Thanks to Brook’s request, i’m going to be looking at the original Resident Evil, which in my opinion is by far the best in the entire series.
Orignally released in 1996, Resident Evil was a landmark release for the Playstation. It was one of the first titles that proved videogames could be more than childrens toys. This was solely aimed at the older gamer, due to it’s horror, strong violence and gore. You had the choice to play the role of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, Jill being the character first times should use as she comes equipped with a pistol and is able to carry more items, whereas Chris only comes equipped with the Knife.
It wasn’t however the first time we had seen these kind of games. It’s argued that ‘Alone in the Dark’ is the daddy of survival horror, but Resident Evil took it to the next level with a genuinely terrifying experience, at the time.
The graphics were great, interesting characters, an intriguing plot and some of the most creepy and suspenseful music ever put to a videogame.
This is what survival horror is all about, being alone surrounded by monsters, limited ammo and health. It provided a tense strategic element to the gameplay as it was essential to learn to conserve the items you had and killing only when necessery.
The puzzles were satisfying, as some were real brain teasers, but at the same time not overly-frustrating.
Playing the game today it’s easy to laugh at the horrendous dialogue, i think we all remember the infamous line,
“you, the master of unlocking, take it with you”
The controls are clunky, you will spend alot of time running into walls and it’s not the terrifying experience it once was, but that’s only because we have been accustomed to several other Resident Evil games, and other survival horror games in general.
It’s important to remember though that without Resident Evil, even though AITD came before it, we wouldn’t have games like Silent Hill, Konami’s take on the survival horror genre and Dead Space, EA’s fantastic reinvention.
It’s a shame the series has moved into a more action orienated game, as we seen with the awful Resident Evil 5, but with 6 pretty much confirmed Capcom have another chance to take back the crown that Dead Space stole.
I definately recommend trying this game out as i do stand by what i say about it being the best in the series.
The Director’s Cut version can be downloaded from the Playstation Store or it’s possible to find the incredible remake that was exclusive to the Gamecube online on sites like Amazon or Ebay.
If you do play this game, i suggest putting it on to your PSP, providing you have one, as it looks alot better on the smaller screen, than it does a huge LCD HD TV, plug in some good headphones and switch off the lights. I believe that’s how to get the best out of this game.
You can’t call yourself a fan of Resident Evil until you experience where it all began.
Check out my videos below and let me know what you think.
This video has been removed from YouTube: Resident Evil (Part 1) – Scatigno's Retro Corner.
This video has been removed from YouTube: Resident Evil (Part 2) – Scatigno's Retro Corner.
This video has been removed from YouTube: Resident Evil (Part 3) – Scatigno's Retro Corner.
Youtube.com/scatigno9
