resident Evilor called resident Evil In Japan, it’s probably the most important horror series in gaming. The first game, the original version launched in 1996 game consolewas a best-seller that inspired thousands of imitators, essentially created the entire subgenre of survival horror, and immediately left its mark on pop culture. It spawned a film franchise that lasted over fifteen years, including multiple reboots, novelizations, and arcade games. Since then, we’ve had over a dozen spin-off games, seven more mainline games, and four remakes, most of which were developed by the studio Capcom. The first one was in 2002 resident Evilcreated in partnership with Nintendo For the new game magic cube comfort. Although it has been around for more than 20 years resident Evil To this day, it still has a loyal following of fans who will die praising it as the best game in the series. How does this game still hold up even after all this time?
Now, you may be wondering, why is the game being remade only 6 years after it came out? The answer lies in Shinji Mikamiwho directed the original resident Evil This is the 2002 remake. The original game was made on a shoestring budget and had to contend with the technical limitations of the original Playstation. By 2000, he felt that the original game had not dated at all, and believed that the Gamecube’s technical capabilities could help bring the game closer to his original vision. producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi Agree was agreed, and production began with the help of Nintendo. The result is a 14-month production in which Mikami used the same basic techniques as the original game, superimposing 3D character models onto pre-rendered backgrounds, in this case the drawn images were actually on the backgrounds of the original game Completed on. According to the marketing director Todd Thorsonthe goal is:
Achieve movie-quality visuals and create more suspense and fear than the original.
Production started with just four programmers. Since this is Capcom’s first game for the GameCube, the team also had to monitor system performance. While the original game’s pre-rendered background style is maintained, the camera is more flexible than the original game and can track the player from more angles. CG Art Group Director Naoki Katai Design backgrounds using particle effects and full-motion video layers to simulate effects such as moving trees or rushing water, and design areas with contrast between light and dark to further enhance the fear factor. In addition to the visual changes, the gameplay has also undergone significant changes, with a new story script, added lines of dialogue and all-new sequences. Changes include an expanded inventory, more difficult enemies (which we’ll get to in a moment), altered puzzle design, and a more robust difficulty system (based on answering a quiz at the beginning of the game).
Capcom auditioned actors to serve as visual references for the character design team. Motion capture was used to animate the models, all based on actual, real-life faces. Nintendo helped support the process, while Capcom was initially hampered by the lack of a computer graphics animation system. They also hired new voice actors with more professional experience to avoid repeating the critical mistakes of the original game. The result is that these are some of the most visually distinct characters in the series to date, and the models have matured remarkably well into the modern era, still striking a perfect balance between reality and style, no doubt due to the fact that only 60% of any given The faces were all photo-realistic, and the rest had to be animated by Capcom’s development team. The game’s character designs are also incredible, keeping the visual characteristics of the character designs from the original but making them more realistic.
Understandably, the premise of the remake is the same as the original. After a series of bizarre murders occur on the outskirts of Raccoon City, the courtesy department STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue Services) is dispatched to investigate. After Bravo Team is found mostly dead in a crashed helicopter, Alpha Team takes refuge in the seemingly abandoned Spencer’s Mansion, where horrors lurk in the darkness to aid our survivors. Over one terrifying, long night, protagonists Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine will have to face terrifying monsters, the dark secrets of Spencer Mansion, and the conspiracy of the Umbrella Corporation, who hold the key to everything. . The game’s story isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it sets the stage for what’s to come in the series and takes its themes more seriously than the original game, which was a bit contrived. These aren’t narrative-heavy games, but the stories get the job done and have a certain timeless quality to them.
The characters in this game are excellent. Nearly every major character has become an iconic part of the series or pop culture. Chris Redfield, a true badass leading man who has become a favorite resident Evil The character appears as a key player in 5, 7, and 8. Jill Valentine is also one of the most famous and beloved characters in the series, and probably my personal favorite. Of course, Wesker is the most legendary villain in the series and has a rabid fan base, which I will mention but not go into detail. Even minor characters like Barry and Rebecca have their fans and reappear as protagonists in spin-off games (Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Resident Evil 0 ) The characters in the remake are particularly well-written because you can relate to all of them and understand them well in a short period of time, and you can see how they change as the world in STARS rapidly collapses.
