Resident Evil Preview

By Tom Bramwell Published 22 May, 2002

Preview - we've played the first of the GameCube Resident Evil games, and it's scarier than Mugwum

2001 was a pretty lousy year in a lot of people's eyes. Not just for gaming, but for other entertainment industries and more important matters, like the state of the planet and my credit rating. However, one of the things that stood out like a lighthouse amongst the jagged rocks and froth-topped waves of the rough sea that was the last year was Nintendo's marriage to Capcom, and the tsunami of intense relief that washed over us as Shinji Mikami delivered that fateful word: "exclusive".

Nightmare In Racoon City

'Resident Evil' Screenshot 01b

An impressive pair of hinges

Ignoring the newly announced Resident Evil Online for PlayStation 2, the series now lives on the Cube, and the first product of this extraordinary relationship is a remake of the original Biohazard, or Resident Evil to you and I. The series has now come full circle, and the Japanese copy of Biohazard we have spent the last few weeks with has left us breathless, and more than a bit scared.

Resident Evil begins as it always began, but this time takes the player through a stunning pre-rendered forest sequence, graphically quite unlike its stormy precursor. Unlike the FMV that sold the series, this introductory sequence is (hopefully) directed like the horror movie that Resident Evil has spawned. Nervous members of Bravo team search for the remnants of their colleagues' downed chopper, only to find bloody traces of their friends and a mangled wreck. Before long the question of what happened to Alpha team is answered, viciously, by a pack of ravenous, disfigured zombie hounds, which chase the surviving members of the team towards a bizarre mansion in the woods. Now it's time to meet the residents...

To say a lot of work has gone into the cinematic value of the game would be to put it mildly. This is an interactive horror movie as far as I am concerned. Playable characters Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as well as their compatriots, look human. They move like real people. Okay they are quite obviously computer-generated, but the animation and voice acting in the cutscenes which break up the gameplay paints a picture of realism. Gone is the hopeless dialogue, replaced by occasionally cheesy but often chilling exchanges between the main characters. Furthermore, the moaning and groaning of the recently deceased is enough to send a shiver down your spine, if only because an encounter could mean your last step for the evening. And how long has it been since the last save point?

Growling In The Dark

'Resident Evil' Screenshot 02b

She's not 'with' him, don't worry!

Biohazard's characters are matched in detail by a world of intricately drawn environments. The game is still using pre-rendered backdrops through which the polygonal characters waltz, and a by-product of this approach is the slide-up-and-down-the-walls control and camera system which dogs most Capcom games. Admittedly it is annoying, and it means that the characters often look quite daft running at a brick wall, but unlike Onimusha and the likes it's bearable here because the rest of the composition looks so good.

Hallways glow with the light of candles, and as the storm flashes outside pillars of light thrust Jill or Chris into the open, before plunging them back into darkness. Often these lightning strikes are enough to give you a hint of an enemy - they're not all loudmouthed zombies. The grime and sodden ground of Silent Hill 2 can take a back seat now, because Resident Evil redresses the balance for games of the scare-fest variety. The mansion is one of the most gloriously detailed constructions seen in a videogame to date, and the layout is meticulously planned for the maximum fright, with a few changes here and there to give fans of the original more than they bargained for.

Not content with that, each and every corridor and room is without repetition. Quite a feat. You have the big shiny hallway, which acts as a central hub to the rest of the house, then there is the dining room, just as shiny but illuminated further by the presence of a fireplace. Upturned chairs signal that a struggle took place here, and this is a theme of the game - the environment is crafted deliberately. You can't dismiss anything or it might come back and bite you in the ass, or impale you, which has already happened to us.

Zombie Makeover

'Resident Evil' Screenshot 03b

I've been told not to make jokes about being blown away

If you've ever wondered what a zombie looks like, Capcom has a pretty good idea. The graphics in the game never once let up in terms of quality, and from what we've seen there is no such thing as slowdown. The only problems encountered so far have been slight telltale pauses between sections of gameplay and cutscenes, which punctuate the game oddly but don't distract too much, and those (mercifully short) loading sequences disguised as door animations. Unfortunately the series has yet to escape the clutches of that particular menace…

The interface is a lovely clicky monstrosity which is actually fairly simple to operate, evidenced by our being able to use it despite a complete ignorance of the Japanese language. Swapping inventory items about is easy, and managing your life-saving herbs, watching your health status (also represented in-game by Jill or Chris taking on a growing limp) and arranging your defence items is a piece of cake.

