I'm playing all the Resident Evils for the first time in release order

Pixel Grotto · Apr 22, 2018

I beat Code Veronica last night and I have many things to say about it.

First of all, thanks to the people here who mentioned that the knife is a force to be reckoned with in this game. With Chris, I decided I'd try to conserve ammo as much as possible in favor of the art of knife fu, and thanks to some practice I got pretty good at stabbing the heck out of zombies - and even hunters! WHY is the knife so OP? I don't know, but I dig it. In the last three games I'd automatically toss it into an item box but not so here. (Unfortunately, saving up lots of ammo also meant that I'd have to do more inventory wrangling, which was a pain.)
Actually, it's a good thing that I got gud with the knife since I messed up the beginning of Chris' game and didn't save Rodrigo from the worm fast enough. I ran instead, and by the time I went back to deal with the worm Rodrigo was already dead, so I couldn't get those fancy guns.

It was enjoyable to play as Chris since he wasn't a doofus like Steve, but several of the pacing issues that had bothered me during Claire's game returned. One of the main issues that I have with Code Veronica is that there are too many puzzles spread out all over the place, and you often don't find the items you need to solve these puzzles until much later. I kept forgetting what I needed to pick up to open a door or unlock a control console, and when I'd find the item I needed, I was often out of inventory space and had to jog to an item box and then jog back. This was prevalent in the other RE games, but it just seems SO MUCH WORSE in this one, maybe because the environments are bigger. This especially became bad in the Antarctica base, where I couldn't figure out what I needed to do for the longest time and kept running in circles until I looked up a walkthrough which told me that I needed to use the octagonal valve that I'd left behind in Claire's game. I couldn't locate the stupid thing because it blended into the background too well (see the pic below). By the time I found it I was just annoyed. Also, don't get me started on the tiger eye jewel puzzle and how you need to turn the power off to keep the thing from moving. Just convoluted.

Thanks to these frustrations, by the time I reached the re-creation of the Spencer Mansion, what I assume was supposed to be a nostalgic moment kinda just washed over me. I was just like, "Oh, okay, it looks like RE1... Meh." It felt sort of pandering, especially when I saw the statue of the woman drawing water.

On the plus side of things, Steve got his most glorious moment yet, where he transformed into a BOW and finally got to be naked with Claire, but probs not in the way he imagined. Can't say I'll miss him and his Canadian accent. (Why couldn't Rodrigo have been my companion instead of this dude?) Also the "boss" battle with him (if you can even call it that) seems poorly designed, as it basically requires you to have healing items in your inventory and cheese your way to an escape. I was doing okay on herbs at this point but I can see how others have gotten stuck in a hideous death loop.

Finally I got to witness the so-called "Matrix bullshit" with Wesker that ya'll have been talking about in this thread! Since when did Wesker transform into a cross between Agent Smith and M. Bison? I can practically hear him screaming PSYCHOOOO POWERRRR

There was a thread on this board recently about "the best title drop" in gaming. Well, I respectfully submit... (Not really, but it's still cool. Kinda.)

Chris versus Alexis/Jenova! I had a shitload of weapons remaining at this point and tried to kill her with the AK-47, which I thought would be good. No dice, only the magnum did any substantial damage. Now I understand why people here were telling me to make sure I didn't lose my fire extinguisher in a security box in the early game. If I had, I wouldn't have had the magnum, and I can't really imagine winning this boss fight without it...especially because I had left the bow gun with Claire by accident. I feel like Code Veronica has a lot of these rough boss fights where you kinda *need* a certain item or have to resort to cheesing, and it's one of my pet peeves with the game.

I thought we were done, but NO, there's more Wesker bullshit! He beats the crap out of Chris and the two of them jump everywhere before a fire starts and Wesker rages bio-mutant testosterone before cackling that he'll see Chris "NEXT TIME!" Oh my god this writing

Finally finished, and Chris gets to have the last line which is pretty much a repeat of Leon's from RE2. And my final stats are a lie - I retried a buttload of times, but since I started abusing save states like crazy about two hours into this game (I have no regrets about this) I guess my retries weren't registered.

I only checked out the Battle Game briefly but was amused to find that it actually has a first person option. This was a fresh change, but then I realized that it's first person mode with tank controls, which just...doesn't work that well. When it takes forever to turn around and when the camera keeps flipping back to third person when a zombie latches onto your leg or attacks you, it feels like they kind of implemented this control scheme as a throwaway option because the series has always had dreams of dabbling in the FPS genre. (The bottom pic is that supposed concept art of an early FPS plan for RE1 which has been floating around the internet for years.)

Last but not least, my notes. As you can see, it's mostly me trying to keep track of all the items and puzzles. So much crap.

Whew. So, when I finally finished this game I breathed a sigh of relief, and it wasn't because of the whole survival horror aspect. It was 'cause several parts of Code Veronica became a slog for me, and even though the game wasn't terribly lengthy (12 hours, about the same as both discs of RE2), it felt so much longer than any other entry in the series so far. I think I can attribute this to the aggravating backtracking, convoluted puzzles and the fact that almost every major boss battle seems like it should be the END of the game...BUT THEN WE JUST KEEP GOING! I feel like at least an hour or two could have been cut to create a tighter game, and the environments certainly could have been condensed. I actually didn't mind backtracking in the police station in RE2. In this game, moving between the prison/military facility/palace and private residence? Just a little too much.

There were things that I really loved though. Being able to explore environments in 3D while still retaining those cinematic camera angles was excellent, and Chris and Claire both controlled very well. I enjoyed seeing both of them fighting together as a bro/sis duo, and the rest of the story...while pretty dumb...was appropriately Gothic and a nice change from the setting of Raccoon City.

In the end, I've very glad that I beat this game, and in some ways it is the epitome of the classic RE formula. But I don't think I'll play it ever again!

