The Retrospective 10.04.06: Resident Evil (Part 1 of 4)
Posted by Sean McCabe on 10.04.2006
A quick rant on the wrongs of society, TGS comments, proof that female lawyers are hot and the birth of survival horror, it's all here in this week's Retrospective.
Brains…. Brains…. Brrrrraaaaaiiiiiinnnnnssssss. Ahem, sorry, I'm just feeling a mite peckish right now. Well, after a short sabbatical, The Retrospective is back, and no one gets in our way. Even several hundred zombies. Bring it on, you undead pieces of meat!
If I could be serious for a moment…
I suppose I should also make mention of the events in Montreal, a shooting. As a matter of fact, it's only one of several violent crimes to take place in Schools the last few weeks. To see things like that happen in School, the bastion of youth, the place where a person's greatest years should be spent, greatly saddens me. Things like that happen in the UK to, even if it's not quite as much as it happens in North America. It also sickens me when I see things like that blamed on videogames. Whilst the mass media have a lot of things to answer for in Western society, I find it hard to believe that things like videogames can create cold-blooded killers from scratch. Whilst at most psychological evidence shows that exposure to violent media can increase someone's aggression a little bit for a short period of time, it really simply means that an individual would have to already be at the explosive point for anything to push them over it. I really think if anything is to blame, it is the apathy of a society that no longer values life and sociality. A Society that places commercial pressure on people from cradle to grave and never allows them time to be themselves. If I'm sounding like a Sociology student it's because I am one, and if there is one thing I've learned, the only way to change a society is from the ground up. In this case, Parents have to be the ones to take the responsibility of the pressure weighted on their children and ensure that they grow up to value the one thing above all others, the sanctity of another person's life. I'm not in the slightest bit religious, but of the 10 commandments, at least eight of them are still spot on, as is the mantra "Treat your Neighbours as you yourself wish to be treated."
The Introspective
Well, TGS has been and gone. White Knight Story and MGS 4 proved there may still be some hope for the PS3 yet, and the 360 looks set to have some awesome games, like Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and Project Sylpheed. There was also some announcement regarding another pointless cash in I don't particularly want to talk about. It was a solid show overall however, but I have to say my most anticipated game shown there was actually a DS game… Phoenix Wright: Justice for All of course. Speaking of Phoenix Wright, who can forget his sexy, but tragic mentor, Mia Fey…
In other news, Atelier Iris 2 and Suikoden V got released in the UK and sold about two copies each probably. I would have to say my game of the week is Yakuza though, really enjoyable game, highly recommended. I also played the demo of the 360 version of FEAR and was quite impressed. I definitely want the full game, as I've never been able to experience the PC version.
Other major news of course, came from Nintendo earlier this month. The Wii is affordable, the Wii will have a fantastic launch line up, and the Wii will be here with us very soon. There is no escape. There is only Wii.
Feedback
Well, I only got one email on my final Metal Gear article, but it's a good one.
Colin Pigeau wrote:
Hey man,
Good job on the Metal Gear retrospective. I like seeing that I'm not the only one who liked Sons of Liberty. I mean, I couldn't tell you what happened by the end of the game, as it was some time ago and everything just moved too fast. I guess that's my gripe about the game, that the twists came so often that you hadn't really adjusted to the previous one, so the next twist didn't really resonate.
I thought the game got a bum rap, just because Raiden was kind of a sissy. Sure, everyone wants to play as Snake because he's the baddest (and really, there was no need to introduce a new playable character for the game), but Raiden didn't ruin the game. It's amazing that MGS was received as the best game ever, but MGS2 is remembered as garbage, when it added a lot of new features, like stick ups and whatnot. It was a worthy sequel that I'll play over MGS any day of the week because, let's face it, running around for half an hour trying to get that stupid key card to change shape with the temperature was boring as you like.
Snake Eater is one of the top games I've ever played, and easily the best so far. All the hunting and camo and medical stuff is perfect, because they're necessary to do, but they never take away from the game or feel like a chore. It's too bad that it's also appearing on the Who Gives a $hit channel, because everyone had such a bad taste in their mouths from MGS2.
Unfortunately, I won't be playing MGS4 because I'm out of the console-buying business. I don't play enough games that would justify buying a new one, and I have my hands full with my dynasty in NCAA Baseball 06.
