"One Word: Mindblowing"

I have played almost all the Resident Evil games to date, and nothing comes close to the level of enjoyment I had on Resident Evil 0. This is probably the best Resident Evil out to date.

Story 10/10
NOTE: Resident Evil 0 is a prequel to all Resident Evils; it takes place about a day before the events of Resident Evil.

Recently, murders have been occurring around in Raccoon Forest. The victims were eaten. Bravo team is sent in to investigate around the area for clues, however their helicopter fails and they are forced to make an emergency landing. Among them, is the rookie officer, Rebecca Chambers. The team’s captain, Enrico Marini orders everyone to split up and search for clues. Rebecca comes across a document that reveals information about a convict called 'Billy Coen' who is wanted for murder. Rebecca receives orders to arrest Coen if she comes across him. As Rebecca searches, she comes along abandoned Train where she investigates for clues, she finds bodies scattered among the train, which eventually attack her as zombies! As she is searching around the train, she meets Billy Coen, but now is not the time to arrest him. They decide to work as a team for the time being to survive the nightmare....

Graphics 10/10++
I'm sure we all don't need much intro here. The graphics are the best seen on the Video Game market today. Weather effects, Character detail, Environments. Off the charts, cannot be beat yet. Enough said.

Controls 9/10
The controls aren't exactly the smoothest running thing in the world, but they get the job done. The controls aren't as smooth as games like Final Fantasy X and Devil May Cry, but I felt the controls were fine for the game. So you can decide if you like them or not.

Sounds 10/10
Personally, I loved the sounds, and loved the music out of every Resident Evil game ever. The sounds are extremely realistic, from the sounds of rainfall hitting the ground and tables. To thunder bolts, to simple walking. They all sound like you are right in the game. The Music seems much more action type in this game. Sure, creepy environments is scary music to no music, but when an intense boss battle comes along, or an intense scene, the music gets more action packed. I felt this music was really well composed and I liked it.

Game play 10/10+
Without further wait, lets get right on to the top-notch Game play. As you probably already know, Resident Evil 0 features a partner system, something you usually never see in a Resident Evil. Usually it's ''Lets split up''. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you decided to stay together? If so, your prayer is answered! However it means more challenging puzzles and enemies. The partner system is very easy to navigate and it fits perfectly. The person you play is the 'Main Character' while the one who follows you is the 'Partner Character' when you press the START button, your partner character will either stay put, or follow you room to room. When you press X, you will switch control between both characters, it doesn't matter where you are either. However during a crisis event, you may not be able to switch. If you leave your partner in a room with monsters, chances are they will die pretty quickly. If you ever have trouble with something, you should always seek your partner for backup fire. Don't forget, you must split ammo and weapons equally with your partner, or else they will not be able to defend themselves and will die. Depending on your characters special abilities, it might be smart to give them items from there. For example, Rebecca is weak in battle, but good with mixing herbs. So it might be a good idea to give Rebecca something light such as a handgun, mainly used for backup fire, and also use her as a healer. Billy is strong in combat, and strong with pushing heavy things, but cannot mix herbs. So for Billy, you should make him an attacker in battle, using the heavy weaponry such as a shotgun. Also recoil on weapons doesn't push Billy back as much as Rebecca. The partner system makes this game extremely fun and challenging, and I think other RE games should follow this again sometime.

Replay Value 10/10
Replay is just as you would expect in the RE Series, Plentiful. Depending on your rank and mode, you can unlock many cool goodies to do in your next game. You can unlock super strong weapons such as a Rocket Launcher with an S rank, to only a simple Closet Key with a D Rank. There is also a convent mini-game that you can play, which unlocks many other cool goodies depending on how you do. The replay might be a bit lower in terms of RE, MODE Wise, but in terms of playing it in terms of because it's fun, RE0 beats all.

Closing Statement
Resident Evil 0 has been around ever since the days of N64 and PlayStation. However finally its now out, and it was well worth the wait. The graphics and partner system easily out beat many Resident Evil games, and many games on the market today. If you are a die-hard Resident Evil fan like me, you should definitely get this awesome game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/02, Updated 11/17/02