I'll write some more detailed final thoughts a little later...but for now, all I'll say is that I won't miss Steve.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 23, 2018

Aaaand my final thoughts on Code Veronica are done and here.

Here's the section about the game's flaws (I wrote about its strengths too!):

Unfortunately, while Code Veronica nails the survival horror presentation just right, it goes overboard with the genre's mechanics. Item management, backtracking and occasionally getting lost have always been a part of these games, but previous Resident Evils took place in fairly tight environments, and when you needed a specific item to complete a puzzle or open a door, it was usually located not too out of the way - in another wing of Spencer Mansion perhaps, or a different floor of the Racoon City Police Station. No such luck here. Much of the game, for example, has you traversing between a prison, a military training facility, a palace and the Ashford private residence, and the most annoying thing is that there are so many obstacles in each spread-out region that require some McGuffin from another to unlock. And so you've gotta dash all over the damn place like a pizza delivery person, dodging respawning enemies all the while, and while RE3 had some of this padding, it's much worse here because the game doesn't take things one at a time and keeps making you retrieve new items with every turn. Previous REs would indicate that you needed a key or something to progress, and then gently point you in the direction towards getting that key. Code Veronica says you need a key, a keycard, two jewels, a gas valve, a fire extinguisher and a damn toy dragonfly to move onward, and then scatters all of those items across different regions, expecting you to remember everything. It's a fine example of game design getting excessive.

And then there are the boss encounters, all of which are against wonderfully freakish creatures (love the Tyrant design in this game) but can border on unfair. Some of them merely necessitate a lot of skill at quickly turning, like Nemesis battles in RE3, but others seem to require the player to cheese things to make it out alive. One fight sets you up to be hit from the get-go, practically requiring you to have a certain number of health items in your inventory, and if you're fresh outta herbs, you're shafted. The end boss is also a pain if you aren't rocking the Magnum, a missable weapon if you accidentally misplace the stinkin' fire extinguisher. In fact, it's very possible to find yourself in a dead end where you just don't have enough stuff - be it ammo, herbs or weapons - to progress, and while this is a concern in any survival horror game, at least it always felt fair in the previous Resident Evils. It doesn't exactly feel fair here, and there are a number of horror stories online of people having to restart the game halfway through after realizing that there was no realistic way for them to finish.

With all that said, I want to emphasize that I don't regret my time spent with Code Veronica, because there were several sections of the game that I enjoyed (excluding everything with Steve, of course). But it certainly became a slog, and the 12 hours I spent playing this sucker didn't exactly feel like 12 - it felt more like an overly lengthy 20. At least an hour or two should have been cut or condensed to create a tighter end product, because if there's anything I've learned from playing these games, it's that a solid survival horror experience doesn't need to be lengthy, or epic, or have a crapton of explorable areas. It just needs to nail the mechanics, keep you on your toes, and make you want to survive by maintaining a sensation that's rife with unease but never unfair or tedious. Code Veronica didn't exactly hit that balance, and while it's a vast finale to the classic RE tradition, it's also a faulty one.

In keeping with the tradition of posting classic ads of all of these games...

Gonna take a break for a bit but will be back with REmake. Interestingly enough, I've also been reading the Code Veronica Hong Kong comic in my spare time, and it's batshit nuts, along with most of the other RE comics. Might write my impressions on those at some point as well.

Jinroh · Apr 24, 2018

So, in the base version of the game Alexia slaps Wesker like a bitch before he does all his Matrix bullshit and he escapes never to be seen again. There's no lengthy cut-scene with him after you beat Alexia.

So the base game ending feels kind of rushed, but I don't really know what I prefer in the end, they both have flaws.

You'll love Remake, it's the ultimate classic RE experience.

Jackpot · Apr 24, 2018

Fun fact: the final fight with Wesker takes more than a few shots from the final fight in Predator.

Dreamboum · Apr 24, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
Tries to check out Claire's ass again

ill never get over this scene

Pixel Grotto · Apr 24, 2018

Jackpot said:
Fun fact: the final fight with Wesker takes more than a few shots from the final fight in Predator.

Intriguing! It's been a while since I saw the first Predator; now I wanna do a research and side by side comparison. Is that one of the original Japanese ads for Code Veronica? Really neat if so, gives off The Thing vibes. More so than the actual game.

Dreamboum said:
ill never get over this scene

This is from Darkside Chronicles, yeah? I've decided that I'm gonna play this one and Umbrella Chronicles together when I'm finished the main series but at the same time I dunno if I can handle more Steve.

Charlouie Jonesman · Apr 24, 2018

Yo Pixelman, before you eventually start the REmake...this is very important!

Seems self-explanatory, right? Hard, Normal and Easy, in that order.

Except it's not! it's actually Normal, Easy and Very Easy. (Very Easy is new to the HD port, so in the original Gamecube version, with only two choices, this selection wasn't quite as misleading.) Hard mode isn't available until you've finished the game once.

I'd say the majority of playthroughs on Youtube are on Easy difficulty and not by choice, but by accident and I don't know why it's even bothering me so much but now you've been warned.

Linkura · Apr 24, 2018

Following this now, a little late. Love hearing all of your impressions. Great shit. Can't wait to see you blown away by REmake and 4. :)

Deleted member 24118 · Apr 24, 2018

Yeah, CV has a lot of flaws.

If RE6 highlighted all the problems with action RE, CV highlighted all the problems with classic RE.

Dreamboum · Apr 24, 2018

TheRedSnifit said:
If RE6 highlighted all the problems with action RE, CV highlighted all the problems with classic RE.

