Resident Evil Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 13 September, 2002

Review - Capcom offers you that Friday the 13th feeling

Version tested: GameCube

Resident Evil. We're familiar with this, yes? A mansion on the outskirts of a messed up city, zombies crawling out of the corners and lunging for your throat, dogs leaping through windows, giant snakes, fright after fright and the constant thud, thud, thudding of your heart as the Evil grips you by the throat and chokes the fear right out of you.

Reanimated

jan01b

Down here, love

Let's start by talking about those visuals. They are, after all, one of the main reasons you'll be making another reservation. Resident Evil clutches stubbornly onto the real characters, fake backgrounds philosophy seen in the original game and the likes of Onimusha. By that I mean that Chris and Jill, all of their entourage and their mutual and significant opposition are polygon-based, beautifully designed and mostly realistic, and that the mansion they find themselves in and their environment as a whole is pre-rendered with occasional areas of animation. These can consist of flashes of light from the storm outside, dripping water, mirrors and other aspects that interact with the player or subtly complement the picture. It's a marriage that stands up to all but the toughest of conditions, and half of those are to do with game design. There are occasional issues - the main character animations are great, but the control system sees them running up against walls as though they're on a treadmill, and lightning flashes illuminate the player and cast striking shadows from every aspect of furniture, but the player him or herself still fails to cast a real-time shadow. Ultimately though, these fine points are insignificant compared to the whole. Chris and Jill both look and move in a very lifelike manner, and the mansion might as well be real - the resolution is the limiter, one feels. If ever there were to be a perfect setting for a survival horror adventure, this is it, and don't go thinking that a mansion gets boring either. Throughout the 12 or so hours it took me to polish this off with Chris, I never once got bored of my surroundings. Even playing through it again with Jill, things remained fresh and startling...

Selective amnesia

e315b

Even today, after all this time, people still make fun of the chandelier in my head

Unfortunately though, Capcom has only chosen to overhaul certain aspects of the design, and in refining those and redesigning the narrative and events that drive the frights, has neglected to address issues which, ludicrously, it even bothered to fix in the second PlayStation game. Most notably, the control system, and also the effect the puzzles and loading screens have on the suspension of disbelief. Trying to sustain a frightening environment is a tough job, but it's one arguably made impossible by a cumbersome control scheme and ill-fitting brain fodder. Although the control system maps very well to the GameCube controller, it's still a case of turning and then moving - the fact that a proper analogue system hasn't been employed here is a real concern, and one that Shinji Mikami's team is apparently quite happy to leave untouched, judging from the demo of Resident Evil 0 we recently got our hands on. Manipulating the inventory and using your weapons and the new defence items - one-time weapons which can be used to overpower zombies as they attempt to sink their teeth in - is perfectly simple, but the combination of fixed camera angles, however cinematic, and the clunky control system is a troublesome and oft frustrating one. Juggling inventory items is another annoying distraction. The game offers you two characters by means of difficulty levels, and each has a slightly different story to tell, but the most significant difference is their capacity for items. Chris can hold fewer than Jill, and it's far too much of a problem. Running back and forward across the house to stash items in deposit boxes and marshalling your supply of health and defence item may seem vaguely strategic, but in reality it's simply keeping you from the game's raison d'être, surviving the horror.

Oh the horror

e307b

The water effects are simply stunning, and the sharks are simply biting

Those of you who survived the PlayStation original will quite rightly be wondering whether or not you have much to look forward to here. After all, nice graphics a better game doth not make. Thankfully, Capcom has made enough changes to surprise even fans of the original. Your path through the mansion has changed greatly, and although you'll recognise most areas, your passage through them and the challenges you face have both altered. Indeed, Capcom has actually used your pre-existing knowledge to better toy with you! Imagine putting on your favourite horror movie and building yourself up for all the scares, only for it all to unfold in a subtly but inherently more frightening manner, and you have a good idea of how Mikami-san and co have opted to chill you. However, instead of feeding on your trepidation throughout, they do still insist on thrusting a series of tedious puzzles into the game, and you will continue to spend a lot of the time frustratedly labouring over which crests open which doors. You do have to wonder who set all this up. Do zombies take time off from brain-munching to indulge in brain-teasing every now and then? Of course, in reality none of this will cross your mind, because you'll already have found yourself distracted to the point of disbelief, and that's the game's biggest single flaw: it can lose its hold on you with greater ease than it can grasp it. Scared though you may be, it only takes one or two find-the-key hunts to bore you into submission. And if the puzzles don't do it, the load screens will. Oh yes, they're back. Although some things have been cut out, such as the "going upstairs" load screen, opening virtually every door in the mansion will present you with a little door-opening animation while the game considers what to put on the other side.

Back on track

e302b

Go on! Give Grandma a kiss!

In strict fairness to Capcom though, the problems of puzzles and controls shouldn't be allowed to overshadow the diversity and intensity of the game. The chief reason for its success is the plot, and the cinematic way it's portrayed. You quickly and easily grow attached to your characters, and because they all look so lifelike, limping when injured and striking an aggressive pose when confronted, they manage to retain your interest. The contribution of excellent voice acting shouldn't be overlooked, either. Each character has their own respective tone, manner and level of emotion, and although the dialogue is decidedly cheesy at times, it's a step forward from the lines heard in the original. Due to the high quality of the visuals, many of the game's striking cut sequences might as well be running on the game engine. From the opening cinematic though, which has been changed to an overwhelmingly scary alternative version with plenty more grit and tension, to the mid-game conversations and other key plot-twists, the story is told in a very compelling manner. It's easy to get caught up in it, and if this is your first Resident Evil game, you might want to put some cash on standby for the second and third games, which are due to see the light of day sometime in the near future on the Cube. If you think you can stomach the distractions listed above and fancy sinking your teeth into Capcom's latest, the only thing left to perhaps dissuade you is the difficulty level. One has to say that it's still pitched a bit too high, and particularly at the start it's easy to get caught out and clobbered, before having to retrace your steps over quite a distance. The save game system of collecting ribbons and recording data at type-writers remains intelligent and necessitates thoughtful saving behaviour, but at times things do seem a bit too overwhelming, and it's often quite a long way between reasonable opportunities to record your progress.

