Resident Evil

Something happened between 2002 and 2003. Gamers and critics suddenly stopped praising Resident Evil as one of gaming's best series and started calling it dated, clunky, and boring. Take Resident Evil: Code Veronica [バイオハザード コード：ベロニカ]. Upon its release, GameSpot called it the best of its genre, but by the time the GameCube port came around in December 2003, the site labeled it "obsolete." You don't need to go further than the port's Metacritic page to see that GameSpot wasn't alone.

The crux of the criticism came down to convenience. Tank controls, slow combat, and limited saves were no longer common practice. But great games have never been about convenience -- they are about challenges to survive by learning your environment and abilities. Resident Evil does this very well, and no series entry did it better than the 2002 GameCube remake of the PlayStation debut.

Once and for all, let's lay to rest this misguided talk of Resident Evil's being obsolete. Not only is the series still relevant, it's timeless. The problem isn't with the game but with the critics who have gone soft and lost good judgment. And if I sound bitter, it's because of those critics that Capcom won't make another title in the style of this classic survival horror adventure.

In 2002, Capcom did what no developer would dare do now: made a faithful recreation of a six-year-old game with a cult following. This remake added new areas, enemies, endings, and improved controls, but the biggest upgrade was in the visuals, which added the horror back into the game's large, foreboding mansion. Though we still use the label "survival horror," the emphasis has been taken off "survival" since the release of this gem.

Like any great horror movie, there is an ebb and flow to the horrors of Resident Evil, and it's all dictated by the game's brilliantly crafted setting.

Some would love to have a mansion, but the thought of all that empty space and dark corners scares me away from the idea. Resident Evil is a game about this feeling -- the unnerving fear of the unknown and the comfort of familiarity.

At the start, the Spencer Mansion is a foreboding place where every door is an invitation to evil and dismemberment. Soon, you start to map out the first floor. Next, you find brief sanctuary in the save rooms. By the time you clear out the halls, the house begins to feel like a home, and your heartbeat relaxes. The game teases you with locked doors -- even worse, mysteriously jammed doors! Unlocking them to discover a shortcut to a previous area is as satisfying as taking down one of the game's bosses.

As a culture, we live in fear of spoilers. A great surprise is as close to a holy moment as us geeks get, and there will be hell to pay if someone takes that away from us!

Lucky for you, Resident Evil is a game full of surprises, though they aren't very nice ones. It never highlights what's around the corner or gives the false security of a checkpoint, so you'll be constantly praying that the next room is a puzzle and not a boss encounter. As you travel further into the game, old areas start revealing hidden items, cleared rooms start offering new enemies, and old bosses rear their head again. You'll be wishing you didn't leave that ammo box on the ground in that one room that you can't remember where the hell it is and OH GOD A GIANT SNAKE FUUUuuu ...

It goes without saying that surprise is essential to a good horror game. Just look at Silent Hill: Shattered Memories to see how limp a horror game can become when it advertises its next move. Resident Evil asks the player to blindly trust the game; that if the player tries their best, they will survive. But some players will soon realize that their best isn't good enough. Just like in Dark Souls and Spelunky, making it to areas that you know others could never reach makes the journey all the sweeter.

Resident Evil is a grueling game that isn’t shy about playing with expectations. Dogs provide literal jump scares, new enemies invade old areas, and there is a price to pay for every zombie you don't fully dispose of. Along with the horror of feeling locked outside areas and trapped within others, there is a simple joy to playing virtual cartographer. For those God of War and Super Metroid [スーパーメトロイド] players who feel giddy after fully exploring an area, Resident Evil will make them pee their pants -- assuming they don't shit themselves first.

Finding solace in the save rooms and main hallway is a unique feeling that I don't get from any other series. By the end of the game, you feel like you know the mansion inside and out, making you feel empowered. Or maybe that's just the grenade launcher with 18 acid rounds talking? Regardless, you feel like you've been on a wild ride as you return to familiar places and reflect on all the horrifying events that have transpired. The game allows you a moment to catch your breath before giving you another reason to let it all out in a scream, again.

