Got this last Sat and just finished last night (just in time for RE2!)
Fair bit of nostalgia for this as I remember vividly playing it right before senior prom back in '01, lol
Anyway, thoughts:
- Overall, it really does hold up so damn well and is highly playable and fun!…. Well, 'cept tank controls but I'll get to that in a later.
- 2D backgrounds are still gorgeous to this day and yeah, still evoke a tone/mood that is classic. I'll always be an advocate for fixed camera angles because much like in film, there's just things that happen narratively/tonally that can't always be replicated with full 3D cameras. That being said, at least we're now at a point where 2D prerendered visual fidelity can be easily replicated with today's tech. Hell, I know they had to do it with a few rooms in REMake HD.
- I didn't even listen to the English VA. I understand it's cheesy and is definitely a product of its era. The Japanese is fantastic though and everyone brings their A-game. I guess they even got Takeshi Kaneshiro to reprise his role? 'cause whoever played Sam, he was awesome!
- While I was sad to lose the old OST, I quickly realized I was actually only nostalgic for one track really, which was "Samanosuke's theme". Reason being, it's as far as I got in the original, lol. So actually the new OST is totally fine (even great at points!) and the final boss theme in particular is fucking epic.
- I fucking love how short it is…. No seriously, it doesn't overstay it's welcome and encourages repeated playthroughs, which immediately did as soon as I finished it, tho…wait for it… …..
- ….Changing tank controls to analog. So, I'm also a big advocate of tank controls and the intentional/beneficial (depending on who you ask) restrictions they'll put on a player in order to up the tension/sense of struggle. I always use them in any Resident Evil that has them. That being said, I wanted to appreciate them here but by the end of the game, they just became a point of frustration, unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, I made my whole way thru and beat the final boss (who was actually quite a challenge!) with them and everything, but I was glad to immediately switch to analog for my subsequent playthrough. I think why they frustrated me here in particular so much was:
-- you can only use the D-Pad, which can be uncomfortable with the Dualshock 4's segmented/low-profile one for extended durations. Even with Resident Evil, I'll still use an analog because I just find it more comfortable.
-- Sam's turn radius/arc fucking sucks. You'll hit diagonals and he'll barely turn, so a lot of the time you'll find yourself coming to complete stops in order to orientate yourself. This is exacerbated by the continuous narrow corridors. Mind you, this isn't an issue in REMake HD or even, say, RE2 – Dual Shock Ver.
-- Because of the nature of the camera angles, there'll be instances where you'll try to rely on lock-on/blocking for situational awareness/regaining footing but they'll flip and now so is your lock-on's direction/orientation…. basically like reversing a car. Okay, not too big of a deal, but because fights escalate as the game progresses due to enemy movesets and their numbers, you'll feel like your overthinking what should be fluid, immediate actions and are playing at a disadvantage. In the end, it started to hinder the experience and I don't know why they just didn't originally go with analog on PS2 (and yes, I know that the encounters are designed/balanced around tank controls) because it works completely fine. Even when transitioning angles, if you are still holding in a direction, you'll keep heading in that direction. Basically it's a Devil May Cry system, which I find easier to cope with anyway. Honestly, it's my only gripe with what hasn't stood the test of time.
But yeah, even though I was pretty frustrated at the end as the last couple bosses put up a pretty damn good challenge (and the controls made them even more frustrating), I still adore this game and sincerely hope Capcom will remaster the rest of the series J
Definitely going for the platinum!