Conclusion

It may seem like an old reviewer's cop-out to say it, but Resident Evil is a game you will either love or hate. You will either love it for the new ground it breaks and the way that it's been rescripted to scare old fans anew, or you will begrudge its retreading of a tiresome and irritating path to the point that its unparalleled visuals mean virtually nothing. For me, it's a shockingly scary game which really keeps your heart pounding, besmirched by only a degree of old-hattedness. Have no fear though, Resi fans, it's still definitive.

8 / 10

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About Tom Bramwell

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

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

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Comments (120) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • otto #1 10 years ago

    Mummy I'm scared. Pass me the Monkey Billiards.

  • binky #2 10 years ago

    i really wish i could get past the thoroughly annoying control system :( coz im sure theres a great game there, but alas.... i cant.

    :ps. Has Gestalt got bored with Turok yet? Im finding it way to frustrating having to restart levels when u die. it needs checkpoints. checkpoints i tells ya!!
    Edited by binky at 13/09/02 @ 10:06

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #3 10 years ago

    I'm handling Turok, binky, and... it doesn't so much need checkpoints, as a complete redesign. I'm thoroughly disappointed by it.

  • Machiavel #4 10 years ago

    So, this or Buffy for a Friday purchase. I suppose the decision depends on whether I'll be alone tonight. Mm-hm?

    Oh.

  • Tiitiz #5 10 years ago

    Buffy is on my shopping list today for sure

  • Pirotic #6 10 years ago

    I heard it was going to feature a 60hz mode... but being a capcom game, im going to double check before i finally use that 'GAME' money off voucher i got for getting all 3 current consoles using my club-card thingy.. so... 60hz goodness ??

  • st3ph3n #7 10 years ago

    /me puts on the kettle.

    I sense 100+ comments on this.

  • binky #8 10 years ago

    o i thought Gestalt had it Mugs...

    Im still really early in, coz i really cant be assed. some of the AI is great, and it dont look too bad on xbx, but its just tooo frustrating. I think i may well have to take it back this afternoon. If u die, u just dont feel like going back and doing the whole level again. i think its coz when u DO die, it doesnt feel like ur fault.. would u agree? sorry im just looking for an excuse to go to the shops and take it back.

    Ive had Buffy for a while now Machiavel, and i must say, its quite a nice game, with or without the buffy license.

  • Machiavel #9 10 years ago

    Browsing some samples from www.gamerankings.com, Resident Evil gets fairly unanimous accord on its good and bad points, which this review accurately represents. Opinions on Buffy bounce all over the shop. I'd pick it up if the combat is as fun as some make out.

    Still a bit traumatised from Resident Evil: Nemesis where I ran around a deserted Police Station for several evenings looking for a bloody disk.

  • Blerk #10 10 years ago

    Probably get this if I ever get a Cube, but a remake's still not a good enough draw to make me go out and buy one.

    Anyone know anything about the 'all-new' survival horror franchise that Capcom is supposedly working on? Seen rumblings about it the last few days but absolutely no details. :-)

  • Gestalt #11 10 years ago

    "i thought Gestalt had it Mugs"

    For some reason we got two copies of it for PS2, so I sent one to Tom and kept one for myself.

  • binky #12 10 years ago

    bet ur wishing u hadnt kept it now?

    ;)

  • Blerk #13 10 years ago

    I'm thoroughly disappointed by it.

    Has anyone asked that guy who queued outside the shop for three months what he thinks about it? ;-)

  • Machiavel #14 10 years ago

    Get him to start queuing for the next Mario game. And make him wear dungarees.

  • Blerk #15 10 years ago

    lol! :-D

  • Nemesis #16 10 years ago

    Throughout the 12 or so hours it took me to polish this off with Chris, I never once got bored of my surroundings. Even playing through it again with Jill, things remained fresh and startling...

    I just feel this is being said simply to lure Errol into the conversation...

  • Tiitiz #17 10 years ago

    Turok was more fun tapping your feet while waiting for the game loads

  • binky #18 10 years ago

    decision made, im off to Bluewater to swap Turok for Speedball2 which leaves me beer money as well. bonus!! :))

  • FWB #19 10 years ago

    I guess I have found my game to part-exchange ISS2 (mega-uber-shite) for. I never played any of the originals I assume it will be worth my time.

  • Machiavel #20 10 years ago

    I've been trying to not think about Turok and its wad of disappointments but surely it should get an award for the Lamest Implementation Of A Shotgun Ever? Ugly, less effective than the pistol (unless you take the time to load all barrels) and one of the weakest effects shot I can recall.

    And to think of all the fun shotgun examples they could have just stolen...

    /Must stop Turok rant now. Still on weapon annoyance.

  • Kane #21 10 years ago

    I'm sure there is one burning question that needs to be answered here...will this game still scare the pants off me? Or will i be left saying been there saw that, oh big scary dogs....*yawns*,After playing the orginal on the ps1 I was rather impressed with the scare's i got (the dog's lunging through the windows gave me a heart attack i had to pause it to get my breath back lol)but the follow on games lacked 'Evil' they were just action games with puzzles and big stoopid looking monsters (still good games though i own them all)

  • Kane #22 10 years ago

    Hey Mach you have to give Turok some credit with weapons invention - the eviscerator is a classic, how many guns have you seen that completely dismember then decapitate your opponent?

  • Nemesis #23 10 years ago

    Well I'll be getting this little gem today. Can you believe I've never played any of the series? Jesus, I know I know!

  • sam_spade #24 10 years ago

    I really wish they made these games a bit better. There's only two things that annoy me: the controls and the treasure hunt aspect. I've bought almost nearly every survival horror in the hope that it will be different and they weren't - I'm hoping The Thing will cure my woes.

  • Machiavel #25 10 years ago

    "Hey Mach you have to give Turok some credit with weapons invention"

    I agree, can't fault their imagination only the implementation. I did like grabbing enemies and battering them against the walls (before succumbing to the snipers yet again...)

  • gizmo #26 10 years ago

    Oh no, its Friday.

    Any comments on conflict desert storm for the xbox anyone ? The co-op multiplayer looks pretty nice.

  • The Critic #27 10 years ago

    Gizmo,
    It is excellent.

  • Kane #28 10 years ago

    Yeah the snipers are bloody everywhere -.- Oh and am I the only guy who found the flying levels infuriatingly difficult because of the brain numbing speed and the lack of uhh...Brakes? They give a Pterodactyl twin linked chainguns and a missle pod...BUT NO BRAKES?!?!?

