Yes Barry, push random buttons on the computer connected to the bioweapon directly next to it. I'm sure that'll go great.
Resident Evil for the Playstation. While it defined an era of horror, not just in gaming but within media as a whole, it just doesn't really hold up. Between the graphics, the voice acting, and those awful tank controls, it just doesn't really hold up in the modern d - hahaHAHA just kidding, it's always been great and always will be. All of these things and more arguably do more to add to the experience, rather than take away.
The idea of survival horror wasn't really a thing at this point - hell, it was Resi here that coined the term itself to begin with. If you've seen or played Capcom's earlier Famicom game "Sweet Home", you can see some of the foundations that formed mechanics within Resi, itself originally intended as a remake of that game. Limited inventory slots, multiple playable characters with differing abilities, albeit both downplayed somewhat compared to their spiritual predecessor. I've always hated the sound of limited inventory and save items, but in practice, it's ingenious in how it establishes difficulty in this way.
For reference, I played this game through the Director's Cut, but specifically on the original mode - from what I'm aware of, this is the unchanged Japanese difficulty from the original release. The American version of the original censored certain things, as well as additional restrictions such as no auto-aim, which is probably the sole reason I hear so much complaint about the tank controls. I played both Chris and Jill's scenarios - Jill's first, as she's intended as the easy mode, but I also played on Director's Cut's own easy mode because I wasn't sold on the gameplay loop yet. Needless to say, Chris' scenario was played on Original. I'll review Director's Cut separately whenever I play the Arrange mode that it introduced.
Probably the most infamous thing about Resident Evil is the story - specifically the embarrassing voice acting and corny lines. Funnily enough, the game was to have a full Japanese dub, but the director found the performances inadequate, and figured the English ones were much better despite not understanding how they sound to native speakers. I feel like I've heard this argument before...but anyways. As silly as the lines are, it's hard to claim that they do anything but enrich the experience. I'd probably have been bored to death by the cutscenes if they were played completely straight with professional VAs, but the bad line reads give it something to remember it by. The story itself isn't necessarily bad by any means, and the way exposition is cleverly distributed via diary entries and logs found in the places you'd expect to realistically find them is a great touch. Every now and then though, a cutscene gets just a little bit too talky - moreso near the end. The live action FMVs, as few as they are, are also a treat to behold. Solid production values, particularly for a game of this era. What's lost in the cheesiness is made up for in some of the really gruesome gore.
As for the gameplay - it's fantastic. Armed with little more than a handgun, you're in a mansion full of zombies. Ammo is scarce, though not if you're good at looting and managing your inventory. You'll probably be able to find enough ammo to kill every zombie you need to, but not right away. Fortunately, zombies will tend to face the walls for a second or two while they pursue you, giving you the window you need to hold forward and dart past. The tank controls are a necessary thing here - the game uses pre-rendered backgrounds, which look fantastic, then renders the models over them almost seamlessly. Due to this, fixed camera angles are used. It can get disorientating if the angle changes at a pivotal moment, but it's rarely a game-ender. If you had traditional free movement, it would get very hard to keep control of your character as the definition of "forwards" is constantly changing.
It's also pretty damn easy to manoeuvre once you get the hang of how to "steer" with the D-pad. And because auto-aim is actually present in Director's Cut/the original Japanese version, all you need to do to shoot at an enemy is to hold ready, and blast. While you can aim your weapon up and down, I found there very little reason to do either. Supposedly aiming up at super-close range makes it easier to score an all-important headshot, but it'll typically just cause you to miss - unless your opponent is on the ceiling.
Getting grabbed by a zombie is usually cue to mash all the buttons to minimise damage, and there are plenty of healing items to find around. Some items will be important to get extra resources, or progress the plot. Of course, this is where limited inventory comes in, and it's fantastic at raising the tension. Do you bring the extra ammo, or use that slot for a healing item? Do you keep a spare slot open in case you find something important? Maybe you should leave that ammo there for now just in case...maybe you should bring this key item in case it's useful up ahead? Shit! Wrong key item! It adds this layer of strategy to the game that leaves you heading back to the item box - which mysteriously lets you access the same pool of stored items from each box, but hey I'm not complaining. If you need an item that you left in storage, you'll need to plot your path to the nearest Safe Room to grab it - and assuming you didn't take out every zombie on the way, that's another risky attempt you'll have to make at dodging them. Backtracking can still get a little tedious, but at least here it adds to a loop of tension.
I do still have some issues with the gameplay, though. Certain enemy types are just a little bit difficult to deal with, especially in larger numbers. It's one thing to have to weave among shambling undeads, but when things get faster - well, you obviously don't, so it becomes a case of "stand your ground and don't run out of ammo". This extends further to the boss encounters within the game, which I personally don't think entirely compliment the game design that it establishes. There are a fair few exceptions, but certain boss fights follow the Doom tradition of "shoot it until it dies" and while that's certainly possible, it doesn't feel especially right with the limited movement of your character. I much prefer the boss encounters that rely on you being able to utilise environmental elements to succeed, rather than just brute force, and there are a couple that are like this. Still, I'm hoping the sequel is better in that regard.
I've touched on the pre-rendered backgrounds, but the graphics in general are great. For one, I played this at the native resolution, as PS1 polygons simply don't look as good at higher resolutions. It creates a better effect when the details are more pixelated, and your brain sort of automatically fills in the detail itself. There's a surprising amount of work put into the blood and gore, such as dismemberment and the way playermodels bloody when killed. Beyond that, though, the janky animations also lend this uncanny feeling to the atmosphere already generated by the gameplay, and the sharp musical score. It's a great soundtrack, and it pains me that the Dualshock version exists as a substitute.
I didn't expect to like Resident Evil as a franchise, but just like that, the original game has immediately sold me on the series. It's goofy, it's primitive, and takes some learning to play by its rules, but the original game is still a fun and rewarding experience that I'm glad caught on the way it did.
Resident Evil for the Playstation. While it defined an era of horror, not just in gaming but within media as a whole, it just doesn't really hold up. Between the graphics, the voice acting, and those awful tank controls, it just doesn't really hold up in the modern d - hahaHAHA just kidding, it's always been great and always will be. All of these things and more arguably do more to add to the experience, rather than take away.
The idea of survival horror wasn't really a thing at this point - hell, it was Resi here that coined the term itself to begin with. If you've seen or played Capcom's earlier Famicom game "Sweet Home", you can see some of the foundations that formed mechanics within Resi, itself originally intended as a remake of that game. Limited inventory slots, multiple playable characters with differing abilities, albeit both downplayed somewhat compared to their spiritual predecessor. I've always hated the sound of limited inventory and save items, but in practice, it's ingenious in how it establishes difficulty in this way.
For reference, I played this game through the Director's Cut, but specifically on the original mode - from what I'm aware of, this is the unchanged Japanese difficulty from the original release. The American version of the original censored certain things, as well as additional restrictions such as no auto-aim, which is probably the sole reason I hear so much complaint about the tank controls. I played both Chris and Jill's scenarios - Jill's first, as she's intended as the easy mode, but I also played on Director's Cut's own easy mode because I wasn't sold on the gameplay loop yet. Needless to say, Chris' scenario was played on Original. I'll review Director's Cut separately whenever I play the Arrange mode that it introduced.
Probably the most infamous thing about Resident Evil is the story - specifically the embarrassing voice acting and corny lines. Funnily enough, the game was to have a full Japanese dub, but the director found the performances inadequate, and figured the English ones were much better despite not understanding how they sound to native speakers. I feel like I've heard this argument before...but anyways. As silly as the lines are, it's hard to claim that they do anything but enrich the experience. I'd probably have been bored to death by the cutscenes if they were played completely straight with professional VAs, but the bad line reads give it something to remember it by. The story itself isn't necessarily bad by any means, and the way exposition is cleverly distributed via diary entries and logs found in the places you'd expect to realistically find them is a great touch. Every now and then though, a cutscene gets just a little bit too talky - moreso near the end. The live action FMVs, as few as they are, are also a treat to behold. Solid production values, particularly for a game of this era. What's lost in the cheesiness is made up for in some of the really gruesome gore.
