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GCN Review by Kazooie

When Capcom released the original Bio Hazard/Resident Evil on the Sony Playstation back in 1996 (1997 in the U.S.), gamers worldwide responded by making it (and all of its assorted sequels and spin-offs) one of the best selling video game franchises ever. When news got out of their decision to bring the series exclusively to Nintendo's Game Cube, millions of heads exploded all over the world, and major system bias reared its ugly head as message boards lit up with complaint after complaint, and a few choice compliments. Was Capcom going to dilute the content for the so-called ''Kiddy Cube''? Was the remake a ''desperate move'' by Nintendo to gain some sort of momentum in the so-called ''console wars''? Would people ever just knock it off and actually wait for the game to come out and PLAY IT before they made unfair judgments?

If you've played (or have heard of) the Playstation game (and really now, what gamer since 1997 hasn't?) you know the story by heart, so I won't go over that particular ground again. However, Capcom has seen fit to retell the tale in a way that, if you compare the two versions point by point, sort of recalls the structure of the Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon, in which the film's main story is told by three different people at the same location with three different outcomes (how's that for an obscure reference?). Biohazard's basic plot is the same here as the PS version, but again, most of the old items and weapons are in different locations, and a load of new areas that were left uncharted in the first game are now brought to vivid, gory life. The characters are much more lifelike, and thanks to the excellent animation and voice acting (no more camp classic Barry Burton dialogue here), you actually care more for them and their circumstances.

Speaking of bite, the zombies here have gotten a MAJOR work over in the AI department. For a bunch of dead guys and gals, they sure know how to ruin a party- and no, it's not the smell. One of the first improvements you'll notice in the game is that the stairway sequences no longer load that familiar animation. If a monster can see you, there's a darn good possibility that it's going to come after you, and you'll probably squeal like a pig the first time it happens. I guess that ''improvement'' was made in favor of the new AI, and I know a lot of diehards will die hard many times because of this, and the fact that the zombies are a bit faster and deadlier. Make that MUCH deadlier. On Easy, they take at least six shots to put down, and another few to stay down. Ammo is scarcer than in the original, and the game actually encourages you to use the knife (or knives, I should say- you'll see) a LOT. If you even think of stupidly emptying clip after clip into a mere three zombies thinking that there's going to be bullets just around the next corner, you'll be loading saves like moving day at the Enron offices. And that's just the zombies! Sure, they're a constant threat as you make your way through the mansion. But compared to the other beasties you'll have to deal with in the game, the zombies are the least of your worries.

Visually, the game is a beautiful thing to behold. Almost nothing of the original mansion remains, except for the way some of the rooms are laid out. The game shows of the power of the 'Cube with a combination of some fantastic polygon and pre-rendered backgrounds with real time lighting and shadow effects. Candles are almost everywhere, casting their glow, and just like in real life, their light is different their light is much different than the light given off by a roaring fire or fluorescent lights. Lightning flashes, briefly lighting dim areas (often giving a glimpse of something lurking about), and making you wish you weren't playing alone, if you chose to do so. You'll definitely play through this game twice or more- the first time to survive 'til the end, the second and third times to see the environments (and take advantage of one of the completion bonuses). The music and sounds are PERFECT, especially if you have a surround sound setup. New tunes were scored, and the soundtrack is a must-buy, if you're into that. The sound effects and voices are, again, re-recorded and there's never any time that you feel like something doesn't sound ''right''. In terms of the genre, only the Silent Hill games come close.

Now for that ''nearly'' part- the game IS nearly perfect, except for three areas one major, one minor, and one very nit-picky (but I just HAD to find something for the ultra hardcore naysayers). The big gripe is the control is just as funky as ever, despite the comfy GC pad, snappy controls, and the addition of control elements from Last Escape/Nemesis and Code Veronica. After Devil May Cry, I was hoping that Capcom would refine THAT particular control scheme and make this a smoother, faster Biohazard. No such luck in that particular department, and it's still possible to die once or twice because you start running from a monster, hit an obstacle or wall as you're rounding a corner, and get whacked before you can do that neat quick turnaround shoot move. You can use either the D-pad or Left stick to move the character, which is nice, but you still need to press a button to run, which isn't so cool. I'd have preferred an ''always run'' option, but then again, the game is set so that if you try to do a speed run through its two discs, you'll end up dying terribly quite a few times. Mikami WANTS you to SEE all that he and his team have labored hard for years on (yes, the game is much longer)- do yourself a favor and honor his request.

The minor gripe is the occasional tiny hiccup the game does sometimes between the quick cinematic scenes and gameplay- it's not a game killer, but a few early dramatic moments were made slightly less dramatic, as the game stuttered for a fraction of a second between cuts. It may be because I have a modded system, but I'll see what other folks say. Finally, for the nitpickers out there, YES, the game is slightly sacrilegious in its depiction of the events of the PS game, IF you use that as the original benchmark to base your plot points on, but it's kind of like when George Lucas cut in the scene of Greedo shooting first in Episode Six- it doesn't affect the whole picture much, and the new goodies MORE than make up for whatever you feel is ''off''. Deal with it, discuss, and move on.

My final analysis is this: if you're a Game Cube owner, and of age, you NEED to play this game, U.S. or import, period. This is one awesome game and even the movie shows how much the game has mastered in all areas. I hope you enjoy this game. I rarely give a game a perfect score, but this game beats all that I've played on GCN so far. I give Resident Evil for GCN a 10/10. 10/10

Presentation The game has been majorily updated and improved from the Playstation to the Gamecube. It proved tons of new features to discover	9.5
Graphics The graphics are amazing and stunning. Simple as that. Half of the time you find yourself just looking at them instead of playing the game.	10
Gameplay The many puzzles throughout the game keep you busy for hours on end. The controls are a bit "iffy," but can easily be mastered.	9.5
Overall Resident Evil packs hours of spine-chilling gameplay into the game. Even after you have beaten it, you find yourself going back to play again, hoping to discover new things and different endings.	10