Resident Evil (2002)

Beat my very first Resident Evil! Was cool to finally see the origin point of so many survival horror conventions, and finally understand why people love that save room music so so much. I especially dug seeing the constant evolution of the player's relationship to the mansion, where my hard-won and comforting knowledge of each twisty hall was subverted and turned against me to keep the adrenaline flowing.

The Crimson Head system felt like a really novel way to let folks pick and choose their own safe zones, and the resource squeeze was delightfully tense in the early hours. Unfortunately, by the halfway point I was swamped with so much ammo and healing that any sense of dread sorta faded into the background. But it was still a fantastic experience, all told, and I'm glad the millennium challenge pushed me to check it out.

Now that I have beaten both Jill's and Chris's campaigns, I will say that RE1 Remake is a better game than RE1 OG, but I'm a bit more fond of the original.

Remake expands upon the West Wing in general which is great for routing. It fleshes out the shark room setpiece to actually be well paced and tense. It makes Umbrella more detestable due to the story of the Trevors. It becomes less cheeseable due to the East Wing door breaking down (though if you play your cards right by deleting every zombie on the East Wing 2F hallways, then this is a non-issue). It throws in a lot of surprises for those who played the original first. The balance gap between Jill and Chris isn't as wide.

I respect a lot of these changes wholeheartedly that I think they make Remake better than the original game. Remake is survival horror to a tee. But despite how easy the original is, I'm more likely to replay it because of how quick it is to beat compared to the remake. How straight forward it is. (And also I don't have to go into the room with the spiders even though I have the no spiders mod on, the feeling that they'd pop out still lingers. Also the lack of a no spiders mod in RE0 is the reason why I won't be playing it until then. Black Tiger in the OG is fine because I can just knock it out with 3 magnum shots). Maybe my opinion will change as I replay these games, but that is my stance for now. For now, that makes 4 out of 4 games where I prefer the original over their remakes.

In March of 1996, I went to a local video game store and began to peruse the PSX titles that were on the shelf. I was pretty young then and I only had enough money for one game, so I asked the clerk behind the counter for a recommendation. He told me a new game called Resident Evil had just come out the weekend before and if I wanted solid gameplay and a good scare, I should check it out. So that was my introduction to the Resident Evil Series.

During a Steam Summer Sale and on a whim (maybe because I recently played through RE4), I decided to pick up the Resident Evil 1 Remaster. I haven't played this game in over 20 years and the nostalgic in me decided to revisit with improved graphics and gameplay.

The Good:

Literally, everything in the game received a visual upgrade. The character models, the scenery, the cut scenes. Everything was far more appealing to look at, even if it’s dated by modern standards. In addition to better visuals, the controls were also greatly improved. They still proved to be infuriating at times, but if you've played the original version, you will appreciate the new handling. Seriously, turning Chris and Jill with the right stick in the original was sort of like waiting for your luggage to rotate on the conveyor at the airport. By then, the Zombie behind you probably already got a hit in. Despite the visual upgrades and the new control scheme, the core of the old story and the puzzles were still there. It still felt like the original game and allowed me to sip from the fountain of nostalgia for a while.

The Bad:

This game has a number of the same flaws as the original. Infuriating item management system, camera angles that leave considerable blind spots, and the changing camera angle is the worst. Nothing more frustrating (there is, I'm exaggerating a little) than holding the left stick up to make a character run forward, only to have the camera angle change so that forward is now down and up is now back, so your character spins right around and runs back the way you came. That scene with the closing walls and the statue was maddening.

The Ugly:

Zombie dogs. Introduced early and actively hid their hitboxes from the pistol. Like seriously. They ripped out my throat in ways that made the end boss wish he had four legs. Literally the only enemy in the game that killed me. I guess at least they weren't Cliff Racers.

My Resident Evil Reviews:

• Resident Evil 0
• Resident Evil 1 - Remake
• Resident Evil 2 - Remake
• Resident Evil 3 - Remake

Introduction

When I played Resident Evil Remake for the first time, I hated it. I couldn’t stand how the camera angles were fixed, how the zombies took so many bullets, how some puzzles felt so cryptic. I stopped playing the game, and didn’t play it again until a few months later. When I played it for the second time however… I still didn’t like it. I don’t believe that it was until my third time playing the game that something about it finally clicked for me. Note: I’ll be abbreviating Resident Evil Remake to REmake for brevity.

A lot of gamers tend to hyperfocus on the fluidity of a game’s gameplay. “How’s the combat, the movement, the controls?” And I think this can make the experience of going back to older titles less digestible. REmake is a 2002 GameCube game that is a remake of the 1996 PlayStation 1 game Resident Evil. Many remakes have a different and unique approach to how they reimagine a game. Some completely overhaul visual and gameplay elements, while some opt for a more “don’t fix what isn’t broken” approach; REmake goes for the latter. The camera angles remain fixed, the tank controls are still in the game (although there is an option for modernized controls), and the core gameplay is largely the same. To many modern gamers, it may still feel dated despite the many upgrades introduced in the remake. But during my third attempt where I finally beat the game, I think I ultimately realized why the game is still so special and enjoyable.