As for the gameplay - it's fantastic. Armed with little more than a handgun, you're in a mansion full of zombies. Ammo is scarce, though not if you're good at looting and managing your inventory. You'll probably be able to find enough ammo to kill every zombie you need to, but not right away. Fortunately, zombies will tend to face the walls for a second or two while they pursue you, giving you the window you need to hold forward and dart past. The tank controls are a necessary thing here - the game uses pre-rendered backgrounds, which look fantastic, then renders the models over them almost seamlessly. Due to this, fixed camera angles are used. It can get disorientating if the angle changes at a pivotal moment, but it's rarely a game-ender. If you had traditional free movement, it would get very hard to keep control of your character as the definition of "forwards" is constantly changing.
It's also pretty damn easy to manoeuvre once you get the hang of how to "steer" with the D-pad. And because auto-aim is actually present in Director's Cut/the original Japanese version, all you need to do to shoot at an enemy is to hold ready, and blast. While you can aim your weapon up and down, I found there very little reason to do either. Supposedly aiming up at super-close range makes it easier to score an all-important headshot, but it'll typically just cause you to miss - unless your opponent is on the ceiling.
Getting grabbed by a zombie is usually cue to mash all the buttons to minimise damage, and there are plenty of healing items to find around. Some items will be important to get extra resources, or progress the plot. Of course, this is where limited inventory comes in, and it's fantastic at raising the tension. Do you bring the extra ammo, or use that slot for a healing item? Do you keep a spare slot open in case you find something important? Maybe you should leave that ammo there for now just in case...maybe you should bring this key item in case it's useful up ahead? Shit! Wrong key item! It adds this layer of strategy to the game that leaves you heading back to the item box - which mysteriously lets you access the same pool of stored items from each box, but hey I'm not complaining. If you need an item that you left in storage, you'll need to plot your path to the nearest Safe Room to grab it - and assuming you didn't take out every zombie on the way, that's another risky attempt you'll have to make at dodging them. Backtracking can still get a little tedious, but at least here it adds to a loop of tension.
I do still have some issues with the gameplay, though. Certain enemy types are just a little bit difficult to deal with, especially in larger numbers. It's one thing to have to weave among shambling undeads, but when things get faster - well, you obviously don't, so it becomes a case of "stand your ground and don't run out of ammo". This extends further to the boss encounters within the game, which I personally don't think entirely compliment the game design that it establishes. There are a fair few exceptions, but certain boss fights follow the Doom tradition of "shoot it until it dies" and while that's certainly possible, it doesn't feel especially right with the limited movement of your character. I much prefer the boss encounters that rely on you being able to utilise environmental elements to succeed, rather than just brute force, and there are a couple that are like this. Still, I'm hoping the sequel is better in that regard.
I've touched on the pre-rendered backgrounds, but the graphics in general are great. For one, I played this at the native resolution, as PS1 polygons simply don't look as good at higher resolutions. It creates a better effect when the details are more pixelated, and your brain sort of automatically fills in the detail itself. There's a surprising amount of work put into the blood and gore, such as dismemberment and the way playermodels bloody when killed. Beyond that, though, the janky animations also lend this uncanny feeling to the atmosphere already generated by the gameplay, and the sharp musical score. It's a great soundtrack, and it pains me that the Dualshock version exists as a substitute.
I didn't expect to like Resident Evil as a franchise, but just like that, the original game has immediately sold me on the series. It's goofy, it's primitive, and takes some learning to play by its rules, but the original game is still a fun and rewarding experience that I'm glad caught on the way it did.
When I first started getting into the Resident Evil games, the original RE1 is an entry I initially skipped after hearing how apparently dated it is and how the remake makes it obsolete. But, after playing RE5's Lost in Nightmares chapter, I was itching for more classic RE action, so I finally checked it out and I had a great time with it.
RE1 is a game I just couldn't stop playing (and that goes for RE2 and 3 aswell) due to the amount of decision-making that is constantly present. From deciding which weapon to carry, to what enemies are worth killing to how many healing items you should have with you, you constantly have to think about your actions and it makes for a game that's really engaging. Ink Ribbons are an especially awesome mechanic and as time goes on, and we take saving for granted more and more, I think it only makes the fact that RE essentially weaponizes saves into being another source of tension for the player more effective with time.
I like the premise too, it's very classic horror and the focus on comradery across both campaigns is neat, but any immersion one could have in the plot is nuked by the completely directionless voice-acting. It's awful, but it's hilarious too and charming in how much of a sign of the times it is.
The game is far from perfect. I'm disappointed by the way it's structured because exploring the mansion and slowly getting to grips with its layout was really enjoyable, but after you get the 4 crests the game opts for more isolated areas like the Guardhouse or the Lab which aren't nearly as fun to explore. Another issue for me would be the Hunters, if there's two of them they often can combo you to death which is infuriating when it happens and after their introduction, they make the subsequent zombie encounters feel pretty redundant. My last issue would be the bossfights, they're just really boring, design wise (big snake, big plant and big spider whoa) and gameplay wise. They have like 1 attack each and are only there to drain you of resources which regular enemies already do so the boss encounters just feel really unnecessary.
So yeah the game has flaws, and I wouldn't consider it to be very scary either, but I still enjoyed it a lot and I appreciate it for being one of the pioneers of the survival horror genre.
RE1 is a game I just couldn't stop playing (and that goes for RE2 and 3 aswell) due to the amount of decision-making that is constantly present. From deciding which weapon to carry, to what enemies are worth killing to how many healing items you should have with you, you constantly have to think about your actions and it makes for a game that's really engaging. Ink Ribbons are an especially awesome mechanic and as time goes on, and we take saving for granted more and more, I think it only makes the fact that RE essentially weaponizes saves into being another source of tension for the player more effective with time.
I like the premise too, it's very classic horror and the focus on comradery across both campaigns is neat, but any immersion one could have in the plot is nuked by the completely directionless voice-acting. It's awful, but it's hilarious too and charming in how much of a sign of the times it is.
The game is far from perfect. I'm disappointed by the way it's structured because exploring the mansion and slowly getting to grips with its layout was really enjoyable, but after you get the 4 crests the game opts for more isolated areas like the Guardhouse or the Lab which aren't nearly as fun to explore. Another issue for me would be the Hunters, if there's two of them they often can combo you to death which is infuriating when it happens and after their introduction, they make the subsequent zombie encounters feel pretty redundant. My last issue would be the bossfights, they're just really boring, design wise (big snake, big plant and big spider whoa) and gameplay wise. They have like 1 attack each and are only there to drain you of resources which regular enemies already do so the boss encounters just feel really unnecessary.
So yeah the game has flaws, and I wouldn't consider it to be very scary either, but I still enjoyed it a lot and I appreciate it for being one of the pioneers of the survival horror genre.
I hate horror games and I hate jumpscares, but it's a testament to how phenomenal this game is that I felt GOOD about being terrified while playing this.
Everyone mentions the zombie dog window jumpscare, or the scene where the first zombie slowly turns around to look at you, but the three scenes that still stand out to me the most all these years after my first playthrough in 2021 were:
The live action FMV with the puppeted zombie dogs. I miss when games would do this kind of stuff and the effects for the dogs still look pretty good. I'd watch the shit out of a 90's-style RE horror movie with practical effects similar to Evil Dead.
The first pre-rendered cutscene with the Hunter was super freaky. Suddenly losing control of Jill, then the erratic camera movements and the old CG visuals unnerved me and made the Hunters very memorable.
Easily my favorite memory with this game, I walked into the billiards room and a giant tarantula dropped from the ceiling and split into like a dozen smaller spiders. It scared me so bad that I genuinely had a nightmare about it after I shut the game off and went to bed. Whenever I felt a brush against my leg, I'd jump because I thought there was a spider crawling on me.
THIS is the kind of horror I want from scary games as opposed to just loud, full-screen jumpscares.
Everyone mentions the zombie dog window jumpscare, or the scene where the first zombie slowly turns around to look at you, but the three scenes that still stand out to me the most all these years after my first playthrough in 2021 were:
The live action FMV with the puppeted zombie dogs. I miss when games would do this kind of stuff and the effects for the dogs still look pretty good. I'd watch the shit out of a 90's-style RE horror movie with practical effects similar to Evil Dead.
The first pre-rendered cutscene with the Hunter was super freaky. Suddenly losing control of Jill, then the erratic camera movements and the old CG visuals unnerved me and made the Hunters very memorable.
