Resident Evil

"Like a real zombie; old and rotting."

The Resident Evil franchise is one that I like… some of the time. Let's face it, the series has flaws, and these flaws have been evident through the entire existence of the series. The tedious controls, the unrealistic puzzles, the screwy combat, the irritating camera angles, and the bad voice acting are all typical annoyances that mar an entry in the series. Still, I have to give the original Resident Evil credit for pretty much introducing the concept of survival horror to consoles. And for that, Resident Evil deserves a place in the history of the industry. Perhaps that's why Capcom decided to bring this (originally) great game to GameCube, or perhaps it's because Capcom wanted to inject the kiddy-looking console with a hint of M-rated tang. Whatever the case, the (by today's standards) clunky original has gotten remade on GameCube, and the results are a mixed bag.

I do like the Resident Evil game for the most part, but they were better in the late 90's when they made their debut. The problem is, until the wonderful Resident Evil 4 came along, Capcom seemed to refuse to want to take their critically acclaimed franchise into the current generation of games, instead limiting the franchise to the controls and flaws of yesteryear. As a result, the Resident Evil remake on GameCube (dubbed REmake by fans) is an astonishing achievement in many areas, but manages to barely pass by in the one area in which the series needs the most help: Play control and gameplay. And although the fundamentals of the Resident Evil gameplay formula work to some extent, playability doesn't, and brings down a game that had so much potential.

For those of you who have never played the original 1996 PSX game or haven't played a Resident Evil game at all, let me just give you the setup. You get to pick between two playable characters, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, both of which are members of an elite Raccoon City police department, S.T.A.R.S., that have been sent with a couple of teammates to investigate the disappearance of a helicopter that crashed in Raccoon Forest. As they land, they are greeted by a set of four-legged monstrosities that are anything but man's best friend, and are forced to take cover in a typically creepy and ominous mansion. Little do they know that this mansion is actually a cover-up for a secret lab previously run by the evil Umbrella corporation, in which a break of a mysterious virus has occurred. As they explore the mansion, they uncover more and more about Umbrella's sick experiments.

At the very least, REmake gets off to a good start. The game does away with the original's pinnacle-of-cheesy live-action cutscenes in favor of some far more efficient and effective CG movies. Although the voice acting still isn't very good, it's at the very least much better than that of the first game, which is a blessing. On top of that, the in-game graphics are (mind the pun) drop-dead gorgeous, with character models that look astoundingly realistic and pre-rendered environments that, though still shot at tricky camera angles, are loaded with detail and give the impression that you're looking at photographs. It really is that good. REmake's presentational values couldn't possibly be much better, aside from a few hiccups during cutscenes.

And then, just when you're fooled into thinking that this is a terrific take on the classic game, something bad happens: REmake turns into a dated game. Not a horrible one or even a bad one, but the second that play control is handed over to the player, this unfortunate truth sinks in. The first thing you realize is that play control is just as bad as you remember it. Instead of allowing players to move in any direction they want by simply pointing in that direction with the analog stick, you've got to push up on the stick to move forward, left and right to pivot, and down to step back. This setup may have worked back in, oh, 1996, but for a 2002 game, it's just barely acceptable and constantly left me wishing that there were a way to configure this.

Capcom hasn't even really updated this troublesome control scheme a little bit. There's still no analog control. You can USE the analog stick, but it really won't make much of a difference. There are only eight directions of sensitivity on the stick, meaning you've got the same control with the analog stick as with the d-pad (which you can also use, but it's too small in my opinion). Also, you still have to hold the B button to run, another dated function that was okay back in 1996 but just feels dumb today, especially without an auto-run option. At the very least, by pressing down and B at the same time, you can quickly turn your character around, which feels nice and means Capcom didn't completely abandon the option of updating the play control.

That said, though, anyone who finds this control setup to be passable by today's standards might find a lot to like in REmake. This is far from just a makeover of the original game with better graphics. There's loads of new content that wasn't in the original, including new (and more challenging) puzzles, new enemies, new areas, new items, new endings, and a larger overall game world to explore. Fans of the original may find a lot to like about some of the new content that REmake provides, even if the game feels altogether dated. However, some of the new puzzles are just a chore to figure out (such as one weather vane puzzle that makes no sense at all), though most of it is more challenging. Capcom has even made the environments themselves much more menacing. In the original, hallways were brightly lit and almost colorful. In REmake, environments are dark and foreboding.

The enemies feel satisfying in many ways but are just so tedious to battle thanks once again to the game's dated control scheme. Once targeting an enemy, you can only aim in three directions – up, down, or somewhere in between. Again, NO ANALOG is a bummer. When going for an all-important headshot on a zombie, you can't really hit his head unless he's dangerously close, as you'll always either be aiming too high or too low. And I won't ruin anything, but if you don't kill a zombie by using a headshot in this game, SOMETHING HAPPENS, and it's bad. So, in a game when headshots are so highly enforced, it's strange to see the control hampering this ability. Bosses are also a complete chore. And of course, you've got the series' trademark bad camera angles. It's bad enough when you can't properly aim at enemies, and even worse when you can't see the enemy.

This was obviously done by Capcom to make the game scarier, and it works much of the time. You'll walk into a hallway and suddenly hear an unseen zombie moaning. You go around a corner, and BAM! – a zombie jumps onscreen and grabs you. It works for those jump-in-your-seat shocks but also gives enemies an unfair advantage sometimes. Nevertheless, I can't bash REmake for not being scary enough, because it's a very scary game, complete with classic jump moments (the dog through the window) and new ones that I can't ruin. And, like I said before, the rooms of the mansion are darker and freakier, making for a better setting for a survival horror game. But when play control this dated hampers an otherwise compelling experience, it's a real shame.

Pros

+ A remake of one of the best PSX games.
+ Amazingly lifelike graphics leave a true impression on you.
+ Tons of new content for RE freaks.
+ Scarier environment.
+ Two playable characters and good replay value.

Cons

- Dated play control hampers the experience.
- Other traditional flaws from the series are evident.
- Poor voice acting.
- If you didn't like other RE games, don't bother.

Overall: 6/10

I would still describe Resident Evil on GameCube as being an above-average game, as it has some very memorable moments not to mention top-notch presentation and graphics. On the other hand, though, the game is very dated in many regards, mostly play control. Other little things such as small inventory space, limited number of saves, nonsensical puzzles, poor voice acting and irritating camera angles only help to drag down the game. It's still worth checking out if you're a fan of the original, as the new content is worth seeing. However, I can't recommend this as the “must-buy” some fans are calling it, as it's just too dated. I thought that when Capcom said they were remaking the game, I thought that meant the GAMEPLAY as well.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/05