“Limitations”

First, I’d like to talk about the camera angles. Fixed cameras are somewhat of a relic rarely seen nowadays. Free cameras are often propped up as an obvious upgrade as opposed to the limited fixed camera. But with these limitations come a lot of great things. First, Resident Evil’s fixed angles are designed with intention. They are not haphazardly cobbled together. The developers carefully gave each angle a unique composition that allows players to see everything they need to see. The fixed camera angles can be used to highlight key items, or to utilize a unique perspective to make it feel like you are being watched. You might enter a room and hear an enemy, but not see it, creating tension and anxiety. The fixed angles can even allow the game to sometimes have a somewhat cinematic feel.

Fixed camera angles also force you to play more cautiously. REmake’s main location is the Spencer Mansion. It’s claustrophobic, gothic, and almost cartoonishly evil at times. It’s littered with zombies, zombie dogs, snakes, spiders, and many more monsters. In a more open environment with a free camera, you wouldn’t need to think too carefully about your movement. But Resident Evil demands thoughtful navigation. The fixed camera angles don’t show you everything. This adds to the horror, because you can’t just dash through the mansion’s narrow hallways and expect to come out unscathed. When entering a room you need to pay attention to not what you can’t see, but what you can see and what you can hear. These fixed camera angles make even simple hallways feel like an obstacle course, and ultimately the game benefits greatly from them.

Secondly, I’d like to talk about the game’s controls, that being tank controls. Earlier I mentioned that the remake also gives you the option to select more modernized movement, much more similar to modern games. Move your stick up, character goes up. Move your stick right, character goes right. All of these movements are done in respect to the camera. Due to my lack of experience, I opted for this control scheme for my playthrough instead of the original, “outdated” tank controls. I had pretty much no trouble using the modernized controls and would recommend them to anyone really struggling to adapt to tank controls. However, tank controls are far from being an inferior option.

I’ll quickly explain how tank controls work. Tank controls move your character with respect to your character. Using the d-pad (not the stick, I think d-pads work better for tank controls), if you press up on the d-pad, your character moves forward, not up. If you press down, your character moves backward, not down. Lastly, if you press left/right, your character rotates with respect to that direction. Tank controls are… an adjustment. I remember when I first started Silent Hill 2 (a game that has tank controls as the default) that when I started playing I spent about 3 minutes trying to figure out how to even control my character. I had no idea what tank controls were, and when I realized they could be turned off, I quickly switched over to modernized controls for that game too. However, I don’t think tank controls are bad. In fact, I really like them. While tank controls can be hard to get used to, it’s important to keep in mind that the game is built around them. The environments and enemy placements were designed with thought of players using tank controls. Avoiding and maneuvering around enemies is more than possible, you just need to get used to it. That being said, the game is more than playable with the modernized controls. If you are really struggling to get a hold of tank controls, you should consider switching.

Gameplay

The gameplay of REmake is quite engaging. You’re trapped in the spooky Spencer Mansion, and you need to find a way out. Hallways are littered with zombies, and progress is blocked by locks and puzzles. The game is similar to a metroidvania: You can’t progress here now, but keep this location in mind for the future. You’ll be backtracking back and forth through the mansion, figuring out which items can be used to solve certain puzzles. On its own, this isn’t anything amazing. What really brings the gameplay together is the exploration and puzzle-solving combined with thoughtfully planning navigation.

REmake is a survival horror game. Your weapons are tools, not toys. You have limited ammo, limited defense items, and limited healing items. It’s not a question of “Should I backtrack?” but rather “How should I backtrack?” and “What items do I need?” If you frequently go through one route more than another, then you need to consider if it might be worth using ammo to kill the enemies in that area. You need to keep a visual map in your mind of what rooms have enemies and which ones don’t. Every journey is a risk, and that’s what kept me so invested in the navigation of the game.

Item management is a key aspect of early Resident Evil games and a divisive one. When talking about exploration and navigation, I feel that the game can be very fun in this regard. Item management is another fantastic point of decision-making in REmake. You can’t carry every item at once; you need to consider what weapons, health items, and key items you might need. That being said, it can be frustrating or tedious going across the mansion only to realize you didn’t bring the item you needed, and therefore you need to backtrack all the way again. Horror can be powerful and overwhelming, but it is easily eroded by frustration or tedium. Overall, I consider item-management to be a great aspect of this game, but for inexperienced players, it can sometimes lead to a more frustrating experience.

