Resident Evil

aka: Biohazard, RE
Moby ID: 1195
PlayStation Specs
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Description official descriptions

A team of S.T.A.R.S (Special Tactics And Rescue Squad) members are called to investigate a series of murders near Raccoon City. While searching the woods near the city, the team is attacked by bloodthirsty dogs and they have to retreat to a nearby mansion.

The player chooses between Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield and starts to explore the mansion. It soon becomes very clear that it isn't just any mansion, but a hellish place where the undead walk the corridors, and other horrors are lurking in the darkness, waiting to eat some heads. While solving puzzles, collecting keys, and shooting monsters, the player has to unravel the mystery behind this mansion and, if possible, get out alive.

Exclusive to the SEGA Saturn version is a Battle Mode bonus mode, where, with limited ammo and under the threat of limited time, the player must survive a series of rooms filled with monsters.

Spellings

  • バイオハザード - Japanese spelling
  • 惡靈古堡 - Chinese spelling (traditional)
  • 生化危机 - Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (PlayStation version)

94 People (90 developers, 4 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 54 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 220 ratings with 13 reviews)

9 out of 10 zombies agree: Resident Evil is NNhhGgggggooooouudddddd...!!!

The Good
Resident Evil stands as an oddity in videogame history, sure now nobody is surprised by it, but before the advent of survival horror games if somebody would have told be that Capcom (whoose entire gaming library is based on Final Fight, Megaman and Street Fighter) would release an amazingly entertaining survival/horror title that would re-define the genre...well, you can imagine what my reaction would have been! Yeah, and then Id software is going to start making actual games instead of engines! Ha! Sucker!!

...Well, the joke is on all of us naysayers, because RE managed to carve it's place into videogame history with full honors, why? Well, let's see shall we?

For those who are already acquainted with the genre there's no need to point out it's strenghts: these games combine a measure of fierce action combat with lots of adventure touches such as puzzles, inventory management, scripted sequences, etc... Furthermore the emphasis on survival means that you don't play these games like regular action games and just breeze by each location clearing rooms filled with enemies. More often than not, you just won't have enough ammo or health to play 3D Doom, so you'll have to rely on escape tactics and keep an eye on your bullets, health items, etc... All these things merged in a game with a horror theme with lots of awkward camera angles and a penchant for jack-in-the-box scares makes for a very, VERY intense gameplay experience and it Rocks!! One of the best things one can say about RE is that it really is a blast to play through, and hardly ever feels frustrating or annoying. Plus it offers two different styles of play (action-oriented for Chris or adventure-oriented with Jill), different endings for each character depending on who you saved, and other bonuses based on your ranking (the now standard alternate costumes, etc..)

The graphics and sound were a must for this game, since one could hardly be scared at a bunch of pixels unless they were properly rendered, right? Well for it's time RE provided some of the most gorgeous graphics to grace the Playstation. The game combined some nicely animated textured models with static, pre-rendered backgrounds, and the detail in both were stunning, particularly in the case of the backgrounds and the tremendous attention paid to the character animations (even if the walking/turning still seemed rather awkward and fake). Another area that RE is famous for (and also infamous for!) is the sound department, say what you will of the voice acting but the music and sfx are fantastic. The effects are fantastically realized and fit the game perfectly, with perfect renditions of creaking wood, eery howls, mechanical devices and all sorts of other things, but the music is simply amazing! Combining eery instrumental music with ominous piano cues and other gimmicks make for a thrilling and truly spooky soundtrack, so good in fact, that almost every other survival/horror game tried to copy it.

Yep, as you can see the game excels on just about everything, yet what I feel defines RE and made it such a hit was the tremendous style in it's execution. After all, many other games feature the same gimmicks that RE does, but it was the sense of style applied to the game that lifted it up to the stratosphere. Capcom wisely realized that the impact of the game would be totally lost if they went for a serious route (actually this is not really true, but it would have implied major changes to the game), so they maximized each potentially cheezy element as well as it's B-movie angle and coated it all with gloss and production values so as to make the videogame equivalent of a hollywood high budget extravaganza and a low grade B-movie at the same time. And it's fantastic! You have a simple and predictable storyline, super-models that double as spec-ops operatives for the main characters, lots of gore and violence, comic-booky situations, horror setpieces (oh look!, the lights went out!... hmmm somebody should go activate the generator... alone.... But don't worry! I'm sure everything's ok!!), lots of zombies as the main horrors and other biologic nightmares, etc. etc.. In fact I also feel that such things as the horrible voice acting and the cheesy live action fmv sequences only serve to enhance the game. Truly it's one of those cases of "it's so bad it's good" But don't think super-crappy films, think in the way of Evil Dead. Get it?

The Bad
I respect the checkpoint save system, but I hate having to manage those stupid ink ribbons; the control is very limited and while this actually serves to increase the level of desperation and horror I would have killed for a strafe key and faster response; the puzzles may be interesting for console gamers but they are truly the crappiest thing ever, already infamous are the "push the statues" puzzles and the crest-collecting and there's a reason for that.