Maybe it's the fault of marketing and media exposure, but the branching paths of Heavy Rain [HEAVY RAIN 心の軋むとき] andMass Effect never shocked me in the way those of Resident Evil do. While it's clear that those two games were designed around the branching path concept and wanted to make the element of design clear to the player, Resident Evil is a game about psychological fear and withholding information.

There are several times in the game where the player can choose drastically different options, but you'd never think you had an alternate choice unless you read about it in a FAQ. Even when you do read a guide, you'll often find yourself lost. "Wait, where is the automatic shotgun and why am I carrying this broken shotgun?" you’ll ask. Or, "Why did I never have that boss fight at the end?"

In addition to these narrative splits, there are some clever alternate approaches one can take in the combat. There is the binary choice between evading and fighting with the common zombie, but things become more interesting with the boss fights that often offer a non-combat approach if you go the extra mile in your puzzle solving. On top of all this, the game has two main characters to play as that offer different dialog, weapons, and changes in the narrative.

Unlike Heavy Rain and Mass Effect, by the end, I felt like I played the game the only way it could have been played rather than carving out my own version of it. Instead of wondering if I played the "best version," I was left wondering if there was even another version at all.

As anyone who has played Spelunky can attest, taking away the ability to save can render even an approachable, cute platformer into a game of tense, horrific moments. And as anyone who has played the recent batch of horror games can attest, being given numerous checkpoints takes the fear out of the genre.

The greatest fear for a Resident Evil player isn't zombies, but running out of ink ribbons. These ribbons are hidden throughout the game and are the only way to save progress. Since there are only 30 or so throughout the 11-hour game, and since you'll often be lucky to have more than one in your inventory, it's a constant source of tension that makes every unopened door and uncleared hallway into an unbearable threat.

There is a compromise the player and developer make with such a restricted save system. Yes, it inconveniences the player, but it also heightens the fear and pleasure of the game. There is no moment more tense than going an hour without saving and being stuck with low health. But, there is no moment more satisfying than finding a save room, right when you thought you'd have to restart the entire game.

For the brave and willing, the ink ribbon system will give you some of the most memorable gaming moments ever.

Resident Evil was a landmark title in 1996 that ushered in mature console horror gaming. By 2002, its impact had been weakened, but Capcom addressed this with this nearly flawless remake. The lightning, detailed CG backgrounds, and high-polygon models still look fantastic and keep the game from feeling goofy in the way the original PlayStation games are now.

For those who think they can handle the challenge and scares of this classic, you'll need to readjust how you approach games. Resident Evil was never the norm. Its pacing and unforgiving design limit its audience, but all of its misperceived flaws are essential to the experience. The controls aren't sluggish but intentionally slow, making intense moments more intense. The ink ribbon system and limited inventory ask players to make constant sacrifices that add weight to their actions.

It's clear that Resident Evil is an abnormal, obtuse game, but everything about it adds up to one of the most unique, memorable horror games of all time. Resident Evil (1996) may have spawned the genre, RE2 may have broadened its scope, but this remake is the crown jewel of the genre.

I've been a big fan of the series for a long time, I first started playing these games when I was younger. I only played a little bit of each game because I found I always got stuck or didn't know what to do. I've never really beaten a Resident Evil game despite all the time I played them. Around last year I was doing a playthrough of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis [バイオハザード3 ラストエスケープ], it was always my favorite, and I came across a bug.

The bug was on a boss battle and despite all my attempts (about 25 of them) I declared the battle unbeatable. I looked up walkthroughs on YouTube, etc, and no one had the same problem as I did. With about 75% of the game completed, I had to quit. I was devastated. One year later, I picked up one of the games I neglected in the series, Resident Evil 2. Probably only playing about an hour as a kid, I went back and I played this game, and I conquered it.