I'd say RE:Zero is a much worse offender of the classic RE formula. I legitimately understood why Capcom moved away from it after playing this game;

Linkura · Apr 24, 2018

CV on Dreamcast was the first RE I completed, so I have a real soft spot for it. Almost screwed myself at the Tyrant fight first playthrough because I was a 7th grader and inexperienced, but made it through. I did know someone at school who fucked themselves at that fight though. On subsequent playthroughs I used the knife almost exclusively on the first disc. Good shit.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 24, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Yo Pixelman, before you eventually start the REmake...this is very important!

Seems self-explanatory, right? Hard, Normal and Easy, in that order.

Except it's not! it's actually Normal, Easy and Very Easy. (Very Easy is new to the HD port, so in the original Gamecube version, with only two choices, this selection wasn't quite as misleading.) Hard mode isn't available until you've finished the game once.

I'd say the majority of playthroughs on Youtube are on Easy difficulty and not by choice, but by accident and I don't know why it's even bothering me so much but now you've been warned.

Thank you, this is really helpful to know. I guess I'll probs go with Normal mode, since I already played the PS1 original and have some idea of how this might work. We'll see how hard it actually is for me once I start playing.

Gonna play as Chris this time, since I beat RE1 original with Jill. Wanna get to know Rebecca before I play 0.

Linkura · Apr 24, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
Thank you, this is really helpful to know. I guess I'll probs go with Normal mode, since I already played the PS1 original and have some idea of how this might work. We'll see how hard it actually is for me once I start playing.

Gonna play as Chris this time, since I beat RE1 original with Jill. Wanna get to know Rebecca before I play 0.

You really shouldn't have any problems on Normal since you've beaten all of the previous games on normal.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 30, 2018

So, I finally made it to REmake, ya'll! And wow, is it good.

My first thought is how utterly fantastic this game looks. I'm playing the Remastered HD version on Steam, so there are obviously some upgrades from the 2002 release, but everything aged like the finest of wine stuck in the finest of barrels in the south of France. The pre-rendered backgrounds are perhaps the best I've seen. They can sometimes be a little busy and over-detailed, obscuring items and making me unsure of what I can push and what I can't, but maybe that's just a side effect of me being too used to the pixelated 32-bit graphics of the earlier games.

Second thought - "woahhhhh, another workable control scheme besides tank controls!" I'm using the alternate controls and while I get that tank movement is for the OGs and all that, it feels kinda nice to actually use the analog stick in one of these games and not wind up horribly confused. It's not perfect, since in cramped quarters where the camera angle quickly changes, you can still wind up disoriented. But I still find it to be a great control scheme for this sort of classic survival horror.
Lastly, I thought I'd have a good knowledge of where to go and what to do since I played the original RE, but while my familiarity with that game helps a LITTLE (push the statue off the balcony, get the gemstone!) all the remixed puzzles, changed camera angles, additional areas and added visual details make me feel like this is a completely new game. (I think most of the puzzles, like the new crow gallery room one and the Death Masks, are better than their old counterparts.) Totally don't believe those who say that playing the original RE and this one is redundant...the experience is vastly different.

The zombies are a lot more deliciously creepy this time around too, especially when they start breaking through doors. In old RE I feel like there was more ammo (?) and ended up killing most of them, but I'm unable to do that here...

This brings me to my thoughts on CRIMSON HEADS! I'd heard of these guys before, mostly along the lines of "they stray too far from the classical RE experience" or "they mess up continuity since they aren't in any of the other games." I think they're a pain in the butt (and gave me a fright when I first ran into 'em) but I do think their inclusion REALLY forced me to start playing more strategically. I had a whole hallway (near the medicine room where Rebecca hangs out) infested with the guys a few hours in, and every time I went through there it was a madhouse. I cleared the ones that were the most dangerous, and also made sure to have a pathway to the other save room that was 100% clear by burning the zombies that were lying around. The gasoline/burning mechanic is tough to deal with when you're Chris and have so little inventory space as it is... I did a loooot of running back and forth between item boxes. I don't mind backtracking in this game, though, because in comparison to Code Veronica, backtracking is actually...fun?!

A few more thoughts... I'm playing on Normal, a difficulty level the game describes as like "climbing a mountain." It's a solid challenge for me, both because Chris' game is naturally a little rougher than Jill's and also because all of the different tweaks to the Mansion keep messing with my memories and expectations. I was also playing the older games on emulators, so I could cheat a little and have savestates ready as a backup to conserve ink ribbons. Not so here =( Definitely feels more satisfying though!
This is my first time getting to know Rebecca up close (I like her) since she wasn't in Jill's game. I like how poor Chris is just smashing on the piano and Rebecca rolls up and is like, "THAT SOUNDS LIKE...MIDNIGHT SONATA"
I collected all the Death Masks and made it to the courtyard last evening. What a great, expanded area. Running into Lisa Trevor (didn't know who she was and had to look up the Wiki) was also a surprise... Was she even hinted at in the original?

I have a few more screenshots on Twitter. So far I'm having a good enough time to consider doing a playthrough of Jill's campaign when I finish with Chris.

Charlouie Jonesman · Apr 30, 2018

Aw, you're using the new control scheme? It kinda breaks the game.

And about Rebecca, she's a completly different character here than she is in the original. In the original she was straight up a comic relief character. Sure, this was hightened by the game's voice acting (She and Chris had some of the funniest lines in the game.) but nonetheless, she was a kind of hyper cheery and clumsy anime character and felt totally out of place and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here, Chris and Rebecca are just generic and boring. Same goes for Jill and Barry by the way, only, Jill also became *really* stupid, probably way more than any RE protagonist before her. They made some really clumsy changes to her story that I'm not a fan of.

Jinroh · Apr 30, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
What a great, expanded area. Running into Lisa Trevor (didn't know who she was and had to look up the Wiki) was also a surprise... Was she even hinted at in the original?

