THE MERCHANT – RESIDENT EVIL 4
As if there isn’t enough that’s creepy in Resi 4, what with Dr Salvador and Spanish
villages full of weird cultists with chainsaws, you have to contend with this
weird masked trader. He lures you into dark places with a gravelly voiced, “Over
here stranger!” then proceeds to growl things like, “Got some rare things on
sale stranger!” And, even creepier, especially out of context, “Stranger! That’s a
weapon!” He also has a shop, which can only be accessed via labyrinthine tunnels
and a secret entrance in a place rife with Las Plagas parasites. You’d think a High
Street might be a better choice of location for a shop. All in all, this bloke has
given us more nightmares than the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
GENERAL STORES – RED DEAD REDEMPTION II
Enjoy the beginning of the American capitalist dream by spending your dollars and
gold nuggets in the many wonderful shops to be found in Rockstar’s Western. You
can go straight for the Rawson & Wheeler catalogue, or pick up cheese, ‘baccy
or booze from the stores’ actual shelves. For a truly cosmopolitan shopping
experience, head to the sophisticated city of Saint Denis, where you’ll find the
most stylish boutiques. The tailors might sound the same, but take a moment to
peruse the game’s different stores and you’ll find unique details and differences
between them, from the taxidermy in the window of the Blackwater general store
to the guy locked in the basement of Rhodes’ creepy gunsmith.
YOUR SHOP – MOONLIGHTER
If you’ve ever fancied actually running your own shop,
this lovely indie from last year allows you to do just
that, but without any of the boring stuff such as
liaising with suppliers of, say, cheese, and keeping
on top of refrigeration and ventilation, because that
cheese is going to stink. Instead, you get the inside
track on every RPG merchant you’ve ever traded loot
with. By day you’re a mild-mannered shop assistant,
by night, in order to keep your shop stocked, you’re
fighting dungeon denizens and stealing their
treasure. Don’t underestimate shopkeeping though,
it’s actually by far the hardest part. Anyone can swing
a sword – finding and maintaining that delicate
balance of retail economics is the true challenge.PORKRIND’S EMPORIUM – CUPHEAD
This porker looks about as untrustworthy as any
shopkeep you’re every likely to meet. Maybe it’s the
curly moustache, or the pirate eye patch, but either
way, he’s got a look about him that says his trotters
are about as reliable as, well, the Trotters. But trust
him you must, because this swine is the only one who
can sell Cuphead the charms and weapons needed
to aid him in those hard-as-nails boss fights. As the
only non-boss NPC who speaks, Porkrind does sound
suspiciously like the Merchant from Resident Evil 4,
another of our entries here. He’s also named after
pig-snacks, aka pork rind, aka pork scratchings,
which if you ask us is a ham-fisted way of reinforcing
the fact that he’s a pig.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 107extra