Resident Evil

"Kickstarted a genre"

The original Resident Evil is an amazing game. It's even more amazing when you realize it came from Capcom who were known for Street Fighters, Final Fights, and Mega Man.

Resident Evil was not the first survival horror game, but it gave a big shot in the arm to the genre. Games like this were popping up all over the place in the mid to late 90s. Of course now everyone knows Resident Evil is a multi-platform giant in the gaming and entertainment world, but back in 1996 this little game crept up on everyone to deliver quite a few scares...and introduce many to a new different style of gaming where the objective was to survive...by any means possible.

Who would have thought of an action game where didn't have to shoot a single shot to beat it? Where you had to use a dinosaur of a typewriter to save your game?

Resident Evil certainly borrowed a few things from Alone in the Dark, Uninvited and Capcom's own game Sweet Home. The mansion setting and fixed camera angels are two of the obvious things. But where Resident Evil stood out form those games was in the presentation and the storyline.

The story of the game involved the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team searching for their lost Bravo partners and leads you into a mansion that is thought to be abandoned. Once inside the Alphas stumble upon some strange "residents" and things begin to get a little spooky.

You select to play as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine. Each characters story varies in different aspects and each has their own advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other.

The control scheme fits very well with the fixed camera angels. It takes just a little while to get used to but once you do...it will be second nature to you.

The music and environment of the mansion and other areas really help make the atmosphere excellent. Sound effects of howling dogs, screeching monsters and zombie moans also make for a nice little effect.

The plot is helped along by various notes and files you find along the way and reading them really enhances the feel of the game.

In Resident Evil, you can't go around blasting things as you only have a limited amount of ammo and healing supplies. You have to be smart to survive. Oh...and you also have to solve a few puzzles along the way!

Overall, this is one of the best games of all time and really did a lot to make survival horror a popular genre in the 90s. If you still haven't played this game, go and find it and play it now! The game was remade for Nintendo's Gamecube with several differences, but the original is still worth playing.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/23/09

Game Release: Resident Evil (US, 03/30/96)