Resident Evil Zero (2002)

This is a visually enhanced re-release of the 2002 GameCube prequel to the original Resident Evil 1 from the PlayStation 1 platform. The MCs this time are Rebecca and ex-military convict Billy Coen as they unravel the early horrors behind the Umbrella Corporation. Its moody, pre-rendered backdrops and haunting soundtrack create an oppressive atmosphere that fans of the series will appreciate, and the pre-rendered backgrounds were a surprise in the OG since there was a big trend at the time of not using 2D anymore, which was unfortunate since I love pre-rendered 2D backgrounds.

The gameplay sticks closely to the classic survival horror formula, with fixed camera angles, limited resources, and a focus on puzzle-solving. A standout feature is the partner system, which lets players switch between Rebecca and Billy to explore different areas, solve puzzles, and support each other in combat. And while the franchise was never shy on having multiple playable characters, this was the first entry where you could actually play them simultaneously, with a much more seamless experience, rather than with scripted events such as the previous titles.

While tank controls were the standard in the original title, the remaster does include modern control options, which helps ease the transition for newer players. The story, while serviceable, doesn’t have the same impact or depth as other entries in the series, but I do like the characters and interactions very much, they are quite charismatic. Overall, Resident Evil 0 is a faithful and atmospheric return to the roots of survival horror. It’s a solid pick for long-time fans, though its dated mechanics and pacing might be off-putting to newcomers.

After being freed for two whole games (Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes), I honestly thought I could simply go back, you know. Just... boot up this game and play it the same way I did with RE HD. Ah, the foolishness...

Because after experiencing the very definition of peak gameplay, only to be dragged back into the old, pre-RE4 gameplay style, is just... godawful. Plain horrible. I hate everything about it now: the infuriating inventory, the annoyingly slow text display, the inability to walk and aim, and - saving the absolute worst for last - those obnoxious door animations and how EVERY. SINGLE. ACTION. requires some form of loading.

When I played RE HD, I honestly thought those quirks had charm. Heck, I’d even dare say they added to the game. But now I know RE HD was only tolerable - if not good - purely because I hadn’t played any of the remakes yet. Truly, ignorance is bliss.

Now all I know is that RE 0 is all the way at the bottom of my backlog and have no idea when I’ll come back to it.

...Maybe I could buy more games because 89 backlogged games suddenly doesn't feel like its that high...

The story in this is certainly not on the same level as the other games from its time, but it's really nice to play a Resident Evil game with multiple characters where I'm not expected to play the game 2~4 times to see the whole story. I much prefer this system of two characters cooperating and being able to split up.

Also, Rebecca has weird eyes. They're somehow less creepy in Wesker mode.

They botched inventory management and did not take full advantage of the character swapping feature. Aside from that it's typical RE - goofy voice acting, dumb puzzles and bleh gunplay. I'd consider it a solid entry (there are worse games in the franchise) but I played this right after the RE1 Remake (arguably the best in the series) making this one feel especially sloppy.

My playthrough highlights:

I thought this game couldn’t be as annoying as people say, since I have enjoyed even the most controversial RE titles, but after the first couple bosses I’m feeling that it’s very frustrating to play in many ways. Item management is an absolute nightmare and is taking a borderline unacceptable amount of my playtime, especially after dying and having to deal with items again. At some point the game actually deleted a stack of ink ribbons from existence—really, of all items? The AI partner is a good idea but in practice already annoying and not adding much postive in exchange for more inventory management and possibilities for bad things to happen.

It’s a shame because I don’t mind the characters and visually it looks kind of amazing in the HD version, all things considered. Hopefully I can get over the frustration and just enjoy the good parts.

I wasn't expecting one of the best in the series, but DAMN! This game certainly carries the atmosphere that the first game has, but it fails on so many other things. No Item boxes, frustrating "carry or leave" item design, less space for items, bullet sponge enemies, nonsensical plot (timeline-wise) and unnecessary dull backtracking moments.