Easily my favorite memory with this game, I walked into the billiards room and a giant tarantula dropped from the ceiling and split into like a dozen smaller spiders. It scared me so bad that I genuinely had a nightmare about it after I shut the game off and went to bed. Whenever I felt a brush against my leg, I'd jump because I thought there was a spider crawling on me.
THIS is the kind of horror I want from scary games as opposed to just loud, full-screen jumpscares.
Wow! What a mansion!
This game killed my ps1
This game killed my ps1
Just a really, really cozy haunted house-esque experience. Fun gameplay, comfy graphics, neat resource-managing challenge that's just hard enough to grip you while never being punishing enough to sacrifice the cozyness. Map traversal and puzzle solving flows very well. Great game and very charming.
Simply amazing that this game holds up as well as it does. The final stretch of the game muddies the experience, but until that point, the game is fantastic.
Very janky and unpolished game in many ways, and although I would never recommend playing this over the remake, it still has a certain charm to it. From the creepy music and atmosphere, to the HILARIOUS dialogue and voice acting, it's just so... captivating, I guess.
I still hate the Ink Ribbon system though. Fuck that.
I still hate the Ink Ribbon system though. Fuck that.
That part when Jill says "Damn, these residents are getting really evil!" made me tear up
Never really been a fan of the first Resident Evil game. I appreciate both this and REmake and I believe are good games, but whenever I play I find it's too obtuse and never really enjoy my time with it. At first I thought it was the camera but after playing and enjoying RE2 and other older games with fixed-cameras it is just this game in particular. I played this with infinite ammo and health just to see what the experience would be like and see how far I could get, played for an hour but the thought of so much back-tracking and figuring out this game's puzzles just isn't something I want to do again.
Seria até injusto se eu comparar com o Remake, porque é uma melhora gigantesca em todos os sentidos, mas RE 1 original sem dúvidas tem seu mérito por atmosfera e sound design, além da mecânica de recursos escassos ser bem pensada, melhora o sentimento de suspense e claustrofobia que me causa, uma pena que o gameplay é bem arcaico e truncado, pouca responsividade e dificulta demais a sua progressão.
While i find the remake better in every way, it does not make the original bad. The terrible and charming voice acting makes it worth playing even if you already played the remake.
birth of a legacy
I grew up with all these point and click horror flash games and I have always wondered where it all came from.
I always wondered why this franchise was praised for it's horror and survival elements when I thought it was another zombie shooter experience.. (boy was I wrong)
While this game has aged a bit, it's still worth playing for its historical significance and classic gameplay.
The tank controls, weird aiming, limited resources etc.,
The game made me appreciate survival horror and the level designs kept me immersed.
The backtracking with the Door animations are just a hassle.
I always wondered why this franchise was praised for it's horror and survival elements when I thought it was another zombie shooter experience.. (boy was I wrong)
While this game has aged a bit, it's still worth playing for its historical significance and classic gameplay.
The tank controls, weird aiming, limited resources etc.,
The game made me appreciate survival horror and the level designs kept me immersed.
The backtracking with the Door animations are just a hassle.
a jill sandwich
im so fucking hungry for a jill sandwich rn
after playing literally every single mainline resident evil apart from 5 and 6 (will get to them soon enough) I just got an enormous itch to scratch for the game that started it all on the greatest console of all time after the PlayStation 2: the PlayStation 1
i can say that in the l first 20 minutes or so I was really not in the mood to continue the game it looked kind of janky the controls are even stiffer than the latest titles on the consoles the voice acting is embarrassing and the models are soooo weird
long story short just 30 minutes after this i was totally hooked i begin to love every single aspect i shamed just now and completely got into a trance-like state and pushed throught the entirety of the game in 2 sittings its absolutely fucking incredible I don't even know what to say
my experience with the original resident evil is kinda weird as in the first exposure to the game was the DS version when I was a kid when I shat my pants when I saw the very first zombie scene and closed the game and some years ago I played the remake for the gamecube and enjoyed it a lot so I didn't actually play the original
as for the criticism I just talked about you just need to get in the groove and you'll ignore every single flaw in this game: 1) yes it does look kinda janky but that's to be expected for a game this old AND YET it all has a purpose the walls of the mansion got a disgusting hue and look decrepit the laboratory is spooky enough and the garden is dark as shit and this was all achieved with the pre rendered backgrounds THATS monumental if you ask me this has such a specific mood that I can't even explain it in words you need to play it 2) yes it plays definitely worse than the other games on the ps1 but when you get accustomed to the stiffer tank controls and how the characters move you will breeze through the game like it just came out yesterday and since the gameplay is THE classic resident evil experience you will definitely enjoy it 3) the voice acting IS kinda cringey and kinda bad but I absolutely love that campy vibe of a B horror movie with that FMV as an opening and weird ass conversations its a total vibe
the sound design and music feels really prehistoric compared to how much I enjoyed resident evil 2s score and soundscape but yknow that's also to be expected but somehow every single one of the songs are competently crafted and convey the right vibe for the scene or area or whatever so that's pretty fine
its kinda amazing how open and non linear the mansion is you can literally tackle the games flow in whatever route you desire (mostly in the beginning of the game later it clearly gets more linear but that's also necessary for the course of action) and thats a great feat for a PlayStation 1 game just as much as how many different objects and weapons you can use and so many different monsters and puzzles and wow idk I just enjoyed this too much more so for its historic relevance than as a game itself but still I don't think it aged that poorly it kinda feels just as fresh as when it was released and mind you it was fucking 1996 the most powerful ram was like 18mb or something that was a time to be alive
I chose Jill because I actually cannot play with Chris and his restricted inventory options I would get so fucking frustrated im sorry Chris youre not even that hot in this game I wouldn't even feast on your biceps in this one
the story is always the same one you get a zombie outbreak but this one is like only in a mansion lololol and then it's just puzzle puzzle puzzle and some lore in the meantime but as always the main infodumb is in the 20 minutes before the ending so that is something that was carried over for the entirety of the series whatever
umh
I dont know I don't remember what I was gonna say anyway umh good game
i can say that in the l first 20 minutes or so I was really not in the mood to continue the game it looked kind of janky the controls are even stiffer than the latest titles on the consoles the voice acting is embarrassing and the models are soooo weird
long story short just 30 minutes after this i was totally hooked i begin to love every single aspect i shamed just now and completely got into a trance-like state and pushed throught the entirety of the game in 2 sittings its absolutely fucking incredible I don't even know what to say
my experience with the original resident evil is kinda weird as in the first exposure to the game was the DS version when I was a kid when I shat my pants when I saw the very first zombie scene and closed the game and some years ago I played the remake for the gamecube and enjoyed it a lot so I didn't actually play the original
as for the criticism I just talked about you just need to get in the groove and you'll ignore every single flaw in this game: 1) yes it does look kinda janky but that's to be expected for a game this old AND YET it all has a purpose the walls of the mansion got a disgusting hue and look decrepit the laboratory is spooky enough and the garden is dark as shit and this was all achieved with the pre rendered backgrounds THATS monumental if you ask me this has such a specific mood that I can't even explain it in words you need to play it 2) yes it plays definitely worse than the other games on the ps1 but when you get accustomed to the stiffer tank controls and how the characters move you will breeze through the game like it just came out yesterday and since the gameplay is THE classic resident evil experience you will definitely enjoy it 3) the voice acting IS kinda cringey and kinda bad but I absolutely love that campy vibe of a B horror movie with that FMV as an opening and weird ass conversations its a total vibe
the sound design and music feels really prehistoric compared to how much I enjoyed resident evil 2s score and soundscape but yknow that's also to be expected but somehow every single one of the songs are competently crafted and convey the right vibe for the scene or area or whatever so that's pretty fine
its kinda amazing how open and non linear the mansion is you can literally tackle the games flow in whatever route you desire (mostly in the beginning of the game later it clearly gets more linear but that's also necessary for the course of action) and thats a great feat for a PlayStation 1 game just as much as how many different objects and weapons you can use and so many different monsters and puzzles and wow idk I just enjoyed this too much more so for its historic relevance than as a game itself but still I don't think it aged that poorly it kinda feels just as fresh as when it was released and mind you it was fucking 1996 the most powerful ram was like 18mb or something that was a time to be alive
I chose Jill because I actually cannot play with Chris and his restricted inventory options I would get so fucking frustrated im sorry Chris youre not even that hot in this game I wouldn't even feast on your biceps in this one
the story is always the same one you get a zombie outbreak but this one is like only in a mansion lololol and then it's just puzzle puzzle puzzle and some lore in the meantime but as always the main infodumb is in the 20 minutes before the ending so that is something that was carried over for the entirety of the series whatever
umh
I dont know I don't remember what I was gonna say anyway umh good game
Janky, silly, stupid and with laughable story and acting. This game sucks. And I really like it for that. More than I should, probably, but it does well on charm, OST and overall personality. The PS1 graphics help on setting the weird tone too. I totally get why this was a hit. 2 addendums, Jill > Chris. Also fuck them Hunter α bitch-ass monsters.
