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Playstation/Gaming Discussions => Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: Ryu on May 03, 2002, 11:23:06 PM
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When Resident Evil was first released on the PSX in late 1996, so few gamers knew what to expect. I remember it being the first game to teach me that I needed a memory card to advance in the game especially since I was so used to cartridge saves from the SNES days of old. I remember the feeling I got when I first found the shotgun and was nearly crushed by the cieling in the previous room. I remember the great feeling I got when I first solved the painting puzzle in the mansion so late in the game. I remember the chills that sprung up my spine when the Hunters were first introduced to the atmosphere as one of my most feared enemies. The feelings were new to me and never had I experienced such atmosphere and sound that assaulted my senses in every way.
Enter 2002 with this series of horrifying glory finally entering a whole new world of exclusitivity on a Nintendo system and a strange sense of wonder upon viewing the first videos of this remake and just how much more real and improved it was over the original. The results produced for that video were almost as much of an amazement to me as when I first saw the screenshots for Metal Gear Solid 2 close to three E3\'s ago. However, unlike MGS2 being a squel, this particular title is a recreation of the original title and it is one that far surpasses the original in almost every way.
The problem with almost is the fact that what it changes breaks even with what it doesn\'t change particularly those things which have always needed adressing. In particular, I am referring to the slow movement and controls of the characters. The analog control of the first version was non-existant on the PSX, but the analog functionality is now a mainstay of the series and in every version of Resident Evil, I have not been able to find one good use for it. It\'s sluggish, slow, and hard to adjust to. It\'s also very sensitive and tricky to use at times. The D-pad however is refined enough to be a fair alternative, but by no means is it welcome. The control scheme in general lacks any sort of depth and controls almost as if the game were on a 2D plane. After experiencing Devil May Cry, I have discovered that this control style is archaic and is in need of a serious overhaul. Fast.
Graphically, everything is changed; Character models, textures, the intros, the endings, cut scenes, rooms, it\'s all upgraded and changed and it\'s all for the greater good. The feel of the mansion remains the same, but there is enough new rooms and new areas to actually throw you off in your quest. Additionally, the items and puzzles have been entirely mixed up. No longer do the Star, Moon, Wind, and Sun crest grant you access to the outside world, but it is now instead a series of four face masks. The puzzles aren\'t all that dissimilar with just finding an item, or moving an item, or placing an item on a platform leading to new guns or a new room, or a new item. It\'s not very challenging in that regard and it still feels like the Resident Evil of old crammed full of backtracking and item hunting.
In particular, my favorite part of Resident Evil, particularly in the original, was how difficult it was. The ammo was scarce, the nk ribbons were scarce, and the enemies were tougher. In Resident Evil 2, the ammo was always plentiful and there was never a sense of fear brought on by the enemies. How can you be shocked when you have 80 shells for your super shotgun that kills four zombies at a time, afterall? Thankfully, this remake not only retains the feeling from the original, but it adds to it further endangering the player with limited ammo, all new super fast zombies, and the threat of those beautiful hunters. It\'s even improved with the scare factor thanks mostly in part to altered scenes and new scenes of zombies and dogs attacking you from all sorts of unexpected places creating a sense of uneasyness that I have missed with each Resident Evil post the original.
Another welcome change is the all new defense items which can be used by simply tapping the L button on the GC controller before getting hit by an enemy. If a zombie has you in a choke hold preparing to take a nice chunk out of your jugular, tap the L button and your character will drop a world of hurt on the zombie in one of three fashions: With Jill, she will take a stun gun to the zombie incapacitating or even killing it upon the slightest touch. Chris promptly shoves a grenade down the zombies throat if the button is pressed. If you wish, you can retreat a few steps and fire a shot at it, quickly blowing the zombies head apart. Both characters share the dagger defense item which they jab into the side of the zombies heads. The defense items are very usefule and abundant as well and they don\'t take up any excess item space on your character, which is limited to begin with. It\'s a welcome addition to the gameplay, but useless if you are fairly skilled at Resident Evil.
The sound is also well done as well with samples from the original PSX game (which was superb to begin with) and all new sound bytes for the GCN version. The voice work has been totaly redone, but it still remains campy overall. They always manage to pick the worst actors for the main characters, particularly with Jill who sounds like a second rate porn star. The side characters such as Barry Burton are a joy to listen to. He is not the same "master of unlocking" one like wonder of old. He now has emotion and flair that he lacked in the original, a welcome change I assure you. The music is classic and many themes will be familiar to you all, but some have been reworked and new ones added. Nothing sticks out in particular, but nothing was bad about it either. It\'s a decent soundtrack, but all the best tracks are remixes of the great original.
