Replayable or Repetitive? Sofa Surfer Reviews Resident Evil HD REmaster

Resident Evil has long held a place in my heart. How long? Well, since I played Resident Evil 4 in 2009. Blasphemy, some say?! I had actually always wanted to play Resident Evil since reading about it in magazines as a kid, and seeing others play it. Spooky mansion and undead foes? Count me in! Sadly I also didn't spend too much of my own money on games until I reached my teenage years, meaning that my parents weren't too keen on getting me a creepy, gory game for the holidays with a younger brother around. Soon after I got a PS2 in 2009 (to complement my Nintendo library and 2008 Xbox 360), I stocked up on games, with Metal Gear games and Resident Evil 4 among the first few games I picked up (I also picked up the Mummy Returns at some point...but that's another grand story for another time!). I was so excited to finally see what all the fuss was about, and suffice to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Huuuuuuuug?

The gunplay was tight and the story was absurd. I enjoyed it immensely, though college meant I never got around to finishing the final half hour of it. Excuses, I know! My older brother had also procured a copy of Resident Evil for the Gamecube, and I jumped into that. However, as atmospheric and tense as the game was, I was never able to get into it. Perhaps it was because I never had it in my possession for long before my brother returned to school, or maybe because my 360 was calling my name with pretty graphics and Oblivion. Either way, I didn't make it too far. Someday I would make a triumphant return, fanfare and all, to the game. Resident Evil 5, 6, Raccoon City, and Revelations came and went, each an enjoyable and suitably crazed entry into the series (6 is particularly insane, though I'm not quite finished with it to give it an absolutely bonkers thumbs up). Now, almost 20 years since the release of the original on PS1 and 13 since the REmake on Gamecube, I have completed it! On Xbox One, no less. Was it a disappointment? REad on to find out.


Graphics and Sound
Was that intro long-winded enough? Don't answer that.

No questions!!!!

My first thought when booting up the game (aside from "Should I be playing this alone and late at night?") was "How will these remastered graphics look?" I remember the Gamecube version looking quite solid, even eight years after its release. The pre-rendered backgrounds did help a bit, but I nonetheless found the game capable of creating palpable tension with the graphics and sound elements alone. That was four years ago. Now? With the remaster in glorious 1080p? It looks good. Some textures in the environments seem a bit blurry, and the character models that have never matched the detail of the environments still don't quite make the cut. The cutscenes also feature some poor lip-synching and wooden movement, also coming with a grainy look. The world-renowned tank controls don't really help the character movements look ultra-fluid, but in-game animation for the creatures and protagonists is solid overall. Most importantly, the well-designed environments conjure enough atmosphere to almost carry the game. Even if they aren't the most beautifully rendered areas seen in a game, they have a level of macabre detail and personality that cannot be understated. Plus the varied, fixed camera angles allow for the lighting to be utilized to its fullest potential.

The sound area of the game is also essential in providing a tense experience. The moans of the rotting zombies fill the dim corridors, and the vicious growl of a Crimson Head closing in is unnerving (especially if you haven't saved in a while!). There isn't much music, but the canny use of it at choice moments to make you leap out of your seat is welcome. The weapons all sound fine, though they lack the sonic power I had hoped for. As for the voice acting, it's a mouse's dream: cheese all around! And Pinocchio wouldn't feel out of place here, what with the wooden acting and character movements. It's honestly just a part of the game's charm, and it didn't bother me too much. The sound design outside of the voice acting is pretty smooth, particularly the creature noises. The sound of a shambling zombie makes or rapidly approaching hound makes you consider your options; fleeing is never far from your mind, as you attempt to conserve ammo and recovery items. The graphics and sound package work to create an ominous and oppressive world, an impressive one at that!

Gameplay
While I greatly admire the fantastic atmosphere and strong sound design, the gameplay was a little lacking for my taste. Perhaps the rosy-lens I sometimes view past games through gave way to the reality that not too much has changed in thirteen years, aside from graphical upgrades and such. The controls are the first order of business: you are at last allowed to move in any direction with the left analog stick, as opposed to being stuck dealing with the infamous "tank" controls. You can stick with the old-school controller set-up for added levels of difficulty and nostalgia, but I welcomed the option to move your character with a more modern level of fluidity. That's not to say that Chris and Jill move with grace...the stop and pop gunplay and combat is still a bit flat, and with the fixed camera creating some awkward angles to move through and fight in, frustration can set in on higher difficulties, forcing you to shoot at enemies off-screen. This isn't some wall-to-wall action extravaganza with an emphasis on combat like the absurd RE6, which is fine, but a bit more flexibility in the combat would've been welcome. The weapon selection doesn't stray from the ordinary, but it honestly doesn't need to. The pistol, shotgun, and other few weapons get the gruesome job done. You also have a knife if all else fails, but I rarely used it on my first play through. To escape the grabby wrath of the walking corpses or pooches, you can find grenades and defense knives to jam into the rotten heads of these bastards. The emphasis is not on combat!