Not really, but her dad was part of a whole backstory that was cut from the game and reappeared in the Wesker's report (if I remember correctly, it's been a long time).

She's the daughter of George Trevor, the architect who built the manor: http://residentevil.wikia.com/wiki/George_Trevor

Their story is quite tragic. She's one of the creepiest character in the whole saga.

GrayFoxPL · Apr 30, 2018

Using save states is not "cheating a little", it's cheating a lot. ;)

Please don't use new control scheme in REmake, it basically ruins game's difficulty. The game wasn't designed to make player turn at any angle in 1 frame. It's completely broken. :/

How About No · Apr 30, 2018

ooh yeyyy finally on REmake

Been loving these impressions ^^

blondkayvon · Apr 30, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
This is from Darkside Chronicles, yeah? I've decided that I'm gonna play this one and Umbrella Chronicles together when I'm finished the main series but at the same time I dunno if I can handle more Steve.

Not the person you were responding to but yes, that's from Darkside Chronicles. For what it's worth, I had never played Code: Veronica and I actually enjoyed Steve in Chronicles and was actually pretty sad when he died. I think most people agree that his characterization is a lot better than the original.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 30, 2018

GrayFoxPL said:
Using save states is not "cheating a little", it's cheating a lot. ;)

Yeah you're right, haha, but I'm not aiming to be the world's best RE player. The goal is to get through the main games in a reasonable amount of time, gain an understanding of them and avoid feeling burnt out as I play these back-to-back. Generally if I'm playing an older game via emulation and not trying to do a "perfect run" I'll use saves - though I can't on any of these newer Resident Evils, so no more of that!

Charlouie Jonesman said:
And about Rebecca, she's a completly different character here than she is in the original. In the original she was straight up a comic relief character. Sure, this was hightened by the game's voice acting (She and Chris had some of the funniest lines in the game.) but nonetheless, she was a kind of hyper cheery and clumsy anime character and felt totally out of place and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here, Chris and Rebecca are just generic and boring. Same goes for Jill and Barry by the way, only, Jill also became *really* stupid, probably way more than any RE protagonist before her. They made some really clumsy changes to her story that I'm not a fan of.

I can very easily see Rebecca as a ditzy anime girl. Everyone does seem a little subdued in REmake but I think that could also be because the game plays things relatively straight as opposed to the cheese of all of its predecessors.

As for the alt controls I can see why many of ya'll say they break the game, but I guess I appreciate the fact that REmake offers you a choice and the alt controls are at least usable as opposed to Code Veronica's analog controls, which I hated passionately. I might switch back to tank when I play Jill's game.

Charlouie Jonesman · Apr 30, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
As for the alt controls I can see why many of ya'll say they break the game, but I guess I appreciate the fact that REmake offers you a choice and the alt controls are at least usable as opposed to Code Veronica's analog controls, which I hated passionately. I might switch back to tank when I play Jill's game.

Just to clarify, the REmake does not offer an alternate control method, the HD port does, so the entire remake and it's enemies were completly designed around the tank controls and the new controls where shoehorned in years later without making any other adjustments.

And speaking of Rebecca, in the original, there were two different ways to meet her, depending on where you went first.

One scene was basically the same as the REmake.

But the scene most players probably saw first was this one:

And if you saw this first, Richard was already dead by the time you met him.

The original game in general has a few more alt paths and scenes than the REmake.

GrayFoxPL · Apr 30, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
Yeah you're right, haha, but I'm not aiming to be the world's best RE player. The goal is to get through the main games in a reasonable amount of time, gain an understanding of them and avoid feeling burnt out as I play these back-to-back. Generally if I'm playing an older game via emulation and not trying to do a "perfect run" I'll use saves - though I can't on any of these newer Resident Evils, so no more of that!

I can very easily see Rebecca as a ditzy anime girl. Everyone does seem a little subdued in REmake but I think that could also be because the game plays things relatively straight as opposed to the cheese of all of its predecessors.

As for the alt controls I can see why many of ya'll say they break the game, but I guess I appreciate the fact that REmake offers you a choice and the alt controls are at least usable as opposed to Code Veronica's analog controls, which I hated passionately. I might switch back to tank when I play Jill's game.

A big part of classic RE games is the pressure. Getting enough ammo, right weapon, having enough inventory to do this and have place for that ect. And most of all pressure not dying while doing all that. Save states kinda rob you from that feeling. But it's ok I understand that there's just not enough time for most ppl to play this games the old way. When I played through Megaman 1&2 on PS4 I saved every screen because I don't have time or energy to murder myself through these games that aren't my forte.

This huge playthrough is a very impressive feat and with throughout writing to boot! Keep at it, it's very cool!

Pixel Grotto · Apr 30, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Just to clarify, the REmake does not offer an alternate control method, the HD port does, so the entire remake and it's enemies were completly designed around the tank controls and the new controls where shoehorned in years later without making any other adjustments.

And speaking of Rebecca, in the original, there were two different ways to meet her, depending on where you went first.

One scene was basically the same as the REmake.

But the scene most players probably saw first was this one:

And if you saw this first, Richard was already dead by the time you met him.

The original game in general has a few more alt paths and scenes than the REmake.

Ohhhhhh okay I understand now. Thanks! Didn't know the HD port was the first one to offer new controls; makes sense why there would be backlash against them now.

Ah Rebecca spraying Chris in the face! So I haven't mentioned it here yet but I actually got the SD Perry Resident Evil novelizations too and I read the first one. This scene is pretty well done in there - talks about how she had no other weapon and grabbed the only thing she could find, which was insect spray. Afterwards she has to treat Chris' eyes.

