Resident Evil HD Remake: Just another Jill Sandwich?

Resident Evil Remastered. As scary as ever!

Resident Evil has been a firm part in my gaming credentials and one of my most respected series to date. When I heard that Resident Evil was being re-hashed for next and last generation consoles I felt happy. However, a part of me thought "oh no" this could also be a disaster. 

Having sank a solid ten hours in to this remake (of a remake) I can report that I am as hooked as I've ever been. To my horror I'd never played the Game Cube version of which I'm ashamed to admit being such an passionate gamer. On the flip side, it will make this review a lot more interesting as most of my memories will stem from the 1996 classic.

Yikes! This guys completely had it! Resident Evil Remastered PS4

The first and most iconic Zombie encounter in Resident Evil

Resident Evil remastered is available now on the Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC in 1080p on next gen and PC and 720p on last generation consoles. Hmm not too shabby in my opinion. I'm playing on a Playstation 4. Graphically, this game looks beautiful. The mansion has some great textures, makes tasteful use of lighting and stays true to the eerie feel of the original Resident Evil on the Playstation 1. Right from the start, players are given plenty of choices. I was worried about the control mechanics given the fact that Resident Evil uses fixed camera angles. The Original control scheme uses the D-Pad whereby the Alternate allows players to use the analogue. As beautiful as this game is, I've never been a huge fan of fixed camera angles so I found it difficult to carry out the most basic actions at times. Who knew that walking down some stairs would be so difficult? Well that's Resident Evil right? The controls do lack even when using the analogue stick. I would have liked this to improve a little more.

The iconic hall of the mansion in Resident Evil

Barry and Jill of the main hall in Resident Evil Remastered

What else is new to Resident Evil remastered? I think we need to look at facts versus experience. Factually, Resident Evil Remastered has three difficulty settings. I started off on the hardest setting and ended having to restart the game. Ammo was incredibly scarce and I was drowning in the number of Zombies lurking around. We can also choose to play in 16:9 screen ratio as well as 4:3 which was the original setting. Minor details but I feel that it adds a touch of diversity to the experience. We can choose to play as Chris or Jill with and players can choose between two costumes from the get go. I like choice.

So what are my personal thoughts of Resident Evil Remastered? The environments feel very tense and intriguing. Even though I am familiar with this mansion I feel that there's a flesh ripping beast lurking behind every corner. I've concluded that the mansion feels a lot darker than ever, which adds to the tense nature of the game. Even with the brightness increased the colours are naturally dark and drab.

The scare factor remains! I thought that I knew the game too well to be scared or cautious. I was wrong. I jumped in many places of the game particularly when the dogs breach the windows of the east hallway; another Resident Evil classic moment. Additionally, I surprised myself at how much of the campaign I had forgotten. This being said, those new gameplay features came from the Game Cube version which undoubtedly ascended the polish of the overall experience. The ability to stab a zombie mid-attack, the frightening agility of the Crimson Heads and mild changes to puzzles were all welcome features. I don't think I would have been as impressed if I had played the Game Cube version! 

Reside.....Biohazard Remake!

I really enjoyed my Jill Sandwich this time around. If you're like me and didn't play the Game Cube version then you'll enjoy your Jill Sandwich too. However, you may not be as impressed if you'd tapped in to the Cube Version thirteen years ago. Naturally, the nostalgia is too good to be true and for that reason it's a must own title. I slap a tasty 7.5 out of 10 for the Resident Evil Remake. Graphical enhancements, flexibility and a solid story will keep you engaged for hours. See you in the Mansion! Drop a comment in the box below and share your thoughts.

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