Resident Evil

The Good
Obviously this game is a retelling of all the events that took place in the original Resident Evil, with some minor additions to the storyline. For example, players are introduced to the Trevor family - a family that was unfortunately involved with Umbrella's experiments at the mansion - through various diaries and memos found throughout the game. There's also new areas added to explore as well. Some of these new areas include a graveyard, a forest. and some additional rooms which hold key items. Players will often see a lot of the same enemies that were present in the original, such as zombies, zombie dogs, hunters, and the Tyrant. However, one cool element that mixes up the familiarity of this gameplay is the regeneration factor. Unlike the original, zombie's must be killed by either decapitating or incinerating them. Failure to do this within a certain time frame results in the zombies being resurrected in a much more aggressive form. This makes the player be even more strategic as they must decide if they should run past them, carry kerosene (which is needed to burn the bodies), or just leave the bodies and hope that you won't have to return to said area. Not only is this a great remake of a classic game, but it's also a very ambitious game in itself. The graphics were beautiful for 2002, the gameplay mechanics were fantastic, the addition of "Defensive Weapons" was a great touch, and it had a wonderfully balanced ambiance of eerie, atmospheric horror and fast-paced storytelling. The controls translated well to the GameCube controller, I thought. But then again, I've never understood why people criticized the original game for having "tank controls," as I never had problems with those controls, either. The soundtrack for the remake is a stir of both new musical scores and faithful renditions of older tracks from the original soundtrack. The sound (including it's dialog, sound effects, and soundscapes) was flawless, with voice acting and dialog greatly improved from the original, the gunshots sounded clean and powerful, and the whole umbrella (no pun intended) of soundscapes, like outside ambiance and creaking floorboards, was quite instrumental to building the daunting atmosphere that players were presented with here.

The Bad
I didn't find many things to dislike in this game -- which is a pleasant surprise seeing as remakes have the tendency to often butcher classic characters and deviate too much from it's original premise. Anything to dislike at this point would be nitpicking, at least for me anyways. But I won't waste time with nitpicking, as the minor miscues in this game aren't even worth mentioning.

The Bottom Line
Not only is the remake of Resident Evil a definite highlight for the series, but it is also a tremendous graphical triumph for the GameCube. The crew involved in the production of this remake should be quite proud of their work. Aside from all that, this reproduction of Resident Evil is definitely one of the best titles in the RE series, and is just as good as the original. I honestly can't decide which is the better game, but I deeply appreciate this remake for being just as great as the original because that's something which doesn't really happen all that often. This is definitely a GameCube title to check out, and for those who can't be bothered to dig out their GameCubes (or buy one, for that matter), be sure to check out the HD remaster that just came out which looks even more amazing than it already did.

The Good
| Unspeakable Perfection |
I thought I've seen everything there is to see when I was playing Resident Evil Zero, which would only be logical if it came after this one, but no, this game simply breaths perfection. And not just everyday perfection we yearn to achieve or easily get tired of. No, it doesn't show you perfection itself, but the feeling it casts upon you while you're being a resident of this evil breaches all the limits developers tried to make you experience. Games like this don't deserve to cost anything less than $100 and yet we can find them for ten times less price. Either way, getting a console for this game alone is a good bargain I'll say.

| The Setting |
After a prelude of opening cinematic, depending upon your selection, you are casted either as Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield. Each of them starting differently, and ending differently, yet generally experiencing the same storyline and visiting same places. Starting point - mansion. Ending point - end of a long line of RE fans awaiting for next RE game similar to this to come out. Forget about this game as some silly AITD clone without head or tail, this one has a story, this one does connect to every sequel and prequel, and this one does carry an immense sensation of atmosphere with every step you make. Every footstep alone will tell you where you are, walking over the muddy water, under the loosen boards of floor, or across the broken glass. Blowing wind, flickering lights, it's all not only visible on objects around you, but accompanies by the sound that will get the chills up your spine if you let yourself go too much.

| Details, Details, Details |
I've never seen so many details as in Capcom's games, that's a fair statement. But this one outstands all the things you throw against it. There's detail in sound, atmosphere, graphic, motion, and objects. You are not just walking past the static 3D pre-rendered backgrounds that will take your breath away, you are walking past very dynamic backgrounds, and characters and monsters are on home terrain there, as their details are just as breathtaking as the background art. Just think of being in a mansion where you can see your shadow casted properly up on any light source you encounter. And if that's not enough, think of the flickering lights that add up to the spooky effect. And if that's not enough, think of lightnings that crack the clouds in the sky during the stormy night and you see every flash through the windowses and reflected on your character's face. And if that's not enough, think of raising a dust with each step you make over the wooden floor. And if that's not enough, think of seeing moths flying and bumping into any outside light or lamp post. And if that's not enough, think of seeing all kinds of bugs and cockroaches wandering around the rooms and corridors. And if that's not enough, think of breaking a statues or windowses every now and then when in need, making a piles of debris and broken glass that stays all the time afterwards. And if that's not enough, think of reflection you can see upon every mirroring surface, such as glasses, water pools, and such. And if that's not enough, think of every grass type, every bush, every tree that swings on the wind. Naming details is a rather tough job when it comes to this game, and noone should have grudge against the lack of details.

