Resident Evil: Deadly Silence Review

By Mathew Kumar Published 1 March, 2006

It's always the quiet ones…

Version tested: DS

Resident Evil 4 is an absolutely stonking game. In fact, it's so good that I found myself rummaging through old magazines such as Zzap64! just to find words like 'stonking' to describe just how joyful it is. What makes this even more amazing is that Resident Evil 4 is a very subtle refinement of the Resident Evil series. The same slow, awkward movement, relentless waves of single-minded foes, and puzzles, evolved to include a new claustrophobic third-person camera and a glorious aiming system.

Knowing the core elements of Resident Evil 4 were retained from the original title, I was terribly excited to get my hands on Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, the Nintendo DS remake of the 1996 PlayStation original. "Wicked!" I thought, before rapidly flipping shut a copy of Mean Machines I'd carelessly left open, "With all of the unique features of the DS to exploit, this remake of Resident Evil is going to be totally crucial!".

At that point I made sure to put all of my old magazines back under my bed [with the others? - Ed].

'Resident Evil: Deadly Silence' Screenshot 1

On seeing screens like this, you might become convinced that 'Rebirth Mode' is some kind of an excellent first person version of Resident Evil.

How much of a wally can you be? Despite my excitement, the original Resident Evil is one of gaming's cows that has already been sufficiently milked. The PlayStation original was not only given an update in the form of a director's cut by 1997, but a competent remake on the GameCube in 2002. This latest retread, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, offers two main modes, 'Rebirth mode', the original Resident Evil with the addition of the new, Nintendo DS specific features, and 'Classic mode', the original Resident Evil as it was in 1996, plus a 'Master of Knifing' mini-game mode, and a local Wi-fi multiplayer mode, akin to Resident Evil: Outbreak.

Even in 'Rebirth mode', however, this is no 'REmake', but a straightforward port - right down to the FMV intro. Cringingly embarrassing, the intro movie features actors as Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, cult favourite Barry Burton and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S in ill-fitting costumes, running about in a field waving plastic guns, searching for Bravo Team, lost in the mountainous regions near Raccoon City, before (for some reason) concentrating their search in a nearby mansion.

As a 10 year old game on a portable system, flaws purely down to the title's age are easily apparent. The game uses fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, and while the low quality rendered backgrounds might have wowed in 1996, a decade on they look indistinct and downright ugly. While new features of later Resident Evil titles are available (a combat knife available from the L trigger, and a quick 180 degree turn), Resident Evil: Deadly Silence keeps the terrifically unfriendly control system that's become synonymous with the series, accentuating the problems of fixed camera angles. The game is a constant struggle with your d-pad, and keeping your character going in any direction as the camera angles change without having them run into walls, objects, or directly into zombies is a unwinnable battle. Indeed, scuffling with zombies is just as hindered. With a mere three angles of fire to chose from, chimeras hanging from the ceiling late in the game can happily rip you to pieces as you rotate on the spot, desperately trying to target them, and dogs and ravens will be happily munching upon your entrails long before you manage to strike them down with a wildly inaccurate knife strike.

Other inherent design aspects destroy the flow of the game, such as the ludicrously strict inventory limit that requires you tediously backtracking to ferry items from inventory boxes in save rooms, and the very concept of the save rooms themselves. Despite shipping on a portable system the game retains the irritating requirement that your character carry sodding ink ribbons to save. Thankfully for players in a hurry, the remarkable sleep mode of the DS works acceptably in such situations, but still...

'Resident Evil: Deadly Silence' Screenshot 2

Instead it almost always looks like this, indistinguishable from the Playstation original. I admit the top screen is used as a map, but to be honest I forgot I had the top screen.

Positive points are few and far between when examining the classic gameplay on offer in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. While the plot is at least entertaining, and murdering zombies, even with a horrible controls, is never less than satisfying, the game is an incredibly tiresome slog running from puzzle to puzzle, interspersed with frustrating combat. Even worse, the Rebirth mode is no grand reinvention. Merely the classic mode with a few paltry additions, in general the touch screen only serves to add another level of frustration, with the regular appearance of first person 'knife battles', where you must defend yourself from a horde of enemies that have quite literally appeared from nowhere.

