Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

""And it turned into...a nightmare..." ...Wow...They sure are creative..."

"And it turned into...a nightmare..." ...Wow...They sure are creative...

RE is known for its clunky control scheme, horrible voice acting, and being...sortof scary. Now, its been re-released...again...for the DS, with a few new gameplay options. There's Classic mode, which is basically the same game that was originally on the PS, then there's Rebirth mode, which is RE with more enemies, more ammo, a few new puzzles that use the DS's touch screen, and knife-fights with zombies on the touch screen. It also has a new quickknife function, and a 180-degree turn, which were inspired by RE4.

Story-8/10
The story is the same as it always has been, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, who are S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics And Rescue Squad, I think) members, find a mysterious mansion while searching for their other S.T.A.R.S members. This is shown in the opening video of the game, which has been tuned down to fit the touch screen....making it nearly impossible to see it, if you don't have a DS Lite. Once you're in the mansion, you go around killing zombies, solving puzzles... and surviving the horrific, cheesy voice acting...which is kinda funny, in a weird way...Anyway, the main point of the game is to escape the mansion.

Gameplay-8/10
Who doesn't love the classic, clunky controls of RE? ...Me, and a ton of other people. As many other people have said, you control the characters like a tank. It's not as bad as they make it seem, but its definitely outdated, too...The other annoying aspect of this game is the camera, which switches perspectives when you move out of the current camera's perspective. This keeps you from seeing certain enemies, allowing for cheap hits by zombies, hunters, zombie dogs, and the other enemies in this game...
Aside from the annoying aspects of this game, the good ones are pretty...good. It's fairly easy to shoot zombies and other enemies, and you have to use logic to solve the puzzles, which aren't very hard. (After playing through Twilight Princess, and not using any FAQs, or having any help of any kind, the puzzles in RE are extremely basic to me) There are some pretty decent boss fights too, and the weapons, which include a handgun, your not-so-trusty knife, a shotgun, and a grenade launcher, along with an unlockable Rocket Launcher, aren't all that bad.

Sound-6/10
The sound is...pretty horrible. Not only because of the voice acting, but because of the gunshots and other sound effects too. The gunshots sound exactly like someone snapping their fingers...even the shotgun. Once again, the infamous voice acting, takes a toll here too...From cheesy lines like, "Here, take this lockpick, it might be better if you, the master of unlocking, took it," to "You were almost a Jill sandwich," and even "Jill, you're here too?" "Yes, you're here too?" Its so bad, it's fun to listen to...

Graphics-7/10
This is a DS, not a PSP, so the graphics aren't amazing. From what I heard, they're a little better than the PS1 version. They are half-decent though, so I don't really have a problem with them. Just don't expect anything amazing, like how RE4 was.

Value-9/10
I played the game for a fairly long time. There's a multiplayer mode too, which can help increase the game's value...It's too bad you need a game card for every person though, because you're not too likely to find someone with a copy of this game...Unless you're like the RE fanboy/supernerd in my school, that asks everyone they meet if they have this game...

If you like the RE games, and you've played one besides RE4, you should probably get this game. If you have only played RE4, you might want to rent this or borrow it from a friend, because it's amazing how different it is. If you're one of those people that can't stand bad graphics, stay away from this version, and get the Gamecube version. (If you want it) It has similar graphics to RE4, and is basically the same game, except way harder and without touch-screen capabilities and the portability that comes with a portable system. I own both, and prefer the DS version...No, scratch that, I enjoyed them both equally as much. So, basically, if you've never played RE, and you want to, it's up to you to choose either the Gamecube version for better graphics, voice acting, and increased difficulty, or the DS version, for DS quality graphics, the same game that was originally released on the PS, and a revamped, slightly harder version of the game, with touch-screen capabilities. So...If you want, get this game. If you're into games like this, you won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/07