In the depths of my back catalog lies the early Resident Evil games. In the late ’90s, I only had a Genesis and PC for gaming, so I missed out on the PlayStation craze including the ’96 release of the father of the survival horror genre that is still very popular today. Six years later, the game was remade with improved visuals and gameplay elements for the Gamecube and now, that version has been re-worked again for what should be the final release of this legendary game.
The PC version requires only a modest system to run, although its 18GB footprint might surprise you (as it did me). Capcom’s official recommended specs include a Core 2 Quad at 2.7Ghz or a Phenom II X4, 4GB of RAM, and a GTX560 or Radeon HD 6950. It was no issue then for me to run this at full settings on a i7-4790K with 16GB and a GTX970. In addition to choosing between playing in 16:9 or the original 4:3 (I chose 16:9 even though I was playing on a 21:9 screen), you can also adjust several other options. These include of course resolution, with support or 1920×1080, Full Screen or Windowed Mode, V-Sync On/Off, Refresh Rate (30 or 60Hz), the Frame Rate (supports 60 FPS), Anti-aliasing (up to FX- AA3HQ), and Shadow and Texture Quality (High).
With your video settings complete, it’s certainly worth taking a look at the Control options. I played using a Xbox 360 wired controller which worked perfectly well to navigate the menus and for everything in-game. Support for the new Alternate control scheme was welcomed, as it did away with the inverted aka “tank style” controls, although these are still here if you want to use that method. Having never played the original game for any significant amount of time, using the Alternate or “modern” scheme as I would call it, was my preference. You still have some awkwardness with the fixed cameras in game, i.e., for when you walk into a new area and the camera angle changes such that you might suddenly be walking the “wrong way” upon entering the room, but I’m used to that type of thing with other games from this era and it’s not a big deal.
Besides the control and visual changes, from what I have experienced and read, the core Resident Evil experience remains intact. For a game that’s been out so long and sold so many copies (62M+), it’s almost hard to believe it can still prove to be an effective source of ‘fear’ but the atmosphere of the Spencer Mansion remains really potent. From the eerie audio cues and textual descriptions (also seen in Devil May Cry), to the shocking imagery of the zombies and monsters, there is a persistent sense of uneasiness and wonder. The mansion is huge, with traps, puzzles, and hazards strewn about and it’s clear from the very outset that no resource must go wasted. Saving your game is a premium resource too, as you not only have to find a typewriter, but also have an ink ribbon to use.
On that note, I would have really liked an option to let the player save as many times as they wanted to, even if at just the typewriters. While that might take away some of the “intensity” or survival horror theme of the game, I’d much rather have the option than not. Having this arbitrary limit on being able to save is one old school design that is a nuisance, and I would rather Capcom leave the decision up to the player on how often they can save and whether or not that diminishes their experience. Case in point, I started by playing Chris’ campaign. About two hours in, I realized that I was stuck — I couldn’t pick up a key because my inventory was full, and there were no Item Boxes for me to unload some of my inventory into. I could either waste several rounds of pistol ammo so that the gun magazine slot in my inventory would become empty, or just start all over. When I hit that point I stopped playing for the night and realized I was better off starting over, because that ammo was just too precious to burn like that. Having had the ability to save more often would have likely saved me this trouble.
That gripe aside, the remainder of my time with Resident Evil HD Remaster has been great, and I look forward to continuing to explore the edges of the Spencer Mansion with both Chris and Jill. Let’s get to the summary…