Resident Evil
GameRatio Review
GC

For those of you not familiar with the series, Resident Evil was a pioneer in gaming.  Resident Evil was the first game to popularize the genre now known as Survival Horror. In the original R.E., you were trapped in a mansion infested with bio-organic weapons, as well as general animals infected with a nasty virus. Without going too far into the story, you and an elite team called STARS are trapped in the mansion after being abandoned by your chicken pilot. It is a virtual "Night of the Living Dead' as the mansion has Zombies everywhere. The bottom line is, you either survive, or die.

After playing the original cut of R.E., I wasn't sure what to expect here. Every game in the series has become more about action, and less suspenseful than the originals. This made the series loose its survival horror feel. R.E. on NGC brought back the horror. Replacement of old enemies leaves you disoriented and with a semi-lost feeling. All of the rooms were remapped with in the mansion. The trick is to find your way through this new take on an old world. Even dog hall has been moved and adjusted. In the previous R.E. on PSX, when you walk past the windows in dog hall, an infected hound would leap through and attempt to bring you down. This time, nothing happens. It is when you return to dog hall while back tracking that you are greeted by the two Cerberus hounds.  This is one of the many alterations made to the game that brings back the horror.

Capcom's attention to environmental effects rivals those of Square Soft's Final Fantasy: Spirits Within. Walking on a dusty floor kicks up dust. There are scenes where you pass by windows and catch a faint reflection of yourself. Lighting and shadowing effects were so well programmed that you see your shadow in real time instead of the classic circle under the feet. This time, if you pass by a light, your shadow is on the side opposite the light. Shadowing even reflects your every action. If you switch weapons, the shadow will change accordingly.  If you pass between two light sources, the weaker side will display a more prominent shadow.  There is not much I can say about the audio effects, except that they are at par for modern gaming.

The original formula remains, shoot or run, but now you have more options. With the addition of defensive weapons, when your back is up against a wall, just shove a dagger in their eye. In addition to the dagger, there are the flash grenades (Chris) and stun guns (Jill).  Each of these items allows you to be grappled by a zombie, and escape without being bitten.  This really saves on life and becomes essential to surviving in heavily infested areas.

Enemy A.I. is more real than ever. The best example of this is the Cerberus Hounds.  In older versions of the game, they would run right by you and often stop to growl before attacking. This time, they are relentless. The infected Dobermans Pinchers will latch on to your arm and drag you to the ground. If you fail to shake them off in time, you are as good as dead. The dogs have a better sense of strategy as well, pouncing on you and bouncing off when a hold is not feasible. It is very rare that one of the infected mutts will take the time to growl.  Zombies as well as other creatures have now learned to navigate stairs, and will follow you to the end.

Overall, I am very pleased with this revision of a classic. It is just too bad that not all games are revised and updated to perfection like Resident Evil. I most certainly look forward to the other revisions Capcom intends for the series as well as new additions.  If you do not own a Nintendo Game Cube, Resident Evil is a major reason to.  I highly recommend this game to mature players.