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:: Resident Evil for GCN Review |
Some of you may be aware of the 'resurrection' of "Resident Evil" onto the Nintendo GameCube. I bought my own copy, which is probably the reason I’m writing this very review.
First let me talk about the storyline of the game itself: Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) Bravo team went to investigate bizarre deaths of people in the Arclay Mountain region who seemed to have been... eaten... to death. But the Bravo Team's helicopter lost communication with the Raccoon City police department. (That’s actually the point of Resident Evil 0. You play that part of a Bravo Team member) Enter S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team. Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and the rest of the team fly over Raccoon Forest, when they find the crashed helicopter of the Bravo team. The Alpha team lands, and goes to the helicopter, which they find empty, minus the pilot whom died in the crash. They hear barking in the distance, and yelling from an Alpha Team member, who gets killed by mutated, and pissed off, dogs. Jill, Chris, and the only other remaining members run to a large mansion to seek sanctuary. Unfortunately, they don't find it... Chris runs off through the mansion to look for Kenneth. He finds him being feasted on by a zombie... And the fun begins.
This game's graphics perfectly set the mood. The graphics are detailed, the motions are fluid, and the lighting effects are so realistic, if you didn't see someone holding a controller, you'd almost think it was a live action movie. Probably the only problem with the graphics is that the graphics can get a bit too dark to see everything during play, and you are sometimes shooting at beasts that you cant even see (especially in the invisible enemy mode, but that’s not my point). However, the characters aren’t blocky like in the original PS version. They are smooth and well-rounded and the pre-rendered backgrounds are highly detailed. In a lot of games, you might see paintings on the wall that look like they were actually painted onto the wall, but in RE, the frames and painting stick out realistically from the wall, accompanied by lighting and shadows to match. Another thing: If you have a defensive dagger, you can actually see it hanging from your character’s belt (and of course, from the head of the zombie you just jabbed it into).
The controls are something many people tend to gripe about. They are much different than a lot of your traditional games, and it can get in the way when you’re trying to run from a zombie. It also takes forever just to move your character around due to this odd controller set up, and can make battles with evil virus-mutated minions even more dangerous. It takes a lot of getting used to, but things would probably get a LOT more confusing with the pre-rendered backgrounds if you had a traditional control style. The firing is a bit sluggish, and that causes more problems. Really, the biggest downfall with Resident Evil for Gamecube are the controls, but I’ve seen worse. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, anyone?
As for the game-play: Addictive. You walk through the mansion looking for better weapons, solving problems, and being weary of traps. You might shoot a zombie down, think he's dead, and walk past him only to get your leg grabbed and bitten. You play as either Chris Redfield (Big brother of Claire Redfield from Resident Evil 2, also to be released eventually on GCN), or Jill Valentine. The game is filled with collecting items, better weapons, conserving ammunition, and getting the hell scared out of you. A great game for anyone who enjoys games with more depth than "Shoot the zombie". It is a third person game, with pre-rendered backgrounds (Meaning you can't move the camera around). The camera locations are well placed most of the time, but can be extremely annoying when you know something is right next to you, but its off screen. It feels a lot like the creators were shooting for: A horror video game. Playing RE is significantly easier with Jill Valentine, as you can carry more items, and you don’t have to worry about collecting “Old Keys”. But, playing as Chris has its advantages, like not having the lighter count as an inventory item, making for easier corpse burning.
The sound of a bullet ending the long moaning groan of a zombie shuffling its way towards you is so realistic your shoulders start to tighten. The sound in Resident Evil is pretty good, although there isn’t a whole lot of music in it. Of course, this adds to the tension and mystery of “What's behind that door?!”. The biggest problem with the sound is that the voices aren’t perfectly crisp. Although I don’t know what I’m complaining about, since it’s a big improvement on any Nintendo 64 game I’ve played. The voice acting is believable and is a nice touch. You read enough text through the game as it is, and the voice gives a nice helping hand to your eyes. The dialogue is mostly realistic, although there are some parts that make you say, “…Wha?!”
This game is great for all those complainers who say GameCube is "too kiddy". And with Eternal Darkness coming in June, GameCube can be known as a system for the whole family, with little nuggets of sheer terror for the older members . But "Little Nugget" is way too small a word for this game, being the first GCN game to span two discs. For those who played the first Resident Evil for Playstation, it is a LOT different. Not only do you have the (highly) upgraded graphics, but you get more rooms, and a lot of other things too.
I suggest anyone with a GameCube get this game (Resident Evil, in case you forgot), and anyone without a GameCube play it any chance you get! It has great problem solving and common sense, and the fear adds a nice touch. So, in an eggshell, I give this game 4 out of 5 eggs. I beat this game the other day, not that you care.
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| Reviewed by Shoshi Eggshell ::
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