Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

"Good simply for it is portable Resident Evil"

Resident Evil is well known survival horror game that started in 1998 on the Playstation 1 and has spawned a ton of games on other various consoles including the Nintendo 64, Playstation 2 and Nintendo Gamecube. Now on the DS we get to once again relive the game that started the boom. Resident Evil 1 or as it is called this time around, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. The original is often considered by many as the best in the series, it or Resident Evil 4, a game which every one in the video gaming world has heard of. Here is my review of the 5th or 6th remake of the original resident Evil, this time, it's portable.

Graphics:
Many people think this is the most important part of a game, well they are wrong. A game can be good and have terrible graphics, look at Zelda: Wind Waker. Terrible graphics, otherwise good game. RE:DS has incredible graphics, it is a portable system. Most portable systems have pixelated 8 or 16 bit graphics but RE:DS looks like the original on the PS1. For a portable system these are really good graphics. The characters aren't very blocky, the walls and objects in each room are quite smooth. No of course it isn't perfect and in this game it is blood. The blood is blocky. When you shoot a zombie the blood spays off in blocks and fire from the Rocket Launcher or grenade Launcher also looks very blocky but still, it is a portable and we can't expect the best. It is still really good.

Story:
The story hasn't been changed from the original at all. You are a part of STARS Alpha Team and you and the rest of the team are out in search of the fallen helicopter of STARS Bravo Team. When you find it, no one is there but their equipment is all there, as you start searching for the team you get attacked by strange dogs and run into a mansion for cover. Unfortunately for you this mansion is where the dogs are coming from. It is up to you to locate the disappearing team members, discover what is causing this madness and escape the mansion alive.

Gameplay:
RE:DS includes the original straight from the PS1 and a new mode exclusive to the DS called Rebirth. Rebirth is where the games action is. It is longer and contains a lot more enemies then the original, also items and enemies have been moved around so even if you know the original you will still find surprises here. Rebirth takes advantage of the DS's touch screen by having puzzles that must be done using the touch screen to activate buttons or move objects and also has first-person knife fights that take place through out the game where you have to use the touch screen to attack the Zombies. This Resident Evil isn't the scariest but it is very entertains, the gameplay is done very well.

Replayablility:
This games Replayability is quite good. There are four modes: Jill-Rebirth, Jill-Classic, Chris-Rebirth and Chris-Classic. All modes also include a training mode which makes the game considerably easier by giving you double the ammo and Ink Ribbons. Even after you beat the game there are secret outfits to unlock and by beating the game in less then 3 hours you unlock the Rocket Launcher. Also by beating the game you unlock the Master of Knifing mini-game which is a short game on the first-person knife fights. Even after you beat this game you will want to come back and play again, even if not right away, store it with your other games for a little while and the urge to play it will come back.

Rent or Buy:
DS games aren't common in rental places but even if you can rent it don't, buy it. It is very fun and has good replay value. It is worth the money to buy it. There are better games on the DS but this game should not be missed by any RE fan or survival horror fan.

Conclusion:
This game is very well done and is a good buy. Not perfect but very few games are.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/06