"Resident Evil: Dead Aim" (Japanese: "Gun Survivor 4: Biohazard - Heroes Never Die") is the fourth release in the Gun Survivor series and the first to feature third-person movement, similar to its predecessor titles in the Resident Evil series. Capcom was able to develop and release this game on the Sony PlayStation 2, as Capcom's exclusivity contract with the Nintendo GameCube console pertained only to games regarding the main story in the series, whereas "Resident Evil: Dead Aim" is an expanded universe title, having virtually no plot involvement with its earlier releases.
A mid-western town in the United States called Raccoon City was destroyed when a mutagenic viral weapon known as the T-Virus was leaked into the Arklay Mountains in May of 1998, followed by the release of the T-Virus into the sewers of Raccoon City in September of the same year. The resulting incident forced the United States government to destroy Raccoon City via surgical missile strike after most of the population was infected with the leaked viral strains, becoming zombies. Although the Umbrella Corporation was implicated in the incident and severely pressured by outside influences to confess their crimes and abort their research, they refused to do so, conducting further research into the strains in clandestine, secluded laboratories. When a large amount of a recently developed hybrid viral agent, known as the T/G-Virus, is stolen from Umbrella's Paris lab facility by a former Umbrella researcher then released onboard an Umbrella-owned luxury cruise ship, Bruce McGivern is sent in by the U.S. government to retrieve the virus and neutralise the threat.
This game begins onboard the Umbrella-owned luxury ocean liner, the "Spencer Rain," (named after the founder of Umbrella Corporation Ozwell E. Spencer) which has been infected with the experimental T/G-Virus stolen by former researcher Morpheus Duvall. The player assumes control of Bruce McGivern, a member of the Anti-Umbrella Pursuit Investigation Team, a U.S. government task force devoted to investigating and preventing the illegal activities of the Umbrella Corporation. Unlike the previous two Gun Survivor titles, this game features navigation from a third-person perspective as the player moves the character around to explore the environment and avoid encroaching threats. Combat is still undertaken in first-person view, with the player depressing a button on the controller and subsequently switching to said perspective.
The story also features Fong Ling, a Chinese agent for the Ministry of State Security, a Chinese intelligence agency. She built a reputation within the intelligence community when she was ordered to hunt down and arrest her brother, a fierce anti-communist and pro-democracy activist. Her brother was later executed by her superiors.
Ling is ordered to infiltrate the hijacked vessel in the Atlantic Ocean in order to eliminate Morpheus and obtain the T/G-Virus. Initially apathetic towards the presence of a rival operative, Ling must ultimately utilise Bruce's combat prowess in order to survive their precarious situation.
Characters
* Bruce McGivern (voiced by Raj Ramayya) - A member of USSTRATCOM (United States Strategic Command), McGivern is cocky and brash, and has a tendency to adopt a "shoot first, ask questions later" policy, with little regard for the consequences following his actions. This has often left him in many hostile situations, although in the end, he always somehow comes out on top -- usually on top of bodies, no less.
* Fong Ling - (v.b. Claire O'Connor) - A Chinese intelligence agent employed by the M.S.S. (Ministry of State Security), Ling is infamous for her cold and stoic demeanor. Upon learning of her brother's involvement in anti-government activism, Ling arrested him. Following his arrest, Ling's brother was swiftly executed, although Ling has never questioned the actions of her superiors and remains absolutely loyal, stopping at nothing to accomplish her objectives.
* Morpheus D. Duvall (v.b. Angus Waycott) - A former member of the Umbrella Corporation's Arklay Research Team, Morpheus was made the company's scapegoat following the initial catastrophic incident which occurred at the Arklay Research Facility in 1998, resulting in the deaths of numerous Umbrella employees and the demise of Raccoon City's elite law-enforcement unit, the S.T.A.R.S. Morpheus, bitter and vengeful, distanced himself from the company, becoming mentally unstable in the process. He and an unspecified team of colleagues then stole the T/G-Virus and hijacked the "Spencer Rain." Insane and ruthless, Morpheus infected everybody aboard the cruiser, including his entire team. He is utterly obsessed with beauty and grace, his ultimate ambition being to create a beautiful and elegant world by destroying the cold and ugly world which exists today. Being megalomaniacal and highly narcissistic, Morpheus believes himself to be a portrait of perfect beauty, and has undergone many surgical procedures to maintain his youthful appearance. Wikipedia