Shotguns are always welcome in a zombie game.

Until the boss battles. As cool as some of the bosses are (and believe me they're pretty cool/creepy/crawly/slithery), it can be a pain in the ass to shoot accurately and avoid damage at higher difficulties. At lower difficulties, they're more manageable, dealing out HP draining hits but not inciting controller-throwing rage...unless you use all your ammo on them. Then you'll end up running everywhere the rest of the game, high stepping to avoid all conflict and hopefully sidestepping the Crimson Heads. All in all the combat is...passable I suppose, but with how strong the combat is in RE4 and its following installments, I was a little disappointed. That's the burden of expectation, I fear, and with the game being essentially 13 years old, I probably shouldn't have expected too much in the way of modern fluidity. Don't let the stiff combat stop you from giving this a look! Unless you're deathly afraid of fleeing from numerous mutated abominations all seeking to end you. That's a totally cool reason too. If there's animal you're afraid of (or pretty much any animal at all at this point, save zombie sugar gliders and parrots), Resident Evil has mutated it and zombified it. So run away if you must!

Sprinkled in with the various enemy encounters are puzzles. Most of these aren't very taxing, with many consisting of finding the proper objects to open up new areas. These wouldn't be too annoying if they weren't predicated on fetching the right items at the right time from your damn item boxes scattered throughout the mansion. As much as I love the emphasis on survival horror and preparing yourself to make it through each encounter by the skin of your teeth if need be, I LOATHE the item boxes. I prefer RE4's item management system, where your attache case traveled with you and still offered a challenge in forcing you to consider your resources and weapons loadout. The save ribbon system, I don't mind as much. I like how much I looked forward to a safe area after barely escaping boss battles and crimson heads with my life. There were a couple cases where I felt like I was robbed of progress, dying after I had played a couple hours, but it heightens the intensity and the sense that you're surviving against overwhelming odds.

One of my favorite shots of the game on the internet. Cinematic camera angles galore!

Without spoiling ANYTHING (spoilers: there are two characters to play as, and there are zombies) The two playable characters have their perks and different story beats, though you essentially end up in the same place at the end (but ah! wait! there are multiple endings!). Chris and Jill are both solid avatars for you, the gamer, but never exert too much personality. In fact, most all of the characters in the story aren't really filled with too much personality, but the mysterious mansion and the tidbits of information slowly revealed to you make up for any lack of truly compelling leads. The story is enjoyable enough, as cheesy as it can become at certain times. However, it's perfectly serviceable and the mansion has such an ominous atmosphere that I could recommend the game on this basis alone. It truly is a game that deserves to be experienced at least once (if not twice!), whether you're new to the franchise or looking to relive the glory days of the Gamecube. I think you could guess which one it was for me (hint: the latter). Until next time, keep riding the wave.

7.75 out of 10

Graphics: The environments are quite good, with sometimes blurry textures outweighed by the eerie design of the locations. Character models look a bit out of place, but not bad. Some cutscenes seem to have forgotten that they're in an Xbox One title and look way too grainy.

Sound: Poor voice acting combines with creepy creature calls to create a surprisingly solid sound department. Get over the voices and the rest is smooth sailing.

Replay Value: The game needs to be played at least twice through to get a full taste of the experience, as Chris and Jill each have a separate path through the campaign. There are also plenty of little challenges and secret items you can unlock by completing these challenges. For example, beating the game in under 5 hours gets you a ____! I spent around 20 hours on the game, and I didn't get too involved in the challenges. There's AT LEAST 20-25 hours of value here.

Entertainment Value: There's no better time than the present to get started on the Resident Evil series. This is the definitive Resident Evil experience, and even with obtuse puzzles, annoying item management, and somewhat wonky controls, it deserves a shot with its stellar atmosphere and creepy, cinematic encounters making this easily worth $19.99. It doesn't hurt that it offers a ton of replayability, especially for newcomers and fans who must find every secret.

It has...sea creatures in it. Honestly all it's missing are mutated spid--oh wait a minute...