    *Ahem* Ok I'm finished my rant now...... *Sneaks off to plan World Domination*
    Edited by Kane at 13/09/02 @ 11:38

  • gizmo #29 10 years ago

    I don't normally make a purchase before reading a couple of reviews, but I'm feeling a bit brave! None of the hands on previews have said a bad word, and the co-op in halo gave me and my mates some of our best gaming moments full stop.

  • Kane #30 10 years ago

    Hey gizmo, if you are looking for a Turok co-op you'll be sorely dissapointed, cause there aint one -.-

  • gizmo #31 10 years ago

    sorry, that was a confusing post - I'd been asking about conflict desert storm a few posts earlier...

    I was.. ahem.. sorely off topic.

    I decided to pass on turok, because I hear after the first two jungle levels it descends into corridors and funny creatures territory. oh. dear.
    and its unfinished.

  • Doogle #32 10 years ago

    Yeah that Friday the 13th feeling at £44.95.
    £5 more than any other Gamecube title what a rip off and I still bought it.

    Guess that makes me a mug. :/

  • Machiavel #33 10 years ago

    Well I've splashed out on Buffy and Resident Evil (no sniggering please). Thanks Binky and Bradlay for your Buffy comments.

    Actually the 'word-in-the-store' is that Buffy is loads of fun so I suspect that only Resident Evil might take advantage of the 10 day period. I have an uneasy feeling that it will really disappoint me...

    Oh and Game are bunging in an official memory card for £50 - so fools me into thinking I'm getting the game as cheap as if I bought online.

  • Machiavel #34 10 years ago

    Bum holes...

    /Counts forward 10 days on calendar
    Edited by Machiavel at 13/09/02 @ 14:24

  • BradlayLaw #35 10 years ago

    Arse bum feck. Game charged me £45 for RE and £15 for the memory card. Cunts.

    In other news the Nintendo/Rare split is official now :

    Although Nintendo doesn't comment on rumors or speculation by the media, we can tell you that Nintendo has made the decision not to request Rare to make any further exclusive games for the Nintendo GameCube. Although we're proud of our joint efforts with Rare over the years and have enjoyed our relationship with them, in fiscal year 2001, Rare accounted for only 9.5% of total Nintendo software revenue worldwide. In fiscal year 2002, that number declined to 1.5%. Therefore, in evaluating our investments in developers, as well as the financial benefits to Nintendo over the years, we've decided it's in Nintendo's best interests to focus on diversifying our portfolio of developers and projects.

    Star Fox Adventures, which was jointly developed by Rare and Nintendo, will launch as scheduled on September 23rd and will remain exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo's other great franchise characters such as Donkey Kong also will remain exclusive to Nintendo.

    We have no additional details to share on this issue at this time. Be sure to check out our official website (www.nintendo.com) for the latest information as it becomes available.

  • Doogle #36 10 years ago

    Resi Evil is still in its box unopened.

    I'm still playing the demo of Battlefield 1942 - quality stuff.

    Consoles come and go but the PC still keeps plodding along turning out some absolute gems.
    Edited by Doogle at 13/09/02 @ 14:31

  • Azule #37 10 years ago

    -Bradlay Law
    A quick Resi question. Does your copy stutter between cutscene camera changes. If there is a scene with many quick camera changes it is like a horrible jerk fest. Is this common or is there a problem with my copy?

    My copy does that too. The Cube also makes a bunch of noise uncompressing it. It was probably the only thing Capcom thought would work.

  • jaa #38 10 years ago

    The Cube also makes a bunch of noise uncompressing it

    No wonder, after all the compressing Capcom must have done to squeeze the game into those tiny discs...

  • fernandoweb #39 10 years ago

    But just to confuse the "Nintendo/Rare split definite" thing, yesterday's Dow Jones business report on Yahoo! has this: http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/020912/0337000147_1.html

  • Gestalt #40 10 years ago

    Er .. yes, well done, someone else just posted that about five minutes before you. ;)

  • Pirotic #41 10 years ago

    Rare are over-rated anyway, Goldeneye and Blastcorps are great, but Diddy Kong Racing and there onslaught of platformers are all far to average. a possible update to Conker on the Xbox would be welcome as thats one of the few licences i dont think nintendo own.

  • daveo #42 10 years ago

    Conker on the xbox: People just wouldn't get the joke i.e 'What's this rude squirrel game dudes?
    Rare's recent offerings: Last good game they made was Jet Force Gemini (apart from the really hard bits). Donkey Kong 64 / Banjo Tooie were just huge platformers with loads of step retracing. I think that the size of individual levels (unless properly managed) can become too big.

    And dont even start on Elvis the alien in Perfect Dark.....
    Edited by daveo at 13/09/02 @ 17:20

  • Pirotic #43 10 years ago

    Elvis was cool, i think they realised the story was pretty weak a few levels into the game and added elvis to give the impression it wasn't taking itself to seriously, such a weak story line. single player game sucked too, except for in co-op

    Anyway better drag this back onto topic, i dont like horror movies because i jump and look like a girl (no errol, u can't have a pic) for this reason i've never purchased a single horror game, am i missing out?
    Edited by Pirotic at 13/09/02 @ 17:25

  • mal #44 10 years ago

    Missing out on Res Evil? Not in my opinion. Like some others here I hadn't played the games at all (apart from seeing someone playing the first one on a PSX) when I bought RE:CV on DC, lulled not only by the fact it had the best graphics of the series yet (also like this one) but also that it was a new adventure. I've played it only for a few days since I bought it. The control system is diabolical, the menus confusing and the loading screens frustrating.

    On the other hand, Project Zero is getting good reviews all round and doesn't seem to suffer from the same sort of problems. I'm planning on getting that if I ever get a PS2.

    Mind you, I'm probably the only person who thinks Conker is overrated unless you're a 13 year old boy.

  • Pirotic #45 10 years ago

    Nah i hated conker. got a few hours into it but only as i wanted to justify the price. didnt touch it after that, the concept is good tho and i liked some of the humour ('some' - not all).