Puzzles aren’t an aspect of horror games that I have ever particularly loved. In horror games, their main purpose is usually to give the players a temporary break from the more stressful aspects of the game and to manage the game’s pacing. I think that overall the game’s flow of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving is fun; however, fun can hit a snag if you get stuck. If you’re playing the game for the first time, then you won’t immediately know which items are for which puzzles. Sometimes the items you need are obvious, and sometimes I feel they aren’t. I feel that some of the game’s puzzles are a bit difficult to complete, but I’ve never been great at video game puzzles in the first place. I’m being kind of vague, so I’ll just say that some puzzles were fine, and others I didn’t care for.

Bosses are another part of the game I have mixed feelings on. I generally found the bosses in this game to be quite easy. I think the plant boss is fun, and the second encounter with Yawn is kind of memorable, but other than that I think the game’s bosses are one aspect of the remake that could have possibly benefited from some changes.

Regarding characters, the game has two playable characters: Jill and Chris. Not only do they have different abilities, but they both experience slightly different versions of the same story. Jill’s story has her working with Barry Burton to escape, while Chris’s story has him working with Rebecca Chambers. In terms of gameplay differences, Jill has eight inventory spots and lower health while Chris has six inventory slots but higher health. There are some other differences, such as Jill having a lockpick on her at all times, while Chris has the lighter on him at all times. Overall, Chris is generally considered the more difficult character option.

Story

The story is fine, but I wouldn’t consider it to be the main draw for this game. I don’t think all horror media need to have intricate plots or deep characters to be good. REmake has a simple story with simple characters and there’s nothing wrong with that. That being said, I think the premise of being trapped in a strange, spooky mansion with a variety of monsters and death traps is great.

Visuals

The visuals in this game are amazing. The developers used pre-rendered graphics (another game creation technique considered obsolete nowadays) and it paid off. Every single part is just oozing with atmosphere. The mansion is this dense, creaky maze of tight hallways. When you go outside, you can practically feel the cool dampness of the air. The aqua ring is a very small part of the game, but the water, the lighting, the music make this short area feel all the more memorable. This is easily one of the most atmospheric games I’ve played. The lack of needing to render a 3d environment led to the character and enemy models to be extremely polished as well. While pre-rendered graphics may not be used anymore nowadays, we should still give respect to artists and games that used them in the past. If you imagine an alternate timeline where Capcom decided to render the environments in 3d, the game’s visuals would probably not have aged so gracefully.

Music and Sound Design

I like the soundtrack a lot, and I think it contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the game. In addition, I think the sound design of the game is great. The moans of the zombies, the sounds of bullets crippling their decaying bodies, and the cracking shots of the guns are all fantastic.

Would I Recommend?

Overall, REmake is a horror game classic that has aged considerably well. While I might not have been a fan of it immediately, I’m glad that I kept giving it a chance. Its gameplay mechanics created a fun and engaging loop that kept me consistently invested in the experience. Its utilization of fixed camera angles, thoughtful navigation, atmosphere, music, and sound design are all excellent. If you’re a fan of horror games, I recommend giving it a chance. And, if you're a fan of survival horror games and you haven’t played REmake yet, go play it!

This game was challenging for me, my first forray into survival horror AND tank controls, but it's of course a classic and very good at what it does. I love the characters and the setup, and even if the setting is pretty simple it's done well. I don't think there's much to say that hasn't been said.

S.T.A.R.S. <3 Jill Valentine <3 Chris Redfield <3

REmake, where do I start? This is one of my top favorite games in this beloved series and as the title of this review indicates, I feel like while the label is somewhat hard to define, if I had to point to the one archetypal example for "what is a Survival Horror game," this is the game I'd choose. If someone is totally brand new to the series and asks where to start, I generally will say REmake 2, but if they're up for the more classic gameplay and style of this one, I tend to feel this is a better start. The series has since gone many different directions and pivots, some knockout hits, others rather embarrassing flops. But while it might not be my #1 favorite in the series, this is the game I think defines what Resident Evil is at its core, if any of them can. So all that said, as I said in my review of REmake 2, this is a review you should probably skip if you're seeking some balanced, unbiased, nuanced take.

While I think the more classic fixed-camera third-person style won't be for everyone, I personally love the gameplay style of these original games. By the time this game released, the studio had several prior games in the series to draw experience from. Additionally, the wider market had released many other Survival Horror variations to draw from, to the point this was perhaps the beginning of the end of the genre in this state as audiences were starting to grow tired of the format. Nonetheless, all that experience and inspiration pays off in delivering a balanced experience that hits on the important points of effective inventory management, puzzle solving, and map exploration. The gameplay loop of solving this or that puzzle to get a new key or access to a new area is very satisfying, despite its conceptual simplicity. The puzzles are a little on the simplistic side but have become emblematic (pun intended) of Survival Horror-style puzzles since with several getting Easter egged into games even today. The mansion is also still one of the best settings the series has ever featured. While the imitations haven't always been welcomed, there's a reason Capcom has repeatedly attempted to recreate the mansion incident in later games, even going as far as copy/pasting aspects of it into Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica when not directly returning to it in entries like The Umbrella Chronicles. All these elements combine to make this the best implementation of this gameplay style to date, even counting its recent revival in the indie horror scene.

