Resident Evil: Director's Cut

"The Demo is irresistable... as is this game"

Capcom, known for notoriously porting games to many platforms (Street Fighter anyone?), has ported an already perfect Saturn classic to the technically superior PSX. This version I consider a beauty. The graphics were WONDERFUL. Let me explain below.

Graphics: 9
Yeeeesh, this game came out in 1997, about 1 1/2 years after the PSX Version came out. The graphics are clear and unblocky and the color scheme is great. It looks like they were made with precision! The Saturn Version was more jaggy and the graphics were a little less detailed. Considering this game is a year ahead of the Saturn version, I would have expected a mediocre port. I was wrong. But this looks like the LATEST stages of the Saturn game!

Controls: 7
It's easy to remember which button is which because there's about 8 buttons. Plus everything seems in place in the controller. Plus knowing the Saturn controller, it was uncomfortable but Capcom can't do anything about it. Sigh.

Sound: 9
Cool. The sound is toned up and a little clearer than the Saturn Version. It makes the actors seem even more bad, but I think that they are very decent actors, not that bad. The sound itself is great for the mood, which raises the score. But the PC's sound board is plain good, which upgrades some elements in sound. But the music is bad. No biggy, though.

Story: 9
Like the PC version, the story follows Chris and Jill as they both wander around a mansion infested with zombies. They are trying to escape. It is hard because of the owner of the mansion was a nut bagn and placed puzzles everywhere! Also, the people Chris and Jill meet up with can be traitors, which makes things more dangerous...

Replay Value: 5
Unless you count playing as the other character replay, this game doesn't have too much, aside from different endings. The different endings aren't worth THAT much of a look. It just shows the same ending with a few changes here and there. The new guns are OK, but I liked the one in CODE: Veronica X better.

Rent or Buy:
Rent? Well I doubt they have this game for rent anymore. It's your choice. If you have the original PSX or Saturn versions, this version is worth it. If you don't have any RE1 game, get it then, but I still suggest the original PSX or PC versions.

OVERALL: 8
Well, this was an overall great version of RE1, shot up mostly by the loading times, good graphics, but bad sound. If you are an RE fanatic like me, get it for the mini game, then try to get rid of it. It's pricey aswell, which hurts. But if you want to try Resident Evil, go with the PSX Director's Cut [Non-Dual Shock] and PC versions, since those have better sound, graphics and loading times than the Saturn version.

DEMO: 10
This demo, Resident Evil 2, gave way to the final product. The game boats great, 1997 graphics that are clear and detailed. The first part of the final product was good to see and wanted me to know what would happen in the future (though this is after I played the final version).

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/02, Updated 01/04/02