Meu querido companheiro... quanto mais rejogo você, mais me afasto...
Pontos positivos: Level design não-linear, com o jogador podendo abordar aonde quer ir e juntar os itens na ordem que quiser, como uma exploração de verdade, com uma boa distribuição de safe rooms e recursos no mapa.A apresentação das mecânicas básicas uma por uma é muito eficiente, esse trecho antes do primeiro zumbi é excelente pra aprender a usar os controles de tanque.A trilha sonora é a melhor da série, isso juntando com os espaços limiares que mansão apresenta, o jogo é verdadeiramente assustador.O modo extra da versão DC ajuda muito na rejogabilide, já que muitos itens trocam de local, e ângulos das câmeras nos cenários também.A sub-área do dormitório é uma mudança de cenário muito fascinante, já que possui monstros que você nem sonharia, como um tubarão e uma planta alienígena.Hunters e Zumbis são inimigos marcantes e eficientes em serem um problema.Bom gerenciando de local, e bom gerenciamento de inventário.
Pontos negativos: A dublagem é horrível, matando o carisma dos personagens.O enredo não é muito melhor também, esse jogo não tem o aprofundamento que as sequências iriam vir a ter sobre o tema das armas biológicas e os personagens não são desenvolvidos, sem verdade e mentira narrativa, o que torna a reviravolta do Wesker pífia.A navegação pela mansão é um pesadelo, os locais parecem literalmente iguais dentro da mansão, não possuindo detalhamento no background.A ausência do marcador de localização, assim como os que demonstram quais portas estão trancadas, ainda mais com a liberdade que você possui pra navegar aonde quiser, instantâneamente deixa tudo confuso, demandando esforço maior que o jogo quer que você deposite.A maioria dos puzzles é simplesmente HORRÍVEL, eles dependem da exploração, que como já disse, é muito falha! fora a quantidade ridícula de blocos pra empurrar! desde o início até o final! basicamente nenhum dos quebra cabeças exigem lógica verdadeira! O backtracking desse aqui é MUITO ruim, não acontece nada de novo nos lugares que você é obrigado a passar denovo até os Hunters aparecerem, a sessão das cavernas é a prova disso, com o jogador desavisados sendo punido por não advinhar que teria um checkpoint sem caixa de itens.Agora você imagina juntar tudo isso com dificuldade artificial... é isso que a campanha do Chris faz... Você tem que carregar um monte de chavinhas em um inventário de SEIS espaços, que não se acumulam... Pra piorar, Chris não tem a variação de armamento que incentiva o jogador a pensar sobre quais itens quer usar! não ter o lança-granadas, sendo que o lança chamas só pode ser usado em um lugar, parece uma piada de mal gosto.Isso aqui não é um "modo difícil" é um modo limitado! este tipo de configuração a qual agrava os problemas da campanha principal, cortando conteúdo, só piora a obra! Os problemas de envelhecimento técnico se destacam devido a maior quantidade de portas, em que o loading demora ainda mais pra acontecer, os controles de tanque tem sim um grau de imprecisão.Mas o momento que verdadeiramente me quebrou foi o puzzle dos medalhões... exigindo a mecânica de check pela primeira vez no FINAL DO JOGO!
Peguei pesado? poisé, mas apesar dessa quantidade de bullshit, o game ainda é eficiente minimamente em ser sobrevivência e dar medo.Além do mais, o REmake consertou no mínimo 95% deste aqui. Recomendo jogar ele só pra valorizar o a versão de 2002.
Pontos positivos: Level design não-linear, com o jogador podendo abordar aonde quer ir e juntar os itens na ordem que quiser, como uma exploração de verdade, com uma boa distribuição de safe rooms e recursos no mapa.A apresentação das mecânicas básicas uma por uma é muito eficiente, esse trecho antes do primeiro zumbi é excelente pra aprender a usar os controles de tanque.A trilha sonora é a melhor da série, isso juntando com os espaços limiares que mansão apresenta, o jogo é verdadeiramente assustador.O modo extra da versão DC ajuda muito na rejogabilide, já que muitos itens trocam de local, e ângulos das câmeras nos cenários também.A sub-área do dormitório é uma mudança de cenário muito fascinante, já que possui monstros que você nem sonharia, como um tubarão e uma planta alienígena.Hunters e Zumbis são inimigos marcantes e eficientes em serem um problema.Bom gerenciando de local, e bom gerenciamento de inventário.
Pontos negativos: A dublagem é horrível, matando o carisma dos personagens.O enredo não é muito melhor também, esse jogo não tem o aprofundamento que as sequências iriam vir a ter sobre o tema das armas biológicas e os personagens não são desenvolvidos, sem verdade e mentira narrativa, o que torna a reviravolta do Wesker pífia.A navegação pela mansão é um pesadelo, os locais parecem literalmente iguais dentro da mansão, não possuindo detalhamento no background.A ausência do marcador de localização, assim como os que demonstram quais portas estão trancadas, ainda mais com a liberdade que você possui pra navegar aonde quiser, instantâneamente deixa tudo confuso, demandando esforço maior que o jogo quer que você deposite.A maioria dos puzzles é simplesmente HORRÍVEL, eles dependem da exploração, que como já disse, é muito falha! fora a quantidade ridícula de blocos pra empurrar! desde o início até o final! basicamente nenhum dos quebra cabeças exigem lógica verdadeira! O backtracking desse aqui é MUITO ruim, não acontece nada de novo nos lugares que você é obrigado a passar denovo até os Hunters aparecerem, a sessão das cavernas é a prova disso, com o jogador desavisados sendo punido por não advinhar que teria um checkpoint sem caixa de itens.Agora você imagina juntar tudo isso com dificuldade artificial... é isso que a campanha do Chris faz... Você tem que carregar um monte de chavinhas em um inventário de SEIS espaços, que não se acumulam... Pra piorar, Chris não tem a variação de armamento que incentiva o jogador a pensar sobre quais itens quer usar! não ter o lança-granadas, sendo que o lança chamas só pode ser usado em um lugar, parece uma piada de mal gosto.Isso aqui não é um "modo difícil" é um modo limitado! este tipo de configuração a qual agrava os problemas da campanha principal, cortando conteúdo, só piora a obra! Os problemas de envelhecimento técnico se destacam devido a maior quantidade de portas, em que o loading demora ainda mais pra acontecer, os controles de tanque tem sim um grau de imprecisão.Mas o momento que verdadeiramente me quebrou foi o puzzle dos medalhões... exigindo a mecânica de check pela primeira vez no FINAL DO JOGO!