One also has to acknowledge that despite the tremendous production values poured in the game the acting sucks in just about every level, but hey... as I said above I think this works for the game. On games like Deus Ex for instance, the crappy voice acting became so bad because of the serious context and material, but not so here! I don't think there's any bad way you can act lines like "What... are these things?? Look out! They are dangerous!" or the other things the poor actors have to say :))

Last but not least, and more of an "ethical" flaw, is the fact that to the educated gamer the game is a total ripoff. I mean, this is just Alone in the Dark for the new millenium, and it's not just that it "took the basic premise and expanded from there", nope sir... Heck, if they hadn't removed the supernatural things about the original owner of the mansion and added more Lovecraft-influenced themes instead of the zombies the games would have been virtually the same! And it doesn't stop there. The plot for the RE movie had to be changed so much to make it more like RE2 because George Romero almost sued Capcom's ass! Seeing as how the basic concept of the game is so much like Night of the Living Dead (people locked on an abandoned mansion overun by zombies, etc...)... Interestingly enough they almost did an adaptation of the original game, but the only way Romero would have gone with that was if he got to write the screenplay, and we all know that unfortunately that wasn't the case :(

The Bottom Line
Don't think about The Shinning! Think Evil Dead!!! That's what this game is, and while plagiarism may come to mind while playing it, Residen Evil provides one of the most intense and entertaining gameplay experiences for the playstation.

This one's a classic, and rightly so, I just wished the zombies would have made a rendition of "Thriller" in the credits (seeing as how you can get some super-funky ones if you finish it right...)... Ah well.. can't have it all I guess!

PlayStation · by Zovni (10504) · 2003

Beware of mansions in the hills.

The Good
This is a chilling game. There are some definatly scary moments in this game. Remember when the lurker first sneaks up on you? Wow that freaked me out. Why here and not other games? Well this game has got that elusive element of atmosphere.

The plot is you are a member of S.T.A.R.S. an elite rescue team sent to investigate some strange goings on in small remote town. Things go bad and you end up trapped in an apparently empty mansion. As you explore the game you will unravel the mystery of the Umbrella Corp's experiments. While the story is pretty standard zombie movie stuff, it was presented well and was quite intriguing. The mansion is huge and interestingly designed so you will keep playing late at night just so you can find that next key.

I also loved the music and sound effects for the game. While the sounds were not the greatest ever, they worked for the game. I really enjoyed the music. The music in the kitchen made me totally paranoid!

The Bad
The acting is hilariously bad! In a way it enhances it as a computer version of the countless zombie movies that inspired the game.

As mentioned in another review, the second half is weak, previously safe areas now have enemies in them and since the combat is functional but not great, all the fighting is tiresome at that point.

While the game is a nice mix of adventuring gaming with real time combat. The puzzles are not that challenging. Console gamers aren't use to these type of games so they were probably a lot more challenged by it. But any old time computer adventure gamer will find the puzzles fairly obvious.

The Bottom Line
While I love the series, I have to admit that this was orginally done better in the first Alone in the Dark, which is game fans of this should check out.

Windows · by woods01 (129) · 2001

Not the original survival horror title, but the one that re-defined it.

The Good
Resident Evil was probably the first game that I found to be truly terrifying. The visuals displayed beautifully rendered rooms and corridors with realtime 3d monsters that make your skin crawl. Music is, for the most part, wonderfully orchestrated haunting melodies and sharp, shock inducing starts that make you jump out of your seat. A lot of fears and phobias have been addressed. Hate spiders? You'll find giant ones in here not to mention all the sharks, snakes and zombies you'll encounter. The events are generally interesting enough to keep you going but it's the environments that really push you forward because it's always thrilling to see what comes next (I won't spoil them for you.) Gameplay wise there's a lot of adventuring to do and the exploration and battles are good enough to keep you glued to the screen for hours.

The Bad
The voice acting has gone down in history as some of the worst acting ever in a video game and with good cause. The dialogue and delivery are both horrible and inappropriate. The story is fairly weak and the combat system is fiddly at times. Lastly, the puzzles are far too simplistic for my tastes and have clearly been aimed at the common console gamer. There are very few exceptions to this rule and most of the time you'll only get stuck if you forgot where the door was that you have to unlock with the key you found.

The Bottom Line
Resident Evil is a great Survival Horror title which, while being surpassed by it's numerous sequels, has a certain atmosphere about it that none of the titles since have ever been able to replicate.

PlayStation · by Sycada (177) · 2002

[ View all 13 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
What is your favorite Resident Evil? TwoDividedByZero (114) Apr 16, 2010

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Resident Evil appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cancelled Port

Significant work on a port to Game Boy Color was completed before Capcom pulled the plug citing quality concerns. This port was a fairly direct adaptation of the original with characters moving about in 3D on prerendered backdrops.

Cut Content

  • When originally released in the US and Europe (for the PlayStation), the game had several cuts in its cutscenes, and some death sequences. Thankfully the PC version (excluding the UK version) restores all the missing stuff and plays like the original Japanese release.
  • The Japanese version had a color intro but in the Western release the intro was Black & White and was censored.

