Resident Evil

"Better than the original?"

Resident Evil - Review
by Andrew Light

Better than the original?

Having just recently acquired this game and after hurriedly putting it into my Wii (also recently acquired) I found myself slightly disappointed with the game.

I am a massive fan of the series and in particular the original Resident Evil that was released for the Playstation years ago. This review will look at whether this latest offering is worth playing over the original game.

For those not in the know, Resident Evil is what is commonly known as a "survival horror". This basically means that you have the odds stacked against you and are expected to escape the horror situation you are in. This incarnation of the series is a remake of the original, as previously mentioned and begins with a short video of the special ops team S.T.A.R.S investigating grisly murders that have occurred in the local town, Raccoon City. Local law enforcement were unable to explain the missing persons cases after victims were apparently eaten. They request S.T.A.R.S Bravo team to investigate, but they too go missing. Alpha team are sent in to rescue. Upon investigation the team find the crashed helicopter of their compatriots, Bravo Team. After searching the area for evidence the team are attacked by a pack of dogs and are forced to flee into a nearby mansion.

This is where players pick up the game, as either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield. You are now expected to try and make sense of what is happening. When you first take over control you will more than likely notice one of the games main problems. The controls are not particularly good. By using the analogue stick you can get the character to move in more directions but the control is really unresponsive. You will find it increasingly difficult to manoeuvre around furniture and find it even more frustrating when you are trying to dodge enemies. Which you will be doing plenty of! This is a really disappointing element of the game, particularly as it is something that is absolutely crucial to the overall enjoyment and success of the game. Personally I find that the original control of the characters in the original game is much better and far easier to use. Luckily this version does also support D-Pad control so it does not entirely ruin the game. However, the person in charge of controls during the production of this game really should be fired on the spot as it is simply not acceptable in this day and age of gaming. What would have been great would have been a modern day take of the old game with the newer controls that we have since seen introduced in Resident Evil 4 for example, especially as the GameCube has a pretty decent controller that would easily be able to support this. However, it obviously wasn't to be. The game has stuck with the original games concept as regards using your weapon. Hold down one button to raise your weapon and press another to fire it. It is a simple method that is effective enough. Again with the controls I can see both sides of the argument as changing the method of attack to modernise it rather than keep the original would be beneficial to the game but also may destroy the original theme. If you change too many things you end up making a new game rather than a remake of an original.

Personally I think that the gameplay is brilliant in this game, however I may be a little biased, because I am a real fan of the series. If you like this particular genre of games then you are going to love this game. It is a really fun game to play and the twists and turns that keep you guessing all the way through add to the excitement. Some people will also feel that the opposite is the case. It can be argued that constantly hunting round for clues as to what to do next and where to go is repetitive and boring but personally I don't see it that way. If you were given everything on a plate I think the game would lose a lot of its realism. How likely is it that everything would be exactly where it should be and conveniently placed to assist you. I also think that having to run the gauntlet against your enemies is also a good challenge that the game offers.

This however brings me on to my next point. The game itself is in my opinion spoilt by the overpowered enemies. The everyday zombies that form the main bulk of your enemies during the game, particularly at the start are far too strong and you will often find yourself being killed repeatedly after attacks from them. In my opinion they are far too strong, particularly when compared to some of the bosses who do not seem to be on the same scale. This will mean that repeated deaths will result in you repeating several parts of the game over and over which can be very frustrating. I think this is unfortunately a very significant annoyance in the game as it is not something you can get around. You are either going to end up dying regularly or pumping most of your ammo into enemies, leaving you drastically short at certain points in the game.

As regards the graphics in the game I don't think anyone can really argue that the game looks absolutely stunning. It is obvious that the games graphics have had a major overhaul and now look amazing. Special effects such as the thunder and lightning really add to the tension and create wonderful effects. Its hard to find any faults with the graphics at all as the characters also look brilliant and probably as lifelike as they ever could be on this console. There are no rough edges and the backgrounds and scenery look crystal clear. The colour and detail within the backgrounds and environments are excellent and help to create a totally realistic environment. The music in the game also helps to contribute to the overall feel of the game. In this genre the music probably plays one of the most important roles in creating the tension that is needed for it to be a successful "survival horror". It is also something that if done correctly you will probably not notice too much until you take a step away from the game. The eerie music that plays throughout sets the scene well and gives the mansion "life", if that is possible in a house full of zombies! What I mean to say is that without the right mood a game can seem unrealistic and does not achieve what is needed to make it exciting. I feel that Resident Evil does this well however and is definitely one of the major contributing factors towards its success.

The game probably has more replay value that the original as there are more game modes now and more reasons to go over the game again and complete it second and third times over to unlock new game modes. This is essential in games today as a game that has no replay value, in my opinion is not going to be a particularly popular one. The game has two characters that you can choose that have different storylines. These characters do not really have massively different storylines but enough so that there is enough difference between them to make it worthwhile playing the game through with the other character. However the inclusion of new game modes after completion of the games helps it score highly in this section.

So how does the game score overall? Well I think it is going to depend on whether you are already a fan of the series like I am. If so then I don't think there is really enough here to get excited over. Don't get me wrong, I still think that fans should play the game, if not just for the graphics alone but for the experience. I think the dodgy controls and the overpowered zombies are going to annoy fans who were expecting so much more from this game. To new players who have never played the original version, or any of the games in the series then I think it would be a worthwhile buy if you can get used to the controls as this series of games cannot and should not be missed in my opinion. There is plenty to offer new gamers on the whole, and will be enjoyed by most. To answer the question that has become the name of the review, "better than the original?", the answer from me has to be no, but nevertheless it is still a good game that should not be missed.

Final Score 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/18/09

Game Release: Resident Evil (EU, 09/13/02)