Resident Evil HD Remaster Review
Enter the survival horror.
By Mighty-Lu-Bu May 11, 2015
When I first got a PlayStation in 1998, the first game that I ever played was Resident Evil 2. I loved Resident Evil 2 and after beating it several times, I begged my mom to buy me the Resident Evil Director’s cut, which was just as great as its successor. Even though the original was an amazing game in its own right, it was plagued with the same cheesy dialogue that you would find in an 80’s B action flick. However, despite its flaws, it had a certain charm to it and let’s not forget the fear that it provoked- I would fail a polygraph on the spot if I said that I never woke up in the middle of the night screaming. To gamers, Resident Evil was the pioneer of the Survival Horror genre in video games and although many have tried to mimic its success, most have failed in the process. In 2002, Capcom had an exclusive deal with Nintendo where they made the Resident Evil prequel known as Resident Evil 0 and a full blown remake of the original Resident Evil on the Nintendo GameCube. The GameCube was a strange system because it was the least popular system out of Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation 2 which meant that the number of people who got to play the Resident Evil Remake were severely less than those who played the original. The game was praised by critics, but unfortunately it was a commercial flop which ensured that Capcom would not be making an additional remake anytime soon. However, some 13 years later, the remake has gotten the HD treatment and I immediately snatched it up for PS4. The story is pretty simple: You are a part of an elite police team investigating murders in the forested outskirts of a Midwestern town known as Raccoon City. Things end up going horribly wrong and you take refuge in a mansion where you fight your way through hordes of zombies and other grotesque creatures, while solving puzzles and attempting to figure out just what the hell is happening. The game itself does not look like a 13 year old game by any means and with the fresh coat of HD paint the game looks really good. Sure there are some blurry textures here and there, but that is to be expected. The character models are probably the most improved aspect in terms of graphics here, yet only two CGI movies which include the opening and ending are rendered in HD which is a little puzzling to say the least. In addition to the graphics, the controls have also somewhat improved which is a solid step in the right direction for a series that has been plagued with awkward controls. The game remains as scary as ever with some of the creepiest environments in gaming history. Fixed camera angles only add to the horror because you hear your enemy before you actually see them: the shuffling and groaning sounds of a hungry zombie at the end of a dimly lit hallway can be ultimately nerve wrecking. Fans of the survival horror genre will definitely want to pick this up and on your first play though it will take you roughly 8 to 10 hours to complete. However, with two unique scenarios, an abundant amount of trophies to unlock, hidden weapons to unlock and plenty of game modes to keep you coming back for more horror, you will undoubtedly be spending a lot of time in the world of survival horror.
Verdict
The Resident Evil remake drastically improves upon the original game in every aspect. The voice acting is much better and the graphics are a full quantum leap ahead of the original, but the core gameplay and story line are still very much intact which is a good thing. Fans of the originally will notice that the new and improved mansion has a very similar layout to the original, however, it has also changed enough where it is also entirely different, managing to mix things up just enough to prevent veterans on breezing through the game. As it stands, this version of Resident Evil is not only best version you can play, but it is probably one of the greatest remakes of all time.
Pros
Improved controls
Improved graphics that hold up well for a game that is over a decade old
Tons of replay value
Best version of the game to date
Cons
Blurry textures here and there
Not all CGI movies are rendered in HD
9.0