Dewey

Bravo Team's pilot, Dewey, was originally conceived as a thin African-American member of STARS who would've also served as the game's comic relief. He and another character named Gelzer (a giant man with cybernetic implants) were planned to appear in the game, but were discarded from the final version. The Edward Dewey in Biohazard 0 is a tall Caucasian and is a departure from the character's initial concept. The thin African-American 'comic-relief' character was eventually recycled into Jim from Resident Evil: Outbreak.

Ending

Along with the remake, this is the only Resident Evil to feature a "best-case-scenario" ending which does not elude to a possible sequel or spin-off and suggests that "everything is finally over". The reason for this is possibly because the company was uncertain how well the game would be received, so this game could stand on its own story-wise if it failed economically.

GameCube Remake

Completely redone for the Nintendo GameCube: includes better graphics, CG FMVs (rather than live-action), different item placement and other goodies. Part of the Resident Evil exclusive GameCube deal which includes ports of other instalments as well as Resident Evil Zero.

Inspiration

  • Resident Evil was originally inspired by the Japanese game Sweet Home for Famicom (NES).
  • The American film Night of the Living Dead was credited as inspiration for this, the first game in the series.

Japanese Voice-Acting

Although Japanese games with English text/dialogue are not uncommon, Resident Evil was originally intended to have Japanese dialogue for its domestic release. These were discarded before release, however, and to date the only Resident Evil media to not have spoken English in its home land has been Resident Evil: 4D Executer, a short movie that played over an "interactive ride" that was only shown in Japan.

Name Change

Originally entitled Biohazard, the game's name had to be changed to Resident Evil in US and European versions because of copyright issues - the name Biohazard was (and is) being used by an American metal band.

Novels and Movies

A book adaptation of this game was published in 1998 by Pocket Books, written by S.D. Perry and entitled The Umbrella Conspiracy, launching a seven-book series of novels by the same author adapting from the Resident Evil games (described under the individual games' trivia sections) and inspired by their themes and premises -- of those latter, notably number 2 in the series, 1998's Caliban Cove, and #4, Underworld, published in 1999.

A separate series of novels inspired by Resident Evil has been published in Japan:1. Biohazard: The Beginning (1997), by Hiroyuki Aniga; 2. Biohazard: The Beast of the North Sea (Biohazard Hokkai no Yôjû) (1998), by Kyu Asakura; 3. Biohazard: to the Liberty (2002), by Suiren Kimura; and 4. Biohazard: Rose Blank (2002), by Tadashi Aizawa.

Of course, the series has also inspired two movies starring Milla Jovovich: Resident Evil: Genesis and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, with which you are likely to be far more familiar, each of which also boasts novelizations of their own.

Parental Consent Trial

In 2002, St. Louis Judge Stephen Limbough reviewed a videotape of four games, in order to decide whether or not parental consent would have to be granted for children to purchase M-rated games. There was much hilarity online when the original Resident Evil, one of the four games, was incorrectly identified by the court and its reports as The Resident of Evil Creek. In the end, the judge's decision said the city could regulate video games because they were not free speech protected by the First Amendment.

References to the Game

This game is referenced in the Eiffel 65 song My Console.

Sales

According to publisher Capcom, Resident Evil has sold 2.75 million copies worldwide since its initial release (as of June 30, 2016).

Sega Saturn Release

The Japanese Sega Saturn release of Biohazard does indeed contain the uncensored introduction but it is still monochrome. Joseph's death is extended and there are shots of the Cerberi being torn to pieces by the gunshots.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • May 1996 (Issue 82) - Game of the Month
    • March 1997 (Issue 92) - Adventure Game of the Year runner-up (PlayStation / Saturn version) + PlayStation Game of the Year (Readers' Choice) + Adventure Game of the Year runner-up (PlayStation version) (Readers' Choice) + Game of the Year runner-up (All Systems) (PlayStation version) (Readers' Choice)
    • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #1 (Readers' Top 10 Games of All Time) (PSX version)
    • 1998 Buyer's Guide - Worst Voice Acting Runner-Up
  • Retro Gamer
    • October 2004 (Issue #9) – #37 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)

Information also contributed by Ace of Sevens, Andrew Pine, J. Michael Bottorff , Kyle Levesque, Lain Crowley, Matthew Bailey, MegaMegaMan, Oyn, Pseudo_Intellectual, Sciere and Tiago Jaques

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Related Games

Resident Evil 2
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Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
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Resident Evil 4
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Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
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Resident Evil: Outbreak
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Resident Evil 2
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Related Sites +

  • Resident Evil Fan
    With tons of videos, artwork, interviews and a Resident Evil encyclopedia, this fansite contains everything that the passionate fan could ask for.
  • Wikipedia: Resident Evil
    Information about Resident Evil at Wikipedia

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1195
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Matthew Bailey.

SEGA Saturn added by Kartanym.

Additional contributors: Trixter, Zovni, Unicorn Lynx, tarmo888, Foxhack, Alaka, DreinIX, —-, Paulus18950, CalaisianMindthief, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack.

Game added March 27, 2000. Last modified March 8, 2024.