Resident Evil HD Remaster

I love these remakes! Each and every one that releases gives me more reason to think about getting rid of my old gen consoles once and for all. One of the most anticipated ones has finally hit PS4 and Xbox One.
Resident Evil HD RemasterResident Evil HD Remaster
Resident Evil HD Remaster

A remastering of the survival horror that started them all, Resident Evil. Are you ready to enter the survival horror one more time?

Capcom have done something that just makes sense. They have spruced up an already awesome classic and made it awesome-er. Apart from the obvious graphical upgrades, a new control scheme has been added to compliment gamepads of today. Remember the robotic walking and running of the original and the GameCube remake? Well that is gone; instead moving the left thumb stick allows your character to move in that direction. It works a treat and holding that direction means your character continues in that direction until you let go. This allows the iconic camera angles to remain untouched. So is the combat mechanics which has been relatively simplified this time around. Pressing aim while a zombie is around still makes you whip around and point wherever Mr undead dude is and finding support weapons such as knives scattered throughout the game allow you to easily escape from his grasp.

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The back and forth structure of the puzzles are still here but entering that locked door you finally have a key for is super satisfying. Replacing emblems, fighting a giant snake in an attic and finding those pictured keys still make Resident Evil one of the best and engrossing experiences available.

You have the choice of traditional Jill and Chris or this time around, you can choose the modern Jill and Chris featured in RE: Revelations. This is nothing but cosmetic but gives the game that modern feel. The game still scared the crap outta me, even though I knew what was coming. I still wee’d a little bit when those damn zombie dogs burst through the windows near the beginning and that first encounter with an oversized eight legged dinosaur! (I mean spider, I hate spiders).

This is the GameCube version from top to bottom in sound as well as graphics. The voice acting, although improved from the original, still drains my soul but ambient sound effects and that creepy piano score still makes by backside nip every time. It screams “something is going to happen soon” every time. Visually is where the biggest changes are. In Resi Evil HD Remaster, Capcom have redone the whole thing. The significant increase in resolution makes even the darkest, dingiest corridors of the Spencer Mansion shine bright. Better Antialiasing and Post-Processing and those incredible lighting effects really breathe new life into the game. Character models have been renewed and updated with more detailed textures making the deadest of the dead look......deader. As with the bosses, they look fantastically terrifying and intimidating to boot.

Faults are mainly with the camera angles. I understand they were designed to add tension and aesthetic but they can be cumbersome more often than I would have liked meaning you were mostly fighting zombies you can’t see because of a wall or stupidly placed obstacle.

Pros

This is Resident Evil in all its glory

The visual upgrades enhance the entire experience

The new control scheme is a welcome change

That creepy overture......brrrrr!

Cons

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The “Jill sandwich” quote is gone but the voice acting still leaves a lot to be desired

Fighting zombies you can’t see

Summary

Resident Evil HD Remaster is a classic. The visual updates, new controls, better combat and outstanding audio makes this one hell of a ride and a truly memorable piece of work. I remember sweating more than a fat kid in a sweet shop playing this back during my school days and this just brings it all back.

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