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