  • daveo #46 10 years ago

    Loads of shield / key / herb related puzzles which detract horribly from the story. Control system designed to make you back away rather than run away ( that the real reason why they haven't changed the control system). Annoying save system (if you have a family and cant devote an hour at a time to playing the game). And quite scary in places. I'll still buy it...

  • daveo #47 10 years ago

    Conker had it's moments, if only to see a game so thoroughly British in it's sense of humour. But it was stupidly hard in places a v.expensive on release.

  • mal #48 10 years ago

    Humph. It's only British humour if you're a stereotypical European who thinks that it's fart gags all day long over here. We do sometimes stop for lunch, you know.

  • sam_spade #49 10 years ago

    We do sometimes stop for lunch, you know.
    I thought it was elevenses, dear chap?

  • skalmanxl #50 10 years ago

    Mummy I'm scared. Pass me the Monkey Billiards.

    Wuss, you need to spend some quality time in front of Silent Hill 2 or Project Zero instead of those furry games. Would make a man out you otto.

  • Gestalt #51 10 years ago

    "I thought it was elevenses, dear chap?"

    That too. Where do you think Tolkein got the idea for Hobbits? ;) There's breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper...

  • Nemesis #52 10 years ago

    What about 2nd breakfast?

  • skalmanxl #53 10 years ago

    And snack in between the meals...

  • hulahoops #54 10 years ago

    Skal - I notice you guessed where I worked a while ago.

    You were right.

  • skalmanxl #55 10 years ago

    You were right.

    Ah, I read about you guys in Edge, looking good.

  • Razz #56 10 years ago

    "Conker on the xbox: People just wouldn't get the joke i.e 'What's this rude squirrel game dudes?"

    A squirrel running aroun looking for 'is nutz?

    -Razz

    BTW: I'm reading the Lord of the rings books at the mo'. A HUGE chunk of the book was malicously left out of the current film version. I was looking forward to seeing Bombadil's partner er... Goldberry (Nicole Kidman maybe?). N e way lets see how "The Two Towers" fairs.
    Edited by Razz at 13/09/02 @ 20:14

  • hulahoops #57 10 years ago

    looking good

    Ta. We're almost there. People are going to be very impressed, even if I do say so myself. :)

  • Viktor #58 10 years ago

    Resident Evil is scary. Play it at night, alone, cold, struggling to survive, avoiding the zombies... and then have your wife sneak behind you, claiming she can't sleep. Some day that's going to kill me.

    It works with it's excellent presentation, although the play mechanics are starting to feel a bit old. The control option C works best, in my opinion. The game is hard, and one of the problems is that after dying the backtracking is annoying. But then again that makes it hurt more if you die -- and makes you fear death even more. That one thing makes it scarier than Eternal Darkness. And of course the fact that it's the most beautiful console game, after Mario Sunshine, at least.

    On that related note, Mario Sunshine PAL is 60hz! Very happy with the European conversion.
    Edited by Viktor at 14/09/02 @ 00:43

  • Bill Gates is Evil #59 10 years ago

    "And of course the fact that it's the most beautiful console game, after Mario Sunshine, at least."

    Eeek, must not play many games outside of the Nintendo realm huh? Mario Sunshine = Beautiful? I just had a flashback to 1997.

  • beep #60 10 years ago

    Pirotic, Resident Evil GCN does indeed include a 60Hz option. Even the 50Hz mode is very un-Capcom like, as it is full screen, but unfortunately distinctly slower. This sluggishness amplifies any perceived control issues, so don't play this game in 50Hz!!!

  • Khab #61 10 years ago

    Well, I'd played probably a full 70 seconds before I REALLY got annoyed with the control system. I must've been in denial... anyway, I'll give it some more time, but I'm expecting this one to go back to GAME on monday or so.
    In sum: it's very, very, pretty, but the camera and controls really, really, suck. A lot. :)

    I'm hoping for the rest of 'em, though, if the controls ever get re-hashed - Capcom might be afraid of making loyalist fans mad if they change the control scheme, but what in the world are stopping them from providing us non-fanatics with a proper ALTERNATIVE? Eh?

  • DaM #62 10 years ago

    Nobody except the developers who can't seem to let them go!

  • hulahoops #63 10 years ago

    Is there anyone who liked the controls of RE

    I read an interesting opinion somewhere, IGN, I think, whereas basically the game would lose a lot of the scare factor without the current controls, simply because they're unintuitive, which disorientates the player, adding to the notion that duress.

    Sounds odd, I know, but it's an interesting way to look at it, and was enough to make me consider buying the game to give the system another chance.

    There has to be SOME reason Capcom chose the system..

  • beep #64 10 years ago

    I think Capcom chose the "Resident Evil" control scheme because of the static camera angles. So when the angle does change, the character is always moving in the correct direction. having a 'relative to screen' control scheme could result in running away from a zombie, having a camera change, and running back into the zombie, if that makes any sense.

  • Viktor #65 10 years ago

    The control system reminds me of a nightmare, where you never are just fast enough to escape, to turn, to squirm free, to reach safety...

    And it fits the game perfectly. But do try option "C", really, it's a different world, even if it's slow. No tredmills anymore, just sweet walk/run toggle with the trigger used for forward movement.

  • [Alt][F4] #66 10 years ago

    Disclaimer: Anyone who doesn't follow the OTFM chapters, please page down once or twice and save yourself the headache of trying to figure it out..I promise you won't miss any facts.

    "Has anyone asked that guy who queued outside the shop for three months what he thinks about it? ;-)"

    (Man, am I hoping that you are talking about me. Been awhile since I've flamed anyone. And unlike Uncle Bill little minions, cube owners wouldn't needlessly wait in front of a store if the product wasn't there yet, but go straight for the heart and set up tents in front of Capcom ;) Which reminds me, whoever stole my Jill figurine from last time, I'll find you eventually. More on that later however..)
    To be honest, I wasn't planning on commenting. I've already gave my overall rating for it somewhere in the Mafia section, but since some of you feel the thread would be incomplete otherwise; :)

