Resident Evil Gaiden

"If you were looking for a flawless game, you will be disappointed..."

Ok, I'll make myself clear: I am a big fan of Resident Evil 2 and I also enjoyed Resident Evil Code Veronica. I could not play the other games, but I've learnt with Resident Evil 2 that every Resident Evil title should be at the top ten games of any console. When I first heard about a version of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color I was very excited. I could never imagine playing such an intense game everywhere! But this version, although it seemed excellent for me, was cancelled. Some time after this, I heard that Virgin was making another version of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color, called Resident Evil Gaiden. At this time, I found Alone in the Dark the New Nightmare, for Game Boy Color, and its superb graphics. Surely, that was the only clone of Resident Evil that I could get for Game Boy Color. Definitely, it looked like a Resident Evil title, but it never caught the feeling of a Resident Evil title. So, I still could not forget about Resident Evil Gaiden... until I could see the very first screenshots of this game. And I
was truly disappointed... I was waiting for graphics like Perfect Dark, Mission Impossible, or even Alone in the Dark the New Nightmare, but I could only found some first generation graphics. Now that the game was released, we still have the same simplistic graphics. But are the gameplay, sound, and the other things better? Read bellow for the answer...

Graphics: 6/10
The graphics previously-developed in computers, simulating 3D, are gone. Now, you only have 2D sprites around. The graphics could really be much better. The sprites are very small, and Resident Evil Gaiden do not use the hi-color mode neither in static screens! Come on, even Tomb Raider did it, why did not Virgin did the same? At least, the zombies are nice looking from the first person view. The game also uses an intelligent system where the light/darkness will have effect under your character. The
animation of the sprites are good, but nothing really superb.

Sounds: 6/10
The musics and sfx, although not excellent, are very good. You will not hear nothing amazing, but the battle song and the SFXs looks good. The 'Resident Evil' speech in the main screen, and the different moaning from the zombies are really good for an 8 bit system. Anyway, the sound is really not that bad...

Gameplay: 7/10
I think that the previous control scheme was a shame, so it is good to have some 'freedom' in the gameplay. Now you can move around without the annoying the camera changes. The first person view in the battles are very good too, though weird for veteran players of Resident Evil series. The story is pretty good. In Resident Evil we had Tyrant, in Resident Evil 2 we had Mr. X, in Resident Evil 3 we had Nemesis, so here we have B.O.W., an amoeba thing. The story was the only thing that surprised me.

Fun Factor: 7/10
If you are not a fan of Resident Evil series, you will not be one just because Resident Evil Gaiden. If you are a fan of Resident Evil series, you will have a lot fun... for a while. All the Resident Evil elements (herbs, weapons, keys, zombies, blood, etc.) are here. But just don't wait for an excellent game. You will not find one here.

Value: 5/10
This game will keep you interested for one or two weeks, or til you finish it. Resident Evil Gaiden is, someway, easier than the previous titles in the series, and this is a really welcome feature. The best thing you can do is rent this title. Otherwise, just buy it if you are a die-hard fan of the series, or just a collector. Anyway, Resident Evil Gaiden is much more worth buying than Alone in the Dark the New Nightmare...

Overall: 6/10
This game is, somewhat, disappointing. I can not honestly say it is an excellent game, but I can not say that this is a bad game, too. It just should be a little better. If you were looking for a portable Resident Evil, this is your chance (though you can also play the much worse version of
Resident Evil 2 for Game.com, which you MUST avoid at all costs). Resident Evil Gaiden, for sure, is a Resident Evil title in pure essence. But, if you are looking for something more similar to the previous versions of Resident Evil, you'd better get Alone in the Dark the New Nightmare.
Anyway, I'll be waiting for a Game Boy Advance version of Resident Evil...

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/06/02, Updated 07/12/02