| Momma, Is This A Cinematic? |
No baby, it ain't. This game barely has any cinematics. If you don't count the first one, you won't see but a very few in the game itself, and that mostly goes for showing some water-filling effect or such, no characters included. But the game has lots of ending cinematics, as there are lots of endings you can achieve. I can think of at least four with each of the characters. That might explain why you get to play only like half an hour or so when you reach disc two. But ingame cinematics, that's every now any then, and it looks amazing. Perhaps not any better than in Silent Hill 3, but not worst either. Depends upon which part you look more carefully. Character motion is outstanding, especially ingame, it looks even too real to believe a set of skillful artists could achieve something like that. Accordingly, monster script for movement is just as emphasized with each of them moving accordingly to the look, skills, and other attributes, and making a perfect combination when character and monster interact, it's not just bunch of 3D polygons running each other through, it's a melody of balance and perfect assembly.

| Play Me More |
The replayability level is done as good as the one of Resident Evil 2 or such, only this one bares to have lot more different ending cinematics, selections in the game that may ultimately change the balance that affects ending, and thus lets you try over and over to your amusement. And although I don't care about replaying the game but rather prefer it to be longer instead of wasting talent for making it more repetitive, Code Veronica comes to mind as longer, lets you play with more characters and has different ingame parts yet all sums up to one ending. Plus, you play as either Jill or Chris which is a definite must replay, like it was with Leon and Claire in Resident Evil 2. However, this all just makes it sound like a different story, depending the character you play as, so continuations and sequels loose meaning on it. I haven't seen any game beside AITD4 that made it great on such account, there you replayed game with different characters, and each was accordingly solving one's puzzles, visiting one's places, and battling one's bosses, and all that for the same ending. So, if they couldn't do it this way, Capcom should've make it like in Resident Evil Zero. But all this is kinda weird, 'cos it didn't bother me in Resident Evil 2, and doesn't much bother me here, but still... to which of the multiple endings from this game do sequels continue? Is Wesker disappeared without a trace? Is he just plain killed by Tyrant? See, that just complicates the stuff, bah. Whoever likes replayability, such players are not for horror-survival and adventure games. They should play some online or multiplayer games where you do same thing on and on and on... tsk tsk tsk.

The Bad
| Itzy-bitzy Err...#&%$#&$ |
There's not much to repel you from this game, no matter what you like, but there are some minor things that do apply to this section. No matter how perfect everything may seem, character movements and all that by itself, but you can clearly see an error when your character is using the stairs, seems like his/her footsteps are basically flying a little above. But it's a small price to pay to overall quality. Makes me wonder why did I even mention such a detail... must be 'cos this was done errorless in Resident Evil Zero, so I was just wondering why not here as well. Perhaps they realized this error and fixed it in the next game, which is, by the way, a great game with lot more cinematics and a definite must have alongside this one.

The Bottom Line
You owe it to yourself to play this game (remake, I don't care for the original).

The Good
I'm a massive Resident Evil fan. I have been ever since the original was released back in '96. In fact, this game is the reason I bought my Gamecube. To this day I haven't regretted it in the slightest.

This "REmake" is also my all time favorite game in the series. It takes the game that started it all and ups the ante with improved graphics, a creepier atmosphere, and a heightened sense of dread. Many of the classic puzzles and areas have been redone as well, and a good deal have been added to spice things up for series veterans. I still have a special place in my heart set aside for the Aqua Ring lab.

The Bad
There's only one thing I didn't like about this game, and that's Lisa. If you've played the game, you know who I'm talking about. Everything else was great though.

The Bottom Line
It's a wonderful remake of a classic game. Scary, fun and intense. It's a game that will fry your nerves and then get you coming back for more. One of the greatest survival-horror games ever made.

