I didn't like it on my first try, probably because expected something more action driven and this seemed clunky and weird. But when I gave it another shot few months later - absolutely loved it, even though usually I'm not into horror and zombie stuff at all.
It's an interesting mix of point and click with action and limited resources survival. Fixed camera angles and prerendered background were probably a workaround to save some processing power, make the game look better and run smoother, but it also created unique gameplay and nice horror effect. Tank controls is not a problem after just a little bit of practice, and it's also necessary for this game, so you don't run in a different direction every time camera angle changes.
The story is alright, the dialogues - basically a porn movie, they probably were written by a Japanese guy who isn't very fluent in English and voiced by random people. However, you shouldn't disregard them - it's a perfect example of "so bad that it's good" which gave birth to lots of memes and catchphrases.
For the serious story you probably should be playing the Remake - heard it greatly expanded the lore and delivered the plot better. But gameplay-wise it's different from the original, so I recommend playing both.
The Saturn version claim to have reworked backgrounds, but overall looks worse than the PS1 release. 3D models look bulkier and worse, the sound quality is lacking and transparen't objects are basically a checkers board, because Saturn can't transparency. However, it's worth checking out for the minor stuff like unique enemies in the caves (didn't notice any gameplay differences from the regular Hunters but still), second Tyrant while playing as Chris, and of course, Battle Game where you clear rooms of enemies in a sequence with a given supply of ammo. It's fun and pretty challenging, although not as tough as The 4th Survivor from RE2.
For the casual playthrough I recommend playing the non-DualShock Director's Cut version. It has both the good original music unchaged and the statandard difficulty is actually based on the simplified Japanese version with auto-aim on, weaker enemies and more ink ribbons. There is also Advanced mode with some tweaks and rearrangemets and even easier difficulty.
For the hardcore enjoyers and completionists - first Saturn or OG PS1 or PC version for the standard game (as they all have the original US difficulty), then Arrange game from Director's Cut DualShock (just to check out the different soundtrack, even though it's worse).
There is also Deadly Silence remaster for the DS. Didn't try it myself yet, but should be also a solid version to play.
It's an interesting mix of point and click with action and limited resources survival. Fixed camera angles and prerendered background were probably a workaround to save some processing power, make the game look better and run smoother, but it also created unique gameplay and nice horror effect. Tank controls is not a problem after just a little bit of practice, and it's also necessary for this game, so you don't run in a different direction every time camera angle changes.
The story is alright, the dialogues - basically a porn movie, they probably were written by a Japanese guy who isn't very fluent in English and voiced by random people. However, you shouldn't disregard them - it's a perfect example of "so bad that it's good" which gave birth to lots of memes and catchphrases.
For the serious story you probably should be playing the Remake - heard it greatly expanded the lore and delivered the plot better. But gameplay-wise it's different from the original, so I recommend playing both.
The Saturn version claim to have reworked backgrounds, but overall looks worse than the PS1 release. 3D models look bulkier and worse, the sound quality is lacking and transparen't objects are basically a checkers board, because Saturn can't transparency. However, it's worth checking out for the minor stuff like unique enemies in the caves (didn't notice any gameplay differences from the regular Hunters but still), second Tyrant while playing as Chris, and of course, Battle Game where you clear rooms of enemies in a sequence with a given supply of ammo. It's fun and pretty challenging, although not as tough as The 4th Survivor from RE2.
For the casual playthrough I recommend playing the non-DualShock Director's Cut version. It has both the good original music unchaged and the statandard difficulty is actually based on the simplified Japanese version with auto-aim on, weaker enemies and more ink ribbons. There is also Advanced mode with some tweaks and rearrangemets and even easier difficulty.
For the hardcore enjoyers and completionists - first Saturn or OG PS1 or PC version for the standard game (as they all have the original US difficulty), then Arrange game from Director's Cut DualShock (just to check out the different soundtrack, even though it's worse).
There is also Deadly Silence remaster for the DS. Didn't try it myself yet, but should be also a solid version to play.