Though the long-awaited, fan-demanded Android-exclusive Street Fighter IV Arena, is reason-enough to own an Android device, Resident Evil.net stands as another. Some may classify it as "just a companion app," but beneath its surface lies much, much more. Resident Evil.net combines your in-game activity for the MT Framework-powered Resident Evil games, which include (but are not limited to), the monstrous Resident Evil 6, the infinite Resident Evil Revelations, the HD-remastered Resident Evil, and the episodic Resident Evil Revelations 2. It is arguably the most comprehensive, all-encompassing collection of official Resident Evil content. Never before has so much content for the Resident Evil universe been compiled in one place. Before RE.net, content access was scattered; unlocking weapons or items was in-game, in-depth story details were rare in media (or non-existent altogether), design room material was limited in print sources (i.e. art books, strategy guides), and models were rare. RE.net takes out the middle man (shitty web sites with broken links and new-age guides with little to no development content) and compiles all of this (and more) into one accessible place. Capcom did such a great job on it - as a matter of fact - that they probably could have even charged for it and still been met with success. Why? How? Because RE.net is vast and sprawling, with multiple games all converging in one place. These games are all already huge enough (with hordes of weapons, abilities, medals, titles, and collectibles), but RE.Net multiplies that, effectively sealing you off from making it out into the real world ever again!

In any of their forms, these (EX) characters are the most noticeable unlocks from RE.net, but there are also tons and tons of weapons and parts to be had. Resident Evil Revealations features a robust weapon system that allows players to customize various weapons at various levels with various parts, effectively making for limitless weapon selection. Customization Gear Kits can be collected in-game, but also in RE.net by purchase through RE Points, or through Buddy gifting. Yes, RE.net features player interaction, and it's not just messaging! Players can send supplies to help each other out in humanity's struggle in the war against bio-terrorism. Weapons and parts cases can also be obtained through RE.net with RE Points, sent in-game, unlocked, and made useable in-game. Of course, this isn't the only way to get weapons and parts in-game, but it definitely adds variety and incentive to those seeking more. Getting them in RE.net can convenient on the go for maximizing the serious player's time, and fun to those who like the element of surprise in trying to predict what newly-acquired cases hold. Cases contain Normal, Rare, and even Ultra-Rare yields; the only problem is that you can't use some of the amazing items you get because your level might not be high-enough. Whole weapons themselves can also be obtained through RE.net; not just by using RE Points, but also through Campaigns. Campaigns are usually themed by things like seasons, and feature related Present Codes that reward players with rare, high-powered weapons when redeemed. Some of these weapons can't even be found in the game normally; truly rewarding for fans who are tirelessly on RE at home and on RE.net away from home. You get RE Points for literally everything you do (even logging on), and their distribution is balanced well, so you never feel broke (as in the DreamCast classic Capcom VS SNK).

But, that's still not it! RE.net isn't limited to just stat-tracking, nor to just unlocking exclusive characters and weapons. Unfortunately, most users will probably either be convinced by common misconception that it is a mere stat-tracker, a one-time character unlocking facilitator, or just completely gloss right over that which makes it truly rich in content. RE.net organizes this other content into tons of categories, but the main ones are Chapter Summaries, Files, The Art Director's Notebook, and Dioramas. The Chapter Summaries section gives a synopsis of each chapter, Files are compiled in one place from the game(s), The Art Director's Notebook has tons of exclusive commentary on how the game took shape, and the Dioramas are essentially digital action figures (or models). RE6 was a massive game, and it had what was arguably the most intricately-designed, complex story in the whole series. On the outside, RE6 came off as a story about clearing the names of Leon and Helena (who were framed for biological terrorism), but beneath the surface lies the real story, which traces the catastrophic worldwide outbreaks to the depths of a sordid laboratory love tale that began with the unraveling of a single, jealous woman. Where previous games were all about world domination, "total saturation," RE6 set itself apart from the pack and showed that series could stay relevant even without a bioterrorist world domination story. But, did anyone really know? Not all of RE6's intricate story elements were conveyed in its cutscenes, or even voiced in the dialogue. The Chapter Summaries and Files do a great job of fixing this.

The Chapter Sumaries and Files really fill in the story gaps from the subtle parts of the in-game storytelling. This makes for player comprehension, which does RE6 justice (since there aren't many out there who understand the story in its sprawling entirety). The Chapter Summaries remind you of what happened in each chapter (complete with with gorgeous cinematic screenshots), and this is particularly useful for RE6 because where the story was so complex, so vast, that its grand scale couldn't be fully realized. The scale to which RE6's story was built pushes the mind to its threshold of comprehension. RE.net puts all of it in one place for the player to cross-reference, playing a critical part in the deepest story elements of the series. Those who like collecting action figures in real life, or liked collecting them in Resident Evil 6 will like RE.net for the dioramas. Like in RE6, these are essentially virtual figurines or models of characters in the series, but they're actually across all (MT Framework) RE games. Of course, these are purchased with RE Points, and range from the tragically-sexy Deborah and the hideous terror of Simmons 3, to the Neo-Umbrella highrise building, and even subway train cars! The diorama figures are set on diorama stages which are modeled after locales from each of the RE games featured. Gathering all the different characters and other parts of these games all in one place was probably done with ease because all of the RE games featured have one thing in common; they're all powered by Capcom's own MT Framework engine. For anyone unfamiliar with this engine, it powered instant classics like Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Devil May Cry 4, Marvel VS Capcom 3, Devil Kings 4, and the late Dragon's Dogma. The fact that this engine so seamlessly works with RE.net makes it even more impressive.

Lastly, "The Art Director's Notebook" is also included, and from the viewpoint of anyone who appreciates art, it is RE.net's most compelling feature (next to character unlocking, of course). The rare artwork contained therein is sure to please fans of Capcom's signature designs. The wealth of design material unlocked through RE.net maps out the depth of the design process for Resident Evil 6's massive story.

Tying all of RE.net's content are exclusive events for each RE title featured. Events come in every shape and form, which include (but are not limited to) eradicating certain enemy types, clearing certain stages, targeting enemies with high levels of experience, co-op performance online, and battle performance against online opponents. In many events, a stage is cleared multiple times by everyone on RE.net toward the common goal of depleting its point bar. This makes both the campaigns and extra online modes of each game infinitely more playable (than without RE.net).

With obscene stat-tracking, tons of objectives, and content purchases through its point system, Resident Evil.Net easily stands on its own. It's not hard to get lost in Resident Evil.Net for hours just going through design files, customizing titles, collecting figures, and/or exchanging items. It's perfect for preserving your sanity on boring-ass trips to see the in-laws! It will especially help you through those hot summer days where being with the in-laws is unbearably boring. RE.net is a mean stat-tracker, but beneath the surface lies much, much more...