Defence items? Far more than a simple rehash, Resident Evil in its new incarnation is distinctly different to its predecessor in a number of places. One addition which we can tell you about without spoiling the game or its storyline is defence items. Knives, grenades and other items can now be used to stop a zombie if he gets close enough to lunge for your neck. Instead of taking a chunk out of you, you can plant a huge knife in his head, throwing him off long enough for you to make your escape.

Die Horribly, And Love It

'Resident Evil' Screenshot 04b

Hint: not an ally

Beyond the audio-visual experience you may be surprised to learn that there is something of a game to play. Fighting is often the wrong answer, because zombies can get close to you and do untold damage, especially in numbers. Racing about the place avoiding bad guys is often crucial to staying on your feet and conserving those life-saving defence items for the bigger, more ruthless bad guys ahead. Strategy and fear are your allies. Running away is your friend. Being scared is your nemesis, but also half the fun. Resident Evil will frighten you, and that's a good thing.

Although much of the game and the plot remains elusive thanks to the language barrier - we've picked up vast quantities of items and documents which we can't read, for a start - we have been completely absorbed by the challenge and excitement of the game. The save structure remains, with ink ribbons used to save your progress at typewriters around the house, and because of the limited numbers available you will need to be sparing in your use of them. That means making damned sure you play it right, and if the fear of being eviscerated at any moment isn't enough, the fear of losing an hour of play to a bad decision will keep your on your toes.

With the game only a few months away from its European release in September, this one looks set to imprint itself on our bank statements. With any luck this new approach will herald the revamping of many of our favourite games. Technically the PAL conversion is shaping up very well, and from what we've heard the principle fault that afflicts many PAL games will be absent here. The only thing that some players might bemoan is the lack of the free memory card that accompanied the Japanese release. Either way, it doesn't look like this one will disappoint, and we can't wait for another excuse to play it.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 10 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Blerk #1 10 years ago

    bite you in the ass

    What?! ARSE, please - we're Europeans!

  • st3ph3n #2 10 years ago

    UK Release Date - 13th September 2002

    Disgraceful. They are treating us like 3rd Class citizens again. Roll on the import playing thing.

  • ssuellid #3 10 years ago

    "ass" - its obvious now that Mugwum has been replaced by a microsoft loving yank. ;)

  • Jeex #4 10 years ago

    What?! ARSE, please - we're Europeans!

    Mugwum'll be spelled "Mgwm" soon, inline with American's trigger-happy attitude to getting rid of letters from their words (color, aluminum, ...)

  • otto #5 10 years ago

    ARSE, please - we're Europeans!

    Hey, that's my line!

  • Gestalt #6 10 years ago

    "is it just me or does anyone else find res evil games difficult to control and incredibly boring"

    Nope, I hate them as well thanks to the lousy controls and camera. Which is why I'm not at all interested in the GameCube version.

  • linkster #7 10 years ago

    "is it just me or does anyone else find res evil games difficult to control and incredibly boring"

    Nope, I hate them as well thanks to the lousy controls and camera. Which is why I'm not at all interested in the GameCube version.

    count me in too, I bought this (on expenses) at Jap launch, and had a whole weekend of free play at my disposal before handing it over. It was in 20 minutes before being abandoned for Halo. It's utter shite.

  • ssuellid #8 10 years ago

    With Code Veronica the only time I had problems with the controls is when it got hectic. Damn frustrating dying just because you cannot get the controls to work well enough to kill things.

  • skalmanxl #9 10 years ago

    Was I the only one who played Genma Onimusha and really missed the freedom of fighting that DMC offered?

  • UncleLou #10 10 years ago

    I never liked the RE series and I utterly despise the control scheme - but this game looks so freakin' good I wanted to play it even if i had to control it with the left half of my ass...oh....arse, sorry.

    (Yes I know it has static backgrounds blablablabla, looks gorgeous nonetheless)

  • otto #11 10 years ago

    I won't touch this game with a bargepole, I mean I hear it's even scarier than Luigi's Mansion, but I will say this: it looks extremely tasty. Extremely. Tasty.

  • UncleLou #12 10 years ago

    Now if it only had some volleyball elements...

  • Blerk #13 10 years ago

    There are spiders in it, otto. :-)

  • otto #14 10 years ago

    There are spiders in it, otto. :-)

    Why can't they do a graphically stunning game called Resident Niceness with no spiders? Eh? Just for me?