Remember when I said RE3 was my favorite? Haha, yeah, about that... It's hard when you have to realize that your favorite game in the series was basically a carbon copy of another game in the series... Anyways, RE2 was the very first in the series I ever beat, and boy was that satisfying. The game blew me away, It was amazing and I hated myself for ignoring for so long. Not having played a RE title in a while, It reminded me why It has been my favorite series for quite some time. I rated the game a 10/10 and it became one of my favorite games after that. That was last month and here I am in the week of Halloween 2012.

One of my best friends who loves Survival Horror as much as I visited, We had planned on playing REmake aka Resident Evil 2002 aka Resident Evil Remake and we started our playthrough. We played around a 3 hour session the first time we played, the graphics were beautiful, the puzzles were challenging and most importantly the mansion was spooky. We took a break and popped in Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem.. Come the next day, we put in REmake again and played for another session. 13 full hours later, I was blown away by everything. Making it to the next area and figuring out the puzzles were the most satisfying things while playing this game. Realizing what item went where and unlocking each door was making this experience extremely satisfying and fun. Each boss seemed to come out of nowhere and pretty much make you shit your pants.

Every boss is a bio-experiment gone wrong and you were shocked at every single one you encountered. Giving love to the bosses doesn't mean the enemy design isn't warranted. If you haven't played this game, there is a lot more than the normal "boring" zombie design. Trust me, encountering a new enemy was anything but "boring". Some were fast, some were slow, but all of them managed to keep you afraid of entering a new room. Don't get me started on the so-called "Crimson Heads", on your first playthrough you'll know nothing of these things and you'll pretty much have to take a shitty guess or look online to figure out what these things are before it happens.

This game actually had the absolute scariest moment in gaming history for me. I had to take a break to recover from what just happened in-game. I won't spoil it for you but I will say it happened in a certain someone's cottage. I actually think this is up there with Demon's Souls for the perfect example of fair, challenging difficulty in video games. Part of the challenge is knowing your way around the mansion, dealing with each new enemy, finding a strategy to kill the next boss, and finding out how to solve each puzzle.

Do you love this game? Yes, I absolutely fucking adore this game. It blew me away and kicked my ass more than any other game I've played. Is this now one of your favorites? Yes, absolutely, like I said before this game is fucking fantastic. One of my favorites? Yes, it might even be my #1 of all time. Yes, I'm serious, I can't even really say any more or I'm just repeating myself. For you fans of survival horror, play this game. For you fans of the series, play this game. For fans of the original, play this game. For people who want difficulty, play this game. Fuck it, IF YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES, PLAY THIS.

This is a remake to a game I don't think I'll ever play (mainly due to all those memes) as such I'm judging it by its own merits rather than as a remake of a classic.

I have to say that the story here is well told regardless of if you play as Jill or Chris as they both investigate the horrors of the mansion they're trapped in throughout the game. There's plenty of twists and turns (more so in Jill's campaign) that prevent the story from becoming stale, although that would be worth nothing if the rest of the game sucked. Fortunately, it doesn't as there plenty of creative puzzles to be found here, some of which rival that of the ones found in tomb raider which gives you an idea of how well thought out they are compared to what most games had to offer around this time. As creepy as the overall design is, I adore the look of the mansion as it would've been so easy for it to be completely barren baring a few pieces of furniture here and there to hold the items we need to progress. Instead, it's filled with trinkets which helps bring life to it even though it's populated with undead inhabitants, there being plenty of uneaten food throughout the premises being a good example of what I mean by this. While this is a puzzle game at heart, there is plenty of action here to break up the monotony, usually by avoiding the zombies but also later on we have mutated spiders and insects and even a giant snake which serves as a boss battle to keep us on our toes. It's a game that doesn't always obey the laws of physics, however it's in service of creative situations which I feel anyone can appreciate.

It's a great remake to what I'm sure was a great game, check this out if you're looking to get into the franchise.

