Resident Evil – What a Mansion

The header image for this post was created by DeviantArt user demonsheyd500025, the original version is available here

So on to more powerful games and machines this week.

Yes indeed I will be covering Resident Evil or Biohazard, as it was known in Japan. I will be trying to throw in a few facts about this game while I’m at it, just to see how it goes, might make it a bit of a regular thing.

The Game

Resident Evil was a Playstation, Sega Saturn and Windows game developed and published by Capcom in 1996. It was later ported to Nintendo DS in 2006 and has spawned an entire series of games across all major platforms, a series of CGI films (which take place within the game universe), and a series of Hollywood adaptations (not considered canon).

So here goes…

For the game that was intended to be a remake of the Japan only Sweet Home on the NES, Resident Evil is what we got in 1996: the granddaddy of survival horror.

Captin Wesker where’s Chris? Hang on why are you wearing sunglasses at midnight?

So your two protagonists are Jill Valentine, a smart police officer who can carry more items and knows how to use a lock-pick; and Chris Redfield,

this was before the days where he beat up boulders

he had the most defence out of the two but could carry two less items, also he had the harder of the two scenarios to play.

Jill run for that house!

House? That thing is the size of most industrial factories!

Typical of Umbrella to make a lavish mansion then abandon it.

Shakes fist at umbrella

After reports of people being eaten in the Arkley mountain outside of Raccoon City, the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad, or S.T.A.R.S for short, are dispatched in two teams (a lot of two’s in this game) to investigate.

So let me get this straight: in the middle of the night, in the middle of some mountains, in the middle of nowhere I’m supposed to look for some one of things that have been eating people?

The hell with that, I’ll be over here with the cookies!

Well if anyone is going to do the job it might as well be trained professionals. But was there “training” enough to go toe to falling off toe with the living dead and other things?

Broken shotguns, endless key and tomes… Oh My!

Oh yeah, the first time through this took me back and forth for what seemed a million times, checking everything and pondering puzzles. And on the subject of first play through…

The first play through took me over 30 hours and about 20 odd saves if memory serves.

On a quick side note…

So here is the part of the blog post I may either loose readers or at the very least anger the living crap out of them, please bare with me. So Resident Evil Directors Cut was indeed the first Resi game I played all the way through but I had help… In the shape of a Action Replay Cartridge.

You had a WHAT!!!!

Before you grap the pitchforks and steal my Jill Sammach off me please let me explain. When I was given this game back in the day (I was twelve I think, by this age I had seen a lot worse in horror movies I assure you) I had a fair old crack at the story myself, being young and indeed lacking the finesse of full control, survival techniques and patience, I needed help. A friend of mine who shall remain nameless (lest the angry sammach stealing mob finds him) lent me the cheating device in question so that I would have a fighting chance.Arms folded crossly So? How long did it take with GOD MODE ON!!!

Anyone who has had this particular leg up on the creatures of the night/mansion will tell you that its still not all the much of a cake walk, there are the Hunter leaps that can kill you in one, traps and boulders, poison death and the final Tyrant one hit kill swipe. Back then I realized that its more of a buff against normal attacks, skill and strategy was still needed against bosses.

Still not happy with you ya know, you call yourself a Resi fan!

Once again, hold up and let me plead my case.

OBJECTION!!!

There is some redemption for me if you will let me get a word in. Please?

… … Go on, I’m listening

Given that, more than anything I wanted to complete the original Resident Evil, NOT the directors cut on the PC format, I soon found that I couldn’t.

sad face

So my second port of call was my trusty Sega Saturn Version, for I still have that very underrated console. Problem was that the copy I got didn’t work.

sad face overload

What did you play it on then?

I broke out my trusty, old, and still working PSX. Not the small PSone, I had the chunky old big reliable grey box of zombie killing goodness.

I even played with the Original PSX pad - the one without analogue sticks on it.

I could have played it on my PS3 (I had bought the classic game from the Playstation Network), but I felt that proper redemption was needed so I went full old school.

And before any OBJECTIONS fly my way I never purchased an Action Replay Cartridge myself back in the day, I only borrowed it for about a week from a friend back in the day.

This better be good or no Sammach, Jill or otherwise for you!

Man I’ve got my work cut out for me.

So after a few runs, more then a few deaths, one or two saves to practice bosses, and a cheeky read up on ammo location and basic survival strategies

I needed them now more then ever

I set to it. Starting my adventure first as Jill “master of unlocking” Valentine.

With actual minimal usage of the Pistol to begin with, I set out dodging as much as possible. Passing by the first Yawn fight without firing anything (Yawn is the name of the snake in the attic)

I’m glad I don’t have a snake in the attic!