  • UncleLou #15 10 years ago

    Oha..some very strange double-post occurred...creepy

    Spiders...have you seen the SHARKS?
    Edited by 1 at 22/05/02 @ 14:17

  • ssuellid #16 10 years ago

    You would think that Capcom would have sorted out the control system by now. Also Sega should have sorted out their camera problems. Do the Japanese gamers/reviewers moan about the control system?

  • otto #17 10 years ago

    Sharks?? Sharks are FINE! I *eat* sharks! They have no legs! Spiders have EIGHT!!!

    Put a shark down the back of my shirt and I will get cross and probably a bit damp. Put a spider down the back of my shirt and... well... you'll be wishing I'd worn cycle clips.

  • UncleLou #18 10 years ago

    Spinne am Morgen,
    Kummer and Sorgen,
    Spinne am Abend,
    lecker und labend.

    this means roughly:

    A Spider in the morn'
    sorrow and harm,
    a Spider at night,
    tasty - a delight!

    Not-so-famous German proverb...

  • pinhead #19 10 years ago

    The door sequences are there, not because of load times as the article suggests, but because the games director kept them in by choice for scary effect. Ooh what's behind this door.

    I think I will wait until Eternal Darkness is released, and then weigh up the preferred scary purchase from there.

  • Blerk #20 10 years ago

    The door sequences are there, not because of load times as the article suggests, but because the games director kept them in by choice for scary effect

    Ha ha ha! My arse! :-)

  • Whizzo #21 10 years ago

    What's more scary in a RE game? The monsters or having to fight them with the controls provided?

  • skalmanxl #22 10 years ago

    What's more scary in a RE game? The monsters or having to fight them with the controls provided?

    You DO know that half the challenge in a survival horror game is to actually survive the controls don't you?

  • Gestalt #23 10 years ago

    That's why I avoid them like the plague. ;)

  • binky #24 10 years ago

    Still dont like resident evil or any games like this. lousy control and those static cameras are just not for me.

    RE may well have a nice new hat on, but after havng a quick go, im still not interested.
    Bring on DoA Volleyball
    Edited by 1 at 22/05/02 @ 15:04

  • hahakid #25 10 years ago

    "but because the games director kept them in by choice for scary effect. Ooh what's behind this door. "

    Or like: "Ooh, how long is this going to take? "

  • UncleLou #26 10 years ago

    Well, I am definitely a graphics whore, and this splendour would let me forget about the control scheme for a while at least...but the question remains: why weren't they able yet to improve the controle scheme. I mean, it would already be a big plus if one could use the analogue stick...Imagine ID wouldn't allow for mouse control in DOOM3, but force you to use the kb-only control scheme like in DOOM...wait a min - maybe that's exactly what they plan to do...

    /me runs away in panic/

  • Nemesis #27 10 years ago

    Bloody Camcom. Onimusha was a good game ruined by a crappy control method, unskippable cutscenes and magic bleedin' mirrors.

    Cor don't get me started! Grrrrrrrrrr.



  • Gestalt #28 10 years ago

    "Imagine ID wouldn't allow for mouse control in DOOM3, but force you to use the kb-only control scheme like in DOOM"

    Well Doom III is starting to sound more like a first person survival horror game than an old fashioned shooter, so you never know. ;)

  • Nemesis #29 10 years ago

    ....with a BFG. Interesting Mr Bond.

  • SheepCow #30 10 years ago

    I'm 98% sure you can use your mouse in doom...

    Moving it forwards makes you walk forwards, back and you go back, left and you turn left, right and you turn right. Well wasn't that an interesting diversion...

  • otto #31 10 years ago

    "I'm 98% sure you can use your mouse in doom..."

    You could, but no-one did.

    Did they?

  • Gestalt #32 10 years ago

    Actually yes, I've played Doom with a mouse. :p This was only from a few years ago though - until Quake 2 I was a keyboard lamer.

  • Khab #33 10 years ago

    Actually yes, I've played Doom with a mouse. :p This was only from a few years ago though - until Quake 2 I was a keyboard lamer.

    WahahahahahaHAHA! I beat u with a whole game!
    I'll never forget the first time I whipped my friends harder than a pile of shite after learning about +mlook...

    I, like, rule. Erm.

  • jonty #34 10 years ago

    Put a shark down the back of my shirt and I will get cross and probably a bit damp. Put a spider down the back of my shirt and... well... you'll be wishing I'd worn cycle clips.

    but then you will have crap and a nasty little spider in your trousers with no means of escape

  • jonty #35 10 years ago

    sneeze .... sorry all