GrayFoxPL said:
A big part of classic RE games is the pressure. Getting enough ammo, right weapon, having enough inventory to do this and have place for that ect. And most of all pressure not dying while doing all that. Save states kinda rob you from that feeling. But it's ok I understand that there's just not enough time for most ppl to play this games the old way. When I played through Megaman 1&2 on PS4 I saved every screen because I don't have time or energy to murder myself through these games that aren't my forte.

This huge playthrough is a very impressive feat and with throughout writing to boot! Keep at it, it's very cool!

No, I totally get what you're talking about and experiencing the pressure that RE creates is a valid point! I did mention that playing through REmake is more satisfying to me because of this - though I admit that when it came to Code Veronica, I dunno if I'd have had the patience to beat that game without saves. =(

Resident Evie · Apr 30, 2018

You're powering through these games like a beast OP! Glad you're enjoying REmake, although personally it's one of my least favourites (just too much of a purist for the 1996 original, I'll be a mess if they ever actually remake 2.) And I'm delighted you're reading the novels as well! S.D Perry doesn't do too badly and the first few are a fun read. The Code Veronica one is a trip, though. You might also be interested in the two manga serials as well, Marhawa Desire and Heavenly Island. I've read Heavenly Island and it's pretty good! I think they're available in English, Marhawa Desire definitely is.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 30, 2018

Resident Evie said:
You're powering through these games like a beast OP! Glad you're enjoying REmake, although personally it's one of my least favourites (just too much of a purist for the 1996 original, I'll be a mess if they ever actually remake 2.) And I'm delighted you're reading the novels as well! S.D Perry doesn't do too badly and the first few are a fun read. The Code Veronica one is a trip, though. You might also be interested in the two manga serials as well, Marhawa Desire and Heavenly Island. I've read Heavenly Island and it's pretty good! I think they're available in English, Marhawa Desire definitely is.

I'm reading Marhawa Desire at the moment actually! It's not bad. I plan to write something soon on all the Resident Evil comics I've managed to track down and read. The Hong Kong ones, which are unfortunately really hard to find anywhere (and mostly not in English) are insane. In the Code Veronica one, everyone knows martial arts and whenever they run out of bullets Claire and Chris just kill Hunters and Bandersnatches by kicking and punching them. I haven't read it, but I heard in the Resident Evil 2 adaption they started to ignore the game's story after a while and basically turned Leon into Goku

Linkura · Apr 30, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Just to clarify, the REmake does not offer an alternate control method, the HD port does, so the entire remake and it's enemies were completly designed around the tank controls and the new controls where shoehorned in years later without making any other adjustments.

And speaking of Rebecca, in the original, there were two different ways to meet her, depending on where you went first.

One scene was basically the same as the REmake.

Oh my GOD the voice acting in this is MASTERFUL.

God bless this fucking game.

Charlouie Jonesman · Apr 30, 2018

Linkura said:
Oh my GOD the voice acting in this is MASTERFUL.

God bless this fucking game.

Chris' voice actor is quite infamous.

Pixel Grotto · Apr 30, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Chris' voice actor is quite infamous.

What. Chris and Richter are the same?! Will wonders never cease

This is funny because I tweeted this recently.

Linkura · Apr 30, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Chris' voice actor is quite infamous.

Another masterpiece.

I miss PS1-era shitty voice acting.

Pixel Grotto · May 2, 2018

I'm back! And so is Chris Redfield, who had to survive Boss Rush Mode against all manner of BOWs... Poor Chris!

CHRIS VERSUS SHARKS! I thought the expanded aqua ring area was fantastic. In the original game I danced circles around the sharks and laughed when I drained the water and they were defenseless. Here, poor Richard got chomped and I had to run like hell. The combination of the tense music plus my vibrating controller made me feel like I was in Jaws. (Btw, what the heck was Richard doing down here? I like how in these early, non co-op RE games the characters keep popping up in random spots and keep having to make excuses about why they can't travel as a unit.)

My experience in the pressure room was also balls to the wall. The whole thing almost blew up on me and I turned it off at a too-close-for-comfort 95%.
After all that, I actually had to repeat this area again because Mama Neptune ate me when I accidentally stepped into the water. It's a long story about why that happened, but basically I knew that I had to electrocute the shark but got confused on how to do it. I pulled the lever first and was unable to push the circuit box into the water - should've done it the other way around. Anyway, I didn't mind too much and I really like how REmake's made these aquatic enemies 100x more exciting than they were before.

CHRIS VERSUS SPIDERS! And bees too, but I didn't get a screenshot of those. I wouldn't actually have wasted bullets on these guys but I was trying to figure out the billiards puzzle before I realized that I didn't need to do it because I'd saved Richard, which meant that Rebecca couldn't help me make the V-Jolt. Ah well. I didn't make V-Jolt when I played the original game either.

CHRIS VERSUS A BIG PLANT! I was trying to use the special self-defense gun I'd picked up in the residence on this thing since I heard that it was super effective. But I fucked up with the aiming and basically wasted it. Ah well, the shotgun worked okay.

CHRIS VERSUS YAWN THE SNAKE! This guy felt a lot easier than I remembered, as did the Hunters when I re-entered the mansion. The auto-aim in REmake, as opposed to the blind shooting in the original US version, probably helps.

So I cleared out all of the mansion rooms and made it into the tunnels. Doing decent on health items and ink ribbons; not as great on ammo since I used up most of my shotgun shells. Might be able to beat Chris' game next playthrough.

Charlouie Jonesman · May 2, 2018

The hunters are definitly easier here than they were in the Original. They had a very short window where you could hit them when they were in the air, while here, it's like, whatever, just shoot and they're down. Also, if you where playing the Original as Chris, you had rooms that had 3 hunters at once, I don't think that ever happens in this game.

Which reminds me, if you were planning to play one of those games with both characters the Original would've been a better choice, because the character selection was straight up the difficulty selection. In the japanese release they were even called as such, Jill being Easy Mode and Chris being Hard Mode. (Though it's more like Normal.)