Quite beside the fact that it makes no sense that you'd choose to take on a room full of zombies standing still using only a knife, these segments usually require you to either scrabble around you looking for where you last put the stylus, or to desperately jab your fingers into the screen. A cheap attempt at immersion, it works as little more than a petty annoyance. The reaction time of your character in touch screen segments is frustratingly slow, and in sections such as one in which you are expected to rotate a valve before being poisoned to death, this can be incredibly irritating. I can't really see any good reason to play Rebirth mode, or this game at all, if you've played through Resident Evil in any form before.

It's telling that this title offers far less to a gamer who is new to the series than the four-year old remake on the GameCube. Placed on a handheld, the gravitas of the shock scares is gone, and with unrealistic graphics and a cheese factor turned up to eleven, any feeling of genuine creepiness is lost. While it does keep all the flaws described here, the GameCube remake does at least offer beautiful graphics and some decent shocks.

It's symptomatic of the lack of thought put into this game that the multiplayer mode scandalously requires that each player have their own cart. Deadly Silence is in no sense the radical Resident Evil title on Nintendo DS that we could have hoped for. Instead it's exactly the kind of cynical, soulless cash-in title that we thought Capcom had left behind with the stonking Resident Evil 4.

4 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
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About Mathew Kumar

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Comments (85) Latest comment 5 months ago

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  • el_pollo_diablo #1 6 years ago

    Oh well. Never mind, eh?

  • Aretak #2 6 years ago

    Is the FMV intro uncut this time? I remember it was censored in the PSone original (at least over here).

  • Brodie #3 6 years ago

    4/10?

    For a fine conversion of a classic game with added elements? That you can play on the bog?

    Feck me, that's a tad on the harsh side. 6 or 7 maybe, but not a 4.

  • Talha #4 6 years ago

    I think something like RE on a tiny screen is a self-defeating idea - since it is about immersion, which surely a small screen can offer in limited supply

  • DFawkes #5 6 years ago

    I know it's the same game, but that low review score could put off someone who hasn't played the original/Directors Cut/REmake.

    I'm not expecting a revolution, just more of the same. And it can't be as bad as the Game.Com Resident Evil 2.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/06 @ 12:28

  • UncleLou #6 6 years ago

    Third DS disappointment in a row. :(

    For a fine conversion of a classic game with added elements?

    Obviously, it didn't age too well. I don't think scores should be higher because of the nostalgia value a game might have for some people.

  • dk_rare #7 6 years ago

    Still, at least it can be done, even if it isn't any good any more

  • Aretak #8 6 years ago

    Feck me, that's a tad on the harsh side. 6 or 7 maybe, but not a 4.

    I disagree. The original Resident Evil is rubbish by today's standards, and the fact you can play it on the bog makes no difference. A 5 should be an average score, so 4 is just below average.

    Personally, I'd consider the 4 generous.

  • Darren #9 6 years ago

    "Cringingly embarrassing, the intro movie features actors as Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, cult favourite Barry Burton and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S in ill-fitting costumes, running about in a field waving plastic guns, searching for Bravo Team, lost in the mountainous regions near Raccoon City, before (for some reason) concentrating their search in a nearby mansion."

    If you'd watched that FMV intro you'd realise that Bravo team stumble across a pack of zombie "hellhounds" eating one of their teammates and are chased finally stumbling across the mansion, where they take refuge... or am I recalling the GameCube remake's FMV intro? I'm pretty sure the PS original was the same, only using real "actors" and was a lot cheesier...

  • trevd72 #10 6 years ago

    up until the excellent res 4 the only good res games were the first and thats because its only competition at the time was alone in the dark - AITD was the daddy though and the brill dreamcast code veronica. I think i have "tried" to play all the others adn at the end of the day the play mechanics did my nut in.

  • Aretak #11 6 years ago

    If you'd watched that FMV intro you'd realise that Bravo team stumble across a pack of zombie "hellhounds" eating one of their teammates and are chased finally stumbling across the mansion, where they take refuge... or am I recalling the GameCube remake's FMV intro? I'm pretty sure the PS original was the same, only using real "actors" and was a lot cheesier...

    This is true. If you try to open the front door of the mansion a zomdog tries to burst its way in too.

  • Tomo #12 6 years ago

    I agree Resident Evil is a fantastic game, still by todays standards.

    But I agree with the score on the basis that this game has been remade for pretty much every fking console since the PS1!

    Resident Evil, Director's Cut, GC Remake, This... Blah blah.

    The could have ported Resi 0 or something instead of the Resi game that everyone had played. Blimey.

