OK so just for a change I thought I would do a review on a game and this one will cover one of the great horror classics in modern video gaming, Resident Evil. This review will however not be based on the original Playstation version released back in 1996 but instead will be based on the 2002 remake for the Nintendo Gamecube, which was on its release was received to much critical acclaim. So let's load up the guns, edge slowly down those stairs, open the door and see what's inside....
Right so the story is set around a large mansion which members of the STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) Alpha team seek refuse in when they are attacked by some vicious dogs. The team includes Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Albert Wesker, and in the game you have choice of playing either Chris or Jill. Depending on which character you chose some of the other characters may be missing such as Barry if you play Chris, or Chris if you play Jill. As the player you play investigates the mansion they discover a zombie chomping on the corpse of STARS Bravo team, and the zombie attacks your character, which you can either shoot or stab the creature. As the gameplay progress your character will also face a series of deadly traps and puzzles to negotiate. Your character will at certain moments in the game encounter other team mates who have been killed or badly injured. And one of the characters you encounter, Enrico Marini, tells you one of the team is a traitor, however he is shot and killed before you find out more. As the character moves on in the game they will eventually find an underground laboratory and they will eventually face the traitor and main antagonist in the game which turns out to be (SPOILER!!!!) Albert Wesker. Wesker has been working with a biomedical company named Umbrella who are the ones behind all the experimentations with insects and animals found in the game, and they have also devised a creature called the Tyrant. And from here you must find a way to put a stop to Wesker and his nefarious plans and to save your fellow team mate from their own fate.
At the time of its original release, Resident Evil was a real breakthrough in the horror genre and it took 3D gaming to new visual heights, with its stunning albeit pre-rendered backdrops and its somewhat blocky looking character models. However one of the most effective things about the original Resident Evil was the way in which it built up the tension and the suspense and it made great use of visual cues such as when you enter it another room, you get a cutaway to a door opening, complete with creaky noises, which adds to the fear factor as to what might behind it. The remake however of course went on to enhance the original and it has a variety of new aspects to its gameplay as well as different puzzles and the introduction of some new characters such as Lisa Trevor, who has been turned into a genetically mutated creature after years of experimentation. Lisa is seen in certain sections of the game where you wander around the tunnels and you first encounter her in an outhouse and she proves to be nearly indestructable in the game. The remake also makes reference to other characters as well in the series such as William Birkin (who appears in Resident Evil 0) and Alexia Ashford (who appears in Resident Evil: Codename Veronica). And in the remake the atmosphere is very creepy and intense throughout in fact even more so as given its new overhaul it does everything to enhance the terror and horror for that matter.
As for the actual gameplay this is where Resident Evil really get's to shine as the controls are pretty simple although it has to be said your movement is somewhat restricted due to the nature of the pre-rendered backdrops. The level of difficulty is determined by which character you play as Chris is the hardest method while Jill is the easier one although it has to be said the remake does pose quite a stern challenge irrespective of who you play. In terms of the game's combat in the remake, in addition to your usual weapons such as a handgun, shotgun, flamethrower and grenade launcher, you also have defensive weapons that include a dagger, a taser and a stun grenade, which are pretty cool to use. While both Jill and Chris can use the taser, Jill can only use the taser and Chris can only use the stun grenade, and Chris can use the grenade to cool effect as when a zombie attacks him he can stick it in the zombie's gub and shoot at it to blow the zombies head off (sick but fun!). You also have access to first aid sprays and herbs to heal yourself from injuries, and if you combine certain herbs they can be used to cure your character if they get poisoned.
Similar to the original the remake also features a game save system where you enter a storeroom and you can save your progress via the use of a typewriter, and you need to keep a stock of typewriter ribbons in order to save each time. As for storage capacity, Chris can hold only six items but Jill can hold eight at one time and when they go into the storerooms they can swap out equipment as they need it. The game at certain points may also call for the character to save one of their team mates, Richard, who is poisoned by a giant snake, and you must run to the storage room to get a serum to cure him (although he later get's eaten by the snake in an effort to save your character). Another really good aspect of the gameplay of both the original and the remake is that given the character you play, you can have different endings to the games and there will be different consquences as a result if you don't rescue your fellow team mates.
