Resident Evil : Deadly Silence, Some thoughts. Options

[AC9breaker]

I've been reading several reviews for this game and Its kind a pissing me off. Probably becuase I"m a Resident Evil fan, but none the less, I wouldn't feel so adamantly about this game and be a fan if it wasn't good. So I still think my view holds validity.

Now there have been several iterations of the original Resident Evil game. From directors cut, to the remake on gamecube, to the current Nintendo DS game. I think anyone who plays a fairly good amount of games, and has played a Resident Evil game can agree that no game is as entertaining to watch for both player and someone else as Resident Evil is. Resident Evil is the only game I know that has made someone with no interest in games, actually sit down and watch somebody play. But why is this so? I'll tell you why, becuase Resident Evil was one of the first CD format games that could be argued as art. Lets look at everything from a macro view. Resident Evil in reality is a homage to George A. Romaro zombie films. In fact George A. Romaro was originally suppose to write and direct the Resident Evil movies, but we all know how hollywood is. (He was dropped) From the black and white intro, to the various abstract and vague forms of symbolism that could be interpreted in many ways, to the awesome camera angles. Watching someone play this game is like watching a film by George A. Romaro.




I do not see how any other control scheme could have worked. Foward is always up no matter what angle your character is in. I'm sure many of us here have played the freshest crops of Grand Theft Auto games and, have messed around with the camera views. As cool as the dramatic view may be, you can't play the game like that for too long becuase you have almost no control of the character. The developers of this game had alot of foresight when this control scheme was inplamented. In fact, even the critically acclaimed RE4 uses the same control scheme most Resident Evil games have in the past. Up is always foward, down is always back. The only difference is the perspective. Therefore when reputable forms of videogame journalist review this game and complain about their "outdated" control scheme, a fire lights up inside of me. There are also the claims of, "Capcom just milking the Resident Evil cow." That may be so, but lets stop and think for a minute. How many game companies AREN'T doing just that. From Konami with all their music oriented titles and Metal Gear games, to Squaresoft and its stranglehold on RPG games. (Even if they have a different name most are all just the same) What about super giant EA and their sports titles as well as Need for Speed, Burnout, Medal of Honor, whatever. The fact is everyone is milking each and every one of their franchise's becuase this is actually a business. So the claim can't solely be made at Capcom with out pointing out the whole industry.





Finally for my last point. Some may say, "But there is already a remake of the first game on the Gamecube which is far superior so why even bother picking this up?" Well as stated before, Resident Evil is more then just a game, It's an interactive film. I feel that they are both great in their own respects becuase they both have different directions. The original Resident Evil is done in the spirit of Old B Movies. While the Remake further explores the lore of the Resident Evil world and adds more depth to the World/mansion we came to know. They both have 2 very distinct directions. Its kind of like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There are a lot of people who loved the remake, there are even more who loved the original, and there are also a few who loved both.

But meanwhile a trite RPG like Final fantasy 4 for the GBA recieves a far better general and some stellar reviews for, less of a job then what was done for Resident Evil: DS.

Thoughts?

[Crushinator]

I love RE, and I agree with your points on it being a cinematic experience, and how it even draws in non-gamers.

But I think DS is just a wierd medium for the game. The screen is too tiny to get a cinematic or scary feel. The game has been played many, many times, so there isn't really anything unexpected to even put an edge to the game. Any "audience participation" is lost because, hell its hard to even have ONE person watch you play a handheld game.

Even with the classic gameplay intact, and some funky new stylus features/puzzles, the major cache of RE seems to be just a little less dazzling on a handheld.