    Hmm, 8..
    First thing first, gotta think of a way to bash xbox camp, but at the same time try to make those few members who are on the verge of coming over to realize this game is worth checking out.
    Wait a minute. Didn't craptastic Halo get 8 as well ?! You're saying this game, overall, is just as pathetic as Halo ?
    (and here you thought that arguement would finally die..)
    Oh yeah,
    "Get him to start queuing for the next Mario game. And make him wear dungarees."
    since I've started with steping on others early, how does one assume I would wait in line for SMS buffles me greatly, since it has nothing to do with survival-horror games. I guess that's the best you could come up with to get back at us poor RE fans because of your incompetence for not being able to locate the "bloody disk" for several(?!) evenings (you know who you are, I'm too lazy to scroll down again and check the id). I could recommend practicing "would you like fries with that?" line, but that would be too harsh, so I won't.. if you didn't get that last part, it's ok. Pat yourself on the back and grab a cookie anyway.
    Or were you indeed the clerk in the store during that fatefull morning? :) Johnny ? Johnny-Boy ? Didn't I apologize over the phone already for beating you repeatedly with that long stick after your shaking hands dropped the change on the floor, making me lose precious seconds of my time ? Besides, I wasn't totally heartless; I did let you keep that change. (Very well, so you passed out on top of the coins and I wasted enough time already and was too exhausted to move you.) To tell you the truth you had that coming the moment you used that salesman line on me. You know the one, we all heard it: "This is a fantastic game, /Clerk looks down at the box for a split second and somewhat catches the title/ ,yes, you will definitely find it worth the purchase". ..Really, you don't say. #$%&!
    It was something along the `Residual Eve` this time around if my memory serves me right.
    I shiver when I try to imagine what might happen when one of our younger members of community, or worse yet, one of our significant others, will decide to give `beach spikers` a go and purchase it there.
    Yeah... and there we thought I was hard on him because of the stick beating.
    It makes me wonder. Do you people(and this is for anyone who is in this line of work) actually practise that line in front of the mirror everyday because the manager tells you it's in your job description ? Does it make a difference, really ? especially if the customer is waiting outside for.. what was it, 3 months blerk ? and what on earth were YOU doing there, timing me ? Good releases on the xbox that slim eh ? ;) It would seem you and your bunch are reduced to bums who squatter outside electronic shops, just so you can catch a glimpse of greatness in the eyes of the other two groups when they are eagerly heading home with their new games. At least when we're blocking the entrance, we know we're getting something that's worth waiting for :)
    By the way, this time around(RE0) we're renting a chopper and trying to hijack the shipment. God knows those delivery boys propably get payed by the hour the way they drive.
    So shop keepers everywhere might as well be spared. Don't need to worry, you can stop biting nails and get back to work.
    Then again, my memory card is almost full.. ;)
    This concludes the second chapter in the ever expanding "On That Fearfull Morning" mythos. Everyone do thank blerk for reminding me. Stay tuned for the followup in the coming weeks(Eternall Darkness Review?) to find out the ruthless mastermind behind the figurine kidnapping (inside job?!) and another pile of plot twists which can't be explained even if I try so at gun point. Hopefully I'll be able to find some time too. Been away for a few days, just came back yesterday. I know it's sunday and this is abit late, but saturday has been.. unexpectably busy.(none of us know how to fly a chopper so we've been asking around :) )

    Moral of the story ? When you're trying to come up with bs or be a bitch putting someone down, at least do it so it shows a hint of intellect.
    Oh, don't take it personally.
    Some of us when we get a chance just let ourselves go sometimes.

    --------------------------------------------
    Alrighty. There, now that I'm done with that.
    8/10 is a fair rating, I have yet to disagree greatly with Magwum's reviews, and unlike Xbox fanboys, we at the happy N camp respect others opinion, especially when a game gets an 8; a rather positive score.(ok done with the console bs) I'm abit dissapointed Gestalt wasn't taking care of RE; I was half expecting to go out on the streets with you know what ;), well, or at least trying to find if I guessed what score he would give. On the other hand, Magwum seems to be the one who reviewed the late Nemesis & X, and the brilliant SH2, giving anyone who played them a kind of referance point and clearly is a better choice as a reviewer in this case. Since the entries are by the same person, I can agree with the 8 and that the REmake doesn't quite reach that blissfull place that the latest Silent Hill basks in, althought it does come close, approaches the limit so to speak, and in my opinion that is something no RE game has ever done before since Konami debut into survival-horror genre. Needless to say, I was still very impressed by it. I'm not going to bother praising it endlessly for its spectacular graphics, sounds or the attention to detail. To play hide and seek with Yawn in the library, to realize that this itembox room isn't as safe as you thought it would be, and that the door near you just opened and closed leaving you hearing only your very own heart beat interchanging with continious shuffling noises growing ever so closer behind that wall you just came across (take a breath here if you were reading this out loud :p), coupled with the realization that it's not your everyday zombie who decided to wonder in this time..well, that gotta be experienced first hand to appreciate. Of course, just like in any game which relies heavily on horror atmosphere, you gotta want to be scared. Play this game alone. Play this game at night, when your family members sleep. You have no idea how much you're going to miss if you forfeit that the first time through. It's just that good, and not one of those games where you know you gotta go in half an hour to pick up the kids and every 5 minutes your wife screams at you from another room not to forget. So there.