  • Ciaran #13 6 years ago

    I'm pretty sure the PS original was the same, only using real "actors" and was a lot cheesier...

    Pretty much, yeah. You can download and watch it here if you want. Beware of the cringeworthyness...

  • kangarootoo #14 6 years ago

    Christ on a pogostick. That movie certainly is... something.

  • Jaggy #15 6 years ago

    Another DS port....

  • ecureuil #16 6 years ago

    The original intro movie was great. I loved seeing the terrible acting, it's part of what made it so good. The character bio's were great, and Rebecca was very cute especially.

  • Dizzy #17 6 years ago

    4? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

    I had high hopes for this one.... pity... more 360 games this month I guess ;)

  • hp_on_toast #18 6 years ago

    Did anyone actually expect anything more than this from Capcom? As soon as it was annouced it was obvious that it was going to be a straight port with some naff stylus mini games added.

    Capcom, if you want to do a good remake on a portable, give us RE2 on the PSP with the RE4 camera / controls and expand upon the city section at the beginning!

  • Blerk #19 6 years ago

    Hmm... really must get around to playing my Cube Resi remake at some point...

  • tengu #20 6 years ago

    Thing with Resi is it's now very difficult to go back to the older titles after Resi 4 revamped the series so spectacularly. I even have trouble playing the REmake now, going back to the original here would be a true horror, no matter how many touch screen mini games they shoehorn in there. I'll be avoiding this one thanks.

  • Artemus #21 6 years ago

    I wish they give us REmake 2 with RE4 mechanics. That would be amazing.

  • Ignatius_Cheese #22 6 years ago

    Same here, Blerk... That and Resi 0 and Resi 4... :oS

  • MrAtheist #23 6 years ago

    Resident Evil = Battlezone with slightly better graphics.

  • Blerk #24 6 years ago

    I've not played Resi 0 either. I keep putting it off 'cos that Cube d-pad is hateful and the stick control just feels wrong.

  • krudster #25 6 years ago

    I finished RE 0 last month, strangely, after leaving it sat on the shelf for nearly 3 years. Turns out that I was more or less at the end of the game anyway. Deadlines. Gah.

  • Psi #26 6 years ago

    pisspoor port shocker, ds devs are turning to psp design methods :p

  • asphaltcowboy #27 6 years ago

    The stupid control system is what stopped me from playing this for any length on the Saturn... shame they didn't do something to fix it for the DS :(

  • LetsGo #28 6 years ago

    Why get a guy to review it who didnt like the original game?

    Isn't that a bit err silly?

  • Paleface #29 6 years ago

    "It's an unwinnable battle"

    It's meant to be. The controls are meant to be clumsy, because your character is fucking terrified. Seriously, if you were being chased by a zombie - STARS member or ordinary guy, it doesn't matter - you're not going to neatly miss every single wall and be able to cap it five times in the head on the run. You're going to bump into things, you're going to stand still, and you're going to shit yourself.

    It's a conscious decision that it's clumsy on the part of the gamemaker.

  • trav #30 6 years ago

    Classic lines:

    Chris: *reaching out into the sky*
    "No. Don't go!"

    Barry: "You almost became a Jill sandwich" *chuckle*

  • Tomo #31 6 years ago

    Was Resi 0 worth completing krudster?

    I've finished the bit on the train and am now in the mansion, but I haven't touched it for ages... Got miles to go still I think.

  • Carrybagma #32 6 years ago

    Stonkers.
    That was a good game.

    Or was it?

  • dk_rare #33 6 years ago

    So the Cube version is still the best, then

  • Azu87 #34 6 years ago

    I think it's wrong saying you can't go back to the older REs after RE4. You can't go back to the older REs (especially RE1) after the excellent REmake. It's just what RE is all about, with über great graphics. RE4 is NOT what RE is all about. It has something from REs, but really, it could be from a whole different series. RE4 is less a horror game and more an action game. Other REs are more horror, less action.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/06 @ 14:12

  • Tomo #35 6 years ago

    True, RE4 was more action-orientated the the previous efforts. It was better for it, certainly.

    That's not to say it didn't have plenty of horror elements! It made me soil myself on numerous occasions... that fking metal Skeletor thing *shudder*.

  • Blerk #36 6 years ago

    It's meant to be. The controls are meant to be clumsy, because your character is fucking terrified.

    Arse. Standard Resi apologist crap.

