Published by: Capcom
Genre: Action-Adventure
Release Date: January 20, 2015
MSRP: $19.99
Rating: Mature
Available On: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4
Resident Evil is one of the best games ever made, period. It virtually invented the zombie horror genre, providing players with a maze-like mansion full of terrifying threats and challenging them to survive. It’s hard to find a lifelong gamer that doesn’t know the twists and turns of Resident Evil’s intimidating mansion by heart, who can’t see the scares coming before they do. In a world of franchises, sequels, and indie remixes, Resident Evil stands as an icon.
Thus, the only question there is to raise about Resident Evil: Remastered, which takes the 1996 classic and upgrades it with 1080p visuals, is whether the improvements are noticeable enough to make it worth buying again. Resident Evil has already been re-done and re-released a few times, the most notable of which being the 2002 GameCube remaster that updated the game’s visuals and introduced the game to legions of new fans. If you’re an ardent gamer, you might have more than one version of Resident Evil on your shelf already.
Here’s what you need to know about this latest remastering of Resident Evil: It’s based on the GameCube version, meaning all of those graphic improvements are carrying through 12 years later to this latest entry. It runs at 1080p, 30 fps on Xbox One, PS4, and PC (720p for Xbox 360 and PS3). The environments have been upgraded; textures have been refined, non-static 3D models added, and post-processing effects integrated. Aspect ratio has also been made adjustable, meaning you can play in the original 4:3 picture ratio or swap to 16:9 for a better HDTV fit.
It’s not just the visuals that have been improved. All of the game’s audio has been completely remastered. Sampling rate has been increased and 5.1 channel surround sound is now fully supported. In other words, this is the most technologically advanced, high-fidelity version of Resident Evil that’s ever been released. Fans might want to think of it as the definitive version — this remake offers even better visuals than 2009’s Resident Evil Archives.
Resident Evil’s story involves one protagonist struggling to uncover the mystery of a virus that has turned people into raving monsters. Trapped in a mansion with very little resources and even fewer clues, it’s the players job to sort out what happened and stay alive long enough to escape. Fans of the series know that the mansion is only the beginning, but we won’t spoil anything for anyone who might be a newcomer.
The 2015 next-gen remaster of Resident Evil stands to be the best version yet. It’s well worth looking into for those who love the series, and its attractive visuals and time-tested gameplay are likely enough to land a few young gamers who haven’t yet had a chance to experience it. Capcom’s remaster is well executed and thoughtful, adding layers to the game’s immersion without tampering with the elements that made it so good in the first place.