I can't say enough good things about the graphics and general aesthetics of the game. While it doesn't look like it just came out by any means, the game still looks great today and every time I revisit it, I don't experience even the least "okay, time to get used to these old-ass graphics again" vibe like I do for games made even a decade later. The pre-rendered backgrounds look fantastic and the color tones are perfect for the world, setting, and tone the game is going for. Character and enemy models are a bit rougher, but not in a way that's ever hard to look at. Even if this had been a mere graphical touch-up, REmake achieves a really astounding timeless look I just love to dive into every time I come back to it.

The story of the game is...well it depends how you want to look at it. It's pretty silly in a lot of ways. While it's not quite contradictory, there are certainly some plotholes (or explanations so laughable they might as well be plotholes). There are twists to the plot that today seem pretty obvious, but I can't assess that very honestly considering I knew the whole story going into REmake after playing the original. I will at least say I was really surprised by the twists when I played the original, but I was also like nine. That said, a lot of the outlandish and over-the-top world-building and plotting I think has a certain charm that has since become a series staple, even if it's become more on-the-nose with later entries. On the other hand, somewhat uniquely, this is one of the only games in the series that is more of a "mystery" plot than a mere struggle for survival and I think that difference is potent in coloring some of the discovery and exploration elements of the game. While the ultimate goal is eventually to escape, the cast has come out to the Arklay mountains and the mansion to solve the mystery of the recent cannibalistic murders plaguing the outskirts of Raccoon City. This aspect I think is actually done quite masterfully. Even if the lore is couched within the bizarro realm of Resident Evil sci-fi, the various notes and wealth of environmental story-telling throughout all of the areas of the game offer an engrossing progression of discovery. The increasing horrors found in the cramped hallways and ruined-but-beautiful rooms add to this intrigue in a rather visceral way. While the game explores quite a few sub-plots in the mansion's history, all of the promises of the mystery setup do pay-off by the end in a satisfying way. About the only real complaint I have is that the voice-acting—while not as goofy as the original is known for being—is super wooden and makes the characters mostly come across very matter-of-fact and flat with few exceptions.

While I will probably one day review it as well, I feel I should take a moment to reflect on this title as a remake in comparison to the original. For those unfamiliar, this game remade the original in a much subtler manner than the more recent REmakes which aimed to fully reimagine the originals. This version is in many ways much the same game, but rebuilt from the ground up with much-improved visuals, "better" voice-acting, and several new areas and lore points to embellish, clarify, and add to the story and setting, without ever totally contradicting or replacing it. As far as how well it stacks up, I have to follow the general consensus that they knocked it out of the park. The greater graphical capabilities really shine with gorgeous environments that still manage to be unsettling but evocative decades later. The additions to the story flesh out a lot about the history of the mansion and early Umbrella. For the most part, it feels like they just took the original game and simply improved on it.

However, I end that last paragraph with a "for the most part," and you may have noticed my cheeky scare quotes around the "better" voice-acting. That's because while I adore this game, at times, I'm not totally sure that I like it better than the original. There's just something about the charm of the 1995 version that just gets me. Its scaled down graphics and hilariously bad voice-acting present this uncanny nightmare that scared the hell out of me as a kid. I'll leave a detailed analysis of it for the game's own review, but while I think ultimately on balance I do like REmake better, it is at least much more of a competition than even I might've expected before considering the question.

If you've followed this game's reception much at all, I doubt I've said too much you haven't heard elsewhere. While I wrote this review in part because I vowed to review all of my games I played this year and I realize how lukewarm my take on it is, I have no objection to adding to the piles of praise heaped on it. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but if you're a fan of Survival Horror in its many forms, it's at the very least worth a try. You might be just as blown away as its many fans. Even now after just doing a Halloween playthrough a couple months ago, I'm already looking forward to my next cozy night with lights off and headphones on, re-experiencing this horror masterpiece.

My other Resident Evil reviews:

• Resident Evil (1996) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 2 (1998) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 (1999) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor - ★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor 2 – Code Veronica - ★★
• Resident Evil 2 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 4 VR - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 4 Remake - ★★★★★

That's Jill's game down. I'm a little rusty so time is a touch slower than I'd expect, but overall I'm never prepared for how easy coming back to this game is—partially because I've beaten it a good 20 times now—but wow, by the end, I had literally about 15 full heals, a ludicrous pile of ammo, and only a single death to Lisa's stupid knock you off a cliff thing when I hadn't saved for a good half hour. A good 75% or so of those healing items used were really just to dump them to free up inventory space, lol. Ah well, was fun, onto Chris' game!

The pinnacle of survival horror and one of the greatest games ever made. It's been over 20 years and I still love it just as much if not more.

