Resident Evil

Capcom - 1996

The original ‘Resident Evil’ game first appeared on the PlayStation 1 back in 1996 and set the standard for a whole new generation of ‘survival horror’ games. As the player you get to take on the role of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine — members of the STARS Alpha team who while looking for the missing STARS Bravo team are set upon by some strange monsters and take refuge in a large creepy old mansion where not everything is at it seems.

Both Chris and Jill’s storylines are very similar and differ only slightly in that they get to interact with some different characters.As the story unravels, you’ll soon learn that the mansion is a front for a bioweapon facility operated by the sinister Umbrella Corporation.

In exploring the mansion you will have to solve various puzzles to progress and deal with a whole range of nasties that must be dispatched in some gruesome blood-soaked manor. Controls are a little clunky and slow by today’s standards, especially when trying to turn. Still, in a way, this actually adds to the drama by inciting a lot of unnecessary panicking when some shambling zombies or undead doberman dogs appear out of nowhere.

Sound is intense and atmospheric as are the eerie groaning noises of the mansion’s inhabitants. The voice acting (which is now the stuff of legend and ridicule) falls into the category of ‘it’s so bad, it’s actually good’ and adds a certain charm to the game. ‘Resident Evil’ still has some the best’ jump out of your chair’ moments you’ll ever find in a survival horror game. The cinematic gameplay is nothing short of intense, and just when you think things can’t get any worse, they suddenly do!