    Now for the shorcomings..slight ones mind you(after all, this is a solid 8), neverthless they're there. The most obvious one is the replayability; not that this particular game is really short, but simply shares something that pretty much all story driven games suffer from. Keep in mind though, that while rpg games usually can take close to 40 hours to see most things(worth seeing), survival games can barely achieve half of that period the first time you go through them. Would it kill Capcom to actually reshuffle the monsters location each time you start with either character the second or third time around ? Or at least do it so that the two scenerios use that idea, and not having 99% of the critters in the exacly same spots. (and unless you have a photographic memory or are playing Jill scenerio right after, you won't even notice the change, so don't get your hopes up in case you think that 1% might be something worth mentioning). New costumes just don't do it for me personally either. Not all is bad. It is easily worth and recommended playing different characters mind you, since we see abit different twists on the storyline, one just expects (hoped) the idea of placing enemies in other spots would have been tossed around the offices more enthusiastically. I realize that there are tons of places which are so nicely done that you don't want anything to be changed, but then there are many other instances where a change the second time around would greatly benefited the game as a whole.
    Different endings might prolong its longetivity you say ? Not unless you think having another S.T.A.R.S. member sitting next to you during the ending sequence is worth writing home about. Oh yeah, they are too tired to talk to each other as well, just in case you were hoping for a conversation. Next on the list are the puzzles, or more accurately put, tasks. I have yet to see a survival-horror game which in this category doesn't come of as a poor attempt of what good pc adventure games have been doing for past decades. Someone could say that the reason behind this is that when a gamer is stuck on a puzzle, the whole terror atmosphere subsides. Partially agree. There are faq pages on the net, tell those people to use them. On another hand, if they still have trouble with item hunting on the screen, God forbid designers might throw something which requires the use of our cognitive faculties this time around. (Now that I think about it, Sh2 had some good ideas, or it might be just nostalgia talking.)
    Getting a move on, when it comes to the number of inventory items, I'd suggest playing Jill first, just so when you start the other episode you know what's gonna go down. That way you can prepare better with some kind of an idea what to take out of the chest. The whole point of not being able to drop/carry limited amount of items does revolves around the fact that you are propably going to be revising the safe itembox rooms quite often(especially if you're a newcomer to the series), so that each time you're going to come back, you bet your useless knife there is something waiting on the way to take a bite out of you. And in that instance, the name of the game pretty much becomes whether you have enough ammo to take at least one of them and somehow make it past the others.
    Ack! Wait right there, before I lose what remaining few of you are still with me, I'm talking here about the mode which you don't even start with and one that gets enabled later on. (and in my opinion is the most rewarding one and should have been available from the beginning. That and the suicidal freak strapped with explosives who chases you around the place. Playing Biohazard game with 2 different full loaded shotguns, magnum and so many herbs you don't bother to pick em up anymore is just not the same). So at the very start we have an easy and medium difficulty options, which are self explonatory. I think on easy they can bite you left and right, and you still can pass to the other side of the hallway attached with them on your sides. Allright, it might not be quite that easy, but for God's sake, from what I hear they let you use enabled auto targeting option and greatly increase the number of health packs/ammo/saves.
    If you still have problems on that setting..
    So don't worry about all that ammo conservation and hugging every bullet; while that hits you like a battering ram when you're man enough to playing on the `REAL survival` (hehehe.. ok, that was lame), drops you subtle hints during the `climbing` level, it is pretty much absent on the lowest one.
    Hence, on this one we can all hold hands together while skipping gently through the mansion and whistling that Pikmin tune. Sad part is the undead will propably join in.
    (and if you bought that I want to start talking money related business with you friend ;) ).
    Speaking just shortly of the now age old `not scared of zombies anymore` dilemma, start with wasting a few of them, play for 30 minutes or so and then get back to me.
    I'm a bit dissapointed with that "Crimson Head" name btw. Come on now, that's the best they could come up with ? Before we had a nice mix that borders on the verge of scientific/mythological call names, and now this? Hell, even simple `Truly Reborn` could have suited better. (I know this is a laughable con to list for a game, but for some reason it creeps up eventually everytime I think back to my experiences with this title). I also would prefer to have the whole inventory/map windows run in real time(since I'm already really picking on stuff) and not disturb the passage of time. Make them look just like they are now, but so that the game doesn't stop when we're in the process of using one or the other and make them slightly transparent so that they don't totally obscure the game. For the obvious reasons you're going to be refering to them alot, and knowing that there is no way anything or anyone can sneak up on you when you're checking on stuff is abit distructive on the whole persistent horror mood idea.(You'd still have start/pause menu if you needed it badly).
    Hmm.. yeah, that's pretty much all before I get to..Ah, there are slowdowns during the ingame cinematics like some mentioned, but nothing major that would spoil the fun.
    Another thing. I know I've been focusing mainly on the negatives, and that in turn might seem to some like I think the game was a waste of time. As the overall score would suggest, nothing is more farther from the truth. If you need some more positive feedback you know where to look.
    There.
    I have purposely left out any control scheme comments 'till the very end. If you're like me, and don't seem to mind it or either got used to it, then it's a no brainer. If you're one of the people who were never forthcoming toward it, well, all I can say there has been slight changes(control type C), and while I'd think that would be enough, alas, one should never underestimate the stubbornes of some people. However, if you think this one is plainly unplayable, don't even get your hopes up for Zero. Not only will you have to put up with this control scheme, but it seems there will be moments where you're going to have to take control of both characters simuntaneously, to a limited degree.
    (The abilities of the c stick, which now serves as only a fast 180 degrees turn, would seem to be getting much more needed attention.)
    Needless to say, the control mechanics are not going to become `easier` anytime soon.
    The harsh bottom line being, either give it a try, or keep moving.

    ps. Since I didn't see this in the News section(I propably missed it, but just in case), Capcom has decided to push back the releases for 2 & 3 and jacked up the price, which hopefully signifies they're going to be more then just simple ports afterall. Oh, and the new RE0 trailer (~20megs) seems to be out if anyone's interested, think planetgamecube had a link to it.

    edit;
    Edited by [Alt][F4] at 15/09/02 @ 08:48

  • otto #67 10 years ago

    er... o_O?

  • skalmanxl #68 10 years ago

    Jeebus...

  • sam_spade #69 10 years ago

    *cough**cough*
    Morning gents.

    /flicks kettle on
    Tea?.....OMFGWTHIT

    (backs away slowly)

    Edited by sam_spade at 15/09/02 @ 10:25

  • sam_spade #70 10 years ago

    No, I went to bed in the end.

    Apparently, playing UT2003 in a room where someone is trying to get some sleep is not approved of.

    But I did try out Raupers run command trick and that gets me on the server. I will be there this afternoon, if anyone wants target practice.

  • Doogle #71 10 years ago

    Wow that is some large amounts of text above.

    My head hurts

  • Pirotic #72 10 years ago

    Well i decided to go give Resident Evil a try, its very cool, but i used my last save-ribbon and now seem to be a bit stuck, one thing i really dislike is the combat, why not include a lock-on option such as in Zelda. i try to shoot there heads off but even the aim up/down function isnt analog which just complicates things even more... or is this just me ?

  • brutal #73 10 years ago

    "They had the same control system"

    It was poor 5 years ago, but it could be forgiven as it was groundbreaking at the time.. Things have moved along since then and I want better - damnit.

    For example, the camera angles used in silent hill are far more effective at "accentuating the mood".

    I've heard many good things about eternal darkness too. New innovative ideas that the resi series ran out of over 5 years ago.

    This isn't a fanboy debate - grow up and stop trying to make it one.