Another great aspect of Resident Evil is also the baddies, to start with the zombies, who in the original were creepy and when they attacked you, they bite you near to the point of death unless you push them off. In the remake they are even more creep and effective as they will bite you but you can also make a pre-emptive attack by using your defensive weapon to stab or stun them. The zombies however no matter how many rounds you pump into them will not stay down unless you decapitate them or incinerate their bodies, and if you do neither they come back to live twice as fast and strong as well as angry, which adds to the incredible unease of the remake. The other enemies also include for example the rabid dogs, who you usually find running around the courtyard and one of the game's showpieces is of course where you run down a corridor in the mansion they without smashing through the windows and you have to kill them or be killed. Other enemies also include a giant spider (aracnophobics beware!) a giant serpent, biped lizards with sharp claws who can move fast and jump high, and they can even decapitate you if you're not careful! And lastly there is the Tyrant, the ultimate biological weapon, a large humanoid with pale white skin and a big sharp claw, which can do untold damage. The Tyrant is of course the toughest baddie in the game although you can actually blow it up with one carefully aimed shot from a rocket launcher.
Getting onto the graphics of the remake, well for their time they were and still are absolutely stunning, as the backdrops look amazing and the character models are superb. And everything from the visuals of the interior of the mansion, to the griminess of the underground labs and to the grounds of the mansion, it all looks top notch. The only thing is though the movement of your character is still restricted within the static backdrops so when you control the character and they can only move in one way as the camera angle changes at set times in each room. But for the remake the visual presentation simply could not be better than it is here and even by today's standards, this is one mighty fine looking video game. Music wise the score has also been much improved as gone is the cheesy 90s synthesizer music and in its place we have a very creepy and deeply atmospheric score with some real moments of perfect orchestral terror, which can be used really effectively, such as in a scene where your character is in a room and a zombie bursts out of the cupboard!
As for the flaws of the game??? Well yeah OK the remake, and the original for the matter aren't perfect, as for a start it has to be said the static movement in the game is what prevents Resident Evil from being a truly interactive experience. And as I previously mentioned the character can't really interact with their environment given the pre-rendered backdrops, as you move down a hallway the camera statically cuts between different sections of a room as you go. The movement of the characters in the remake are also rather sluggish as they run fairly slowly around the mansion, the corridors or anywhere else for that matter. The puzzles in the game can also be a little frustrating at times as well and given the nature of the game you have alot of running back and forth to do to pick up different things, such as keys, emblems or other items to help you basically unlock new rooms and access other areas. The storage rooms can also be a bit annoying as well, given that you
can only hold so many items at once, and you can't ditch an item, you
have to keep it until you reach the storeroom and you have to swap out
an item rather than just ditch it, which thankfully in later games you
could do instead. Another problem for me with the remake is the voice acting, which isn't very good and the actors are pretty lame and wooden sounding. They are an improvement on the original though as the original dialogue was pretty chronic and it made the game quite laughable at times. One such example of the crap dialogue from the orignal is where Barry gives Jill a lockpick and he says to her "And Jill, here is a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you". Its clear that the Japanese game makers had a rather limited command of the English language! (no offence).
But anyway despite that, Resident Evil the remake is superb game and it builds on the original as its far more creepy and scary as well and the graphics for the game are also first class. And while the Nintendo gamecube is no longer available, this game is compatible with the Nintendo Wii, so if you fancy giving it a try, you should try and a get a copy off of Ebay and give it a whirl, as you sure won't regret if you do.
And on that note I shall leave you there...... creak........groan.....
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OK that's it!
Bye! :->
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