RESIDENT EVIL

'Survival Horror', a genre that Resident Evil defined back in 1996, the world had never seen anything quite like this thrilling masterpiece. Sure over the years we have seen some remodeling of the franchise and not neccisarily for the better either but let's take the time to look back at the game that started it all. Now while I urge you all to play RE do remember that it was released back in the Playstation's early years so it is a little blocky; the 2002 GameCube remake on the other hand was a fully remodeled version of the game with exceptionally good graphics for its time. While the original is still a brilliant game it's worth checking out the GameCube version more...it's just that little bit easier on the eyes. So Survival Horror, what does it really mean, well Capcom had this sorted out. Limited ammunition, limited saves and even limited health packs; it was all intuitively designed to make you feel trapped, helpless and really carefully consider each and every move you take. The fixed camera angles aspect which I briefly talked about back in my Silent Hill review are back in full force and make forsake seriously intense moments when being pursued by off-camera zombies.

Most people now would probably have seen at least one Resident Evil movie and have a vague idea about the premise of the series. Enter the Umbrella Corporation; a global pharmaceutical giant that acts as a front for their illegal experiments and chemical warfare development. The movies follow a different plot to the video games but still utilize the same characters to an extent. The original Resident Evil game takes place in the fictional locale of Racoon City, specifically a creepy mansion just outside of the city in the Arklay Mountains. You can choose to play as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, each with slightly different weapons, story paths and encounters. Both Chris and Jill are part of Racoon City's S.T.A.R.S. unit, an elite team of operatives who after receiving a distress call from their lost comrades in the mountains set out accompanied by their Commander Albert Wesker and a few other team members to rescue them. What follows as you can only assume is the discovery and the inevitable exploration of the deserted mansion and the mission to uncover its dark past.

1996 original

2002 remake

Resident Evil's mansion set-up is well executed at the least, the large maze-like building with multiple stories and dozens of rooms makes for some truly terrifying exploration. The balance of puzzles V monster encounters is perfect and keeps you always guessing about what's ahead. What always keeps me on edge are the Crimson Head zombies; they're faster and more aggressive and can show up randomly, generally i'll just turn tail and run in the hope to save my ammo and health. Oh and don't think just because you transitioned to another room that you're safe, some areas of the mansion are designed so zombies can move freely about, this makes for many girlish screams as you are lead into a false sense of security only to have a zombie burst through the door and chase you! After playing RE at least a dozen times through I still find it just as intense and enthralling, given that the game itself is now 17 years old and still freaking me out does say something for itself. Those out there looking for a horror game with a bit more action but still that premise of 'helplessness' I strongly recommend checking this bad boy out, It's a lot of fun and rewards multiple play-throughs so go have a crack and kill some zombies.

Genre: Survival Horror
Platforms: PC, PS1 & Gamecube
Score: 9.2 / 10