    I love the Resi series like a particularly generous brother, but pre-Resi 4 the controls were absolutely shocking. It is okay to admit this and still like the games. There really is no point making excuses for awful controls.

  • Kon #37 6 years ago

    "It's meant to be. The controls are meant to be clumsy, because your character is fucking terrified. Seriously, if you were being chased by a zombie - STARS member or ordinary guy, it doesn't matter - you're not going to neatly miss every single wall and be able to cap it five times in the head on the run. You're going to bump into things, you're going to stand still, and you're going to shit yourself.

    It's a conscious decision that it's clumsy on the part of the gamemaker."

    Sorry to say this, but you're an idiot.

    The reason RE games began using the control method they did was because in those early days there really wasn't much of a choice for the game world they used. Some Capcom devs have said so themselves at a point.

    Besides, by your logic Leon in RE4 must have balls of plated steel.

  • krudster #38 6 years ago

    Ressie Zero definitely was worth completing. Once I'd got back into that mindset of rubbish controls and having to be exceptionally careful not to use up all the health and good ammo on the weaker enemies, it's a lovely game.

    I want to go back and play RE-make, actually. I'm on a bit of a survival horror binge, having finished Project Zero 3, Ressie 4, Ressie Zero, and even Silent Hill.

    Got Siren 2, but it's entirely in Japanese, dammit.

  • Blerk #39 6 years ago

    SILENT HILL WINS!*

    * unless it's Silent Hill 4

  • Artemus #40 6 years ago

    Classic lines:

    Chris: *reaching out into the sky*
    "No. Don't go!"

    Barry: "You almost became a Jill sandwich" *chuckle*

    I was always fond of...

    Jill [horrified] - 'Jooooooooooooooooooseph!'

    Who was that 'actress'? She was hot.

  • Blerk #41 6 years ago

    Passed on Silent Hill 4 - was it really that bad

    It wasn't that bad, it just wasn't Silent Hill.

  • Garibaldi #42 6 years ago

    At last, a mark I can get behind for this game.

    I watched with quiet disbelief as all the U.S sites gave it 7 and 8/10, marks which either equate to very good or excellent ( if you're not IGN ). A mark that high for a ten year old port with some touch-screen extras cynically stuck in? Sod off Capcom, and especially sod off with the interview comment that 'well, if Deadly Silence is successful, we may produce an *original* RE for the DS!'.

    Wow, really? That certainly would be spoiling us!

  • Blerk #43 6 years ago

    I had read some where that SH4 was some other game that was later re named to SH4. Thats what put me off from the start.

    It was originally a completely separate title called 'Room 302', but was given Silent Hill branding towards the end of the project. It's not a bad game, it just doesn't sit very well with the rest of the series.

  • abigsmurf #44 6 years ago

    Would've been nice if the reviewer had spent more than a couple of sentences talking about the bonus modes which is what most people who've played through the original will be interested in

  • Sko #45 6 years ago

    Regarding the multiplayer - could the game and graphics data be stored in just the DS memory or does it infact need to constantly bring stuff from the cartridge?

  • kangarootoo #46 6 years ago

    @Kon and Blerk

    I think you two are being a bit harsh on Paleface (especially Kon, calling people idiots just makes anything else you have to say kind of redundant), but I agree in more subdued tones that suggesting the clumsy control system is supposed to communicate fear to the player is just blind love talking.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/06 @ 16:16

  • Blerk #47 6 years ago

    I think you're probably right, kanga. It's just that I keep seeing this same old rubbish repeated and repeated as though it is somehow 'fact'. I can't quite figure out why more fans can't come to the sensible 'I love the game despite the controls sucking' conclusion rather than trying to come up with some lame excuse to try and explain how they might appear to be awful but are actually brilliant.

    I apologise for rudeness, but not rightness. :-)

  • Blerk #48 6 years ago

    Regarding the multiplayer - could the game and graphics data be stored in just the DS memory or does it infact need to constantly bring stuff from the cartridge?

    The DS only has 4Mb of memory, I seriously doubt you could bundle the entire game into that.

  • Kon #49 6 years ago

    I make Blerk's last sentence my own.

    I would have best just put the comment as idiotic rather than the commenter, as that it no doubt is. I really should stop reading GameFaqs one of these days.

  • Sko #50 6 years ago

    "The DS only has 4Mb of memory, I seriously doubt you could bundle the entire game into that."