Difference being that Chris' campaign had way more enemies to deal with and enemies had noticably more health, he barely got any help from supporting characters and his only advantage was a bit more health.

In the Remake the characters are a lot more even, because apart from having the same amount of enemies, Chris has a few new perks that he didn't have originally. He does more damage to enemies (So the exact opposite to how it was originally.), he gets a permanent lighter, he runs faster, has a higher firing rate, and gets a better defense weapon. (Grenades vs. Jill's taser.) Speaking of grenades, Jill's grenade launcher isn't nearly as overpowered to how it was in the Original and you get much less ammo for it.

Pixel Grotto · May 5, 2018

Finished Chris' game just now! Had a really good time.

I liked the whole subplot with Lisa Trevor. The remake amped up the creepy factor with her as well as the journal entries scattered about. I find myself a little fascinated with the story behind how the Spencer Mansion was built so it was nice to get some more insight into the daughter of its architect. (There's one part in the Resident Evil 1 novelization by S.D. Perry where an annoyed Wesker mentions that Spencer had George Trevor fill the house with what I think he calls the sort of "cloak and dagger puzzle crap" which had been en vogue in the 60s).
I suppose if you played this game first and knew absolutely nothing about the series at all, fighting alongside Wesker in Chris' game to defeat Lisa might make you think he's a good guy! I assume Wesker wanted to reach the lab and Lisa was a deterrent he wanted to get rid of.

Got a pic of a bigass headshot (actually, it's a flash grenade I shoved in a zombie's mouth) in the lab. Also, amused at how Umbrella chose an EXTREME GAMING RIG font for their computer keyboard.

Finally got Rebecca to come with me (it's always funny how in these early RE games they need to keep inventing reasons for the sidekick to stay out of your way) and confronted Wesker in Tyrant's room. Chris got to call Wesker a sunovabitch and Tyrant a "test-tube freak" and and thanks to a health supply of Magnum bullets, Tyrant didn't stand for long. When Rebecca got shot I was actually scared that I'd messed up somehow and she'd died, btw =(

Final fight time! The whole gang got to get some shots in (except for Barry) and it was a pretty easy battle. Unfortunately no one-liner when you shoot Tyrant with a missile! Btw, were there arguments over whether Jill or Chris' game in RE1 was "canon" at the time, I wonder? Because playing as Chris makes it seem like Barry is dead somewhere, if only because he pops up in the intro only to then disappear. (Unlike Rebecca.)

And a very tired Chris escaped with his two saucer-eyed cuties to live to fight another day! I didn't bother to be conservative with items or saves - I'll do a quick playthrough as Jill next and likely beat it faster and use less ammo.

Overall, I really like REmake. It's probably one of the best video game remakes I've ever played and obviously, I enjoyed it enough to wanna hop right back in with the other char. More to come!

djshauny1 · May 5, 2018

Resident Evie said:
You're powering through these games like a beast OP! Glad you're enjoying REmake, although personally it's one of my least favourites (just too much of a purist for the 1996 original, I'll be a mess if they ever actually remake 2.) And I'm delighted you're reading the novels as well! S.D Perry doesn't do too badly and the first few are a fun read. The Code Veronica one is a trip, though. You might also be interested in the two manga serials as well, Marhawa Desire and Heavenly Island. I've read Heavenly Island and it's pretty good! I think they're available in English, Marhawa Desire definitely is.

FiXalaS · May 5, 2018

Man REmake screens. I love the visuals of that game.

Charlouie Jonesman · May 5, 2018

Pixel Grotto said:
Btw, were there arguments over whether Jill or Chris' game in RE1 was "canon" at the time, I wonder?

You know fans, of course there were, but the official stance has always been that neither is canon/both are canon. I mean, the flipside is that Rebecca doesn't appear in Jill's scenario, *and* in Jill's good ending Wesker escapes unharmed, which is not canon. Wesker did get impaled by the Tyrant.

Actually, here are some unused artworks for RE3's intro, showing the aftermath of RE1 with both Barry and Rebecca.

Pixel Grotto · May 5, 2018

djshauny1 said:

I became aware of this after I beat RE2 and gotta say, it will be a day one purchase (maybe even pre-order) for me once something definite is actually revealed. A little worried though since its been a while since we've heard anything; I've kept an eye on the RE2 remake ERA thread and seems like I'm not the only one. I'm hoping for the best.

Charlouie Jonesman said:
You know fans, of course there were, but the official stance has always been that neither is canon/both are canon. I mean, the flipside is that Rebecca doesn't appear in Jill's scenario, *and* in Jill's good ending Wesker escapes unharmed, which is not canon. Wesker did get impaled by the Tyrant.

Actually, here are some unused artworks for RE3's intro, showing the aftermath of RE1 with both Barry and Rebecca.

I did see these on the RE Wiki and wish they'd been used! Yeah it appears like a combo of both Chris & Jill's campaigns is the true canon end. Once again the RE1 novelization does a pretty good job of this, including Wesker's impalement and everyone banding together to fight Tyrant in the end. (Chris is the one who gets the last shot w/ the grenade launcher though.)

stone1024 · May 5, 2018

REmake is godly ^_^

Linkura · May 5, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
You know fans, of course there were, but the official stance has always been that neither is canon/both are canon. I mean, the flipside is that Rebecca doesn't appear in Jill's scenario, *and* in Jill's good ending Wesker escapes unharmed, which is not canon. Wesker did get impaled by the Tyrant.

Actually, here are some unused artworks for RE3's intro, showing the aftermath of RE1 with both Barry and Rebecca.

Who is the dude in the back of this pic?

Honestly RE2R seems like vaporware to me at this point. If it actually comes out, cool. But I'm not counting on it.