Peguei pesado? poisé, mas apesar dessa quantidade de bullshit, o game ainda é eficiente minimamente em ser sobrevivência e dar medo.Além do mais, o REmake consertou no mínimo 95% deste aqui. Recomendo jogar ele só pra valorizar o a versão de 2002.
resident evil is a part of a surprisingly and increasingly marginal tradition of games that realize the intrinsic degeneracy of unlimited saves, especially quicksaves, or at least realize that saving is relevant to how one plays. thus, there are ink ribbons: a scarce resource one must expend to save their game. suddenly saving is an economic decision rather than a mindless amenity one is probably taking advantage of nigh-constantly, trivializing much of the game and removing any tension. now one is incentivized to go up to an hour or two without saving, meaning one is thinking a lot more about their actions -- and is a lot more stressed, perhaps even horrified, by potential failure.
infamously brutal in the first hour or so but unless one is filtered they quickly adapt. that brutality is, in no small part, because of how awkward and unintuitive the combat is. a part of that is the despised-by-many tank controls of course, but those are quick to learn even if there's some lingering unwieldiness that never goes away. elsewise, camera angels are often not in your favor, and even when they are it can be hard to tell if you're actually aiming at what you're trying to. combine that with scarce ammunition, healing items, and saving as aforementioned, and combat becomes both very deliberate and, when things go wrong, a desperate scramble to both avoid death and save resources, when you decide to engage in it at all. some of the threat is eventually undercut by the sheer abundance of ammunition and especially healing items later on, but it never fully goes away.
when you aren't killing dudes, you'll be exploring and navigating, and you'll be doing a lot of it. it is generally pretty difficult to make mere traversal all that interesting, but here it is pretty enjoyable. the looming threat of combat and therefore potentially death being around the corner is ever-present, and even absent any threat the world is very tightly designed. every room feels very distinct and identifiable -- to the point where, even though one is provided, you barely ever need to use your map. puzzles and similar challenges are interspersed, making it just complex enough that often enough you are not merely going from point A to point B but instead thinking a little more about what you're doing.
dialogue writing? voice acting? what do you mean? i have no idea what you are talking about.
infamously brutal in the first hour or so but unless one is filtered they quickly adapt. that brutality is, in no small part, because of how awkward and unintuitive the combat is. a part of that is the despised-by-many tank controls of course, but those are quick to learn even if there's some lingering unwieldiness that never goes away. elsewise, camera angels are often not in your favor, and even when they are it can be hard to tell if you're actually aiming at what you're trying to. combine that with scarce ammunition, healing items, and saving as aforementioned, and combat becomes both very deliberate and, when things go wrong, a desperate scramble to both avoid death and save resources, when you decide to engage in it at all. some of the threat is eventually undercut by the sheer abundance of ammunition and especially healing items later on, but it never fully goes away.
when you aren't killing dudes, you'll be exploring and navigating, and you'll be doing a lot of it. it is generally pretty difficult to make mere traversal all that interesting, but here it is pretty enjoyable. the looming threat of combat and therefore potentially death being around the corner is ever-present, and even absent any threat the world is very tightly designed. every room feels very distinct and identifiable -- to the point where, even though one is provided, you barely ever need to use your map. puzzles and similar challenges are interspersed, making it just complex enough that often enough you are not merely going from point A to point B but instead thinking a little more about what you're doing.
dialogue writing? voice acting? what do you mean? i have no idea what you are talking about.
It's been a little under a year since I played through Resident Evil 4 for the first time, and while I am still incredibly glad that it served as my introduction to both this franchise and the survival horror genre as a whole, there's still some part of me that wonders how differently my opinion on both of these things would have been if I decided to start off with the first game in the series. Over the years, I've heard a lot of great things about the GameCube remake of that landmark title (as well as its HD remaster), and while I technically could have went out of my way to buy it for the PS4 at some point, I already had access to the director's cut of the original PS1 game through the PlayStation Classic, so I decided to go with that version. Despite how it pretty much singlehandedly created survival horror as we know it (even to the point where it coined the genre's actual name), I was surprised by just how easy Resident Evil was to jump into, understand, and have a good time with, and while there were some elements of the game that I really wasn't a fan of at all, my eight-ish hour run was still a pretty positive one.
For the most part, the gameplay loop of Resident Evil can generally be boiled down to either exploration, puzzle solving, or combat, and it's good that all three of these elements of the game were fun in their own ways. The first two aspects of this game are pretty much intertwined, as going through every nook and cranny of the Spencer Mansion and its subsections not only rewards you with more items to use during your playthrough, but also different kinds of documents that reveal more and more details about what is going on. Although the game only features a few different kinds of weapons, the action in Resident Evil managed to feel good while still making its combat encounters tense thanks to the limited ammo, steer-heavy controls, and increasingly powerful enemy types, and the combination of these led to several occasions where simply running away from whatever was facing me was the best option. Each of these elements of the gameplay were solid on their own, but what made them even better for me was the game's strong atmosphere, as the cinematic fixed camera angles, ominous score, and detailed models made the moments where Resident Evil was legitimately trying to throw me off guard work quite well while also having the minute-to-minute gameplay feel tense in its own right.
From a gameplay standpoint, Resident Evil was already pretty solid, but my favorite aspect of the game was easily its story moments. Despite how the actual plot merely gets the job done and not much else, the infamously bad voice acting and dialogue was what elevated it to the point where I really looked forward to each cutscene. Even when putting the classic lines regarding Jill sandwiches and being a master of unlocking aside, pretty much every line that the characters say is funny in some way without ever actually trying to be, and that made Resident Evil feel like a playable zombie B-movie (which, in my eyes, is a huge compliment). I had quite a lot of fun with Resident Evil, but I won't deny that some of its design choices left me with mixed feelings. For me, the worst part of Resident Evil was easily the constant backtracking, as the limited inventory space makes it so that you have to constantly go back and forth to swap items from the unmarked storage boxes that are scattered across the map. Having to decide what to keep and what to leave behind is an interesting concept, but its execution here felt tedious rather than strategic, and I much prefer the inventory management system that was used in Resident Evil 4. There were also some elements of the game that felt odd and unnecessary rather than outright frustrating, with the decision to limit saving your game behind a consumable item sticking out in my mind. Despite those flaws, I still enjoyed my time with Resident Evil, and I'm now interested in checking out the original versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in the near future.
For the most part, the gameplay loop of Resident Evil can generally be boiled down to either exploration, puzzle solving, or combat, and it's good that all three of these elements of the game were fun in their own ways. The first two aspects of this game are pretty much intertwined, as going through every nook and cranny of the Spencer Mansion and its subsections not only rewards you with more items to use during your playthrough, but also different kinds of documents that reveal more and more details about what is going on. Although the game only features a few different kinds of weapons, the action in Resident Evil managed to feel good while still making its combat encounters tense thanks to the limited ammo, steer-heavy controls, and increasingly powerful enemy types, and the combination of these led to several occasions where simply running away from whatever was facing me was the best option. Each of these elements of the gameplay were solid on their own, but what made them even better for me was the game's strong atmosphere, as the cinematic fixed camera angles, ominous score, and detailed models made the moments where Resident Evil was legitimately trying to throw me off guard work quite well while also having the minute-to-minute gameplay feel tense in its own right.
From a gameplay standpoint, Resident Evil was already pretty solid, but my favorite aspect of the game was easily its story moments. Despite how the actual plot merely gets the job done and not much else, the infamously bad voice acting and dialogue was what elevated it to the point where I really looked forward to each cutscene. Even when putting the classic lines regarding Jill sandwiches and being a master of unlocking aside, pretty much every line that the characters say is funny in some way without ever actually trying to be, and that made Resident Evil feel like a playable zombie B-movie (which, in my eyes, is a huge compliment). I had quite a lot of fun with Resident Evil, but I won't deny that some of its design choices left me with mixed feelings. For me, the worst part of Resident Evil was easily the constant backtracking, as the limited inventory space makes it so that you have to constantly go back and forth to swap items from the unmarked storage boxes that are scattered across the map. Having to decide what to keep and what to leave behind is an interesting concept, but its execution here felt tedious rather than strategic, and I much prefer the inventory management system that was used in Resident Evil 4. There were also some elements of the game that felt odd and unnecessary rather than outright frustrating, with the decision to limit saving your game behind a consumable item sticking out in my mind. Despite those flaws, I still enjoyed my time with Resident Evil, and I'm now interested in checking out the original versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in the near future.
Honesto e fofo. Acho que encapsula a energia que Resident Evil vai mandar daqui pra frente, que é ser assustador mas também familiar, confortável e absurdo o suficiente pra você não sentir só medo. Seus cenários e personagens com paletas de cor um tanto mais coloridas que as outras séries de terror que vieram depois dele me dizem isso. Além da música de encerramento que claramente podia estar em qualquer Sonic Adventure.
Os puzzles são divertidos, apesar da maioria não ser muito complicado, mais funcionando como um adventure onde você tem que estar com o item certo na hora certa que os quebra-cabeças do futuro.
Resident Evil é jogo de mapa.
Os puzzles são divertidos, apesar da maioria não ser muito complicado, mais funcionando como um adventure onde você tem que estar com o item certo na hora certa que os quebra-cabeças do futuro.
Resident Evil é jogo de mapa.
Dude, let me tell you about Resident Evil 1, the original game that made history. You know that tense atmosphere that gives you the chills? That's exactly what Resident Evil 1 delivers. From the graphics to the soundtrack, everything conspires to leave you on edge.