All in all, despite the game being so drastically different with so many new rooms and redone scenes, I can\'t help but shake the feeling that this is still more of the same, which if you\'ve been reading, isn\'t exactly the right direction for the series. I love classics as much as the next person, but if you\'re going to go to the trouble of completely reworking the original, address the issues that need addressing. The graphics were never a staple of the series, but the gameplay was. Limiting ammunition is one way to move, but it doesn\'t offer enough variety to the gameplay. I know this is a remake, but I guess the series never bothered me until I\'ve actually had the chance to play how it could have been with controls that are not just adequate, but also fun to work with. The Resident Evil series is a great story, but there needs to be more to it to make me continue to enjoy it. It\'s a game afterall and I just didn\'t have all that much fun playing an elongated version of that which I have already beaten almost ten times before.
It\'s hard to deal such a mediocre score to a game I have loved for a long time, but even the great improvements to the graphics aren\'t enough to make me fall in love all over again with such dated material.
Score:
6/10
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entertaining reaed as always.. but how would you rate the game for a long term nintendo fan who has never had a chance to try the series before?
i.e. someone who hasnt played the Resident Evil games before.
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6/10. The controls are problematic period. It\'s not like because you\'re new to it all will they be some type of wonder. There\'s nothing special or welcome about them, in fact, this game is just above mediocre for the story, graphics, and sound. It\'s the undesireable gameplay that bogs it down and makes me feel like saying it\'s a rental at best.
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interesting.. i guess we have a difference of opinion on this matter..
then again as it sounds the gameplay has been sped up, or at leaast lends itself to faster tsyle gameplay mechanics.. and if the controls havent been improved accordingly i could see that as a problem..
but as it were, i like the slow sluggish gameplay far more than i do Devil may Cry\'s gameplay.. and the controls are implemented very well to help you realise the helplessness of it all, and to upgrade the spook factor.. i would say making a confusing/difficult control scheme was an intention by Capcom to make the game scarier, and it worked.
then again Silent Hill managed to capture the same spookiness factor without the controls just using pure horror technique.
would the game be better (in your opinion) with Silent Hill type controls, or does it need an overall overhaul and lose the scary image and go for all out blasting like DMC?
eh, either way, its a game that if you never played, IMO you owe it to yourself to play it and see what its like..
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The way the series was headed, the natural progression was a shooter. Thankfully, this remake retains much of the original in terms of the scare factor. The series SHOULD be headed in the overall creepiness that Silent Hill demonstrates scaring the gamer not with camping pop up scenes, but with the atmosphere entirely. The atmosphere here is dark and moody and fairly creepy, but the way the players move around just feel awkward. I don\'t need it to be a shooter, but how many cops do you know that need to take two slow steps to the side to shoot someone to the right? Chances are, they just wave their arm in their direction and fire. In a game of fear and panic where the characters display their fear in the cutscenes, you\'d figure their actions would show this as well. Instead, they go from calm position, to running, to stopping, to aiming, to turning, to firing, to turning, to firing. Cops would just aim for the heads and blast away once they found out that is what kills them (a fact that is pointed to early on in this version.)
It\'s just not realistic enough to scare the player. It\'s so unrealistic in fact, I find it difficult to be drawn into the overall game.
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Thanks Ryu for the review...
...and I agree with almost everything you said...but...I loved so much the first one on my PSX...and I wanna get even this one...I\'m nostalgic...
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I think the problem is that Capcom is too lighthearted a company to make a good scary game!
How can you count on the developer of "Mega Man" and "Mickey Mouse" to make a game like that?
Yeah yeah, I know.. stupid excuse.. :)
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Resident Evil 1 is scary..
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No. Resident Evil 1 was scary, but now we know all of Capcom\'s tricks and I don\'t feel threatened in the slightest way.
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With all the excitement of the RE GC release and so far lacking a GameCube, yesterday I dusted off the original and gave it a go. It\'s been almost five years since I\'ve touched a RE game. What I discovered beyond the heavily dated graphics is thrills are still there to be had and the control scheme is an integral part of the game. Once I finally switched to the D pad the torture of just trying to get around ended and was transformed into a mini game of learning precise calculated control, conservation of steps and turning motion. I\'m positive better controls would almost completely deaden a key thrill factor of the series. Maybe Capcom lucked into having crap controls on the original but it\'s clear by leaving them pretty much ‘as is\' they thought it was a major component to the overall success of the series.