Cajun · May 5, 2018

The way REmake subverts expectations is truly a masterwork. On top of that, OP touched on why it remains the best at survival horror gameplay to this day. You have to be extremely tactical with the fights you take, your map movement, and inventory management on higher difficulties, or you can end up in a pretty dire situation early on with crimson heads and the like. Classic game.

Charlouie Jonesman · May 5, 2018

Linkura said:
Who is the dude in the back of this pic?

Brad

Linkura · May 5, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Brad

Shit, forgot about him, thanks.

Deleted member 11517 · May 5, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
Just to clarify, the REmake does not offer an alternate control method, the HD port does, so the entire remake and it's enemies were completly designed around the tank controls and the new controls where shoehorned in years later without making any other adjustments.

And speaking of Rebecca, in the original, there were two different ways to meet her, depending on where you went first.

One scene was basically the same as the REmake.

But the scene most players probably saw first was this one:

And if you saw this first, Richard was already dead by the time you met him.

The original game in general has a few more alt paths and scenes than the REmake.

You're correct, but Remake HD has one huge flaw and that is that you can't turn off alternative controls afaik, which led me to only play like the first quarter of the game with "tank controls" - and I love tank controls! But I found myself using the alternative controls more and more often, it's just to tempting to use them, so at some point I decided to play with the analog controls over the original dpad controls.
I don't think they outright break the game, especially for someone who can dodge or run past zombies - honestly that's what you do most of the time anyways in this game, it doesn't require a lot of skills (Dino Crisis 1 is harder, but even that is rather fairly easy to avoid most enemies).

Especially because my biggest enemies weren't some undead dogs, "crimson heads" or whatever, it was most definitely the puzzles in this game. And possibly the damn door handle! ;p

Pixel Grotto · May 6, 2018

Beat Jill's scenario...or as I like to call it, "INVESTIGATIVE ADVENTURES WITH DAD!" I like Barry.

So this post will be a little different since I mainly want to show off screenshots I took in the exact same spots as in my original Resident Evil 1 playthrough two months ago. The graphical jump is so insane it's hard to believe! Here we have the medicine save room...

The crow gallery puzzle room (I prefer REmake's take on this puzzle as opposed to the kinda simplistic original...)

The battle with Yawn the snake... (I was pleased to see Richard join the fight for a few minutes if you're able to save him in Jill's game. It's nice to fight alongside one of the poor Bravos besides Rebecca, even if its only for a little while.)

The Neptunes in the aqua ring... (Once again, can't overstate how much more interesting this expanded area is in REmake.)

The battle with Plant 42... (Not sure what circumstances trigger Barry coming in to save you with the flamethrower - or if that even happens in REmake - but I made do with Jill's shotgun and grenade launcher just fine.)

Tyrant battle one!

And finally, Tyrant battle two!

Managed to finish in a little over six hours; that's more than good enough for me. Jill definitely has an easier time of it than Chris.

Here are the handwritten notes I took while playing. Thought I wouldn't write very much but since this game remixed so many puzzles from the original RE I actually needed to jot a lot of things down. Really, I find that writing stuff helps me so much when playing these games.

Finally I wanna share these three shots, which I think REALLY show the evolution of this series from 1996 to 2002. The jump in only six years is truly something to behold and you really don't see this sort of thing anymore when it comes to changing video game generations. Zombies on stairs; Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 3 and REmake.

Final thoughts tomorrow and then onwards we go to RE Zero!

Charlouie Jonesman · May 6, 2018

I hate the story changes they did to Jill here because they make her look so dumb.

So unlike the original, you'll *always* meet Enrico alone and the cave meetup with Barry is later, in which case it's already pretty dumb that Jill doesn't mention anything about Bravo's team leader being shot by one of their own, but okay. Then Barry leaves her to die in that cave and you have the later encounter where Barry actually tries to pull his gun on Jill only to get interrupted by Lisa. And after the fight they both act like nothing ever happened and they all get along. By the way, this is after Jill previously overheard Barry explicitly talking about eliminating STARS, a scene that was kinda hidden in the original, but pretty much mandatory in the REmake.

Finally, when they reach Wesker and Barry pulls his gun on her *again*, she's all like "Ha, I knew you were in on it!". Jill, stop it, don't try to act smart now you braindead buffoon.

The entire confrontation between Barry, Jill and Wesker being placed inside the lab instead of outside also brings it's own issues with it, because now it means Wesker basically got up and out unseen and activated the self destruct mechanism 5 seconds after Jill last checked on his unconscious body.

And the conversation between Jill and Wesker is kinda screwed up as well.

Jill: Why eliminate STARS?

Wesker: Believe it or not, that's Umbrella's intention.

Jill: You're just a slave of Umbrella.

Wesker: Smart girl, but I think you misunderstand me. The "things" you mention are nothing, I'll burn all of them, along with this entire laboratory.

...now wait a minute, Jill didn't mention any things.

Well, here's the same scene from the Original.

Jill: Why do you have to destroy STARS?

Wesker: That's Umbrella's intention, this laboratory has been engaging in dangerous experiments, and recently an accident has occured. Anyway, this disaster can not be made public.

Jill: That's why having STARS nosing about is so inconvinient. So you're a slave of Umbrella now, along with these virus monsters.

Wesker: I think you misunderstant me Jill, to me the monsters you mention mean nothing, I'm going to burn all of them together, with this entire laboratory.

Huh, suddenly this conversation makes a lot more sense, despite the wonky, engrish translation. And here's a funny thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx6Aubj6vfw

If you get to the scene in Remake with Barry already dead, the conversation is worded a little differently, but the missing line is suddenly back and things make more sense.

It's all a bit weird and dumb.

Pixel Grotto · May 6, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
I hate the story changes they did to Jill here because they make her look so dumb.