    I meant the multiplayer section of the game, really. I was wondering whether the lack of single-cart multiplayer was really down to 'lack of thought' or a just a technical consideration.

  • Mephistopheles #51 6 years ago

    ^ you can skip the door loading sequences, they for nostalgia purposes only. And RE:DS is great, even after all these years but whatever...

  • Kami #52 6 years ago

    ... you know what is sad?

    I'll buy this on the strength of the original voice-acting. I loved it. I still love it. I can't get enough of it.

    "You, the master of unlocking..."
    "You were almost a Jill Sandwich!"
    "I have THIS!"

    Barry Burton FTW!

  • tengu #53 6 years ago

    I'd like to be the meat in a Rebecca and Jill sandwich.

  • Kami #54 6 years ago

    There's the queue. Get in line!

  • Feanor #55 6 years ago

    I really enjoyed REmake even though I played it after RE 4. I rented Resident Evil for the PS1 years ago and couldn't finish it in a weekend because I didn't know I had to examine these books to make medals fall out. I found using R on the Gamecube pad to move forward (press to walk, hold to run) made the controls manageable.

    I'll get around to buying and playing RE Zero one day.

  • Venkman90 #56 6 years ago

    I do think 4 is a little harsh. I imported the US version and am enjoying it...but then I am a retro gamer and can appreciate the nostalgia factor

    Although I agree that capcom are a lazy bunch of muppets...

  • Artemus #57 6 years ago

    Resident Gigalo - That's the best thing eva!

  • dudefella #58 6 years ago

    About the control scheme issue - am I the only one that realises that Resident Evil 4 has the EXACT same controls as previous RE games? You still have to turn your character around his axis (quickturn was already introduced in RE3) and there is no strafing or anything. I think the turning circle is a bit quicker, but that's it. The camera and aiming system is what really makes the difference and it makes the game feel a lot more hectic, but the movement controls are the same!

    Well I never minded RE controls to begin with, except for a couple of frustrating situations. Bossfights could be a pain, when avoiding Tyrant's attacks is that hard, and hunters (who could decapitate you and kill you instantly) were just unfair, especially when they come straight at you but you can't see them because of the frickin' camera angle! So yeah, it was never perfect, but I never loathed it altogether.

  • tengu #59 6 years ago

    The camera view made the controls a LOT more manageable in Resi 4 for me, but the big innovation was the aiming system. If the older Resi games didn't have that 'auto target' feature(The first couple didn't iirc), then it was a nightmare to aim right with some of the camera angles.

  • thefilthandthefury #60 6 years ago

    The cheesiness is possibly the single best feature of a Res Evil game. The originals were all ABOUT being cheesy b-movie influenced titles.

    Also, I absolutely loved the fixed camera angles. I like Res Evil 4, but the controls did absolutely nothing for me.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/06 @ 20:31

  • toy_brain #61 6 years ago

    I dont mind the classic Resi control scheme. Yes its clunky, but the rest of the game has been built to accomodate it (enemies are slower than, say DMC) and its one way of getting round the 'camera ange change' problem that crops up in Silent Hill/DMC from time to time.

    What bugs me is that Capcom keeps refining/changing it from game-to-game, but often drops those refinements for the next game.
    For example, Dino Crisis 2 controls like resi, but allows you to move and fire at the same time. But this was never carried over to later Resi games.

    As for the score? Well I havent played Resi DS so I shouldnt really comment - but it seems deserved simply on the grounds that this is one Resi port too many.
    Megaman Maverick Hunter X is how you port/update a game - this is not.

  • steven #62 6 years ago

    A 4 is wayyy to harsh, but then again, I'm one of the few who LOVED RE0.

    I think for those who have no idea of what RE is about, a 4 would indicate a much worse game than it really is, especially for a portable package.
    Edited by 1 at 01/03/06 @ 21:10

  • captain-future #63 6 years ago

    "an absolutely stonking game"

    awwwww, WHAT?

    man, finally the map screen is always visible \o/

  • admir #64 6 years ago

    psp has better games then the DS

  • Agent_Llama #65 6 years ago

    Who had to go and mention Silent Hill 4? That game was never worthy enough to carry the Silent Hill name. A shocking inclusion to the series.

    And Resi DS? My mate sent it back straight away as it was crap, apparently. I mean, how can you get the shocks across on a tiny screen? Never mind.