The gameplay is the kind that makes you think twice before opening a door. You're always on the edge, trying to save ammo, searching for essential items, and, of course, trying not to get scared by the surprises the game throws at you.
The story is kind of crazy, but that's what gives it charm. It's like a 90s horror movie, but interactive. There are moments when you just go, 'seriously?' with the plot twists, but in the end, it's all part of the fun.
Resident Evil 1 is one of those games that leaves a mark, you know? It's an absolute classic that will always have a special place in gaming history.
The gameplay is the kind that makes you think twice before opening a door. You're always on the edge, trying to save ammo, searching for essential items, and, of course, trying not to get scared by the surprises the game throws at you.
The story is kind of crazy, but that's what gives it charm. It's like a 90s horror movie, but interactive. There are moments when you just go, 'seriously?' with the plot twists, but in the end, it's all part of the fun.
Resident Evil 1 is one of those games that leaves a mark, you know? It's an absolute classic that will always have a special place in gaming history.
The Father of Survival Horror is pretty much immune to criticism thanks to its many, many, talented children; who every once in a while come to the retirement home to ask for advice
Many years ago, I had a lot of mixed feelings on the classic Resident Evil titles, and a lot of them revolved around their limited inventory system. Growing up with Silent Hill first, where there was no need to worry about stuff like that for most of their games, the inconveniences of Resident Evil were a hard pill for me to swallow. Coupled with the door opening animations, that - while iconic - take up obnoxious amounts of time while trying to get around the mansion faster, the franchise came off as this antiquated little thing that was only there for the people who grew up with it. I thought it was far too late for me to be getting into this series.
And then Resident Evil 7 came out, along with Resident Evil 2 Remake shortly after. Which is a topic for another day, but within one fell swoop (or two fell swoops), these games turned me into a huge fan of the franchise, and retroactively got me to beat as many of the other games as possible. Except the classic trilogy. Once again, I would try them, but not really be able to commit to their design, so I would just save state through it all. But I could feel it. Even with the aged PS1 original, I could feel this alluring challenge calling out to me. Especially after playing RE2 Remake, I decided that perhaps if I truly dedicated myself to RE1's challenge, I would be able to appreciate it more than ever before.
And so, I set out a goal: To play the original RE1 with the goal of getting good enough to unlock the Infinite Rocket Launcher. Save states were mostly disabled, at most only used near the designated save points as a way to quickly return to them without having to sit through the game over screen. This handicap also meant that if I was doing miserably, or came into something unprepared, I had a load state button I could use to quickly get back to the nearest Safe Room and re-organize my strategy for what's coming up next.
I have to stress just how nice it was to be able to do that in this game, as Resident Evil 1 does a really poor job conveying what's actually useful to carry in your limited inventory for the road ahead. Weapons are one thing, but sometimes you'll get a puzzle item which the game will either decide you'll need to use 5 minutes from now, or 2 hours. And all the while you're carrying it, a sense of decision paralysis washes over you, "Should I store this puzzle item in a Safe Room for now? But what if I'm about to use it? But if I keep it now, that's one less inventory space..." The crank is a fun example of this, an item you use once, are absolutely confident you'll no longer need it, only for the game to tell you 2 hours later "Haha, gotcha, you actually needed that crank for this spot as well!" Limited ammunition is scary in survival horror. Having to wrestle with limited inventory for puzzle items on the other hand, is just a frustrating time waster, and one that I'm glad I managed to somewhat circumvent.
One more complaint I have about RE1, and it's something that most new players are likely to fall into, is its deliberately misleading difficulty select. Intreestingly, the Japanese version of the game ensures to mark both Chris and Jill as "Hard Mode" and "Easy Mode", respectively. Meanwhile, the western releases took that bit of text out and places Chris as the default choice, ensuring most players will pick him for their first playthrough. I do not recommend doing that. The difference between Jill's 8 inventory slots and Chris's mere 6 is staggering, and alongside giving him more items to carry than Jill needs to, makes him a way bigger pain in the ass to play. Don't let the game fool you, Jill is the Normal Mode. Chris is what you play when you've familiarized yourself enough with the game to desire a more advanced challenge.
In spite of these gripes I had with RE1, I'm pleased to say that after my first playthrough fully concluded, I grew to enjoy the game a lot more. In fact, I kinda went crazy for it, and replayed it 12 more times in the span of two weeks. Totaling 13 playthroughs in total, I've done 8 runs of the original PS1 release (4 runs for both characters to get all of their endings), 2 runs of the Director's Cut, 1 run of the Dualshock Edition, and 2 runs of the PC version. About halfway through these runs, save states were completely abandoned altogether, and I grew comfortable enough to play the game as fully intended.
What the hell happened to cause that many runs? Familiarity happened. As you may remember, my initial goal when I started playing was to unlock the Infinite Rocket Launcher. To unlock this weapon, you are required to beat the game under 3 hours. Keeping in mind that this is the ultimate reward of Resident Evil 1, it becomes clear what the game aims to be on secondary playthroughs: A speedrunner's challenge. For your first playthrough, you don't know what's happening, you don't know what items go where, you don't know if there's gonna be an enemy or a boss around this next corner... now that you've beat it and the "fear" of the whole thing is gone, the game effectively turns into a Time Attack, where all your knowledge is used to efficiently optimize the hell out of everything. By my 2nd run, I've shaved off over 2 hours of playtime, and that's when I knew I was in love. What was once a game that required at least 2-3 sessions, I could now cozily knock out under 2 hours. Then I could show off my skills to my friends, and inevitably fuck up along the way!
So, the appeal of the gameplay turned out to show itself during secondary runs. But is there anything to appreciate during the 1st run? Well, I suppose that all depends on your enjoyment of irony. The entire aesthetic of the mansion is comprised of dated, surrealistic 90's CG graphics, at times it looks like my old grandma's house. It's not really scary as the "horror" in survival horror would suggest, nor is it atmospherically realistic, but it is atmospheric nonetheless. Atmospheric in the sense of it whisking you away into a world that doesn't quite feel like yours, but is enchanting to explore, overcome, and discover its secrets. Much like a point 'n click adventure, the more puzzles you solve, the more things click together. One mystery solved after another, with the satisfaction of knowing each one brings you closer to your end goal, until eventually you've wrapped up all of them with a neat ribbon.
Bonus points go to the feel of the weapons. The knife's a worthless piece of trash, and the handgun is deliberately weak. But that only serves to make weapons like the shotgun and grenade launcher feel so much more amazing by comparison. Getting in those shotgun headshots to instantly take out a zombie, or loading up a grenade launcher with acid rounds and taking out a boss in seconds feels so good, man. By the time you get to the final boss, the game loads you up with enough powerful weaponry to go all out, to end things on an explosive note. Does that lend itself to horror well? Not particularly, but it is by all means deliberate. The 1st half starts you off as a vulnerable mess, but by the end, it wants you to feel like you've grown into something much more experienced and powerful. It's the zombies who should be running away from you now. It's not scary, but it feels really good.
I adore this voice acting. Yes, it's awful, laughable, the writing for it is downright nonsensical at parts. They have fucked it up beyond all understanding, and it is exactly what makes it so enjoyable. Every line is stuck in my head, and kept me looking forward to whatever stupid thing the next cutscene will do. This sort of B-movie camp would become synomous with the Resident Evil brand for many games to come. And even though the voice acting would go on to improve, I think that each of the game's writers understood well, that Resident Evil's uniqueness comes from the very fact that it's not just a straightforward horror experience, but a balance of heavy tension, and cheesy levity.
Oh yeah, so, because of the fact that I've played so many versions of RE1, the big question is, which one would I recommend? So, there are some gaps in my experience, I haven't touched the Sega Saturn or the DS ports for example. But, if I were to recommend one to a newcomer... I'm a little torn between the original PS1 release, and the PC port. Once you apply a fanmade patch to the PC port, it is by far the best way to play. FMV's are present in all their uncensored gory glory, you have a button to spin around 180 degrees for quick turning, you can save without needing Ink Ribbons, and best of all: You can skip the door loading animations! However, I've noted its audio quality (specifically the voices) as being lower than the PS1 release, and at times, the voices were drowned out by the music. Unless there's a way to adjust this, I would recommend playing the original PS1 version despite its lesser QoL, and then switch over to PC once you've got to gripes with things.