Originally posted by Ryu
Cops would just aim for the heads and blast away once they found out that is what kills them (a fact that is pointed to early on in this version.)
The same thing is shown very early in the original as well
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You misunderstand my point about the headshots, Heretic. In this version, if you don\'t burn or destroy a zombies head, he later comes back to life as some type of super zombie with damaging swiping attacks and super speed that is even faster then your own running speed. So in essence, not being able to aim properly at a slower enemy with plenty of time to spare, can really bite you in the ass in the end... Literally.
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That\'s what I get for entering a discussion about a game I haven\'t played yet, thought you meant the quick kill to save on ammo :o
Damn, another nuance of difference revealed :mad:
I like to go in fresh!;)
Eh, given the rate I\'m going, likely forget anyway by the time I get around to playing the GC version. I find the original is still good for a scare :laughing:
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Well, sorry about that, but if I merely said "You\'ll understand what I mean when you play the game," you probably wouldn\'t have bought into what I was trying to say. ;)
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For once, I have to disagree with Ryu. I for one love the control scheme that Resident Evil presents. It is slow and un-precise enough to make you worried everytime you run past a zombie. I think if they changed it in the slightest degree, it would take a lot away from the game.
I also have to disagree about it being the same old game, in a sense it is, in basic storyline. However, there is more than enough rooms and new puzzles to make it new enough to warrant another look. Not to mention, this is the true version of Resident Evil that Shinji wanted years ago. No longer are the rooms bright and colorful, they are now dim and gritty like an old mansion should be.
Still, anytime a developer takes a gamble like this and remakes a game there is going to be people who feel its the same game and are not impressed and then there are people like me, who feel it is different enough and fun enough to warrant another look by veteran RE fans and newbies alike.
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I for one love the control scheme that Resident Evil presents. It is slow and un-precise enough to make you worried everytime you run past a zombie. I think if they changed it in the slightest degree, it would take a lot away from the game.
The problem is is that I have difficulty believing in a character who cant aim, especially special forces members like the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team. Sure, it adds to the game, it may be a game staple, but I\'m getting sick of it. Sorry you don\'t share that opinion, but hey, that\'s why many reviews are written rather than just one. :)
I also have to disagree about it being the same old game, in a sense it is, in basic storyline. However, there is more than enough rooms and new puzzles to make it new enough to warrant another look. Not to mention, this is the true version of Resident Evil that Shinji wanted years ago. No longer are the rooms bright and colorful, they are now dim and gritty like an old mansion should be.
Those things are merely aesthetic. Better graphics are fine, but the older ones were fine as well and the puzzles are still the same old find item, place it here, open this door here. It\'s not all that great anymore. Maybe I\'m just a jaded RE fan (gamer?), but it\'s getting tired. I want some more variety, I want the series to evolve and introduce great change. I figured the GCN versions would bring this, sadly, it does not. Being pretty is fine, but it doesn\'t improve the formula, imo.
Still, anytime a developer takes a gamble like this and remakes a game there is going to be people who feel its the same game and are not impressed and then there are people like me, who feel it is different enough and fun enough to warrant another look by veteran RE fans and newbies alike.
No doubt. Couldn\'t agree with you more. That\'s why I said everyone should rent this game. :)
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Those things are merely aesthetic. Better graphics are fine, but the older ones were fine as well and the puzzles are still the same old find item, place it here, open this door here. It\'s not all that great anymore. Maybe I\'m just a jaded RE fan (gamer?), but it\'s getting tired. I want some more variety, I want the series to evolve and introduce great change. I figured the GCN versions would bring this, sadly, it does not. Being pretty is fine, but it doesn\'t improve the formula, imo.
Isnt the puzzles in RE games usally take this place it here open this to get this to open this? Or kill this to get this to open this to get this to open this? The puzzles are like that so if thats wut your problem is then u must have that problem with all the resident Evil games. But I agree with u that a trained S.T.A.R.S memeber should be able to aim better.(I havent played the game yet so I may disagree with u after I get it) But im sure if thats wut happens when I get it it will make the game need much more skill to get through. It sounds like a game ive been waiting for. There havent been to many games lately that had me get stuck various times throught the game. Games seem to have gotten to easy for people. DMC was a great game but some of the bosses could have been a little harder. Onimusha (1) had the easiest final bass ever. All I had to get was a secret sword and keep slashing away and it was dead in no time. FFX another great game but still ive only gotten stuck once (still stuck).