  • beep #66 6 years ago

    It seems the FMV in this DS port is a combination of cut and uncut footage as the intro is censored (no severed hand, no gratuitous hell hound blasting, no bloodied corpse close ups), yet the infamous 'zombie turning' sequence has a severed head dropping to the floor prevously only seen in the uncut versions.

    As for the review, I think 4/10 is a bit harsh. Super Mario DS got the exact same treatment (port wise), but I don't think it makes them below average games. If anything, the compromised controls in Super Mario DS make it a worse port than RE as control is so fundamental in Super Mario.

    RE is a classic game which has limitations imposed by design. Moaning about the games mechanics is pointless. The player must adapt to what the game gives you, like ANY game.

  • gelf #67 6 years ago

    I really missed the fixed camera angle in RE4, I personally loved them despite them blocking your view from time to time.

    I will always love RE1 for the B movie atmosphere and the soundtrack which is still the best in the series IMO(not as good in REmake either). I prefer the original to REmake.

  • WhyMeeeeee #68 6 years ago

    its capcom squeezing every last drop of crapness out of a franchise and ripping off the consumer

  • Kami #69 6 years ago

    I was wondering how long it would be before someone brought up Resident Gigalo! Very funny stuff, but makes you realise... some people have WAY too much time on their hands.

    And can we NOT discuss Silent Hill 4? Sorry.... S***** H*** *. It's the best example of how to kill an otherwise good franchise dead in one go...

    edit: Nope. Personally, I love the original more than the remake. Which is why I might actually get more from this game than other people... the old voice acting, the old graphics... for me, it's the ultimate in retro kicks, without the loading times!

    Wait... without loading times? Why don't I have this already?
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/06 @ 03:06

  • HunterSeeker #70 6 years ago

    "psp has better games then the DS"

    PSP has games on it?

    *shocked*

  • Genji #71 6 years ago

    Whaaat, he didn't like the FMV cutscenes? But...but... they were the best part!

    Jill is the master of unlocking!
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/06 @ 07:20

  • lotteryman82 #72 6 years ago

    Resident evil 1 got rated once back in 1996 and it was an excellent mark
    that stays till today no matter how many remakes occur thats another problem
    you can't give a 2006 score on a 1996 game thats idiotic
    yeah its a cash in true but at least of a game worth cashing in
    cough cough EA cough cough world cups

    there are people that don't know how RE begun and in my opinion
    and better give some motives to people to play games like that
    and 4 outta 10 is no motive, as mentioned before
    a 7/10 would give the respect to the original and point the obvious flaws of the new conversion only by its age

  • Blerk #73 6 years ago

    am I the only one that realises that Resident Evil 4 has the EXACT same controls as previous RE games?

    No, I'm fully aware of that. The controls are slightly better, mostly due to the new camera angle and better aiming, but there were times I would've killed for a strafe or 'quick turn left/right' button combination.

  • Genji #74 6 years ago

    There was a quick turn left/right thing in RE4. Flick the c-stick left or tight and pull the r-trigger at the same time. I never found myself really having to use it, though.

  • Kon #75 6 years ago

    "you can't give a 2006 score on a 1996 game"

    Why not? Suppose i never played RE1 when it came out. If i was considering playing it today i would want to know how well it stacks up to all the improvements the genre has suffered ever since, not if the game was impressive or the best thing ever when it was released 10 years ago.

  • Nikanoru #76 6 years ago

    the 'camera ange change' problem that crops up in Silent Hill/DMC from time to time.

    Indeed. I quit DMC1 somewhere after the first boss, you know the lava scorpion thing? The most awful fucking infuriating abortion of a boss fight ever. And don't give me any shit that it was "hard", it was just retarded (I got the handcannon in RE4, I consider myself at least somewhat competent as a gamer). I won after literally fifteen tries, but when I noticed the rest of the game was going to suffer from that clumsy shit, I just put it away. The disk is gathering dust somewhere now.

    No, I never had any of that in RE1 or any other RE. Yeah, it was sorta slow, but that really contributed to the atmosphere, no matter what anybody says. And never have I had to repeat a boss fight more than twice or something (as opposed to that fucking DMC scorpion that I nearly broke my controller over after a while).

