Sidescroller: Virtual thrills

This winter may be the second mildest in the country’s history, but that doesn’t mean we are our skivvies running up and down the streets like crazy people. No, we are indoors bundled up playing video games. Since it gets dark so damned early, scary games do the trick. Here are reviews of two recently released gore fests. Are they scary “uh-oh” or scary “yikes”?

‘Resident Evil: Revelations’
Console:?Nintendo?3DS
Company: Capcom
Grade: 3/5

“Resident Evil” is the puss-filled patriarch of the whole survival/horror thing. The recent console installments, however, have been appealing more to action fans and less to horror junkies. “Resident Evil: Revelations” changes all of that. It’s a terrifying journey that retains the fast-paced gunplay that make the newer entries so much fun.

The graphics are the finest on the system. The quest is varied, and it’s just as long as its console counterparts. So why three globes instead of four? The controls are a bit stilted and benefit from the addition of the forthcoming second analog stick attachment. That’s an extra $20. But spending money is scary.

‘Amy’
Console: 360/PS3
Company: Vector Cell
Grade: 1/5

If “Resident Evil” is the patriarch of survival/horror, that makes “Amy” the racist uncle who only shows up at family gatherings to borrow money and steal earrings. In short, this game is awful. The controls are absolutely broken. You can try to pick up an item or hit an enemy, but the game won’t let you. It is endlessly frustrating. The storyline, dealing with a little girl with strange powers, is kind of cool — but it comes too little too late.