The Good
the graphics are amazing to look at if the graphics were a woman they would be SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR thats how good they look.

the amount of detail that`s gone into the background scenery is just top class the best looking game out there so far.

ive read that some find pre-rendered graphics not too good well if capcom listened to them wed have sh*tty games looking like MGS2 WHICH IS ARSE COMPLETE ARSE INFACT.

pre-rendered makes the game look good and gives it a more realistic look to it it pulls you into the game more than any other type of graphics . that`s what you need in a game of this type after all capcom are trying to give the player a real sense of almost being there which they succeded in doing here.

the sound effects were spot on as well its as if it was thought about very carefully before they attempted to re do it from scratch im glad they took their time and did the game the way it was supposed to have been done first time round.

every gun looks and sounds far better here than in any other res-evil game so far.

lighting effects are amazing walking down a dark corridor barely visable and the next thing thunder and lightning strike and a flash lights up the hall for a split second and then all goes dark again this add`s to the atmosphere 10 fold.

the amount of detail gone into the characters and the monsters is really good the best looking characters and monsters in any game yet.

just think guys if George A Romero had done the movie it would have been like this game full of atmosphere and horror but instead we got some peace of cr*p that is pathetic to watch oh well heres praying Mr Romero gets the funding for part 4 of his zombie movies i dont see why they shouldnt give him it because they can give a no talented maggot like anderson millions and he wastes it on that feeble excuse of a zombie movie and Mr Romero is struggling for money for his. thats not right a man with Romero`s talent should not have to be struggling for the funding it should be that m*ngo who made the res-evil movie thats struggling.

not much else to say about the game other than its the best looking survival horror out there and its the best playable survival horror out there as well.

well done Shinji Mikami sir well done cant wait to see what you have up your sleave inregards to - (res-evil zero) and the sequel to veronica.

The Bad
the fact that the characters run just a little slower than in any other evil game. and anyone who disagrees should play R E-Nemisis on the playstation or on the dreamcast and youll see what im on about the characters move quicker in those versions but not here this is the only fault. it feels as if your character is running in slow motion.<br><br>**The Bottom Line**<br>the best survivial horror game out there for atmosphere and graphics none can beat it. if you like these type of games theres no excuse why you should not get it as soon as possible.

The Good
Everything. I found the gameplay to be excellent, the graphics to be stupendous, and the characters to be real and the monsters to be paralyzingly realistic! As a matter of fact, I couldn't play this after a while. My wife wouldn't and couldn't watch me play, as it upset her and gave her nightmares. I myself tried to play it by myself both day or night, and couldn't, especially at night!! For example, when the dogs smashed through one of the windows, I almost had a heart attack! My heart skipped a beat and I had to stop the game to calm down.
When I saw my first zombie come BACK to life, faster and with more evil intent, I ended up trading it in towards some other games. I know, what a wuss! The dogs were bad enough, but now I had to contend with superzombies? You never knew when or where they would come.
Very very creepy! And I played "Silent Hill" to the end, so I know scary! If I didn't feel like my heart was going to burst out my ribcage, I would probably of played this longer, but I couldn't take it anymore. It truely transends the game world and pulls you deep into it's story and environments!

The Bad
About the only thing that bothered me was the camera control. It was quirky and cumbersome. In this kind of game that is a BIG problem. You really need to be able to see around you and quickly. There wasn't a problem with vision, you do have total 360 degree vision on both planes of view, but it was sloppy to control.
A bit annoying with the save stations being difficult to locate and get back to, which made for a lot of restarts. This isn't a big problem, except when you haven't had a chance to save for a while, and you loose all your progress!!

The Bottom Line
One of the all time classics. One of the all time scariest survival horror titles made!
Personally, it really did scare the crap out of me, and if you play it, be warned.
I wish I could have played it to completion, but I, I....j-j-just couldn't, no, I couldn't....no, no.......no.....not again, no.....sob..."What was that?"...."Who's there?"....gulp

The Good
It's true that Resident Evil was not the first Survival Horror title ever made but it certainly revolutionized the genre and brought it into the mainstream. Now the remake is set to bring about the biggest evolution that the RE series has seen since, well... since the original that it's based on.

Of course the first thing that jumps out at you is that the visuals have been vastly improved. Capcom have finally done away with the circle shadows of previous titles and now figures arch up walls and tree branches outside are silouetted in motion against ceilings as they sway in the wind. Lights flicker and cast real-time shadows and colours over everything enriching the environment in a thick, dank, dread. Characters are so detailed that even the creases in their clothes are fully modelled, not texture maps and in-game models are the same models used in the stunning real-time cutscenes. The game looks so good in fact, that it puts even the pre-rendered CG cutscenes of any previous RE game to shame. The abundance of eye candy does more than just look good though, it creates an atmosphere so thick with tension that nothing else can compare with it, coupled with the amazing soundtrack of course. Each footstep echoes out with unnerving realism and suspense. Music is a beautifully haunting blend of old and new tracks that have been completely revamped and, like the visuals are better than ever.