One thing that always SUCKED about the Metal Gear games: crouching. You'd think that after 3 games, Konami would learn how to get Snake up and down in less than 3 minutes.
bah,
Colin
PS: what is the main idea behind MGS4? I haven't really read anything on it. Thanks.
Well, I am glad to see someone else with the sense to see MGS2 for the awesome game it was, it really was a genuine improvement over the first game. I'd even say it was more fun to play. I couldn't say I ever had a major problem with crouching, it wasn't too bad once you were used to it. MGS3's lack of success stands as one of the true crimes in videogaming history…just like Halo's popularity and Square's determination to make every game they make a FFVII clone.
In regards to MGS4, the basis from what I understand of it is this… the gameplay is adopting the camouflage idea of Snake Eater, but with a modern twist, technology that can literally adapt to any surface. But for the most part, the stealth is merely used as an edge in combat… it is a combat-orientated game that will see Snake single-handedly finding a war in an urban setting… a statue shown in the gameplay trailer suggests the setting for the game is in Rome or maybe Athens, in the middle of a street war. Other than that, I don't know much, but it looks very, very cool
Okay, with all the extra-curricular out the way, lets assume for a second that some angry, man-eating dogs are chasing us. Oh, look, there's a creepy looking mansion. Best hide there…
Resident Evil/Resident Evil: Directors Cut
Format: PSX, Saturn, PC, DS, mobile phone (see notes)
Release: 1996/1997/1997/2006/2004
Notes: In truth, this game as you see has had a lot of ports and re-releases. That's Capcom for you. I note the DS release because it contained the "classic" mode which was basically exactly the same as the Directors Cut release in 1998. The game was re-released on the Playstation platform alone three times.
After Alone in the Dark and Clock Tower, Capcom came, Capcom saw, and Capcom conquered, legitimising and making popular the survival horror genre in one fell swoop. Inspired by Zombie movies such as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Evil Dead, Resident Evil was released to very strong critical acclaim back in 1996. I can tell you I remember, and I believe that even the hubbub over RE4 didn't touch the ripples that the original Resident Evil created. Indeed, I don't believe that it is a stretch to say that it was the first truly major game of its generation. Gamers hid behind the sofa whilst playing it, the "dog bit" is one of the single most famous scenes ever in videogames, and it sold millions of copies.
I shouldn't have to explain the story… but I might as well. A gruesome series of murders on the outskirts of Racoon City necessitate the arrival of STARS, the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad to investigate, specifically its Bravo Team. However, they disappear and thus the Alpha Team have no other choice but to find out what happened. Now this is where things get a little dicey, because originally the timeframe for all this was very short, about an hour at most. But in order for RE Zero to make sense, we're just going to have to assume this window was around 24 hours. Anyway, the Alpha Team, comprised of Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, Joseph Frost, Brad Vickers and Albert Wesker arrive on the scene, they are set upon by vicious, man-eating dogs. Joseph is killed, Brad flees in the squad's helicopter, and three of the other members make it to a nearby mansion, the make-up of which depends on which of the two protagonists the player picks.
From there, the player must solve the puzzle of the mansion while surviving against its many dangers using limited resources. One of these dangers are the many living corpses wandering the mansion, seeking to eat the unlucky humans that have stumbled into their midst, several giant and lethal animals, and mutants with a taste for human blood. A tale of betrayal, conspiracies and twisted experimentation unfold before the player, and whilst the voice acting in the game is quite infamously bad, if anything it enhances the B-movie experience of the story. Eventually, depending on the player's choices throughout the game, the receive one of the game's three character-specific endings, as well as fight the first (of many in the series) so called "Tyrant", the ultimate weapons developed as part of the experiments in the Mansion. The original version of the game was edited; some of the more gruesome sequences were cut out, then restored in the Director's cut version, as well as some extra modes specific to that version.
In Retrospect: A true, veritable classic. It revolutionised how games are made, that is the idea of making games in a similar way to movies. Now any game with cinematic cut scenes have this game in particular to thank for making it all possible. I still very much like playing it, even ten years on and after a technically far superior remake, the game that started it all still has it.
Resident Evil 2
Format: PSX, PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Gamecube
Release:1998, 1999, 1999, 1999, 2003
Notes: Another oft released game. RE2 takes place a few months after the original. Capcom funded an advertisement directed by the legendary George A. Romero that never saw the light of day outside of Japan. Almost all the ports have slight differences to.
