Resident Evil: Director's Cut

"My Poor Ears."

Thinking about it, I'd probably have to say Resident Evil is my favorite storyline outside of the JRPG genre. Ever since I first picked up the original Resident Evil, I've been hooked to a certain extent. I just loved going into the first room with the first zombie and watching the little fmv thing. I was scared to death and completely ran out back into the other room to get away from it!

In comparison, this game hasn't changed all that much from the original to the Director's Cut. There has been one dramatic change that, IMO, has weakened the game to a pretty good extent. I believe that one of the founding legs has been chopped out from Resident Evil with this version, and I was saddened to find it that way. I will now explain my loathing for what Capcom has done to my game.

Gameplay:

Well, it goes without saying that Resident Evil has always been known for its weird control scheme. Personally, it bothered me a tad in the first game, but it wasn't so bad that I'd need to complain about it. When RE: 2 was released, of course, I did see a need to complain about it. Sequels aside, I believe it works fine for this game.

You see, controlling your main character can be kind of fruity at times. The camera angle is always fixed to create a better sense of terror and it actually works. However, when moving your character you'll come to find out that you don't just move in the direction your pressing. Pressing the left button on the D-Pad will cause your character to actually TURN their body to the left, but won't allow them to MOVE to the left.

It's only when you press the up(forward) button on the D-Pad that you'll actually start moving. For the first few minutes, this can cause some pain and aggravation, but you'll get used to it. It's not really that bad because the enemies aren't exactly on the up and up for the first couple hours of the game. Once you get further into the game you will need to know your controls, but luckily by then you'll have a firm grasp on things.

What does bother me a bit about this game is the lack of realism. When I pick up a herb, I'd like to be able to use it automatically you know? But instead, I have to put the herb in my inventory, then go into my inventory and click on it to use it. Why can't I just grab the herb from the ground and use it there? This causes frustration because you might have a full inventory and the game won't let you pick the herb up. That means you have to run back to the nearest item chest and store an item then run back to the herb and pick it up. After that, you'll have to run back to the item chest and grab the item you left there.

Speaking of the item chests, why are they so mysterious? The item chest is basically a magical box that you can put your items in and they'll be in the next item chest you find on the other side of the game. Magical transportation has never been so fine! Then again, in RE: 4, Leon has a magical case that he can make appear and disappear whenever he pleases.

Some of the puzzles are different from the original and you can get new costumes in this version, but that's about as far as the differences go. It's boggles my mind why they didn't change and/or add some more to it. It was just so uninspired and lacking.

Anyway, the game isn't without flaws, but they can be voided out due to this being their first shot at the genre. The score did lose a point because nothing big was changed from the original to the Director's Cut. Oh well.

Cosmetics:

The graphics are pretty decent for their first attempt. The characters are rather polygonal, but they can be overlooked because it's still decent. The backgrounds are all pre-rendered and add a certain atmosphere to the horror game.

The music in the Director's Cut is absolutely horrid. I hate this music and that's where the game loses another two points. Why did they have to change it? What a waste of time and ability. It ranges from mildly chilling to downright goofy. Some of the tracks just don't sound like they belong in the game and they made me cringe beyond belief.

Storyline:

I've always loved the RE storyline. As pointed out earlier, I enjoy all the twists and stuff that go into RE. I also love the classic "corrupt agency" stuff and how they polluted a group of people and it got out of control. I enjoy it because it symbolizes a lot of what I feel for big corporations and stuff.

RE: 1 brought this whole deal to life, and the Director's Cut doesn't really change that. I still love the storyline just as much as I did when the original was released and I'll probably continue to love it as the games proceed down the line.

Overall/Explanation:

There isn't really any need to explain much here. RE: Director's Cut is a step down from the original, IMO, because of the music. It just doesn't offer enough in return for it to be better and it loses too much to be equal.

I never have understood why they decided to change the music in the game. I don't understand why they changed anything really. Personally, I can't understand why they even made a "Director's Cut", or why anyone ever does with any other games. Oh well, it was done, and it was downgraded some. What can you do? I just give it a slightly worse score than the original and move on.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/06