Survival horror gameplay is so satisfying, especially in Resident Evil Remake. When you start out you feel like a mouse trapped in a violent maze. Then you start to learn the map, figure things out, get better and make your way through. Then the replays begin. You go from fumbling your way through to attempting things like harder difficulties, speed runs, no save runs, no hit runs, etc. It is so enjoyable, rewarding and fun. If there was any game I could forget and experience all over again it would probably be this.

Every enemy encounter is meaningful because they don’t go down quickly and you have to consider the risk, limited resources, item management and backtracking. When you approach a zombie or hear one around the corner you need to stop and make a decision. Do I take it out or try to run past? Is there another way to go? How much health and/or ammo do I have? How much health and ammo is back in the item box? When am I going back to the item box? How often am I going to come back here? If I put it down will I come back and burn it so it doesn’t get back up? What do I do if I get hit? Do I have any self defence items? How much progress will I lose if I die? The game allows you to screw yourself and never holds your hand but this makes overcoming it so much sweeter. It is utterly fantastic.

Then on top of this there is enjoyable exploration through creepy, atmospheric environments that you slowly unlock your way further into. With tense action against tough, scary enemies that forces you to stand your ground or run. The weapons hit hard and can produce graphic headshots and you can die just as horrifically. And the puzzles that are just right. Nasty traps, horror, gore and jump scares. This game recipe is f**king exquisite.

The presentation is stellar. The fixed camera angles allow the developers to perfectly frame the whole game to increase the atmosphere, horror and player discomfort, and to highlight or hide things for the player. The visuals and art direction are excellent. The environments are gorgeous and detailed or dirty and gruesome when needed. The mansion is stunning and has so much atmosphere. It is my favourite video game location ever, it’s that good. The character and enemy models are great. The game is getting old now but still looks so good. Of course the audio is top notch too. The music, sound effects and ambient noises are so well done but they also knew when to have restraint and it’s all such a big part of the game's unnerving atmosphere.

I love the characters, story, lore and dialogue too. The history of the mansion, Umbrella and the experiments is fun to dive into and all the notes/diaries/documents are worth reading. Jill, Chris, Barry, Rebecca, Wesker, even poor Richard, I love them all. The famous dialogue is a joy as is the B horror movie vibe.

The only thing I can think of that is wrong is that I wish there was more of it and that we still got games like this regularly. A little bit longer, more options, more unlockables, more variety on further playthroughs. But I’m probably just being greedy, this game is near perfect. The only other issue is that the cave and laboratory areas are not as memorable as the mansion and residence for me.

It improves on everything from the original while staying true to that vision. It doesn’t really throw anything away or remix stuff too much. It just makes it better and the new additions fit in so well it’s like they were always meant to be there.

Go play this now if you've never tried it. I’m serious, I don’t care what your plans are. If you’ve never played Resident Evil Remake, fix that as soon as possible. I’m jealous that you get to experience this for the first time and wish I could again. Give it some time, you will get used to the older gameplay style and find it really works for this type of game. I hope as many people as possible enjoy this. Resident Evil Remake is how remakes should be done and how well games in general should be done.

9.7/10

Resident Evil Franchise Retrospective

With Village complete, I've finished my playthrough of the Resident Evil franchise as it exists on Steam. Jump to the bottom if you just want to see my ranking on the games overall. I have some rambling to do first.

It's been a long ride, but it had to end eventually of course. I'll definitely miss the campy dialogue, over the top villains, and of course Chris Redfield's iconic boulder-punching.

Yet it's certainly far from a perfect series. There's a number of things I probably won't miss at all. The games time and time again tried to get their plot taken seriously only for glaring holes in the plot, poor character motivation, and the silly dialogue to make it impossible.

Sometimes the absurd script worked in favor of the games, such as in the original, where the poor dialogue has become it's one of the game's highlights, adding unintentional levity when juxtaposed with a serious story about the roots of Umbrella Corp. And other times it only really served to destroy what little tension the game managed to muster up, such as Chris's baffling Pillow Pet reference in the midst of an encounter with a villain in RE6.

Regardless, I can appreciate that this is one of the longest running mainstream horror video game franchises. It outlived its peer, Silent Hill, saw the rise and fall of Dead Space, FEAR, FNaF, as well as many others, and somehow this grandad of the horror genre is still kicking around today. I think Capcom's stubbornness to not let this franchise die has paid off. We're seeing it on another upward swing now, which is refreshing after its frustrating middle era.

I threw together a little spreadsheet to give an overview of my thoughts on each of the games I played. Also decided to rank them on Gameplay, Plot/Characters, and Setting/Atmosphere in addition to the overall ranking to give a better picture of where I feel each stands. Keep reading below the spreadsheet for the Resident Evil Best to Worst Awards Ceremony, where I want to talk a little bit about some highlights and lowlights of the series.

