Resident Evil

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.