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Resident Evil Review: Live and in HD

Make no mistake: I’m a die-hard Resident Evil fan. I thought Operation Raccoon City was a steaming pile of sh*t… but on the other hand, I found a special place in my heart to ignore most of the weirdness that made its way into Resident Evil 6*. No matter where that reasoning puts me on the Resident Evil fandom scale, Capcom’s Resident Evil HD re-release has flipped everything on its head. It’s made me realise how awful the franchise has gotten and how badly we need to return to its roots.

In short, Resident Evil HD is fantastic.

A remastered version of 2002’s Resident Evil on Nintendo GameCube, which itself was a remake of the 1996 PlayStation version, Resident Evil HD features new 5.1 surround sound and redrawn, pre-rendered backgrounds. For the most part, the game is gorgeous – I far preferred the new 16:9 widescreen view, but for purists, you can play in RE’s original 4:9 view. The redone, pre-rendered backgrounds and lighting are absolutely breathtaking, offering up that same sense of horror, dread and isolation that the game is most famous for.

The game’s visual aesthetic isn’t without its flaws; while gameplay looks fabulous, pre-rendered cutscenes are certainly showing their age. Moreover, the backgrounds in the underground, partly-submerged underwater lab look like a pixelated mess. Worst yet, I started playing the game when my Xbox One told me it was “Ready to play” at about 85% downloaded and the game crashed as I was trying to lead Jill into the room with the Giant Snake. Twice. Without saving at any time beforehand in either game. It’s probably best to wait until the thing’s fully installed before playing.

Capcom’s gone to great lengths to offer a game that caters to loyalists and those who’ve never played; three initial levels of difficulty mean you can truly try to survive the horror of the Arklay Mountains or go in guns blazin’ against a weaker zombie horde.

Loyalists might insist upon the game’s harder difficulties and 4:6 ratio, but even they’ll be hard-pressed to go with Resident Evil HD’s original, tank-like control scheme. Sure, it’s something those who’ve played know, love and — mostly — miss, but switching over to the game’s alternate scheme means you’re unlikely to go back.

Rather than doing ridiculously large loops while running to change direction, or wasting valuable time simply turning whilst standing still, the new scheme means that wherever you point your left stick, your character will go. The right stick is used for 180 degree quick-turns, which is a nice little nod to Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and the functionality’s debut.

That all said, returning players will struggle for the first twenty or so minutes using the new alternate scheme, and that’s because you’ll have to fight your muscle memory to move. It’s a bit frustrating, but trust me, well worth the effort when you shed the itch(y. Tasty.) urge to try to drive Chris or Jill like a tank. The only real downside to the new scheme is that sometimes it works a little too well; as your character is far more nimble than on PlayStation or GameCube, you’ll find some boss battles a little easier than before. Still, it’s no running-and-shooting at the same time.

It sounds silly, but one of the best and worst parts of Resident Evil HD is another nod to the franchise’s long history in the form of alternate costumes. This time around, Chris and Jill can gear up as they appeared in Resident Evil 5, amongst others – and yes, before you ask, Chris somehow transforms from a fairly buff guy to a man with biceps larger than his head. Boo to Chris’ new look, but yay to Jill’s. Too bad you can’t keep the beret though.

Only available digitally and at a $26 AUD price point (or a whopping $40 AUD on Switch), it’s hard not to recommend Resident Evil HD. Newcomers will finally get to understand why us oldies get excited for new Resident Evil, only to then be disappointed and have to go on the back-burner to defend it. Returning players will absolutely get the most out of this title; it’s a great, nostalgia-filled stroll through a near-perfect game, and one that reminds us (and hopefully you too, Capcom) of how good it used to be. Screw the slightly-less-action-filled Revelations 2, guys – we want true survival horror back.

 

8.5 out of 10

The good

  • Enhanced visuals and sound.
  • Much improved controls.
  • Still captures that sense of dread and isolation from the original.
  • Reminds us how badly we need a true survival horror RE sequel.

The bad

  • The Aqua Ring looks pixelated and gross.
  • The game crashed twice at the very same point while 86% downloaded and “Ready to play”.

 

Resident Evil was reviewed using a promotional code on Xbox One, as purchased by the author. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.

*I probably just have a hard-on for Leon.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.