Yes it looks and sounds fantastic but Capcom didn't stop with a facelift, many things about the actual game have been changed also. There are new areas to explore as well as a host of new puzzles (which are a lot better) new weapons plus some new enemies including an extremely creepy woman who I'll always remember as the scariest character ever to grace a RE title. It's always a joy to see areas from the original redone for old school players of the series but pretty soon you start treating them like new areas because most of the jumps and sequences are changed leaving you very susceptable to attack. One section, new to the game but shall remain nameless for spoiler purposes had me so tense I started to feel sick in the stomach, something I have not felt playing a horror game for many years.

One of the new features is that if you take a zombie down but don't do it appropriately, they can come back to life even more dangerous than they were before. There is also a very handy emergency weapon feature that allows you to use various small arms on zombies just before they are about to attack you, saving you some health and allowing for a quick getaway.

As before the layout of the game and overall story is much the same but a really nice addition is the Trevor Spencer side story that was originally to be included in the first game but was removed for various reasons. In fact, many of the new areas relate directly to this story too and this helps add a richness to the game that was painfully absent in the original version.

The Bad
It's always the same for every game in the series, the voice acting is terrible. Yes it was redone for the remake and while the lines and acting are an improvement over the abysmal example that the original gave us, they are still awful and fall in line with the average offerings of more recent RE titles.

None of the core controls have been changed either and while this is open for debate as to whether it's a good or bad thing, some players may be a little put out by this. There is also a lack of the quick dodge feature that RE3 had which is a real shame and I still don't see why you can't walk around with your gun pointed ahead. Many other games have done this such as Nocturne and there's no reason why this otherwise brilliant game should lack this simple but effective feature.

The Bottom Line
The finest example of Survival Horror to date. Similar enough to the original to be considered a remake but different enough in many ways to be more than worth getting for long time fans of the series.

The Good
Resident Evil is beautifully engineered. The graphics are wonderful! The graphics are so life-like. The game is so scary its fun! That's a good thing!! The game brings pleasure to me every time I play it. The games voice acting is great! The zombies are so scary! Resident Evil scared me lots of times!!

The Bad
The game has improved but the puzzles still remain. Much patience is needed for Resident Evil. The zombies are hard to kill and the overall difficulty of the game is medium. Limited ammo is given too you and the guns firepower sucks.

The Bottom Line
A great game!!! A game that fills your horror game satisfaction! A MUST BUY!!! IT'S GREAT!

The Good
Resident Evil: Rebirth, as it's called in Japan, is a complete remake of the original game, released for the PlayStation in 1996. Sporting new, and highly detailed character models, enemies, and backgrounds, Resident Evil is the best looking game on any system to date.

Graphics - Resident Evil cannot be beat in the graphics department. This game sports real-time lighting, real-time shadows, both on you and enemies, beautiful, high-res pre-rendered backgrounds, and accurate muzzle flashes. Lights will swing back and forth, causing shadows to move, blood will splash on the floor and on the wall, sometimes dripping, sometimes not, carpet textures can be seen through blood puddles depending on the brightness of the texture, and much more. Water effects are amazing, with accurate waves and ripples. The cutscenes are simply beautiful.

Sound - The sound is just as good as ever. Creepy, atmospheric, orchestrated music really lends to the overall atmosphere of the game. Sound cues will alert you to enemies, and disappear when an enemy is dead. Environment sounds are top notch as well. You can hear grass brush against your pants, moths hovering around a light, the sound of a lightbulb flickering. There are more then ten different footsteps, depending on the type of surface you're walking on, be it carpet, wood, metal or concrete. Water sounds amazingly realistic, with weapons and footsteps causing accurate splash noises.

Story - Resident Evil provides the same story as the original, but also divulges more with the addition of new files, re-worded files, and a whole new set of diary entries, the "George Trevor Diaries", from the person who built the mansion. The game is extremely story heavy, and plot twists and turns will be handed to you in the form of CG's and cutscenes.

What's New? - Fear not veterans, there is plenty of new things to keep you interested! One of them is the addition of defense items. You can now carry Dagger's (both characters), Flashbangs (Chris) or Tazers (Jill) for use on zombies. When a zombie grabs you, and you have a self defense item, you can get away unscathed by sticking a dagger in their head, shoving a flashbang in their mouth (and later detonating it), or giving them a shock. This allows you to get away without being hurt, giving you ample time to shoot or run away. There are also a bunch of new areas that you've never seen, such as the Abyss, the Forest, and the Death Mask Hut (which looks cooler then it sounds).

