"Get ready to be freaked out!"

This is a review on Resident Evil Zero for Nintendo GameCube. Resident Evil Zero review by FoolishGamer.

Only for Nintendo GameCube, Capcoms Resident Evil Zero. Do you like dark damp places that you have to find your way to the light? Do you like being scared out of your wits and jump out of your seat? Then you will like Resident Evil Zero. I bought this game manly because I enjoyed the series. I had no hopes of it being as good as the previous Resident Evil titles. When I put it into my GameCube the day I bought it I just couldn't put it down. It exceeded any expectations I had. It blended with the series together so nicely. I kind of figured that this being a prequel that it would mess up the series for me because hardly any prequel games ever succeed. Thank God that I was wrong. Resident Evil Zero explains a lot about the previous games and makes you want to point and say "oh, so thats why". And I warn you. If you don't like heavy violence or gore then this game is not for you. It shows in detail zombies with no arms, blood everywhere and people eating on people. Resident Evil Zero is not for gamers with weak stomachs. If you have played this type of game then you know what your in for. I spent days and weeks playing this game inside and out so believe me when I say that Capcom has really out done themselves this time around. If you played and liked any of the other Resident Evil games then I know that you will also like this game as well. It's also the kind of game that makes you want to keep looking over your shoulder or out your window to really make sure your alone. It was creepy the fist time I played it and still creepy today. This is my Resident Evil Zero review....

The Characters:
There's two main characters in Resident Evil Zero that you get to alternate through out the game. One being Rebecca Chambers the newest member of S.T.A.R.S. bravo team and Billy Coen a convicted felon who early in the game bumps into Rebecca. Capcom has done an excellent job with voice acting this time around. As we know in some of the other Resident Evil games this area lacked. What's cool about the two characters is that you can switch one to the other through out the game. Billys good with fighting and moving heavy things. Rebecca's good with mixing things such as herbs or chemicals.

Story 10/10:
Before the mansion before the disaster. Evil is Born. Sent in to investigate a series of grisly murders in raccoon city, S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team scrambles into action. On the way to the scene, bravos helicopter crashes. Although everyone survives, what they discover next is a gruesome site. The story in Resident Evil Zero is what happened before Resident Evil 1. It tells us (the players) what happened before the mansion in raccoon city. But it doesn't stop there.... I give the story a 10/10

Graphics 10/10:
How good are the graphics you ask? Well it got the GameSpy's best of 2002, best graphics in a GameCube game. In my very own opinion the graphics are one of the best. Very crisp and clean. Every room I went into I had to check out everything because I was amazed on how detailed everything was. The monsters where very life like and the characters in general look very real. The cut scenes where very nice and good on the eyes. Sometimes when looking at Rebecca or Billy I think to myself, "Wow, they look so real". Just wait until you have seen the leeches hatch from there eggs for the first time. Like I said above. This game is very gory and the graphics add to the gore making it realistic in every possible way. I give the graphics on Resident Evil Zero a 10/10

Gameplay 9/10:
Searching every part of the room's is fun. Solving puzzles and shooting dead people, whats not to like? Pushing back bookshelves to find secret areas to playing a life size game of chess. Riding on a train shooting zombies to placing statues on a scale to reveal a pathway. The overall gameplay is well put together. Read everything you can read and you will find funny stuff, creepy stuff and stuff you just wont want to repeat out loud. Sometimes the camera angle is ridiculously crappy but it adds to the horror and suspense. I hear a zombie! Is it behind me or in front of me? You wont find out until you search the every part of the room. It can get a little bit difficult trying to shoot at a zombie not being able to see where it's at. Did I kill it? I hope so, move on. Some might say the gameplay is a bit tedious. I think the gameplay for this game is just what this series was needing. I give the gameplay on Resident Evil Zero a 9/10

Sound 10/10:
Resident Evil Zero's sound is like none other. It has one of the most excellent sounds I think I have ever heard from this type of style of game. It really brings you into the game. In my opinion the sounds in the game is one of the keys that makes Resident Evil Zero such a grate game. One minute its quiet the next your hearing a zombie rush after you. Also the controller works well together with the sound. Every shot or every zombie bit your controller vibrates. Bringing you more into the Resident Evil realm. So I give the sound a big 10/10

Replay Value: 8/10
I beat the game now what? When you beat the game you unlock the leech hunter game. The mini games adds a lot of replay value and is lots of fun to play hours on end. I have had this game for a while now and I'm still not board with it. I beat it quite a few times and I still go back for more. Thats just the type of game it is. I know some people who have played this game and also the previous Resident Evil titles who never played it after they beat it. I guess thats just up to what you like. I'm not saying that it never get repetitive. It has its times where I get a little board but it redeems itself in the end. That's why I give the reply value a 8/10

Overall 9/10:
Resident Evil Zero is one of the best in its series. Don't pass it up. If you never have played any of the Resident Evil games then this game is a very good to start off with. Especially since it's the history of where Resident Evil is today. Do I think that this game is for you? Well if your 17+ and like to be freaked out or things jumping out at you to make you scream, then yes I think it's for you. Do I think it's the best Resident Evil game out there you ask? Umm, maybe not maybe so. I can tell you that it points to the best. I really can't decide which Resident Evil game I like the most because I like them all as one big game. A must have game. I spent a lot of time on this game and I am sure that you will to. I hope you will enjoy this game as I have enjoyed it. I'm know this game will keep it's greatness years after years. Overall rating 9/10.

Rent or buy:
If you never have played this type of game then you should definitely rent before you buy. If you have played and enjoyed the previous titles then you should buy. It's a grate game to have in your GameCube collection and it looks good on the shelf right in front of Resident Evil Remake.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/08/04