This was so fun. The visuals and mechanics are flawless, and story-wise eh, it’s solid. The Dimitrescu and Beneviento parts were my favorite, couldn’t care less about Heisenberg’s suffocating factory run or Moreau’s bland murky ocean escape. Mother Miranda is interesting and i love that they go into her story later on, always here for some good lore, but i wish they’d explored each of the Four Lords’ origin stories, what kind of people they were before they became Miranda’s bloodthirsty experiments. Chris Redfield’s role in this game is so random and doesn’t really add anything to the story, Mia is Mia (lame) and Rose is just a baby. The thing about Chris is that i like his character in RE1 and RE:CV where he’s a caring, brotherly type but in every other game he’s a hardened, hulking military man on steroids with the personality of a brick wall.

The first-person perspective doesn’t work as well here as it did in RE7 (the scariest RE game ever made). I feel disconnected from Ethan, he seems like a good guy but i have no mental image of his appearance, his reactions to things.

RE8 is still a fantastic game though. My favorite parts are the little ball rolling minigames with the beautiful dioramas, the piano puzzle in Castle Dimitrescu and the slimy abomination baby chase at the Beneviento house.

I LOVE this game! Claire and Steve (RIP) have an awesome dynamic and Alfred Ashford?? Cross-dressing QUEEN. Love the whole messed up bioweapon twins plot, the music box, secret attic with toys and a freakin' carousel?! That’s some evil bourgeoisie magic right there. It does drag a little though like i was wondering when it was going to end despite not wanting it to end at the same time. And WESKER!! My man pops up, beats the crap out of Claire and Chris only to disappear and reappear again like the enigmatic baddie he is.

Was never a fan of first-person games but it really worked here. Right from the start this was an incredibly eerie, atmospheric adventure with its dark, haunted house settings that made me dread turning every corner, not to mention having to hide and run from the Baker family.

It has one of the most memorable boss fights in RE history for me with Marguerite in the greenhouse, where she literally transforms into a spidery ‘other mother’ creature; the stuff of nightmares. Another thing i loved was the trailer (minivan) save room, my favorite save room ever in an RE game because of its comforting vibe in the interior objects, furniture and lighting.

Everything from that incredible first-person opening scene at Jill’s apartment to constantly being hunted by Nemesis made for a heart-pumping, thrilling experience. The settings here feel so much more alive than the RE2 remake (please don't kill me) with the colourful neon lights at the diner and Toy Uncle. I was in awe at how mesmerisingly good the direction is.

I love Jill here and the many violent ordeals she faces throughout the game make her an exciting, empathetic character to follow. There are absolutely no puzzles in this one, which is fine by me when i get a fun, action-driven story to play through (also getting to whip out a lockpick for every lock).

The only downside of this game is that there are a little too many boss battles with Nemesis and not enough Jill and Carlos developing their relationship. Their ‘brought together by circumstance’ dynamic reminded me of Rebecca and Billy, but they spend most of the game apart from each other as Jill essentially has a one-woman ‘adventure’ against a slew of bloodthirsty zombies and creature abominations, which is actually better in some ways.

Something that’s unique to RE3’s gameplay that i really enjoyed was the L1 dodge move that makes Jill tuck, duck and roll to avoid attacks.

This was extremely refreshing coming off of RE1 because I could go guide-free throughout my playthrough, solving fun, do-able puzzles with a little notebook at my side.

I still couldn’t really connect with any of the characters in this game. RE0 is still my favorite in terms of story and gameplay, and there’s something about how Rebecca Chambers is represented, compared to the other female characters in RE, that makes her more relatable to me than the always-in-control Jill or capable Claire.

I think the graphics in these modern remakes create realistic but dull, sterile atmospheres. The earlier remastered games have more appealing designs to me, an attention to detail that the remakes lack due to fast-paced sequences and action-centric storylines.

It’s a great game, especially at the beginning at the RCPD. Things got pretty sterile when Claire proceeded underground to the sewers and labs. My favorite part of the game was trying to escape the orphanage as Sherry; either easy mode was too easy or i’m a pro sneaker/hider because the sleazy cop chief didn’t catch me once! Oh, and Mr X is awesome.

First Playthrough: Jill

I loved the graphics and game mechanics, but other than that this game was so hard to enjoy. Even on easy mode it’s impossible to know where exactly to backtrack, crack or find a piece of a puzzle, and i had to refer to a guide on my phone all through RE1.

The characters here, mainly Jill and Barry in my Jill run, are too few (it’s literally just the two of them) and the story gives me no opportunity to connect with Jill emotionally, whose stoicism is comparable to RE4 Leon’s.

Another thing that irked me at first, coming right off of RE0, was that i couldn’t discard items anywhere but only at item boxes, making it super frustrating when i find a key item and forget that my eight-space (technically six since i always need a gun and bullets, taking up two spaces) inventory is full. I did get used to it though, and i was glad that the settings in this game were just as gorgeously rendered and detailed as those in RE0.

Wesker’s sparse, much-desired appearances as the main antagonist would make me sit up to watch as he would instantly light up a scene with his intoxicating (i don't know how else to describe it) voice and mannerisms, besides being a compelling character in general.

This game is how i fell in love with Resident Evil. Right from the beginning, Rebecca Chambers was a character that instantly resonated with me with her rookie cop spunk, and the story starts with her exploring a zombie train. The entire game was like ‘Professor Layton with zombies’, with a puzzle-driven, cinematic narrative that reminded me of classic George A. Romero films.

It’s a true horror game and any ‘action’ comes in the form of defeating the occasional creature abomination boss and dealing with slow-moving zombies that jumpscare me every time the frame changes. About that, i initially found the static camera angle changes limiting because i was so used to being able to turn the camera 360 with my right joystick, but i soon came to love moving through each setting with all the interesting angles.

Another great thing about RE0 was being able to switch between Billy and Rebecca to solve puzzles, and their dynamic! I’m a sucker for unlikely pairings brought together by circumstance/coincidence, and in this case it’s a rookie cop and the escaped convict her team was looking for. They join forces and look out for each other, and yet another thing i love about this game is the inventory management! Unlike the RE4 remake, a Merchant doesn’t randomly spawn anywhere and there isn’t a shop-type place for me to upgrade weapons, suitcase capacity and whatnot (in fact the whole credit/money system is non-existent in RE0, making for a much more realistic experience when it comes to literally staying alive against zombies). Instead it’s up to me to take or leave any herbs, ink ribbons or valuable items with the spaces i have in my inventory, which also shows my character’s health (fine, caution or danger) and allows me to exchange items with Billy (or Rebecca if i’m playing as Billy).

Something i found cute in the RE4 remake is even better here; the typewriter save room concept. In RE0 it’s entering a small room where there are no zombies and no zombies can come in. I’m greeted with relaxing, ominous music and there’s a typewriter on a table where i can save my progress with an ink ribbon.

RE0 is my kind of video game in every way, and i still get teary over Billy and Rebecca’s parting after the strange ordeal (involving leeches and a kooky antagonist) that they’ve been through

for some reason i played silent hill 2 first (just to see what all the hype was about) and didn't really care about sigma male james's story. and it's a shame because the first game is incredible and completely exceeded my expectations! harry's a much better protagonist imo, the levels aren't repetitive and the LORE. right from the beginning i was invested in the story, which goes in wild, unexpected directions that get even better as it progresses. i only wish that there was more backstory on alessa, she seems like such an interesting character.