Control:  
Resident Evil control has always been one of the series' main hangups. Basically, you either hate it or live with it. This one is no different. The camera angles are fixed in position, so there's no need to have to worry about them. Personally I like the fact the cameras don't move, it gives the game more personality, not knowing exactly what's around the next corner. Plus some of the position you see your character from are ingenious and scary, like from under a bed or desk, or behind a fence. Sometimes it inhibits your ability to shoot a zombie or other creature, but very rarely.

Controlling your character is unorthodox to those of you used to playing straight-up 3D adventures. Even an RE veteran like myself had to take a few minutes to readjust myself to the controls. On the A-type setups, pushing froward on the analog stick moves you forward, and every other direction turns your character. When aiming (pressing R) the character pivots about an axis, only with the ability to move your gun up and down (meaning, there's no strafing). It's a pain in the beginning, but becomes natural after about thirty miniutes that you won't even realize it. There's also the addition of the 180 degree turn feature (found in later Resident Evils) which helps immensly.

Gameplay:  
Not having played the original, I don't know how much the game has changed in terms of actual puzzles and design. But I do know that what's here is very entertaining. The puzzles are obscure for the most part, but they'll have you thinking for a while. There is often times backtracking involved, which gets a bit frustrating, but at it's heart, Resident Evil is a puzzle game. A hellishly scary puzzle game.

You play as either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield, both members of the S.T.A.R.S. police squad in Racoon City. There has been an epidemic going on... families are being kidnapped and subsequently... eaten. Playing as either Chris or Jill, you must uncover the mystery, traveling through the Spencer Mansion.

Each character has slightly different advantages and disadvatnages. Jill can carry more items, and gets the lockpick and grenade launcher. Chris can carry less items, must find small keys to open certain doors, and gets the flamethrower. Plus, Chris can take more damage than Jill. The games themselves however, are virtually identical. You'll meet different charcaters, but other than that, the games are the same.

And you'll want to play through the game more than once; there are a total of 10 different endings to see, each one giving slightly different stories from the next. First time through I beat the game in approximately 15 hours, which doesn't count all the times I died and had to re-play certain areas. So there is deinfately meat to be found in this game.

Monsters in this game are scary, even the zombies. Dogs are vicious and lightning quick, hunters are more agile than ever, and the new "Crimson Heads" are not only the scariest of all enemies (because of the unpedictability of when they'll appear) but quite possibly the most dangerous, too. Thankfully Capcom added "defense weapons" to help players out. Simply jam on the L button when being attacked, and if you have any, you'll use a defense weapon, which will either stun or kill whatever's grabbing hold of you. It's a real life saver.

Sound:
The voice acting is cheesy at best, and from what I hear it's much better than the original. Can't help but fell like Wesker is reading off a script, but maybe that's a part of the whole "B-movie" ambience Capcom is trying to portray.

The music is flat out creepy. Especially since most of the game has no music, when you do hear it, you get very paranoid as to why. What's going to happen? Why is there music here? What the hell is at the end of this hall?? And sometimes, it's nothing at all. Just music playing, just to scare the crap out of you.

Noises are also ultra realistic. Thunder booms in the background, dogs are heard howling outside, and Zombie moans are screamed down the halls. Capcom did an excellent job of portraying fear through just about every sense they could.

OVERALL:
I'd highly reccomend Resident Evil to anyone who's even a slight fan of the series, even if you have played the original. You'll appreciate this version all the more. But if you hate Resident Evil controls, think the story is cheesy, and don't like having to run around with barely enough ammo to kill a squirrel, than this version won't rock your world.

To Resident Evil virgins, this is a great place to start. You'll learn all about what the series is based on, and how it works.And since the GameCube has been seriously lacking original software lately, this title is highly reccomended. Buy it, you won't be sorry.

 

The Lowdown on  Resident Evil 1 Aesthetics: Awesome Control: Average Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Sound: Awesome Innovation: 3/6 Lasting Appeal: 5/6 Overall: Awesome! "Top of the Genre"