===Resident Evil: Best to Worst Awards===

Best Game: Resident Evil 2 Remake

As you can see above, I felt that the remake of RE2 was the most consistent, enjoyable experience of all of them. There's obviously already a lot of praise for this game floating around, so I'll keep it brief. While it's not the scariest entry in the franchise or the most fun to play, it manages to be by far the most consistent. The sequence with Mr. X is surely up there with the most tense, palm sweating moments in the horror genre. Leon is a great protagonist, and experiencing his first encounter with Umbrella's bioweapon research is a joy. Claire is a strong protagonist in her own right. I found myself interested enough in her side of the story to play through the game a second time right after the first to experience it.

Worst Game: Resident Evil 0

I already talked a good deal about this in my review posted not too long ago on here, but this game was just agony to get through. It looks decent, but that's where the praise ends. The inventory system is the only truly horrific thing in this one. What little plot exists totally falls apart from some massive plotholes and the villain being totally absent throughout the majority of the game. I'd only play this if you really intend to play through the whole franchise. It has very little to offer.

Spookiest Game: Resident Evil 7

It had been a good long while since a game truly scared me to the point where I needed a break, but the atmosphere in the Baker house is truly incredible. Later on, the game loses its focus, but the first 3/4 of the game are the best the franchise has to offer when it comes to scares, atmosphere, and character development.

Biggest Slog: Resident Evil 6

I feel like it should have been a massive red flag during development that they were trying to include 4 different campaigns, each going for a starkly different tone while all aiming to progress the same central plot. By the time I finished the first I had the overall picture of the story but the game requires you to play through 3 more campaigns to really understand what is going on, and even then I still had questions left unanswered.

Favorite Protagonist: Leon

This man strikes the perfect balance between Chris's action movie hero one liners and Jill's dead serious approach to things. Really excited to see how they handle him in RE4 Remake.

Favorite Villain: Wesker

To think this dude would go from being stabbed by his own science experiment to trying to become a literal god. I have a lot of love for his ridiculous dialogue and over the top behavior. He really embodies the franchise as a whole in a way. I look forward to the next time they decide to retcon his death or announce another secret relative of his ready to pick up his life's work.

And that's that. Thanks for sticking through all this if you read it all. Here's looking forward to the remake of 4, hopefully next year.

So, time to admit that I've never played the OG Resident Evil. In fact, I actually haven't played many of the Resident Evil games at all. I played through 6 with a friend years ago, and it was pretty mediocre. I tried to play 5 when it came out but it was god awful. I played Zero as a kid, but I wasn't smart enough to get far. My stepbrother and I played Survivor on the PS1 and we both liked that a lot.

Last night I finally - since it's only 5 bucks right now - bought the REmake on the Xbox store, and...honestly...I think my viewpoint still is that it's just a very mediocre franchise in terms of gaming. Silent Hill is eons better. I'm gonna really try and get through this, but boy is it rough, and not because it's an old game that's slightly updated, but because it just isn't very good to begin with.

But who knows, maybe if I manage to suffer through enough of it it'll start to give and I'll warm up to what essentially is Scary Item Management Game.

Other games I’ve played as part of my horroresque October: Carrion, KONA, Outlast, Outlast 2, Inside

This was my very first time playing the first Resident Evil. I never tried the 1996 original (actually my only experience with the franchise before this had been RE7), and I wasn’t sure if I had left it too long before giving the REmake a go. Our gaming perception is often skewed by nostalgia, and to be quite honest, I thought this was why so many people regarded this game so highly. I was wrong. REmake is a really, really enjoyable game if you can get past a couple of things. In my case, I almost didn’t make it. The alternate controls and fixed camera angles almost became too much for me a few hours in, so much so that I was about to accept the fact that the game just wasn’t for me. It was just so frustrating trying to navigate through them - the controls in particular became infuriating during a couple of fast puzzle-solving segments. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to play the game using the original controls. But I persisted, eventually got used to both the controls and the camera, and was rewarded on the other side with a truly fun experience.

There is a lot to appreciate here, from the level design (the way all spaces are interconnected and how enjoyable the backtracking feels, especially for someone who doesn’t normally like backtracking, is incredible) to the sound design, to to the simple yet well paced story and even to some of its cheesy deliveries. But the most successful aspects in my opinion are the atmosphere and the puzzles. The first is widely responsible, along with the game’s inventory management system (though I wish arranging chest items was a bit more user-friendly), for stylising to the term ‘survival horror’. The eerie vibe they were able to achieve all those years ago is nothing short of impressive, and even though by today’s standards I’d probably label REmake a puzzle game before I’d label it a horror one, it still holds up in that category with a few truly creepy moments. The puzzles, however, are where the game truly shines. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game containing such entertaining problem-solving moments, both in quantity and quality. These are highly creative yet logical segments that bring you a true sense of accomplishment whenever you’re able to overcome them. Even admitting I wasn’t smart enough to do every single one of them by myself, the couple I had to seek help on didn’t take away from my enjoyment one bit.

