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Resident Evil Review
Stephen Leyton
00/12/0000
The series is about to start again, this time on Nintendo’s GameCube, we CHECK out the first in the series. Read on to find out what we thought.
It has been six years since Capcom released the first ever Resident Evil (Biohazard) game on the PlayStation. With its release back in 1996 Resident Evil created its very own genre the survival horror. Soon after the market was flooded with cheap imitations trying to jump on the new bandwagon.
Itās now 2002 in case you didnāt realise and Capcom have once again amazed us with yet another Resident Evil adventure. It is not Resident Evil 4 and it certainly isnāt Resident Evil 0, however GameCube owners will be able to get their hands on the original Resident Evil. Okay so whilst the game isnāt exactly all new, Resident Evil on the GameCube is a revision of the original with all new graphics, new environments, new enemies, new weapons and a more in-depth storyline. One of the main criticism this game received was the fact that people had already played and completed it back on the PlayStation, although the graphics have been greatly enhanced the fact still remained that it was still an old game. Stop! Letās start from the beginning Resident Evil on the GameCube is like playing an all new adventure, the mansion is different, the puzzles are different, everything about the game is different in fact it is quite easy to say that this is the best Resident Evil experience so far.
Last year the creator of Resident Evil Mikami-San announced that he was to port the entire Resident Evil franchise to the GameCube, starting with Resident Evil. Alongside Resident Evil, all of the sequels will be getting a GameCube exclusive remake. Whilst it`s rumoured that number 4 will also be a GameCube exclusive. Pointing towards the whole franchise moving exclusively over to Nintendo. In an interview the creator of Resident Evil had this to say on the alliance: āEveryone must be surprised because [the Biohazard series is now] on the GameCube, but I have a clear and strong opinion about being able to enjoy all of the Biohazard games on one system. Therefore the series will be GameCube exclusive.ā
āFrom now on, games arenāt limited to graphics only -- a balance must be reached between fun gameplay and graphic enjoyment. I feel if it isn`t like this, the media itself will be endangered. Among game systems focused on graphics, weāre aiming to show Nintendo`s philosophy of āfun gamesā.ā
Where to begin?
It is hard writing a review for Resident Evil on the GameCube because itās gameplay and graphics shine like never before. The character models are fantastic with an amazing amount of detail complete with smooth life like animation. In our opinion the characters in Resident Evil be it dead or alive are the best looking we have ever witnessed in a game to date. Whilst the games environments are still pre-rendered for the first time in the history of the Resident Evil series (bar Code Veronica which was fully 3D) the developers have introduced fantastic animation and lighting effects to the backdrops. Not only does this help make the game feel incredibly life-like, it also adds a whole new level of spookiness to the game as shadows cast eerie shapes on the walls and lighting well send you hiding under a pillow. In terms of graphics this game cannot be beaten, during the cut sequences you get a good chance of seeing the characters and enemies up close, it really is hard to distinguish them between real time and FMV animations.
How does it play?
Resident Evil on the GameCube plays like all of the previous Resident Evil games, the controls have been slightly tweaked taking advantage of the well-designed GameCube controller and the character interaction is the same as before. Unfortunately manoeuvring the character on screen is still somewhat patchy and takes a while to get use too, however it doesnāt feel as unresponsive as the previous games did.
As you all know by now Resident Evil involves running around a mansion, solving puzzles and shooting various mutated enemies from Zombies to rabid dogs. For some strange reason you get a certain amount of satisfaction after putting a few caps in a zombies head or blowing a dog to pieces from a shotgun round. Thankfully Capcom have development a whole new system for killing and defending yourself. The procedure is still the same; see a Zombie if he/she becomes a threat shoot them, however this is where the new and interesting bit comes into place. If for some reason a Zombie, Dog or anything else gets hold of you, you can launch a defence move, which involves using a Knife, Grenade of a Cattle prod. If you have collected a special knife you can stick it into their neck causing them to fall to the floor, if you have a grenade you can place it into their mouth which will then explode, lastly which has to be the most addictive method is to shock your enemies with a quick short blast on the old cattle prod.
Shut your curtains, turn the lights down and be prepared to be shocked. Resident Evil on the GameCube is a pure fright-fest, and is jam packed with new and scary sequences. If you played the original on the PSone, one of the first rooms you entered saw a dog smashing through a window, for its time this was a classic and caused many people to fill their pants. This time however Capcom have played a little trick, as you enter the same room you all know what to expect, preparing yourself for the inevitable however nothing happens just a little piece of glass smashes.
Everything has been designed to scare you, from subtle shadows that take the shape of a Zombie, to twisted and surreal sound effects. Capcom have certainly spent time watching the classic B movies to include elements from various films into the games. We could list here some of the best parts however that would merely dampen your experience.
The best just got better!
In our opinion Resident Evil was always the best game in the series, after Resident Evil 2 the game went down the route of a sci-fi flick and lost the originality of the first game. Capcom have done a superb job in bring the original game to the latest next-generation platforms, after playing this game youāll be wanting more and more. The graphics are some of the best we have ever witnessed in a game to date, the storyline has been refined giving you more information about Umbrella and STARS, the game itself is pure genius.