Desde muy pequeño, un grupo de personas de mi familia me introdujo en el mundo de los jueguitos. El primer juego que jugué en mi vida fue el RE4, luego de eso me volví un fanatico de la saga; y con eso dicho, no tengo miedo de equivocarme al decir que este está en el top 3 de mejores juegos de toda la franquicia.

La remasterización respeta todo el juego original de PS1 solamente cambiando los gráficos y adaptando el mundo al raro pero tétrico ambiente que tenía el juego original. Los controles de tanque ayudan bastante a sentirte algo inseguro a la hora de hacer cosas, y la cámara te provoca temor de saber que hay en los siguientes pasos que des. La jugabilidad se basa en correr, disparar y lo más importante de todo, esquivar; los enemigos usualmente son esponjas de balas, y el juego no es muy generoso con la cantidad de munición que te da, asi que cada bala cuenta y malgastar no es lo mejor del mundo.

Mecánicas como la daga, la granada o el esquivamiento se fueron perdiendo con el tiempo. Juegos como Alone In The Dark o Silent Hill explotaban esta mecánica a más no poder y no se sentía mal, te hacía entrar más a fondo en el juego y en el gameplay; cuidar tu munición, tu salud, curas y vigilar que no te rompan la cabeza en el proceso era simplemente perfecto.

Los Puzzles que te hacen recorrer todo un mapa solamente para completarlos, me parecen muy necesarios, en específico para este juego. La idea de dejarte en un lugar y que te digan "andá flaco, bancatela" es tan salvaje que me encanta. Ir por encima de tus propios pasos, descubrir zonas nuevas de una zona en la que ya estuviste pero no podías acceder antes a ella, le da un aire de vida al mundo, no estás simplemente corriendo por ahí matando zombies, tienes que avanzar y eso implica explorar. La exploración incita al jugador a seguir el juego y no dejarlo tirado, siempre hay una alternativa en RE1, en el momento que te quedes atascado toca volver a esa zona que está a casi 20 salas de distancia para continuar.

El mecanismo de guardado te hace jugar el triple de seguro, ya que guardar requiere el uso de tinta, la cual también llega a escasear, y morir significa volver a iniciar donde guardaste por última vez, ya sea cerca o lejos de donde caíste, le da un aire de dificultad al juego.

Explicar el valor generacional e histórico que tiene este juego se me es imposible; no solo volvió famoso el género "survival horror", sino que también es el punto de partida para una de las sagas de videojuegos más importantes de la historia. Shinji Mikami es también el diseñador de RE4, Evil Within y Dino Crisis, cuando hablamos de shinji, hablamos de survival horror.

Para un tiempo en el que la evolución del género era inminente, Capcom decidió replicar su éxito y hacerlo el triple de mejor con nuevas zonas y nuevos gráficos. Y SALIÓ TERRIBLEMENTE BIEN, CUANDO ALGO PARECE PERFECTO, ACORDATE, SIEMPRE SE PUEDE HACER EL TRIPLE DE MEJOR.

Resident Evil 1 (バイオハザード) Es un clasico del survival horror y su legado se mantiene hasta día de hoy. 9/10

As someone who played the original before the remake, this game fucking hates me. It constantly tries rugpulling you when you think you know what's happening next. And I love it. More remakes should do that, take advantage of players who think they know what will happen and just fuck them over. It's great.

My perspective as someone playing the HD remaster for the first time in 2022: While the setting, graphics, and story are scary and interesting, I found this game often tedious and not worth finishing. The game isn't linear, but there's more or less an optimal path, and going the wrong way uses precious ammo and health, so I often found myself starting from a save room, going down a dead end, then reloading my save to try a different path which wasn't a very satisfying gameplay loop. The puzzles can be needlessly obtuse and the combat isn't satisfying either. To a modern player, I'm not sure how much there is to love with this game. I've seen a few people here say it's their favorite game of all time and it's hard for me to imagine that for someone playing the game for the first time in recent years. I'll be interested to try the RE2 remake since I hear such great things about it.