Resident Evil: solid, b-movie fun!
COLDGRIMTRUE
75% score
in light of the silent hill games and even more recent resident evil titles, this fails to hold up in the fright department. especially so considering the awful voice acting and dialogue. still though, it does manage to pose a decent challenge, along with some genuine thrills and a very "survival"-oriented gameplay bend.
first of all, resources in this game are limited. ammo, health, even saving your game are compacted into a very small number of items. preserve health rations and bullets only when you most desperately need them, and make sure your schedule isn't too tied up, since you'll be playing for quite a while, until you gather a ribbon or two and locate a typewriter to save your game. so yeah, this game can get pretty challenging, especially so toward the end, when you'll face tougher, faster enemies. oh yeah, the infamous human tank controls? yeah, you'll need to get used to that, but shouldn't be an issue after an hour or so's play.
the atmosphere? this is where the game falters. though there are moments that'll make you jump (dogs jumping through the glass, anyone?), it has a very "50s haunted house film" atmosphere, the awful diaglogue and voice acting not helping matters any (though it days make for some good [un>intentional comedy). the music is average, it's decent but doesn't add anything to the tension the game tries to create.
so, to sum up this review, the game has badly dated in light of the advancements the "survival horror" genre has made in recent years, but still, it undoubtedly does contain some enjoyable moments, and you could do far worse than give this game a go. much like sonic the hedgehog, it's a game that has been remade and repackaged to death, though this game's various incarnations have been far more interesting than what has been done to the blue rodent's first outing. there's the director's cut for the ps1 (which, d'oh, forgot to include the "director's cut" material! it was a gory fmv intro btw), a version for the sega saturn (which only differs from the ps1 version graphically - i.e. slightly different shading and minor character details), the REmake for the 'cube (which many claim to be the best version of this game so far - I cannot confirm that myself), and now there is a version for the nintendo ds, which includes first-person knife-swiping sequences, and requires you to clean off the screen of blood with the stylus every now and then (do I hear "gimmick" being shouted and echoed throughout the isles? I know I sure do), which, otherwise, is the similar to the ps1 version in every other way. so, whatever version you choose, what you'll find is some fun, challenging, zombie-rampaging fun while it lasts.