As for the other versions, the PS1 was also home to "Director's Cut" and the "Director's Cut Dualshock Edition" versions of RE1. The regular Director's Cut adds some small new features, alongside the biggest addition of an "Arrange Mode", which rearranges enemies, items, and adds new camera angles. I'd recommend it for subsequent runs of the game, but not as your first experience. I would ESPECIALLY not recommend that you make the "Dualshock Edition" your first playthrough. Everybody clowns on its replaced soundtrack, in particular the Basement theme, and the rest of the music is about as dissonant. It has little to offer beyond that. So, really, just stick to the original PS1 release if you want to play it absolutely safe.
Among all the choice, some people would also tell you to just play the RE1 Remake instead. But I don't believe that the remake outright replaces the original. The remake is a different type of experience, with a set of mechanics that makes you adapt a different mentality on how to play. By comparison, the original feels faster, simpler, more arcadey. It's its own game, and there's no need to invalidate its existence when both can co-exist and attract different types of players. In my case, I somehow actually prefer the original over the remake, due to its simplicity. As a whole, I fully recommend it for anyone who's willing to sink a little bit of time into learning how it works. If you're willing to go out of order though, RE2 original is a much more refined take on what this game's doing. Otherwise, if you can't put up with any of the jank that came with these older games, start playing from the easily accessible Resident Evil 7 and onward, then see if you can work your way into the other titles from there.
And then Resident Evil 7 came out, along with Resident Evil 2 Remake shortly after. Which is a topic for another day, but within one fell swoop (or two fell swoops), these games turned me into a huge fan of the franchise, and retroactively got me to beat as many of the other games as possible. Except the classic trilogy. Once again, I would try them, but not really be able to commit to their design, so I would just save state through it all. But I could feel it. Even with the aged PS1 original, I could feel this alluring challenge calling out to me. Especially after playing RE2 Remake, I decided that perhaps if I truly dedicated myself to RE1's challenge, I would be able to appreciate it more than ever before.
And so, I set out a goal: To play the original RE1 with the goal of getting good enough to unlock the Infinite Rocket Launcher. Save states were mostly disabled, at most only used near the designated save points as a way to quickly return to them without having to sit through the game over screen. This handicap also meant that if I was doing miserably, or came into something unprepared, I had a load state button I could use to quickly get back to the nearest Safe Room and re-organize my strategy for what's coming up next.
I have to stress just how nice it was to be able to do that in this game, as Resident Evil 1 does a really poor job conveying what's actually useful to carry in your limited inventory for the road ahead. Weapons are one thing, but sometimes you'll get a puzzle item which the game will either decide you'll need to use 5 minutes from now, or 2 hours. And all the while you're carrying it, a sense of decision paralysis washes over you, "Should I store this puzzle item in a Safe Room for now? But what if I'm about to use it? But if I keep it now, that's one less inventory space..." The crank is a fun example of this, an item you use once, are absolutely confident you'll no longer need it, only for the game to tell you 2 hours later "Haha, gotcha, you actually needed that crank for this spot as well!" Limited ammunition is scary in survival horror. Having to wrestle with limited inventory for puzzle items on the other hand, is just a frustrating time waster, and one that I'm glad I managed to somewhat circumvent.
One more complaint I have about RE1, and it's something that most new players are likely to fall into, is its deliberately misleading difficulty select. Intreestingly, the Japanese version of the game ensures to mark both Chris and Jill as "Hard Mode" and "Easy Mode", respectively. Meanwhile, the western releases took that bit of text out and places Chris as the default choice, ensuring most players will pick him for their first playthrough. I do not recommend doing that. The difference between Jill's 8 inventory slots and Chris's mere 6 is staggering, and alongside giving him more items to carry than Jill needs to, makes him a way bigger pain in the ass to play. Don't let the game fool you, Jill is the Normal Mode. Chris is what you play when you've familiarized yourself enough with the game to desire a more advanced challenge.
In spite of these gripes I had with RE1, I'm pleased to say that after my first playthrough fully concluded, I grew to enjoy the game a lot more. In fact, I kinda went crazy for it, and replayed it 12 more times in the span of two weeks. Totaling 13 playthroughs in total, I've done 8 runs of the original PS1 release (4 runs for both characters to get all of their endings), 2 runs of the Director's Cut, 1 run of the Dualshock Edition, and 2 runs of the PC version. About halfway through these runs, save states were completely abandoned altogether, and I grew comfortable enough to play the game as fully intended.
What the hell happened to cause that many runs? Familiarity happened. As you may remember, my initial goal when I started playing was to unlock the Infinite Rocket Launcher. To unlock this weapon, you are required to beat the game under 3 hours. Keeping in mind that this is the ultimate reward of Resident Evil 1, it becomes clear what the game aims to be on secondary playthroughs: A speedrunner's challenge. For your first playthrough, you don't know what's happening, you don't know what items go where, you don't know if there's gonna be an enemy or a boss around this next corner... now that you've beat it and the "fear" of the whole thing is gone, the game effectively turns into a Time Attack, where all your knowledge is used to efficiently optimize the hell out of everything. By my 2nd run, I've shaved off over 2 hours of playtime, and that's when I knew I was in love. What was once a game that required at least 2-3 sessions, I could now cozily knock out under 2 hours. Then I could show off my skills to my friends, and inevitably fuck up along the way!
So, the appeal of the gameplay turned out to show itself during secondary runs. But is there anything to appreciate during the 1st run? Well, I suppose that all depends on your enjoyment of irony. The entire aesthetic of the mansion is comprised of dated, surrealistic 90's CG graphics, at times it looks like my old grandma's house. It's not really scary as the "horror" in survival horror would suggest, nor is it atmospherically realistic, but it is atmospheric nonetheless. Atmospheric in the sense of it whisking you away into a world that doesn't quite feel like yours, but is enchanting to explore, overcome, and discover its secrets. Much like a point 'n click adventure, the more puzzles you solve, the more things click together. One mystery solved after another, with the satisfaction of knowing each one brings you closer to your end goal, until eventually you've wrapped up all of them with a neat ribbon.
Bonus points go to the feel of the weapons. The knife's a worthless piece of trash, and the handgun is deliberately weak. But that only serves to make weapons like the shotgun and grenade launcher feel so much more amazing by comparison. Getting in those shotgun headshots to instantly take out a zombie, or loading up a grenade launcher with acid rounds and taking out a boss in seconds feels so good, man. By the time you get to the final boss, the game loads you up with enough powerful weaponry to go all out, to end things on an explosive note. Does that lend itself to horror well? Not particularly, but it is by all means deliberate. The 1st half starts you off as a vulnerable mess, but by the end, it wants you to feel like you've grown into something much more experienced and powerful. It's the zombies who should be running away from you now. It's not scary, but it feels really good.
I adore this voice acting. Yes, it's awful, laughable, the writing for it is downright nonsensical at parts. They have fucked it up beyond all understanding, and it is exactly what makes it so enjoyable. Every line is stuck in my head, and kept me looking forward to whatever stupid thing the next cutscene will do. This sort of B-movie camp would become synomous with the Resident Evil brand for many games to come. And even though the voice acting would go on to improve, I think that each of the game's writers understood well, that Resident Evil's uniqueness comes from the very fact that it's not just a straightforward horror experience, but a balance of heavy tension, and cheesy levity.
Oh yeah, so, because of the fact that I've played so many versions of RE1, the big question is, which one would I recommend? So, there are some gaps in my experience, I haven't touched the Sega Saturn or the DS ports for example. But, if I were to recommend one to a newcomer... I'm a little torn between the original PS1 release, and the PC port. Once you apply a fanmade patch to the PC port, it is by far the best way to play. FMV's are present in all their uncensored gory glory, you have a button to spin around 180 degrees for quick turning, you can save without needing Ink Ribbons, and best of all: You can skip the door loading animations! However, I've noted its audio quality (specifically the voices) as being lower than the PS1 release, and at times, the voices were drowned out by the music. Unless there's a way to adjust this, I would recommend playing the original PS1 version despite its lesser QoL, and then switch over to PC once you've got to gripes with things.
As for the other versions, the PS1 was also home to "Director's Cut" and the "Director's Cut Dualshock Edition" versions of RE1. The regular Director's Cut adds some small new features, alongside the biggest addition of an "Arrange Mode", which rearranges enemies, items, and adds new camera angles. I'd recommend it for subsequent runs of the game, but not as your first experience. I would ESPECIALLY not recommend that you make the "Dualshock Edition" your first playthrough. Everybody clowns on its replaced soundtrack, in particular the Basement theme, and the rest of the music is about as dissonant. It has little to offer beyond that. So, really, just stick to the original PS1 release if you want to play it absolutely safe.
