Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

"Classic Resident Evil bundled with Extras"

The original Resident Evil has been remade, again. Is it worth playing? The answer is yes. This game is perfect for veterans and new players that want to get into the Resident Evil universe. In this Nintendo DS version, there are many extras that make the game worth playing again.

Story

It's 1998. You take the role of Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, members of the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team. There has been reports of grisly murders in the forest outside Racoon City, and Bravo team went to investigate. They disappeared.... Now, Alpha team must go and investigate what is happening. Shortly after landing via, Helicopter, Alpha team starts investigating the area. Suddenly, vicious dogs attack and Alpha team runs until they come upon a mysterious mansion. Taking refuge inside, the adventure begins. What secrets does this mansion withhold? With surprising plot twists, and comedic voice acting, the story is presented well.

Sound

The audio quality in RE:DS, is above average for a handheld. The game includes full voice acting, just like the Playstation original. The unforgettable quotes are still here, and sound as corny as ever. Besides the voice acting, RE:DS includes music that matches the environment. Doors creak when they open, guns make BAM! noises when you fire them, and zombies moan when taking fire.

Gameplay

The basic gameplay of Resident Evil consists of combating enemies, solving puzzles, and solving the mystery of the mansion. This is all accomplished through exploring the environment. The controls in the game make fighting zombies rather simple. The game auto-aims at zombies, which may sound easy, but you can't move while you are shooting. Some weapons include the standard pistol, shotgun, bazooka, magnum, and more. You can also access your combat knife at any time by pressing L. By using the knife, you will be able to conserve ammo, which is important because there is a limited ammunition.

At the Begging of the game, you can either choose to be Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield. From there, you can choose to play Classic or Rebirth mode. Classic is what it sounds like, while Rebirth incorporates more enemies, ammo, a first-person knife mode, and several touch based puzzles. These puzzles are very fun. Some times you blow out candles via the DS mic, while other times you will be trying to balance a scale using different sized stones. When you are not fighting enemies or solving puzzles, you will be exploring the mansion. There are many secret files that players can find, which contain more insight about the mansion and it's purposes.

There are about five segments in Resident Evil, which can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes based on your experience with the series. Yep, that's right. The game can be completed in about one hour. Even on my first time playing through, the game only lasted about 5 and one-half hours. Although that is relatively short, there are two characters and two modes for each, all of which unlock extras. This game does have some parts that are “surprising” but none that are scary.

Graphics

The graphics in RE:DS are average for the DS. The backgrounds are pre-rendered so they look pretty nice. The character models in RE:DS are better looking than their PS1 counter parts, but for the most part, PS1 had better visuals. The FMV's are still includes, but look very pixilated on the DS screen. The graphics could be better, but they ample enough to the game.

Multi-Player

One of the best features included in RE:DS, is the multi-player. There are two modes, which consist of Versus and Cooperative. Players can choose from three maps, where they race from the start to the finish, working as team, or against each other. In Cooperative mode, enemies share the same health bar, and some items are shared. Also, other players are displayed as a translucent colored star. This helps because it's easy to identify other players on the map, and there character can't block your camera angle.

The Versus option is more or less the same as Cooperative. Instead of working together, players race to escape the scenario first. Killing select enemies (such as red-flashing zombies) will cause your opponents monsters to be faster temporarily. When both players reach the finish, they get scored on kills, remaining time, and other factors. The player with the highest score wins. Overall, the multiplayer is surprisingly fun. Shooting zombies with your friends, or racing adds tension making it very exciting.

Overall

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, is a good game for any collection. Even though it is a remake that has been done one too many times, it still is a very fun game. With the Classic and Rebirth modes, multiplayer, and other extras, its hard not to enjoy and wonder how so much fun is on one little game card.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/06