Capcom continues their ongoing restoration project for the Resident Evil franchise with their latest HD remake, Resident Evil 0. Originally released as a GameCube exclusive back in 2002, I still have a few lingering memories of my time with the game; mostly that it took place on a train, or at least it started on one. As the 0 might indicate, this is a prequel to the original mansion game that started it all, taking us back to 1998 and putting us in the role of S.T.A.R.S. member Rebecca Chambers and later as ex-Navy lieutenant, Billy Coen.
One of the standout features of the game, both then and even still today is the dual character design that allows you to play as both Rebecca and Billy, swapping between them with a mere button press and using their unique skills and abilities to solve puzzles and fight zombies, both individually and working as a team. For those lucky enough to survive their initial playthrough, you can replay the game using the new Wesker Mode, where Billy is replaced with alternative character Albert Wesker using the powers he gained from the Uroboros virus in Resident Evil 5, alongside a darker version of Rebecca Chambers. For those who like to play “dress up”, you can check out several cool alternate costumes for the characters; some of which are rather…mmm…distracting.
At its core, Resident Evil 0 stays true to the franchise staples including the annoying and terribly limited inventory system, and the brutal save system that not only requires you to travel to a certain spot in each level, but also be in possession of those elusive typewriter ribbons. But you kind of expect that going into these retro remakes. What I didn’t expect was the super-annoying load times that seem to have survived for 14 years only to resurface on a machine exponentially more powerful than the GameCube and PlayStation. Back in those day of limited system memory and slow disc access speeds I understood the need for those mini-cutscenes of doors opening or walking up or down stairs or climbing a ladder to hide load times. It may even have added some suspense. But in today’s world of instant gratification, not to mention next-gen hardware, it is impossible to justify a 6-8 second movie of a door opening only to enter a train car that takes 8-10 seconds to walk through to reach the next door where another 6-8 second movie awaits. It’s especially annoying and obvious on the opening train level, as you are often required to travel the length of the 5-car train repeatedly to solve puzzles. I’m all for nostalgia and authentic remakes, but I think we can all agree to leave the annoying stuff in the past.
Some positive aspects to this remake are the outstanding graphics and sound, which now offers a 1080p 16:9 widescreen mode as well as the original 4:3 version for purists, and a chilling 5.1 surround mix. Purists can also play using those old tank controls or opt for the new analog scheme, which presents its own set of problems with the constantly changing camera angles. Since the original game was rendered at 4:3 Capcom uses a clever technique to zoom in on the frame then pan the camera based on the character movement to fill the wider screen space. It works remarkably well, but purists may still prefer to play the game in its original 4:3 box frame, which is available in the options.
Regardless of your chosen aspect ratio, gamers can now enjoy some enhanced lighting effects which add realistic bloom to light fixtures as well as casting realistic dynamic shadows – a feature that actually enhances the gameplay. There were numerous times in my game where some odd camera angle prevented me from seeing what was ahead of me, but a sinister moan and a lurching zombie shadow on the wall clued me in immediately. The lighting also enhances the look of the in-game character models to make them look more like their cinematic counterparts. Speaking of which, the cutscenes were originally rendered in 16:9, so they fill your screen perfectly in this remake with no black bars.
Despite all my complaining I do have to admit I had a lot of fun revisiting this classic survival horror game. Over the past 14 years I have obviously become a lot more impatient with my games, so anything like super-frequent long load time or even the slow-moving teletype text presentation bug me. Capcom did a great job of updating certain aspects of the game, but for whatever reasons decided to let many of the faults slip through. For instance, why does my analog control option still only have three aiming positions for firing my gun, so it never looks like I am going to hit my target? I have to aim at the ceiling to get a headshot.
We played and reviewed this game on the PS4, but you can also find the game available on PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. We’ll be curious to see if the PC version lifts the 30fps cap of the console version – not that it really matters that much in these fixed camera angle games, but it still would be nice.
Resident Evil 0 is a great way for veteran gamers to enjoy a blast from the past while allowing a new generation to experience the story that gave birth to an epic franchise. It’s also master class in several annoying gameplay and game design choices that, while may have been necessary in 2002, have no place in this generation of consoles. Given the limited availability of this game back in 2002, I’m just happy that everyone can now experience this terrifying origin story and see how it all got started.