This is, in broad strokes, my impression after playing the Resident Evil remake for the very first time. I can completely understand those who end up quitting the game due to controls and camera frustrations. However, for the (probably) few of you who’ve never played this game: if you’re anything like me - and as I said before I was about to do the same -, sticking with it might result in a really fun experience you won’t regret. 8.5/10 for me.

There's not many remakes that just so totally and utterly knock the original out of the water like this. I've said a lot of things in my statuses as I've made my way through the Resident Evil series, so I'll keep it short.

This game is fucking gorgeous. The prerendered backgrounds scale up super well, and the character models are extremely decent.

It plays super well. I like tank controls like a complete weirdo. But this is the peak of tank controls imo. If you don't like tank controls there's an option to have direct input which makes the game a lot less intimidating for new players. I think it's also only on the PS4/XBone versions.

It's kind spooky. Again, because the game is gorgeous and the map design is great, but also the set dressing and camera angles are just fantastic. It all combines together to create a tense atmosphere of horror.

Really great upgrade to a fantastic original game. It still maintains the B-movie goofiness of the original but with people who are slightly better at acting and a lot more polygons.

*I have more tolerance for old game jank than most people

Literally minutes away from beating the game before I realize I soft locked myself out of the magnum. 100% my fault and not bizarre/poor game design, unlike the previous game in the franchise, Code Veronica.

This has been absolutely positively one of the best remakes of any game I've ever played and the first Resident Evil to actually be more than just tense so far. It's been creepy and unsettling and even a lil spooky. The older ones were very tense at times but any actual spookiness has been lost to the march of time and progression of production value.

Excellent excellent game, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get into the series. Despite being 20 years old at this point it is still gorgeous.

Enough talk gotta finish the job.

So quick question to any folks who are more up to date with their RE games than I am. Should I skip Zero after I finish REmake and go straight to 4? REmake is the fond goodbye the classic style deserves, and I hear rather... Mixed... Things about Zero. Code Veronica was pretty controversial among the REddit crowd, you either love it or hate it and I did not like it at all, but with RE0 I hear almost overwhelmingly meh opinions about. I'd much rather just watch the cutscenes or a longplay on YouTube than end my stint with Classic RE on a sour note.

On a side note I love how you can just shove the abbreviation RE into absolutely anything.

I've dabbled in the Resident Evil series before -- I had Code Veronica on the Dreamcast (but the disc was scratched, so I think I only got about halfway), and Zero on the Gamecube (which I managed to beat, but didn't really care for). A couple years ago I played Revelations on the PS4, and quite enjoyed that. But it's high time I finally dive into the series proper, starting with the original. Well, the remake of the original. Resident Evil for the Gamecube (but on my PS4). I plan to continue through the other numbered entries in the franchise, sticking with remakes for now when I can.

It's very different talking about the first Resident Evil in 2021, than it would be to talk about it back when it released in 1996 (PS1) or 2002 (Gamecube). I can give my opinion on playing the game, but I also want to try to keep in mind how big of a deal this game would have been two decades ago.

Things I liked:

• Spooky atmosphere -- So this RE is not exactly what I'd call scary, but it still set the stage for the 3D survival horror genre as a whole. A mansion you can't escape, full of secrets and deadly monsters. It's basic stuff, but it works.
• Fixed camera views and tank controls -- Perhaps a bit controversial, but I like this setup in classic survival horror games. You're never sure what might jump out at you next. You can hear a zombie groaning off-screen, but is it lurking far away, or is it shambling toward you just outside your camera view? RE keeps you on your toes. And since items are limited (health, ammo, and saves), you can't just charge into each area like you're in a run 'n gun.
• Diaries, research files, and letters -- The first game with lore??? Probably not, but I can imagine it was the first time a lot of gamers got to experience a story being told in such a way. The plot of RE is barebones, but all the juicy 'n gory details in the files you pick up are what makes this game sing.

Things I didn't care for:

• Item management -- So this is partly on me. I played this as Chris, whose campaign I thought would probably be easier based on some wording I read. But he has only six item slots, while Jill has eight. And let me tell you. Two extra slots... absolutely would have saved me hours and hours of game time going back and forth from those damn storage boxes. The bane of my existence in this game was the item management. So many times I'd go to a place, but I don't have the thing, so I gotta go all the way back to the box to get the thing, and then I go to the place, and I soon learn I have to pick up another thing to do a puzzle, and what do you know I don't have space for the new thing, so it's all the way back to the box. (And don't forget... you have to sit through that slow door-opening animation every single time you enter a room.) So my #1 tip for all newcomers is to play as Jill first, and then play as Chris later once you actually know what you're doing for all the puzzles and where you need to go next.
• 3D Metroidvania -- I'll just say it... I hated this damn mansion, lol. More specifically, I hated having to navigate it. So many locked doors, and so many different keys. Half the game is going to a place, not being able to go further, and going to twenty other places to try to figure out what the next place is that you can actually go to. RE must have sold an ass-ton of Prima strategy guides back in the day. I might've spent a third of my playthrough just looking at the map. If I ever play the original version of RE, I'm going with the DS port so that I can have the map on that second screen at all times.
• The story -- Okay, I shouldn't be too harsh on a game as old as RE when it comes to storytelling. But man, that ending was super-anticlimactic. The characters also never clicked with me at all, probably because they have no personalities and gave such wooden performances for their dialogue. The original version of RE is perhaps in "so bad it's funny" territory, but REmake is just bad. It doesn't help that the characters basically never react to anything that happens the entire game.