The game is set in the impeccably gothic Spencer Mansion, and figuring out the mansion’s secrets and mysteries is a core element of the game. Notes are hidden for you to find, telling unforgettable stories from the bizarre to the horrific. One of those stories is the infamous subplot involving Lisa Trevor, a little girl who tried her best for years until she transformed into the nightmarish monster she meets halfway through the game. It’s an incredibly sad story, all told through documents and notes, and the game rewards you for your time investment, similar to later games such as bioshock series. The mansion left a lasting imprint on players’ minds, is still being analyzed and dissected to this day, and has become one of the greatest horror game settings.
The original game’s gameplay loop consisted of solving puzzles, avoiding or killing enemies, and unlocking more areas of Spencer’s mansion. It features classic tank controls and a fixed third-person perspective. Over the course of the game, you’ll acquire a variety of unlockable weapons, some of which are hard to miss, and you’ll find various items to help you survive, including healing items and bullet components. What’s unique about this game in terms of the larger series is that Jill and Chris play very differently. Chris can take more damage and deal more damage, but Jill can carry more items and has a lockpick that can open certain doors. Each is supported by a different STARS member, with Jill being supported by Barry Burton and Chris by Rebecca Chambers. Individual puzzles and moments are also different between the two, making both worth playing.
This is a terrible game. It’s worth mentioning that the difficulty directly increases the feeling of fear – the lack of control over the movement and camera makes you feel powerless, even if you are fully armed. You have little idea of what’s about to happen, waiting to kill you. The Crimsonheads are a perfect example. It becomes apparent early on that the easiest way to kill a zombie is to shoot its limbs off or stuff it in its guts until it collapses. After a certain point in the game, every zombie you don’t decapitate or burn will return in an aggressive scarlet-headed form, which will run away and wreak havoc on your perfect composure. This is a scary element of the game, and I learned the hard way when I first played it that I should always aim for the head.
After release, resident Evil It was well received by critics. Many praised its atmospheric intensity, beautifully animated cutscenes, and incredibly polished environments. Critics were divided over the tank controls and fixed camera angles, with some praising the system for keeping it intact while others were critical. That still seems to be the thinking about games today – even though resident Evil For a series that has returned to the forefront of horror gaming, not many new fans of the series have played it resident Evilperhaps out of a dislike for control. What’s a loss for some is a gain for others, which I think syncs perfectly with the design of the game. I can’t imagine a world where this game doesn’t have tank controls, but it’s still so scary, thrilling, and tense. They limit your control for a reason – to make you feel powerless and to prevent you from destroying enemies as much as you want. A remaster of the game arrived on modern consoles in 2015, updating some controls to make it more intuitive and leaving little visual changes aside from porting the game to HD. It looks and plays great, and will always be my recommended version of the game to modern gamers.
Capcom has since released a remake for modern consoles Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4featuring high-fidelity graphics and a shoulder-mounted third-person shooter. All three, especially in 2019 Resident Evil 2are all great video games and well worth playing. They updated the game well to modern standards and expectations and created record-breaking sales success for the series, bringing a whole new generation to the fan base. There have been rumors for years that they would redo the original game in the same style as the modern game, as well as a possible remake Resident Evil: Codename Veronica (I personally would happily support this). Regardless of whether we get another remake of the original game someday, I still think resident Evil (2002) is an almost perfect experience of classic survival horror. It takes the game that invented the genre and makes it the best version it can be, with a real emphasis on artistry in all aspects to try and make the scariest, most thrilling version it can be. It’s a focused experience, with every element and mechanic of the game working toward a common goal and a vision. I might be biased, as it’s easily my favorite horror game of all time, but I also think modern remakes might lose some of the unique artistic edge of the 2002 masterpiece. Ultimately, however, I will always own the 2002 game, which is amazing in its own right, just like the game itself. That’s perhaps why it’s so popular with so many people – it’s a completely remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime artistic achievement.