What's up with the story? Resident Evil always had a "b-movie" vibe going on, but this is Z-tier anime **** Also, Billy sucks as a character and Rebecca's development in this game is 100% ruined by her original appearance. And I won't even talk about the mansion. It's TOO MUCH alike Spencer's! It shouldn't exist and the game should just take place on the train/forest.

Overall, the only thing that "saves" this game is the classic feeling it packs. Bosses are good, pre-rendered graphics are nice, puzzles are solid and it gets you TENSE as hell! Very weak replay value, though. I can only recommend it for hardcore fans of the series. If you're not, stay away from it.

5/10. This is a solid entry into the Resident Evil series. This game had the potential to score higher. It's got it's very high points, but also very low points. At times you love it and get that exhilarating RE feeling and wish the game kept that standard, other times it's such a drag to play. I thought the gameplay was okay for the most part, although somehow worse than RE1 which doesn't make sense. The plot was not very engaging. The pacing was not good at all. All of the action happened in the last bit of the game. At one point I found myself hoping the game would end soon.

If you are a Resident Evil fan you must play this for the lore and history. If you happen to like these types of games, give it a try. All other gamers should stay away from this game, you won't like it. Overall, okay game. Decent entry into the series.

Read safely, spoilers are blurry. Image's descriptions may appear when you hover over images and may contain spoilers, beware.

Total time played: 11hours

Difficulty: Normal

TLDR

The remaster is cool, it brings back old memories. It feels like the real thing because it is the real thing. Mechanics are the same, the storyline is the same. The only thing that changes are visuals. And that's not enough for making me appreciate (or finish) this game.

PROS

• The atmosphere is cool, as in other R.E games.
• The sound makes everything in this game, and it's pretty well crafted. Sound effects are strong, have good fidelity and Adobe Surround adds a cool feature to this game.
• You feel like you're surviving. This has the essence of survival horror.
• 2 character control was a good innovation for this Era of gaming.
• The story and narrative are pretty cool.

CONS

• DOOR ANIMATION LOADING SCREENS HAVE GOT OLD BADLY. LIKE, BAD.
• Dying means getting back to the last save. It can be good on some games, but in this one it sucks ass (because of loading times).
• Death sequences are a pain in the ass. Between dying and respawning there's about 45 seconds of nothingness. You lose time, and patience.
• The game is a bastard. Sometimes you just face stuff you couldn't have known would happen, and then you just lose about 30 minutes (with annoying door animations) trying to get back the items or locations you needed. Fuck that.
• Player IA for the player can sometimes be really stupid, getting you to get killed and resetting your progress to the last save.
• I like the story, but I was forcing me to finish the game, because of the story. Not because I was having fun. So fuck that too.

I got to finish the laboratory chapter, and I don't think I'm touching this game again in a good while. I'll just re-read the story in GameFAQs or something. At the beginning I wanted to rush the game, but it's not feasible. Everything just goes so fucking slow. And you have to think through your every move. This game is more like playing chess than playing a good survival horror.

Pics

Beat on Normal during free trial of xbox gamepass immediately after finishing RE1. I used largely the same strategy of shooting most enemies, and knifing downed zombies whenever possible. I preferred to control Billy because of his higher health and better combat ability, and had Rebecca tag along doing nothing but holding supplies. I never got the hang of controlling both characters at the same time. I did get in trouble a few times by not properly distributing equipment; Billy mostly had weapons while Rebecca mostly had healing and ammo; not good when they had to split up. This was my biggest problem with the final boss, which I just barely managed to beat on my first try because AI controlled Rebecca was near death in "danger" with the boss after her. I was lucky to win just in time, especially given that she had ammo that I wanted to use on the boss.

I enjoyed this game just about as much as RE1 and 2. The 2 character aspect was very interesting and I liked how it was used to solve puzzles. The game has pretty much the same flaws as those games as well though the part that I disliked the most were some of the bosses. Not really because of the mechanics but because of how absurd they were; I did not like the entire concept of the leeches and the silly variety of one off giant animal bosses. RE1 had that a little bit with the snake and shark, but this game goes a little overboard with it.