Real Talk By: Ms. Throwback

Fourteen years ago the Nintendo Gamecube was considered a failure in North America by many accounts. Sales were stooping thanks to the original Xbox making every man in the universe lose their mind due to Xbox Lives first person shooters, and the Playstation 2 was still the best-selling console of all time.  Nintendo was holding tight to its exclusives and Nintendo fans were still very defensive of console for good reason.  The Resident Evil series was still exclusive to the console and was still one of the biggest reasons to own a Gamecube.

The game’s story line is a prequel to the first title which accounts for why it sticks tight with the survival horror theme of the original title.  A new aspect is added to the game in which the player controls two different characters at different intervals throughout the title.  S.T.A.R.S officer Rebecca, and criminal Billy sport different abilities which are used to navigate the title and solve puzzles to beat the game.  This was also the first game in the series where the pause screen didn’t present a typical menu as it had in previous titles.  A item-dropping feature was introduce where items could be accessed by each character by switching between them during certain stages of play making this game a higher difficulty level than previous installments.

Resident Evil 0 was the last true game in the series to use the clunky character controls and third person view that were classic to the series.  In 2002 when the game was released this was still a negative point to the game.  Replaying it today I appreciated the controls.  They are still clunky and ridiculous but they keep the original feeling of the game alive.  I think true Resident Evil fans that have been around since the series started will appreciate the old school vibe of the controls.

The controls keep it classic but other aspects of the game keep it fresh.  The visuals of the title are stunning.  The game has been remastered several times but even the original has stunning visuals for the time.  You can tell the developers were highly interested in the feel of the title.  Unlike more recent RE titles that are action packed, this one keeps the horror vibe alive.  The remastered versions unfortunately don’t add much to the series except some updated frame rates and bettered lighting.  They really could have done so much more to update the title.

One of my main complaints about the title is the boss battles.  While they are challenging the design of most of the bosses is just unappealing.  I believe this is because this title was originally in development for the N64.  Years earlier these monsters might have had head rolling but now and days, with all of our minds filled with the horrible and strange we’ve encountered in the movie and gaming world, they just aren’t that scary.  Previous titles posed way more threat than these bosses ever could.

While Resident Evil 0 is one of my all time favorites for the simple fact that the next game in the series was RE4 which changed history not just for the series but for games across all genres and platforms, I realize that because of the cons, some players might not find this title as intriguing.  Going through the game with the odd angles and clunky controls is a hard thing to do, and the remastered versions just don’t give us much to look forward to.  If you have loved other RE titles and want some in-depth story telling, this title is for you.  Otherwise, you could skip it.

Resident Evil 0 Gets

3 Out of 5

What’s Legit?

+Old school Resident Evil vibe

+Difficulty Level

+Character and story line involvement

What’s Perpetrating?

-Controls and camera angles can be wonky

-Remastered versions are sub-par

#ResidentEvil @PlayLegit