So unlike the original, you'll *always* meet Enrico alone and the cave meetup with Barry is later, in which case it's already pretty dumb that Jill doesn't mention anything about Bravo's team leader being shot by one of their own, but okay. Then Barry leaves her to die in that cave and you have the later encounter where Barry actually tries to pull his gun on Jill only to get interrupted by Lisa. And after the fight they both act like nothing ever happened and they all get along. By the way, this is after Jill previously overheard Barry explicitly talking about eliminating STARS, a scene that was kinda hidden in the original, but pretty much mandatory in the REmake.

Finally, when they reach Wesker and Barry pulls his gun on her *again*, she's all like "Ha, I knew you were in on it!". Jill, stop it, don't try to act smart now you braindead buffoon.

The entire confrontation between Barry, Jill and Wesker being placed inside the lab instead of outside also brings it's own issues with it, because now it means Wesker basically got up and out unseen and activated the self destruct mechanism 5 seconds after Jill last checked on his unconscious body.

And the conversation between Jill and Wesker is kinda screwed up as well.

...now wait a minute, Jill didn't mention any things.

Well, here's the same scene from the Original.

Huh, suddenly this conversation makes a lot more sense, despite the wonky, engrish translation. And here's a funny thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx6Aubj6vfw

If you get to the scene in Remake with Barry already dead, the conversation is worded a little differently, but the missing line is suddenly back and things make more sense.

It's all a bit weird and dumb.

Yeah, I know what you mean here. Frankly it didn't bother me that much because a lot of the story interactions between the characters come across as sort of stilted - ie, Chris randomly running into Rebecca all over the place even after she said she's going to hang out in the medicine room, everyone making silly reasons for why they need to split up ("Let's continue our investigation separately even though what would really make sense would be for us to be together!") and as you said, Jill not mentioning anything at all about Barry's betrayal. That said, I did enjoy most of Jill's little moments with Barry.

At the end of the day the game's dialogue might be less cheesy than the original but I would say that it's still got problems since everyone occasionally comes across like an airhead who got lost in translation from time to time, lol. Wesker's comment about "things" sounds unnatural in English, not only because a line seems to be missing but because it feels like the whole convo was direct translated from the Japanese script.

Sephiroth · May 6, 2018

Pixel Grotto I recommend playing the game again but with One Dangerous Zombie turned on.

Blade24070 · May 6, 2018

Wow your screenshots are making me really wanna replay the game. Such an incredible remake and game period.

StallionDan · May 6, 2018

Charlouie Jonesman said:
You know fans, of course there were, but the official stance has always been that neither is canon/both are canon. I mean, the flipside is that Rebecca doesn't appear in Jill's scenario, *and* in Jill's good ending Wesker escapes unharmed, which is not canon. Wesker did get impaled by the Tyrant.

RE Archives has a breakdown on who did what.

Resident Evie · May 6, 2018

The 'improved' translation in REmake really bugs me. It's barely a step up in any way and it's poorly done. Before the HD remaster, it was riddled with spelling mistakes too. Yes, it's better than the original but that's really not saying much!

Pixel Grotto · May 7, 2018

Final thoughts on REmake are here!

I kinda summarized how I feel about the game by comparing the encounter with the Neptunes in the aqua ring in the original verses the remake:

I can remember when this game was first released in 2002 for the Gamecube as the initial product of an exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo. There were many hoorays from the Nintendo fanboy and fangirl camp, mostly because this was the prelude to Resident Evil 4 and a sign that their cuddly purple console with a handle was getting more mature games. But there was also much praise from magazines which called this a Gamecube killer app, citing the incredible graphics and interesting gameplay innovations. I was too shook to play a survival horror game back then, but I did think the game looked cool, especially when I saw a review in Electronic Gaming Monthly that showed one of the protagonists fighting a gigantic shark in an underground laboratory.

Fast forward to 2018, and REmake's now available in a remastered HD version that adds some updated models and other graphical niceties to what was already a very gorgeous Gamecube release. With this version, I finally faced that shark, a bio-organic weapon known as a Neptune. I was armed with the knowledge that the sharks in the original Resident Evil had been a dangerous but minor annoyance inhabiting only one area. If you ran too slowly across a water-filled room, you'd get eaten, but it was pretty easy to avoid them, and once you drained all water from that room, they'd flap about weakly and turn into easy picking for your shotgun if you even felt the need to take them out at all.

The Neptunes in the aqua ring, as it's known in REmake, are drastically different. Not only is the whole area much bigger, but my controller started to vibrate ominously as soon as I entered the water, and after a cutscene when a former teammate sacrificed himself to save me from one of the aquatic behemoths, ominous Jaws-esque music pounded through my headphones as I had to run across a gangway, hoping that the beasts wouldn't chomp on my leg. Even after you enter an engine room, the Neptunes will still crash up against the glass to intimidate you, and when you've drained the water from the tank and assume that they're completely immobilized, the sharks still have one trick up their fins. Mama Neptune, the biggest of them all, will knock an item you need to acquire into the small pool of water that's barely keeping her alive, just daring you to get in and pick it up. You can imagine what happens if you do, and I had to repeat this section of the game twice before I figured out how to fry her via electrocution from a safe place.

This dramatically expanded encounter with the Neptunes basically summarizes how REmake evolves the framework established by Resident Evil 1.

That issue of EGM that I mentioned was this one, number 154. (Worth buying a Gamecube for! Worth playing again! PS2: Ready for the NET!) It took 'em 14 hours to finish the game...though I assume that's because there was a language barrier with the Japanese version.

Resident Evil Zero is next, and since I've heard some mixed things on here I'm a little worried. I'm excited to play as Rebecca, but I'm wondering if this will be another slog at points like Code Veronica. Hopefully not!

I'm playing all the Resident Evils for the first time in release order

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