Making my way to the guardhouse and the Plant 42 fight was minimal effort really, solutions clicking into place from memories past.

The second yawn fight however…

Hear that? It’s Karma at the door, wanting the high five you in the face… with IT’S FIST!

Okay, the trouble I had with this particular boss was my own doing from playing this game in the past in a very cheaty way.

Magnum shots did’t work and it was way too slow; using the Pistol was a no go; and Shotgun blasts took me took long.

In the end it was the trusty grenade launcher and some quite precise movement that got me through that fight, ending with me on danger but I whooped the scaly bugger at the conclusion of the fight nonetheless.

You can have half you Sammach back, you’re gonna have to work for the rest mister!

Fair enough.

So some tunnels, booby traps, a Black Tiger fight (the giant spider in the tunnels), some pretty quick Chimeras, and a few more backtracks later and I was finally at the lab entrance.

I didn’t need any help for this part of the game, on account of having played it that much it was like the back of my hand to get through.

‘But home nay times do you look at the back of your hand, mister Vimes?’

Just to clarify that wasn’t I using a strategy guide: all from memory, it was.

A few puzzles later, two Tyrant fights, and a Wekser Death and I was done.

Man Wekser had it coming. What a scumbag.

Here is the rest of you Sammach, I may have over reacted a smidge…

No. Not yet, I didn’t get the best ending.

Yes absolute shocker on my part, I forgot a MO disc and let Chris die. Furthermore I didn’t manage first time round (again) to complete it within 3 hours.

So going back to get, in my view, the ONLY ending was going to be a long slog once again. I did it though.

Two hours thirty four mins is what it took second time round as Jill to get everything, and save Chris, AND Barry “I’ve got THIS” Burton form the nightmare mansion.

And Chris’s game?

Considering that Chris is classed as the Hard mode of the two protagonists my overall completion of his story was closer to three hours but I managed it.

Second time round that is, but it was still done.

Take your Sammach this time, with Jill and everything. Go on you earned it.

Man it feels good to have my Jill Sammach back.

After my new found confidence playing Directors Cut, I plunged myself back into the original original game with renewed fervor and determination to, if not wipe then redeem myself further, from the blotch on my Resi Record that started all those years ago.

And low and behold those runs were completed in quick succession under three hours.

The both of them.

All I have to say is, “Good man”.

I hope that, by reading this, it has restored the faith you all had in my Resi record and the skill I have at playing this series of games; the series that I love so much.

All in all the first instalment in the Resident Evil legacy was a game changer, back upon its initial release, with a Meta Critic score of 91 and selling over a million copies.

After being in development for three years, showcasing static backgrounds blended with the groundbreaking graphics that the PSone was offering at the time, mixed in with the static camera angles, influences taken from the movie The Shining and the introduction of the now legendary “tank control” scheme.

Resident Evil was then, and still is now, a classic game for the ages.

You mentioned a few facts about this game you were going to mention, care to share?

Well I did just mention a few of them just now, but I can part with another if you like.

There was an early beta build of the game were co-op was being experimented with. That’s right the first Resident Evil game could have been co-op.

Resident Evil for me stands the test of time, cheesy intro/outro videos, bad/painfully good voice acting, groundbreaking visuals and control schemes makes this game not only a shining gem but a timeless classic in gaming history.

I am proud and glad that I experienced this title in its full glory, pitting myself against the zombies of the night.

Without this game you wouldn’t have titles such as Dino Crisis, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame to name a few.

in fact, the original Dino Crisis was created by the same development team and has a strikingly similar set up (except that it’s dinosaurs now BOWs) - Jay

I not only loved playing this game over and over, back in the day, I also loved re-visiting it again for the much needed redemption just recently.

It will forever hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to the sometime infuriating, yet always satisfying world of Survival Horror.

So Hats off to you Capcom, for moulding me into the zombie killing freak I am today. Whether I’m looking for plugs/keys/reliefs or random batteries, I shall always remember where it all started for me.

I would just like to mention really quickly two things before I sign off this time:

First I would like to apologise for not putting anything on the blog for two weeks now. I had time off from work and needed to let my brain melt more then anything.

And two, I would like to sincerely thank you form the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this post, not only after the absence of posts the the past week, but also a bit of a thank you for reading what was a bit of a internal argument about my journey to redemption with the very game that gave, me and I’m sure a lot of people, so many jumps scares and hours of enjoyment blasting away hoards of the undead.

Did you ever get the really bad ending? Did you miss a MO disc like I did? Did you fight Yawn first time and not chicken out like I did?

Let me know in the comments how you fared in this endless nightmare.

Thank you for reading my blog post about Resident Evil and I shall catch you all some other time.

Peace out.