Hit and miss:

• The puzzles -- I'm generally pleased with simple problem-solving segments in these sorts of games, but when it gets too point-and-click adventure-y... Yeah, I'm going to GameFAQs. And by point-and-click adventure-y, I mean ya gotta have some specific thing that doesn't really make sense to do some task that you don't even know why you need to do it and you have to use that thing in the correct way and on some exact pixel. What this often means is that I eventually am on the money, but because the game hates me the task is not successfully completed and I waste the next hour of gameplay time doing a bunch of wrong things before I give up and go to Youtube and see someone effortlessly complete the task in the way that I had been trying over an hour ago.
• The bosses -- Some are great, some are not. The part with the shark stood out most for me, but the invincible lurking hunchback zombie is a nice addition for the remake.

And that's Resident Evil. A revolutionary game for its time, but I found it a real struggle to get through nowadays. I look forward to playing more games in the franchise though, especially the more recent ones which everyone seems to really dig.

So we finished this game today, and with this experience I learned the following things:

1. I can not handle horror games

Yet anyway. I panic when confronted with a scare, so horror games are pretty much unplayable for me. I enjoyed this game from the safety of backseat gaming, so me and my boyfriend made the choices and solved the puzzles together but at the end he was the one holding the controller most of the time.

1. I fucking love Resident Evil!

This game was amazing. The puzzles were incredibly satisfying and there was zero handholding! The map system and key puzzles were also very zelda-esque, which I loved. Also even though some of the puzzles were tough, we nevee really got stuck. The game gave us just enough to go on, and not a bit more. It was perfect!

I highly recommend this game for anyone who has the slightest bit of interest in it! Zelda fans might be especially prone to like this one, since it does feel a lot like a giant (if a bit terrifying) zelda-dungeon with zombies and gross plant things and such. If you're like me, and can't play it yourself, I encourage you to find a gaming buddy to share the experience with.

Oh and I hope you like a claustrophobia inducing inventory! ;)

What can I say that hasn't already been said of the video game horror icon? Resident Evil is a series that I truly admire because it masters a genre so hard to get right in the video game medium. Survival horror is a gem when it's done right.

Now, one of my hot takes is that the original Resident Evil is not a 5-star game. It's a bit janky, and even around this game was released, it wasn't aging that well. From what I can think, the only non-remake games I would really give 5-star are 2 and 4. It's a game that I feel I can't really enjoy as a "game" because I don't have nostalgia for it and the fixed camera was never perfect in the way 2 did it.

This really does fix it though, there are slight quality-of-life improvements that really do define the art of these games. The visuals look very nice for a game made in 2002, yes this is me on a PS4, but looking at the GameCube version it looks terrific, and the lighting makes it very atmospheric.

Many people weirdly complain about this, but I love how the mansion is so confusing to navigate, you need to find different keys while different zombies chase you, and that's basically the point. The architecture is supposed to be hectic, or maybe I'm missing the entire point.

The thing is the entire reason why I love Survival Horror is the management and how you use your resources. That's why the Nemesis remake fails because it gives you too many supplies and ammo to the point where it becomes an action game. I like that you have to scatter around all of your resources, and it makes this game tension-filled and legitimately scary.

That's something not a lot of games can do, you actually feel stress-relieved by finding a safe room, and you feel like you really did earn it. Escaping the unknown is a reward, not a tedious process that bores you. And I personally love it.

9.2/10. What a game, probably my third-favorite RE. If you played the earlier games, do yourself a favor and get this game.

First off I have never played this game before, I played on a PS4 and I played it on easy (because I am a baby). The game took me a little over 12 hours and I was scared pretty much the entire time. Although the game has a slow pace you really never know whats coming. For example you could be walking down a hallway and dogs will jump through a window or you enter a room you haven't been in before and you find out it has a big boss in it. WTF! The puzzles are great and really make you think even after all these years.

Speaking of years, that is really the only problem I had with this game. the sometimes hard to read clues while doing puzzles and of course the fixed cameras. While I found the fixed cameras annoying I don't think this game would be as good without them. This game will not let you peak around a corner to see what is there to prepare yourself. No, if you want to see what is making that noise around the corner you have to go and see for yourself and face it head on.

This is a wonderful game and it has earned a spot as a game I will play every other year around October (Halloween) to scare myself. I am looking forward to playing it again because I think this game has some great replay value.

I just adore this game even with it's 20 year old flaws.