Resident Evil: Director's Cut

"The greatest horror game of all time IS the Director's Cut version of RE -- here's why."

Plagued by the simple fact that Resident Evil: Director's Cut isn't a director's cut anymore than Metal Gear Solid Integral, most people only got D's C for one thing -- the demo disc. I too, love demo discs of games not coming out for a while, so when Best Buy had a sale on this game for under $30, I had to buy it. I rushed home, played RE2, loved it, couldn't wait to have the game, and then started playing D's C and began to get hooked on the series. That was in October, 1997...

Prior to then, I had played Resident Evil at FuncoLand for a minute or two and wasn't that impressed. I was so hyped up and manipulated by that worthless piece of junk that we now know as the "Nintendo 64" that I completely over looked one of the greatest games of all time, and arguably the best game of 1996.

Foolish, yes, I was not alone. Lots of people were psyched for Nintendo 64. But once the fog cleared (oh wait, it never did...), more delays came and no more good games arrived, N64's fun died out...

...And that's when I turned back to Sony. I never left them, I've had my PSX since '95, but I hadn't really played as many games on PSX, or wanted as many games on PSX, as I did the N64 in '96 and early '97. I guess it was the bitter sweet fact of it all that while it made me hate Nintendo... it gave me a chance to love new types of games, games I may have never tried had I still loved Nintendo.

I was flipping through a magazine and saw pictures of RE2. I don't know, it just really sucked me in. The CG backgrounds were beautiful, and the character designs looked good too. I just had to play this game... That's what made me buy D's C, even though I played it before and didn't like it, I still bought it.

Never before have I bought a game I played and didn't like. I still can't figure out why I exactly ended up going through with the purchase, but I am so glad I did. It was then, in October of 1997, to January of 1998, that I experienced the joy and wonder that is RE. Capcom's greatest creation of all time, even better than Ghouls & Ghosts, 1943 and Street Fighter.

I usually end up cutting out the long story parts of my reviews, mainly because AOL shuts down everytime I try to send something too big, but this time I had to leave it in, no matter what. It's an important part of the review, and explains why I love D's C so much more than the original. Haven't figured out why yet? Keep reading...

Gameplay: 10
Resident Evil: Director's Cut taught me a lesson. Never give up after one try. Some games just take a little while to get into. Some games aren't good enough for just two minutes at FuncoJunk. And some games are enjoyed more when they're old, than when they were new.

I don't care about the missing cut scenes! Yeah, I wanted to see them, and Capcom's "we forgot" excuse is another lie from an over-paid executive, but so what? I didn't enjoy this game any less.

Everyone already knows what this game is like, because everyone has played it. It's not new, it wasn't just released, it's not an arcade game, it's Resident Evil, the name says it all. The controls are very recognizable -- no other game released in 1996, '97 or '98 had controls exactly like RE. The only thing that even comes close is Silent Hill, but those controls are kind of screwed up anyway...

Tons of zombies to shoot in the head, leg or chest, a small amount of weapons (they're good weapons though, so it doesn't matter if there's not that many), the infamous keys to unlock all the doors, puzzles that scream "cheesy, yet interesting" are all of the things that make this game so great.

The snake you have to run from, and then fight later in the game is awesome, as is the last boss. I really liked the way the game progressed, not too slow and not too fast... and because it took a while to master the controls, you couldn't finish this game in five hours, not on your first try you couldn't.

I think that if everyone experienced Resident Evil: Director's Cut in the exact same way that I did, the original would have bombed and the D's C would have sold millions.

Sound/Music: 10
Pure perfection. Unmatched by any horror game out there but RE2 (in music and sound, that is), D's C has the exact same tunes as the original, which were perfect to begin with. Perfect? That's an understatement.

The eerie sounds from zombies and Hunters, mixed with any one of the songs heard throughout the mansion and you've got yourself an almost frightening, if not nightmare-inducing scenario, only lightened by the horribly bland, yet somewhat entertaining voice acting. I'd list some of my dialogue scenes, but it's against the rules... (you know, being after five minutes into the game and all).

Come to think of it, the only calming song in the game is the one you hear in a save room.

Graphics: 10
A bit dated in 1997, and quite a bit more dated now, D's C is still an amazing title in every possible way, especially graphics, and shouldn't rated badly just because time has passed. I know I've rated the graphics badly in past reviews because of time, but this is different. D's C deserves this score 100%.

Story: 9
The horrible voice acting and annoying (but entertaining) cut scenes and real time videos may have ruined the story for some, but not for me. D's C (sounds kind of like a battery, don't you think?) has just enough zombie, just enough amounts of police notes, diaries and other notes to find around and just enough amount of real time cut scenes to keep this story at the rating it was at to begin with -- great.

Replayability: 9
Almost perfect, indeed, the replay value of this game lasts a very long time, I still play it here and there, but if you add up all the hours I've spent playing Mario 64 or Wave Race 64 compared to this.... well, it's more than five times the amount for WR64, and more than one hundred times for Mario 64. I'm serious... you have no idea how many times I have beaten Mario 64. In fact, I use to beat it on average at least once a day.

Should I buy Resident Evil: Director's Cut?: Yes.
If you don't have RE1 yet, get this game now! If you don't have a PSX, get the PC version, and if you don't have a PC... then how are you able to read this review, hmmm?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 07/01/02