    No, I'm fully aware of that. The controls are slightly better, mostly due to the new camera angle and better aiming, but there were times I would've killed for a strafe or 'quick turn left/right' button combination.
    -
    There was a quick turn left/right thing in RE4. Flick the c-stick left or tight and pull the r-trigger at the same time. I never found myself really having to use it, though.

    QFE

    Anyways other horror games have worse controls then resi imo, e.g. Silent Hill and the Project Zero series, games which I've never managed to get into for just those reasons. Anyways I'd really like to know if it's possible to do a truly scary horror title without the limitations on controls, afterall I don't want a horror title where the lead is jumping up and down and strafing, wouldn't that just make it another 3rd person action title?

    I'd like to know the same, but, well, that's what everybody wants apparently! Strafing rocketjumping action, woohoo!

    You do know that Silent Hill has the option to set the controls so that they're identical to RE, right? In fact, I don't know about SH4 or Project Zero, but both SH2 and 3 come with the option enabled by default, while SH1 doesn't have any other control method but RE-style.

  • dk_rare #77 6 years ago

    "I love the Resi series like a particularly generous brother, but pre-Resi 4 the controls were absolutely shocking"

    Pre resi 4 controls was the product of Playstation and Sony. Resi 4 controls were inspired by the Gamecube hardware and controller, so you have Nintendo to thank for that one, mate.

  • Nikanoru #78 6 years ago

    Pre resi 4 controls was the product of Playstation and Sony. Resi 4 controls were inspired by the Gamecube hardware and controller, so you have Nintendo to thank for that one, mate.

    Care to explain what exactly you're talking about?

  • Kami #79 6 years ago

    Resident Evil 4 was developed around the Gamecube hardware - 'tis true. But the controls were not vastly dissimilar to any other RE game. What made the controls feel that much sharper (at least, on the 'Cube. I swear (literally), the PS2 controls are rather sluggish at times) was the new perspective, from over Leon's shoulder. The only dramatic change was the free-aim feature.

    In some ways though, we probably DO have Nintendo to thank for that change, after all, it was developed with the 'Cube in mind initially. The PS2 port was not initially being considered, probably only when Capcom realised how bloody awesome the game was and how big a market they could capture with it. And do remember, not everyone was happy about a PS2 port in Capcom HQ... right decision I think for an excellent game, but sometimes those decisions require treading on a few toes...

    Uh-oh... rambling... will shut up now...

  • bionutz #80 6 years ago

    ok sorry. I was thinking about this, but without instant save option forget it.

  • Intera #81 6 years ago

    As soon as the review mentioned RE4 in the review (the first line :|) I just took the review as null and void.

    Read it though, and just confirmed that he was indeed an idiot.

    Anyone who played the PSX original back in the day will appreciate this game, a LOT.

  • miiiguel #82 6 years ago

    It's quite funny, that people get so personal towards titles/systems they "learnt" to love... .
    There are people who already say that Halo 3 is the best game ever, with this shitty RE is even worse, the game is very, very poor, and still... ^^^

  • duffers #83 6 years ago

    "I think most gamers nowadays just want all games to be played from a generic 1st person view point."

    And how have you come to that assumption? No doubt you've done a survey? Or more likely you've just guessed.

    Moving on, Barry Burton is cult? Who on earth would pick a fat ginger bloke to be their hero?

  • JSX #84 6 years ago

    Picked this up pre-owned the other day. I have to admit I was put off by this review a few months back. I never played the original/directors cut that much. I have played and love REmake/2/3/Code Veronica/Zero and 4. Felt it was about time to play it thoroughly.

    I like it, it has the original intro, adds in the 180 turn and L-button knifing( they do make a big difference). Having the map at all times is handy too. Rebirth mode is a bit pointless though. A couple of changed puzzles, possibilty of extra items from knife mode, not much else I can see.

    I think it still has its appeal on the small screen if you play it in the dark with some headphones on. I found myself very immersed. Won't have the same impact playing it on the morning commute though.

    Back to the point, 4 is a bit harsh. 6/7 I think would be fair. It may be 10 years past its sell by date but it's still one of the best adventure games on the ds.

  • RawNinjaKid #85 5 months ago

    You know a few years on.. I still go back to this classic original survival title.

    The pre-rendered backgrounds are a kind of artwork and the isolation, daunting catastrophic feeling that you get to second to none even by the games of today.

    And with HD TVs not making PSone era games look so good ; it's this handheld version that I now consider the definitive version.
    Edited by 1 at 12/09/11 @ 15:40