I\'m really looking foward to this game. We all have your opinions your\'s was 6/10. I can only hope I think diferently.
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Ugh, there\'s nothing worse then having everything you wrote and all of your thoughts summed up by one number, it\'s like all the people see nowadays, how can that be logical?
Isnt the puzzles in RE games usally take this place it here open this to get this to open this? Or kill this to get this to open this to get this to open this? The puzzles are like that so if thats wut your problem is then u must have that problem with all the resident Evil games.
That\'s just it, I didn\'t have the problem before, but after RE, RE2, RE Director\'s cut, RE 2 Dual Shock, RE3, RE Code: Veronica, and now RE GC, it\'s getting lame.
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Great review as that is always expected from you Ryu. Although I loved RE I found it hard for me to be excited over the game seeing how it was so dated. And I know the gamecube controll creates a huge degree of difficulty when playing the game.
And onces again thanks for the great reviews. Always honest.
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QuDDus: I just read your other thread. The GCN controller isn\'t a big hassle at all. In fact, neither is the Xbox controller. It\'s the size and shape of one\'s hands that makes the difference in these situations. I have fairly big hands and I love the GCN controller, and after a lot of playtime in RE1.. it feels great.
I enjoy the Xbox controller too, although it feels a little too bulky with some bad button location.
The GCN has this too.. that Z trigger is so annoying.
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Originally posted by Blade
QuDDus: I just read your other thread. The GCN controller isn\'t a big hassle at all. In fact, neither is the Xbox controller. It\'s the size and shape of one\'s hands that makes the difference in these situations. I have fairly big hands and I love the GCN controller, and after a lot of playtime in RE1.. it feels great.
I enjoy the Xbox controller too, although it feels a little too bulky with some bad button location.
The GCN has this too.. that Z trigger is so annoying.
True the size of hands plays a factor too, because I love the xbox controller, but with the GCN I think the analog stick are way too small. Especially when your use to playing halo switching to the controlls of bond was not easy.
And playing fighting games with the GCN controller is like playing "pin the tail on the donkey" I\'m just pressing button seeing what happens.
It\'s no clear winner I guest because I love the xbox controller and other don\'t and dislike gcn controller when others love it. And the ps2 controller gets on my nerves two. It maybe because I spend time on xbox and then I try and switch back too ps2.
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So its got the same slow control / battle system then :( the same kind that had made me never tough resident Evil CV on the PS2 again.
:(
ah well i supose ill just have to look that this from PA to chear me up
(https://psx5central.com/community/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.penny-arcade.com%2Fimages%2F2002%2F20020503l.gif&hash=c1c3ddcc4fd0a1c40ca374b3fffd4e262731a5ec)
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Super zombies that run faster than you?
That is soooo lame...
Who was the genius that decided to mess with such a classic monster?
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damn... i was hoping it would be better, my fave is re1!!!!! but though i love the resident evil series....its showing its age, and need some new ideas
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It is better, it\'s just more of the same. It is a remake, but for the 128-bit generation, it has not aged well gameplay wise.
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Ryu, if you\'re not, try switching to control scheme C. It puts the walk/run feature into one button and works really well. It doesn\'t solve the inprecise aiming thing, though. But I read something about kerosene and a lighter being able to stop the super zombies from forming.
Haven\'t tried anything like that, though, since I\'m relatively new to the series and it\'s taking me forever to figure this stuff out.
-Eik
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I knew about the kerosene thing Eik. :)
As for controller C, I always go with defaults for a review, default is usually the best way to play it, unless every button is customizable, but to be fair, even that wouldn\'t satisfy me. My complaint is about the gameplay in general, not just the poor controls.
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It WAS scary for you. But for those of us who HAVE NOT played RE, this is pretty darn scary. I\'ve jumped a few times, and I\'ve only played a little while! RE is probably a must have for those who haven\'t experienced it yet.
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I own the original on PC.. almost beat RE2 and RE3.. and I wasn\'t too frightened by the stuff in RE:R.
However, the atmosphere and the camera angles helped the game be very spooky at times. I jumped when I saw my own shadow once or twice.. that was a big addition to the game: shadowing and other lighting effects.
It\'s safe to say that the GCN version of RE1 is far more scary than the classic PSX version.