So I finally sat down and tried to actually enjoy a quality game— in this case, Resident Evil remake for the GameCube. Unfortunately, I soured on the game pretty quickly. I think it’s because it began to feel a tad repetitive. It went something like this:
- break through to a new “area” to explore
- thoroughly explore the area, knock out a few zombies and other new creatures
- study the puzzles, bang my head on them
- explore some more, make sure I got everything I can possibly collect by studying the colors of rooms on the map
- if I can solve the puzzles, proceed onward to a boss battle and then break into a new “area”
- otherwise, bang my head on puzzles some more
Yeah, there are walkthroughs out there, but I don’t feel like looking them up. The graphics are phenomenal in this remake. However, they can also get a bit repetitive.
I was heavily into gaming back in the middle 8-bit NES epoch (1989-1992). By 1994, my interest in gaming had pretty much faded. But in 2001, I picked up a used Sega Dreamcast for programming purposes. But I also procured a used copy of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. That game single-handedly revitalized my interest in video games. I hunted down used copies of RE chapters 2 and 3 for the Dreamcast only to find that they were direct PlayStation ports (I’m quite glad I skipped the early 3D epoch of gaming). Then there was Resident Evil 4 for the GameCube which can’t be beat.
So it seems I really ought to enjoy the first RE on the GameCube. There was something else about this game that nagged at me and the problem crystalized when I read this Cracked.com article: The 7 Commandments All Video Games Should Obey, in particular rule #4: Thou shalt make killing fun. I’m quite a ways into the game (though still only on the first of 2 discs) and I still only have a 9mm handgun and a shotgun. I mean, they’re functional, but also a little boring. Well, I have the combat knife too, but that generally stays in cold storage since I don’t have much carrying space to spare. RE:CV was far more generous with the weapons (heck, an early zombie is just carrying a pair of submachine guns for you to take). Handguns, full-auto handgun upgrade, shotgun, crossbow, flaming crossbow, grenade launcher with myriad grenades– those are all just a few of the weapons I remember off the top of my head.
Oh, RE:CV also had a magnum revolver, but that was a special use case. I’m reminded of this because I just got to the point in RE where I obtained a .22 self-defense pistol with 2 rounds. This screams “special use” because it probably wouldn’t even be suitable for shooting one’s own foot.
And of course, Resident Evil 4 switched up the entire series formula in every which way, for the better each time (though I’m probably the only gamer who actually enjoyed the escort mission aspect– I thought it added a fascinating dimension to the gameplay). In fact, I think if I’m looking for a quality after-work diversion game, RE4 might offer some decent replay value.
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Soldier says:
Resident Evil 1 is a boring ass game. The remake and the original both suck. Resident Evil 2 and 3 are great games.