  • Gestalt #74 10 years ago

    "The whole point of the camera angles is to accentuate the mood"

    Which is all well and good, until it gets in the way of the gameplay. Ditto the controls. Those two issues are enough to put me off playing Resident Evil.

  • sam_spade #75 10 years ago

    Mood isn't something that affects gameplay, games such as:

    Medal of Honor
    ICO
    MGS2
    JKII
    AVP I/II

    All have a great mood and all use fairly standard control systems and camera work, some are even FPSs.

    Saying the control system and camera angle accentuate the mood is like saying Ring is a scarier film viewed through the fabric of a pillow or by sitting behind a sofa.

    Capcom are just too lazy to fix it, plain and simple. And if they did fix it they would have definite purchase right here.

  • sam_spade #76 10 years ago

    You can't compare the controls and camera-work of a FPS to a 3rd person action game with static camera angles.

    Some FPS games are scary, some are not. Counter-strike is not scary; AvP2 is scary. What is the difference between the two? Mood. The controls are the same - it's only atmosphere that changes; hence my comparison.

    Metal Gear Solid 2 and Ico aren't meant to be scary

    They may not be scary but they have a distinctive mood. Ico's is isolation, MGS2 is predominantly sneaky. Resident Evil's is frustration at the controls.

    Resident Evil : Code Veronica has the same stupid control system. That's why I took it back. It's time for a change - Capcom aren't going to alienate the gaming populace by making the control system easier to use.

  • beep #77 10 years ago

    What is the big deal with Resident Evil's control scheme? Like any game, it is up to the user to master the controls, and if the user still sucks at the game, that is their own fault. Resident Evil has a very simple control scheme, which aside from maybe some collision issues, does exactly what it is supposed to do (ie, you press up to go forward, left to turn left, etc, etc).

    Just think of the control in Resident Evil as if you are controlling an RC racer.

  • gizmo #78 10 years ago

    reminds me of the 80's big trak. forward 20, rotate right 45, forward 10, rotate left 90, Hit the wall, wheels spinning, reverse 20. Dump. correct.

  • Gestalt #79 10 years ago

    *sniffs* Ah, I remember those. Whatever happened to them?

  • gizmo #80 10 years ago

    Mine met a terrible fate, after failing to deliver my coke correctly AGAIN for the nth time. An early demonstration of my soon to be legendary rages of anger at all things technical. Latest victim was, unfortunately, a laptop. LCD screens make lovely patterns though, when smashed.

  • Pirotic #81 10 years ago

    tempers and computers dont mix, infact i think playing so many games has taught me some pretty good temper management, getting stressed at cheating AI has probably still taken a good 5 years off my life-span tho, thanks mario kart!

  • daveo #82 10 years ago

    RE and Big Trak both of insisted that you stop moving in order to fire your gun (unless you're in the cut scenes). Although I think Big Trak made a better noise.
    BTW, Anyone remember StarBird which made climbing and diving noises depending which was it was tilted?

  • gizmo #83 10 years ago

    Daveo - lol

    I wanted that but 'wasn't allowed'

  • daveo #84 10 years ago

    My little brother had Big Trak, I think I lost a whole summer to it... The boy across the road had Starbird (and every other toy, b*stard, including Total Control Racing TCR!)
    If anyone is lost try http://scv.bu.edu/~ejones/BigTrak/images.html

  • otto #85 10 years ago

    I *so* wanted a Big Trak...

    Had to make do with 'quality' Tonka toys instead... :p

  • hulahoops #86 10 years ago

    Otto - I might have known! You're such a Tonka type.

    And I suppose you had Meccano rather than Lego?

  • otto #87 10 years ago

    Meccano? Pah! Märklin, my boy - Meccano for the l33t! :)

  • gizmo #88 10 years ago

    Theres always one isn't there.. my cousin had big trak, TCR, tin can alley, replica handguns, AM CB radio + walkie talkie (b*stard), a margarine tub of mercury, a playhouse in the garden. AND now has a top secret job at the MOD tracking hackers, which he wont tell me about.

    Always hated the s*it

  • hulahoops #89 10 years ago

    Märklin, my boy

    My god, it's worse than I thought...

  • Nemesis #90 10 years ago

    In life you will always have a friend who owned the whole Star Wars stuff.

    ....and there was me with a Chewbacca missing 1/2 a leg. When they named that wookiee 'Chewie' how was I to know my stupid dog would take it literally.

    Still, older, wiser, more money now! Jesus, no-one go near the WB store in Bluewater, the cel pictures in there........tempting. G/friend had to drag me out of there Sunday, but not before I got me Berty Bott beans! Oh yay!

  • daveo #91 10 years ago

    Just to close this discussion about reseident evil I saw a re-release of tin can alley in John Lewis the other day. Fired plastic coke cans about five feet into the air and onto unsuspecting shoppers. Fantastic...

    Ben Any self respecting parent (who hangs around the John Lewis in Kingston Toy dept, see above) knows that stickle brick are still available, and as much fun as ever.

  • Nemesis #92 10 years ago

    Ben these aren't the toys you're looking for.

    Sticklebricks suck, basically. You just end up making either cubes/cubiods or big f..koff towers that never stay up.

  • Blerk #93 10 years ago

    Stickle-Bricks and Lego are two toys which can reduce a grown man to tears just by accidentally stepping on a piece when making your way to the bog in the middle of the night. Duplo is just about survivable without making a noise and Mechano doesn't stick up enough. But you haven't really known pain until you've had to remove a small red-plastic brick from your heel at two in the morning without waking everyone else up.

  • otto #94 10 years ago

    lol, Blerk I share your pain. Lego/Meccano/Märklin, really there's no need for any other toy (or so I tell my sprog - who last week finally worked out how to fix two lego bricks together WOOHOO she's a genius, it's hereditary). Word of warning though, don't let the young son of visiting friends of your parents near your Märklin set or he might nick the longest 32-hole piece, the one that's vital in all your most complicated construction projects, and tie some string to it to make a bow and arrow, bend it out of shape, then leave it in the garden to rust. Little sod.

  • Nemesis #95 10 years ago

    Nem walking down to loo at 2am one time.

    /slide of foot/

    That's odd.

    Lights on.

    Retina burn.

    Glance down.

