Flesh hungry zombies, giant tarantulas and erm, dodgy voice acting, are all elements which make the horror phenomenon that is Resident Evil. With countless fans across the globe, tonnes of sequels and spin offs across a range of different platforms, Resident Evil is one of the most successful game franchises in history. Here, is your guide to Resident Evil, you may need to grab a few green herbs along the way along while making sure your nerves are made of steel to survive....You have entered the world of survival horror...Good luck!
Created by Shinji Mikami and developed by Capcom, Resident Evil (known as Biohazard in its native Japan) was one of the first games to spawn the genre of survival horror. The game was originally intended as a remake of Sweet Home – a survival horror Famicom game released only in Japan in 1989. This is why RE is set inside a mansion, mirroring Sweet Home’s setting.
Released in 1996 for the Sony Playstation, RE delighted fans with the blend of zombies, puzzles and third person game play. The story was based around bizarre murders happening in the fictional North American setting of Raccoon City. The Bravo team for the Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S) are sent in to investigate the murders, but contact with the team is lost so the Alpha team are sent in. They become stranded and chased by ravaged dogs, entering a nearby mansion which isn’t all it appears to be...
Selecting either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield to play as, the characters must investigate the mansion and search for their missing team members. Jill and Chris each have unique abilities – Jill being able to pick locks and carry more items while Chris is stronger against enemy attacks and has more powerful weapons to start with. Their stories take alternate paths, involving other characters, such as Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers. With the discovery that Umbrella, a pharmaceutical company, is behind the strange experiments, players find a host of horrific enemies, from zombie dogs to infected plants as well as the terrifying Tyrant further inside the mansion.
The graphics now seem poor, but at the time, were revolutionary – placing 3D characters with spooky set camera angles in a pre rendered environment.
The script and voice acting is ridiculously poor – with quotes from Barry Burton such as “Jill, here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you”. Ah, the memories.
RE is a Playstation horror classic which anyone can enjoy. The dialogue and script may be terrible, the core game play is not. The Director's Cut doesn't add much to the original game - there's a few bonus outfits and extra weapons - but RE is a stand out timeless horror which any Playstation gamer needs to have played. 7/10
Resident Evil Directors Cut is available to download over the PSN, for £7.99
Matthew Greenacre
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