Resident Evil (GameCube) review on HonestGamers

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Review by genj
January 31, 2006

The original Resident Evil was always my favorite. It had the spookiest atmosphere, the hardest creatures to kill, and the coolest (read: least retarded) plot of all with STARS members Chris and Jill trying to escape from the zombie-infested Spencer Estate. Unfortunately it's difficult to replay the classic roots of the franchise for pre-RE4 style survival-horror. The old PSX release simply lacks those wonderful tweaks and additions from later entries, and the graphics frankly have become unbearably shitty.

A remake is just what I need.

Everything I love about the classic Resident Evil formula is here from simple auto-targeting to item-based puzzles. More importantly the tweaks were added, such as the 180 degree turn, the ability to freely move on stairs, and smooth analog control (a feature originally exclusive to the Greatest Hits version of Director’s Cut). The game has also received a full graphical overhaul. This isn't just the same PSX title with the jagged edges smoothed out mind you. These are completely new polygonal characters interacting seamlessly on top of breathtaking FMV backgrounds fleshing out the elegant yet creepy mansion.

And Capcom didn't stop there. They even remixed and added puzzles while expanding many areas of the estate to make it feel like a whole new game. For example, you may remember the original's crow room puzzle where you had to flick switches underneath paintings in ascending order of its subject’s age. This time you have to hit a set of switches to change the color of three stained glass windows according to a new clue. New puzzles stop veterans from easily breezing through the title, which would have sucked. The new areas are also pretty damn cool with additions ranging from extra hallways and rooms in the main mansion to an open forest home to a grotesque little girl that wears her dead mother’s face.

Oh yeah, and now an undead STARS member wearing a jacket of live explosives chases you around the mansion.

Capcom's effort to do this remake right really shows thanks to all the cool, new content they created to tantalize survival-horror veterans into re-experiencing Resident Evil. Gamers can now avoid damage while hurting their attacker with defense items. Both characters will find daggers littered throughout the estate for a quick dodge and slash, and each has their own exclusive item. Jill gets the stun gun, which automatically kills a single enemy. Chris gets the potentially better item: the grenade. To avoid a nasty zombie bite, Chris crams his explosive into the gaping maw of the living dead. Spare a single bullet and Chris will shoot the grenade causing the zombie any of its nearby buddies to explode into a million gooey pieces of flesh. There's nothing cooler than taking down multiple zombies or Hunters, fast and deadly reptilian creatures, with one bullet.

Capcom even created a new enemy to shake things up a bit. Zombies are no longer completely dead by dropping to the ground in a pool of blood. After enough time has passed, they'll be reborn as Crimson Heads, vicious red zombies imbued with cheetah-like speed and tough offensive and defensive strength. Fortunately you can stop zombies from becoming Crimson Heads by either dousing them in kerosene and torching them with the lighter or randomly landing a head-exploding shot.

Unfortunately for Chris and Jill, there isn't enough kerosene for every zombie. It’s a good move by Capcom because you have to wisely choose which bodies to burn rather than mindlessly cremating every creature in sight.

There was never an adjustable difficulty setting before the release of Director’s Cut. Jill was for beginners and Chris was the challenging playthrough for those already familiar with the game. This, however, has been changed and now the characters are balanced. Jill still has her original advantages, such as the lock pick, bazooka, and larger inventory, but now Chris has his own appealing perks. He can run much faster, take more hits, and easily land far more decapitating shots than Jill. In addition, he acquires a new shotgun that packs more power and shell capacity, and he even finds extra magnum ammo. Chris’ flamethrower even no longer sucks against the gigantic spider, Black Tiger. Balancing the characters was a great idea because now playing as Chris doesn’t feel like a chore.

But that's not to say that REmake is in all ways superior to the original. No traditional Resident Evil has been as difficult as the first one, and this title is no exception. You'd think Crimson Heads would pump up the challenge once you return to the Hunter-ridden mansion, but they don't. Certain areas have now been deemed "Crimson Head Rooms" for your return and will at no time contain the more deadly Hunter enemies. If you clear these rooms beforehand through burnings or decapitation, you'll find many empty hallways in between Hunter attacks. In addition, the expanded areas of the mansion connect with the old rooms to make multiple paths and shortcuts throughout the estate allowing you to entirely avoid several Hunter rooms.

Sadly the game also loses some of its nostalgia. The original's voice acting was terrible, but in a campy B-movie kind of way that just felt so right in a zombie-killing survival game. All the original voiceovers has been replaced with dry acting that rather than being "so cheesy it's fun" is now "so boring it sucks." Classic lines like "You, the master of unlocking" have even been changed to ordinary, forgettable dialogue. While this doesn't really ruin the game, it's a bit disappointing.

But these are minor complaints. When you get down to it, REmake is a great buy for fans of the traditional styled games of the series. Mikami and his team really put a lot of effort into recreating Resident Evil. They could have just smoothed out the graphics, added a few extra story sequences, and slapped on some dorky subtitle to charge Cube owners a lot for a PSX title, but thankfully fans got a completely new game. It has nearly everything that made the original so much more memorable than the later installments but with awesome new content. Sure REmake isn’t as difficult as the original and it certainly won't change the minds of gamers that disliked the old games, but it's easily the best traditional Resident Evil.

Rating: 9/10

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Game Profile & Content

All

Staff Score (Avg): 4.0 User Score (Avg): 9.6 Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 6 Guides: 3 Cheats: 6 Ratings: 9	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 7 Videos: 0

Title: Resident Evil
Genre: Action Adventure (Survival Horror)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: May 1, 2002
ESRB: M
Save: 8 Blocks
Platforms: PSX, SAT, PC, GCN

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