    Oh it was a slug

    Yik Yik Yik. It. Splatted. Between. My. Toes. Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

    There are worse things than Lego you can step on.

  • Blerk #96 10 years ago

    Heh heh - I feel your pain, Nem. One of our student houses way back when had the 'amazing materialising slugs' phenomenon associated with it. Where did they come from? How did they get there? Why did they only appear directly in your path when it was dark and you weren't wearing any shoes?

    And otto - I'm obviously missing out. What's Märklin?

  • otto #97 10 years ago

    Nem - outside loo??

  • otto #98 10 years ago

    Blerk - Märklin is the German meccano, and being German (and Schwäbisch to boot) it is of course superior in every way... ;)

    Tried to find a link but they seem to have dropped the other stuff to specialise in model railways (they're also the German equivalent of Hornby).

  • Blerk #99 10 years ago

    outside loo??

    Not necessarily. Our aforementioned student house used to get slugs inside!

  • otto #100 10 years ago

    Slugs inside?!?! *shudder*

    All you need to know about Märklin - assuming you read German... Apparently (I didn't know this) they used to be importers for Meccano on the continent up until WW1 after which they started making their own stuff.

  • Blerk #101 10 years ago

    Slugs inside?!?! *shudder*

    You betcha. Luckily we didn't see them any more after the mice moved in.

  • Gestalt #102 10 years ago

    I'm not sure if that's any better. ;) And I thought I had it bad with the spiders...

  • DocX #103 10 years ago

    Ha, try squirrels in your eaves, scurrying around and scratching above your bedroom ceiling at 4 in the bloody morning.

  • gizmo #104 10 years ago

    Give me slugs over spiders any day. I have a phobia with them. The most modest sized spider can make me leap 6ft in the air, and run squealing like a child.

    So think how I felt last week when one of the biggest EVER crawled onto my head, whilst watching a film. And twenty minutes later, his brother crawled onto my arm.

    I've only just started sleeping again.

    Docx - is it me, or do squirrels wear clogs?
    Edited by gizmo at 18/09/02 @ 10:47

  • Moonbender #105 10 years ago

    Where the hell do you guys live? Cottages in the woods? o_O

  • Blerk #106 10 years ago

    My own particular 'slugs n' rodents' hovel was slap-bang in the middle of Sheffield. Didn't count as woodland last time I checked. :-)

  • otto #107 10 years ago

    Are we talking about spiders again??

    Mind you it is a survival horror thread

  • Nemesis #108 10 years ago

    Inside loo, fields behind us. Wildlife invasion! Ahhhhhhh the joys of salt!

    Slugs and spiders and woodlice are generally the norm and they are ok, cos u can catch 'em. I sat watching the TV once, saw movement from behind a cabinet, and out came a mouse. As I previously remarked, they are the most intelligent and most difficult thing I've even tried to catch in my life. It look two of us in a 10m square room about 4 hours to get 'im. He'd climb bookcases, walls, get into corners, he was a g1t. We'd got him cornered and had the saucepans ready to trap him and he dashed out, I jumped like a girl, and he got away again.

    Mice. Fast bastards.

    Still, I've moved since and thankfully left all that behind.

  • otto #109 10 years ago

    My mum goes out slug-hunting every evening with a stanley knife. Me, I just use slug pellets - when it comes to slugs, my pretensions to an organic garden bite the topsoil. I use chemical warfare. It's the only language they understand.

  • gizmo #110 10 years ago

    I don't know which is worse, slugs, or the mess they leave after contact with the pellets. Reminds me of ghostbusters.

  • Nemesis #111 10 years ago

    Salt Otto, directly onto them.

    I'm meeeeeeeeeeeeelting.

    It's the only way.

    Although, I must admit, I'd hate to be a slug in the garden when Ma Otto came out doing her 'natural selection' routine. Question is, does she just do a single middle slice, a lengthways split or a chef-cutting-cucumber number.

  • otto #112 10 years ago

    One swift slice to the middle. Not that I watch too closely, it can get messy.

    Reminds me of ghostbusters - lol - true! What's left of the slug afterwards is rock hard and is ideal for skimming across ponds or chucking at cats who are rolling around on your catmint. You have to watch out though that small children don't try to eat them.

  • Moonbender #113 10 years ago

    I'm meeeeeeeeeeeeelting.

    That reminds me of: We're meeeeeeeelting!

  • Blerk #114 10 years ago

    Mice. Fast bastards.

    Lol! Brings back fond(?) memories of two of us chasing a mouse around our kitchen armed with frying pans. Wrecked the kitchen, the mouse just laughed and ran away after running rings around us for about 15 minutes. Little get. He wasn't laughing any more when I broke his bloody neck. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaar! >;-)

  • Gestalt #115 10 years ago

    "try squirrels in your eaves, scurrying around and scratching above your bedroom ceiling at 4 in the bloody morning"

    Not had that problem, just the deafening yelping of foxes fighting and/or mating (I've not quite worked out which it is, but it sounds painful) in the middle of the night in my back garden.


    "the mouse just laughed and ran away after running rings around us for about 15 minutes"

    I guess the one we caught in my bedroom while on holiday in Normandy several years ago must've been a bit drowsy - we caught that in a plastic ice cream box and chucked it out in the backyard fairly quickly. The armour plated beetle was worse. I kept whacking it with my shoe and it just kept on moving. *shudders*
    Edited by Gestalt at 18/09/02 @ 11:26

  • otto #116 10 years ago

    Most skilful mouse execution I've witnessed: an Italian restaurant in the City, mouse runs out of the kitchen, waitress screams and drops a tray of food, chef tears after it with a shovel and splats it in front of the assembled diners. Mmmm.

    You haven't lived though until you've chased rats with a pitchfork.

    edit - have we not been here before?
    Edited by otto at 18/09/02 @ 11:32

  • jaa #117 10 years ago

    2 in 1

  • Nemesis #118 10 years ago

    Nice one Jaa.

    GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

    /runs away/

  • Gestalt #119 10 years ago

    Because the backgrounds are pre-rendered? :)

  • Foregone Reality #120 8 years ago

    SquallWolf,

    http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=search&adudisc=y

    Best, buy, Ever

    Note: The image they use is of the old AR for GC. I ordered mine recently from them and recieved the fully updated edition. It's well worth the money, trust me. :)