The Bad
While the graphics are top notch, the game doesn't support progressive scan, and there is the occasionally clipping problem, where your character's body will move "into" the wall, or go right through an item.

The dialogue, while improved, is still pretty bad. Some of the worst lines have been removed ("You, the MASTER of unlocking..."), the new dialogue is only partially better.

The Bottom Line
If you played any of the original Resident Evil games, or you like survival horror games, definitely give this game a try. If you haven't played a Resident Evil game, give this a rental, as it might be difficult for newcomers.

The Good
I own every single Resident Evil game ever made, so to say I'm a bit of a fan of the series is an understatement. My first exposure to the series was back in 1998 when I played a demo for Resident Evil 2 at a friends house. I was pretty affected by it and not just because it was full of gore and body parts flying all over the place. I had never experienced a Survival Horror game before and these alien mechanics the game relied on baffled my developing 8 year old mind.

Years later when I began to collect video games one of the first things I resolved to do was amass an enormous collection of Resident Evil merchandise. So, suffice to say I know the entire series back to front.

The remake of Resident Evil caught my attention when I picked up a Nintendo Gamecube product catalogue back in 2001. It showcased the photo realistic graphics of the game and made a pretty big deal about the Resident Evil series making its way to the Gamecube. I didn't actually get to play it until last year, for a few reasons which aren't particularly pertinent right now, and I wish I hadn't waited so long.

A familiar setting

The remake of Resident Evil takes place in identical circumstances to the original released in 1996. The Arklay Mountains surrounding Raccoon City have become a dangerous place full of sightings of feral animals and packs of men attacking Hikers. A special police taskforce named S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team is dispatched to investigate and when they go missing Bravo team is dispatched to find them. The team is abandoned and seek refuge in a seemingly derelict mansion. From here, the horror ensues and the main protagonists Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine must battle the monsters that stalk the halls and find a way to escape the hellish mansion before they succumb to the resident evil (see what I did there?) inside.

Tried and true Resident Evil gameplay

The Resident Evil series has been both a staple source of praise and derision in the 14 years it has been circulating. In the time it had been bubbling away in Shinji Mikami's mind the series had gradually evolved up until 2001, when Resident Evil was released. Every single refinement that had been instituted in the series until then made its way into Resident Evil (and if you haven't already figured it out when I say Resident Evil I'm talking about the subject of this review and not the original.) The tank controls have been discarded for a more fluent 3D control scheme that incorporates the life saving 180 degree turn from previous games. Your character controls so smoothly, any criticism from the past concerning the controls are quickly forgotten.

In addition to the sharp control scheme you also have recourse when grabbed by an opponent from the front. Your character can utilize defense weapons like stun guns and phosphorous grenades that do very cool things when an enemy grabs them. It saves health and adds a degree of strategy into how you approach encounters.

In addition to this a new form of Zombie has been introduced named the Crimson Head which is a regular Zombie that hasn't been beheaded or burned. You can carry around a flask of oil which you need to pour on the corpses of Zombies and set them alight to kill them properly, or as I mentioned before you can seperate their head from their shoulders. The tension involved in whether or not a Zombie will rise up again as a Crimson Head adds a new degree of horror to the game.

All of the refinements, additions to the roster of enemies and options for defending yourself add this contemporary edge to Resident Evil that games like Code Veronica seemed to lack. While Code Veronica was a great game, it lacked any nuance or subtle refinements. The transition to 3D environments was wonderful but it added little to the game itself. Resident Evil feels like a meaningful evolution of the series, one that was due.

It looks like it plays

Resident Evil is a beautiful game, a stunning game. I can't really emphasize how amazing it looks. It's the dictionary definition of photo realistic. Environments look amazing and flickering lights, shifting shadows and tree branches add a layer of atmosphere to the game. Character models display a similar level of polish and animate superbly. They are textured immaculately with realistic facial animation and emotive expressions. The environments are smack of grunge and funk, they almost emit a musty smell as you wander through the decaying hallways. It's superb artistic direction.

The Bad
Resident Evil plays well but lacks any sort of contemporary checkpoint system. You still rely on ink ribbons and although this may not mean much to you, it's still a system the game relies on.

There are very little unlockables other than some modes that just make the game a little harder.

The Bottom Line
Resident Evil is a beautiful, photo realistic game with gameplay that is ultra refined and the most satisfying of the classic series to play. There is little about the gameplay I can fault.

It's a classic love letter to Resident Evil fans, something you should really experience if you even have a passing fancy for Survival Horror.