Among all the choice, some people would also tell you to just play the RE1 Remake instead. But I don't believe that the remake outright replaces the original. The remake is a different type of experience, with a set of mechanics that makes you adapt a different mentality on how to play. By comparison, the original feels faster, simpler, more arcadey. It's its own game, and there's no need to invalidate its existence when both can co-exist and attract different types of players. In my case, I somehow actually prefer the original over the remake, due to its simplicity. As a whole, I fully recommend it for anyone who's willing to sink a little bit of time into learning how it works. If you're willing to go out of order though, RE2 original is a much more refined take on what this game's doing. Otherwise, if you can't put up with any of the jank that came with these older games, start playing from the easily accessible Resident Evil 7 and onward, then see if you can work your way into the other titles from there.
Heutige Spiele vermitteln einem nicht mehr den erdrückenden Horror von Resident Evil 1.
Um es in Relation zu setzen.
Man bekommt eine Waffe mit einem Magazin und bereits der erste Zombie benötigt mehr Kugeln.
Die Entscheidung "muss ich ihn töten oder kann ich ihn umgehen" muss oft getroffen werden.
Aber auch getötet wurde man nie sofort.
Man wird gebissen.. und muss sich dann mit den rar gesäten Kräutern heilen und mit seinem Fehler leben.
Die Panzersteuerung und die Unfähigkeit des Laufens während dem Zielen wirken nicht mehr zeitgemäß.. aber zeitgleich haben diese Dinge dafür gesorgt, dass man sich keine Minute wohl gefühlt hat.
Genau das, was heutige Spiele nicht mehr schaffen.
Um es in Relation zu setzen.
Man bekommt eine Waffe mit einem Magazin und bereits der erste Zombie benötigt mehr Kugeln.
Die Entscheidung "muss ich ihn töten oder kann ich ihn umgehen" muss oft getroffen werden.
Aber auch getötet wurde man nie sofort.
Man wird gebissen.. und muss sich dann mit den rar gesäten Kräutern heilen und mit seinem Fehler leben.
Die Panzersteuerung und die Unfähigkeit des Laufens während dem Zielen wirken nicht mehr zeitgemäß.. aber zeitgleich haben diese Dinge dafür gesorgt, dass man sich keine Minute wohl gefühlt hat.
Genau das, was heutige Spiele nicht mehr schaffen.
kino
I admit, when I used to try and play these games I hated them. When younger I would get so frustrated because I'd try to kill everything on the screen, but as I'm older now and have played Dark Souls my patience is different and the biggest tip to give for any RE game is that you do not/should not need to kill everything on the screen. This knowledge is what helped me in Dino Crisis and many other retro survival horror games I've visited over the years.
The legendary beginning is still so fun with the rocking music and the terrible voice acting.
"No! Don't go!"
This also led to me having a continuous joke of insulting the helicopter pilot who abandoned them. Fucking Steve! Which only got funnier with Code Veronica.
Anyway, getting off track, but I'm sure you all know about this game. You and your team are trapped in a mansion with flesh-eating zombie dogs outside and all kinds of other zombified and terrible creatures inside!
The puzzles are interesting and for my first playthrough, the chat got me to activate ARRANGE mode, which changes the position of critical items, making it harder if you've never played it before...yes my viewers are monsters.
Something you need to learn quickly for all survival horror games, including this one, is to conserve your ammo and healing items for the bigger threats you fight later on, not to mention bosses that can really ruin your day in all kinds of forms.
Still worth replaying and there's a reason why Capcom have been publishing remakes.
Stream + gameplay
The legendary beginning is still so fun with the rocking music and the terrible voice acting.
"No! Don't go!"
This also led to me having a continuous joke of insulting the helicopter pilot who abandoned them. Fucking Steve! Which only got funnier with Code Veronica.
Anyway, getting off track, but I'm sure you all know about this game. You and your team are trapped in a mansion with flesh-eating zombie dogs outside and all kinds of other zombified and terrible creatures inside!
The puzzles are interesting and for my first playthrough, the chat got me to activate ARRANGE mode, which changes the position of critical items, making it harder if you've never played it before...yes my viewers are monsters.
Something you need to learn quickly for all survival horror games, including this one, is to conserve your ammo and healing items for the bigger threats you fight later on, not to mention bosses that can really ruin your day in all kinds of forms.
Still worth replaying and there's a reason why Capcom have been publishing remakes.
Stream + gameplay
you can tell how much passion the voice actors put into this 😭 😭 😭
Not gonna sugarcoat it, I don't like this game much at all. Capcom are masters of their craft, but they often struggle to find their footing with the first games in some of their series. Think Mega Man, Street Fighter, etc. This game has it's place in history, I'll grant it that, but play REmake to fully appreciate what this game wanted to go for. I rarely believe that a remake should replace its original, but Resident Evil is one of those cases.
Пока жду скидок на Tomb Raider решил закрыть другой гештальт. Проходил японскую PC версию с патчем Classic REbirth.
Патч отличный, легко устанавливается, можно накатить русификатор, поставить высокое разрешение и играть в кайф. Правда эта версия полегче версии на PS1 из-за неограниченных сохранений при игре за Джилл. Легко было японцам в резике в отличие от запада получается. До этого я пытался проходить игру именно на версии с консоли, но забросил в один момент. Тут уже решил забить и пройти хотя бы так. Львиная доля напряжения пропадает. При игре за Криса уже сохранения ограничены и я потом обязательно перепройду игру по трушному.
Ну а по нынешнему разу могу сказать, что мне понравилось. На PS1 версии я дошел примерно до здания с растением, поэтому быстро пробежал игру до этого момента. Из-за неогранничых сейвов зомби стал бояться меньше и тупо по приколу решил потраить и зарезать всех ножом, и у меня получилось. На самом деле удивился, насколько неограниченные сейвы упростили игру, ведь до этого мне первый резик казался буквально непроходимым, это была самая сложная игра в которую я играл. На этой версии вообще на чилле прошел большую часть игры. Хоть сурвайвл хоррор составляющая стала хуже из за патча, в остальном было в кайф исследовать особняк и решать пазлы.
В любом случае, я рад, что наконец допрошел первый резик, хоть и в таком упрощенном, тру джапаниз варианте (казуал да да). Для первого знакомства патч вполне может подойти, особенно тем, кого напрягали ограниченные сохранения сильно. Но для тех кто хочет сразу разрыв жопы и полный тру сурвайвл хоррор экспириенс лучше поиграть в PS1 версию ну или в эту, но за Криса.
Патч отличный, легко устанавливается, можно накатить русификатор, поставить высокое разрешение и играть в кайф. Правда эта версия полегче версии на PS1 из-за неограниченных сохранений при игре за Джилл. Легко было японцам в резике в отличие от запада получается. До этого я пытался проходить игру именно на версии с консоли, но забросил в один момент. Тут уже решил забить и пройти хотя бы так. Львиная доля напряжения пропадает. При игре за Криса уже сохранения ограничены и я потом обязательно перепройду игру по трушному.
Ну а по нынешнему разу могу сказать, что мне понравилось. На PS1 версии я дошел примерно до здания с растением, поэтому быстро пробежал игру до этого момента. Из-за неогранничых сейвов зомби стал бояться меньше и тупо по приколу решил потраить и зарезать всех ножом, и у меня получилось. На самом деле удивился, насколько неограниченные сейвы упростили игру, ведь до этого мне первый резик казался буквально непроходимым, это была самая сложная игра в которую я играл. На этой версии вообще на чилле прошел большую часть игры. Хоть сурвайвл хоррор составляющая стала хуже из за патча, в остальном было в кайф исследовать особняк и решать пазлы.
В любом случае, я рад, что наконец допрошел первый резик, хоть и в таком упрощенном, тру джапаниз варианте (казуал да да). Для первого знакомства патч вполне может подойти, особенно тем, кого напрягали ограниченные сохранения сильно. Но для тех кто хочет сразу разрыв жопы и полный тру сурвайвл хоррор экспириенс лучше поиграть в PS1 версию ну или в эту, но за Криса.