Beginning life as the fruit of an exclusive partnership between Capcom and Nintendo to produce three major titles for Gamecube, REmake was met with skepticism and doubt by the gaming public. The game went on to become not only a worthy imitator of the original survival horror, but perhaps the truest representation of the franchise' core tenets.
THE ORIGINAL
If we are going to be puritanical about gaming history, then 1992's Alone In The Dark is the true progenitor of the survival horror genre. But, in the same way that Black Christmas vies with Halloween for the title of original slasher film (they're both wrong, it's Psycho), we must also recognise Resident Evil and it's contribution to the birth of survival horror.
Graphically impressive in its day, Resi 1 presented a cheesy horror story influenced by endless B-movies and horror classics, utterly atrocious dialogue spoken by abysmal voice actors and a live action intro so bad its actually genius. Yet the reason this game remains a classic is that it was a turning point in the ongoing campaign to make gaming mainstream. Here was a title with sky high production values, great gameplay mechanics and a rich lore ripe for franchise treatment.
When looking back, its the small moments that matter; dogs in the L-shaped hallway, Forest and the crows, racing against time for the anti-venom, mixing the formula to kill Plant 42, the scary as hell lab monsters and of course the arrival of the rocket launcher, the best deus ex machina in gaming. Resident Evil is a patchwork of classic moments that have stuck in the collective memory of everyone who has ever picked up a control pad (or a keyboard, it was released on PC too).
THE REMAKE
The first thing you notice, obviously, is the intro. Where there was once unrecognisable nobodies pretending to look scared, now there is impressive digital representations of our favourite characters. When Bravo team member Joseph Frost is eaten by the 'cerberus' dogs, atmospheric night vision replaces poorly shot DV.
When we enter the mansion however, it's clear that not just the intro has been overhauled.
The new Spencer mansion is a joy to behold, beautifully meticulous pre-rendered backdrops blend with the smooth character models to create a wonderfully immersive experience. The mansion itself was overhauled so that even the most seasoned RE veteran could get lost in it's new layout.
Enemies remain largely the same, although the standard zombie is given an extra mutation. As 'crimson heads', the zombies sprout giant claws and become extremely fast. The only way to combat this is to either remove the head of the original ghoul or burn it's corpse with gasoline. This was a subtle change to gameplay but a welcome one, the first time a crimson head comes galloping towards you is a truly memorable moment.
The plot of REmake fortunately had the benefit of hindsight, meaning it could improve upon the shortcomings of the original as well as squeezing in some new elements, and some fan favourites as well. Perhaps the biggest new plot development was the re-reinstatement of the Trevor family subplot, an interesting arc that ties the 'Arklay Mountain incident' together. George Trevor is responsible for designing the impenetrable mansion for Oswell Spencer (yes, Trevor is the lunatic who created the animal crest locking mechanism). His daughter Lisa is both the only person to survive the progenitor virus and the creator of the G-Virus that would later run amok in downtown Racoon City. Lisa Trevor is arguably the best boss in the whole series, the combination of her hideous design and the emotional heft of her back story make her a truly memorable opponent.
All in all, Capcom hit the jackpot with REmake, creating another classic survival horror and rejuvenating the franchise for a newer generation. Resident Evil 4 would later follow and define the series, the genre and the whole medium once again, but it was REmake that reminded us that there really isn't anything like a good Resi game.
Ive got these on the GC might have to bust them out now...