The Gamecube remake of Resident Evil is (at least in my eyes) the definitive version to play. It's QoL improvements, graphics, sound design, and revamped mansion layout have aged like wine. But there is a certain charm to the original that just didn't translate over. That sort of vibe you get from a game made by a small time doing something new and exciting, at least at the time. It might be easiest to point to the FMVs and poor line delivery, but that cheesy and almost subversive tone runs through the entire experience from the moment you boot the game until the last credit rolls.
It certainly doesn't take itself as seriously as the Resident Evil franchise does today, which is saying a lot considering these games remain over-the-top. There's an eeriness to it too, the sort you could only find in horror games of this era, back when sensibilities were less defined and studios were still experimenting with how to scare players. Enemy designs aren't just quaint given the limitations of the hardware they're rendered on, but in spirit, and yet there's an earnestness to the whole thing that makes it endearing despite the passage of time.
Gameplay is where the original Resident Evil becomes a lot harder to recommend. Movement, combat, and puzzle solving clearly needed more work, and by RE2 and 3 the team largely improved upon things. This will also vary depending on what version you play, and honestly I have trouble keeping them all straight. Even if you ask me now which version I sat down with, I'm not sure I could tell you without booting my Raspberry Pi back up.
While I may not come back to the original Resident Evil annually like I do with REmake, it's definitely one I can see myself jumping back into from time to time. The b-movie charm does a lot for me, even if the gameplay doesn't feel as solid or rewarding even compared to its Playstation counterparts.
It certainly doesn't take itself as seriously as the Resident Evil franchise does today, which is saying a lot considering these games remain over-the-top. There's an eeriness to it too, the sort you could only find in horror games of this era, back when sensibilities were less defined and studios were still experimenting with how to scare players. Enemy designs aren't just quaint given the limitations of the hardware they're rendered on, but in spirit, and yet there's an earnestness to the whole thing that makes it endearing despite the passage of time.
Gameplay is where the original Resident Evil becomes a lot harder to recommend. Movement, combat, and puzzle solving clearly needed more work, and by RE2 and 3 the team largely improved upon things. This will also vary depending on what version you play, and honestly I have trouble keeping them all straight. Even if you ask me now which version I sat down with, I'm not sure I could tell you without booting my Raspberry Pi back up.
While I may not come back to the original Resident Evil annually like I do with REmake, it's definitely one I can see myself jumping back into from time to time. The b-movie charm does a lot for me, even if the gameplay doesn't feel as solid or rewarding even compared to its Playstation counterparts.