Well, RE2 and RE4 I believe have two major things in common. The presence of Leon and Ada is one, the fact that both games were scrapped and restarted when they were initially nearing completion is another. It's funny to think how Claire Redfield would never have existed were it not for this game being brought back to the drawing board. We would have had Elza Walker instead. Thank you Capcom! Anyway, the story continues a few months after the Mansion incident.
The STARS squad that survived the mansion incident have disappeared, and as rookie cop Leon Kennedy drives in for his first day on the job, Racoon City seems a little bit… dead. Claire Redfield, en route to visit her brother, finds much the same thing. When they meet up, the most dangerous and exhilarating experience of their lives overtake them as they try to escape away from Racoon City, away from danger. Of course, the city is wrought with peril, not too dissimilarly from the mansion. You'd almost think the two incidents were connected… hang on a minute, they are! Yeah, well, can't say these games are high on genuine surprises or unexpected twists in the story. On the other hand, enemy encounters area completely different matter, and the "Licker moment" is right up there with the "dog bit" in terms of memorable moments in videogaming. The gameplay for the most part changed little from the original game, but direct connections between the two character's adventures and a scenario-system ensure the game has some major improvements to speak of. The voice acting was also a little better but still pretty poor. Still, this is the highest selling Resident Evil game of all time, and for me the most played. I've played every scenario several times and S ranked all four (not really difficult).
In Retrospect: A highly respected game and deservedly so, this was every bit a worthy sequel to the fantastic original. It's still very playable today, but one day I would totally love to see a remake of both this and RE3 done in a similar style to Remake for the Gamecube.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Format: PSX, PC, Dreamcast, Gamecube
Release: 1999, 2000, 2000, 2003
Notes: Interesting, the reason for why this game even exists. Code Veronica was originally intended to be the true Resident Evil 3, however, Sony used contractual obligations to force the development of a third game for the Playstation format, and thus Nemesis was born. Hard to believe I'd actually thank Sony for pulling their usual bullcrap.
As a huge Clock Tower fan and the small elements of gameplay borrowed from that series and utilised in RE2, it was cool to see them used more in another game. That is of course, the idea of a recurring and unstoppable stalker. That and the presence of an actual Clock Tower area in the game is another hint on just how this particular Resident Evil sequel was influenced by Capcom's other horror series.
Players re-assume the role of STARS member Jill Valentine, and must escape Racoon City during the same incident that Leon and Claire stumbled into in RE2. However, it would appear that Umbrella want rid of the STARS Unit, and to that end, have sent into a pre-programmed killing machine, the Nemesis, to hunt down and kill them. The killer gets a hold of chicken-heart (that was his nickname) Brad Vickers early on in the game, but Jill is able to get away. She then hooks up with some mercenaries Umbrella are paying off to clean up their own mess. However, one of them is a traitor, I won't say who though for the few people maybe yet to play this game. Anyway, the game continues through Raccoon City's town hall, hospital and water-recycling plant, the last being very familiar to RE2 players.
RE3 is often heavily criticised for being the "weak link" in the series, that it innovated little etc. I say Bullshit. This stands out as one of the most original of the entire series, and yes, that includes RE4 (oh, can't wait to get around to that). The recurring Nightmare that is the Nemesis adds a lot to this game. He's a genuine threat to Jill at every turn. A good horror game should be one in which a player realises that they are at death's door every moment they are playing. Clock Tower is practically the only game series that realises this, but RE3 in borrowing elements from that shows some basic understanding of the concept to. As well as that, an active evasion system and the ability to make ammo from gunpowder are another set of innovations in this game, but so are multiple choice events (used in Dino Crisis but not to the same extent) and two difficulty options which genuinely changed the game experience.
In Retrospect: The most underrated game of the Resident Evil series. I think that's all that needs to be said. As for most overrated? I won't say yet, but man I know I'm going to catch flak for it…
I know I should plug, but I'm in a real hurry. But follow the rule – if I've plugged them in the past, they are worth reading in the present.
Anyway, next week, we take a look at the last truly great survival horror game in the series, and as a first for this column, I render judgement on the movies on the series. Why on earth is it illegal to attack hack directors with a rusty saw, what is so wrong with the world!
Anyway, keep things in perspective, and I'll see you all next week, definitely on time since well, I have certain things happening Tuesday of next week... like going to see one of the greatest metal bands today perform. More details on that next week for the zero amount of people who are probably interested.
