Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster Review
Overview
Resident Evil 0 is both good and bad in so many ways, and some of them aren’t even related to this HD remaster. I’m a Resident Evil junkie, and I have been since I got hooked on the PSX original back in 1996, after reading a review of it in Game Informer, one of those things called magazines that you had to buy at stores or wait for it to arrive by mail.
Resident Evil 0 was the last “real” Resident Evil, a slow and methodical game, before Capcom decided the non-stop action and set pieces were the way to go. Not a knock against Resident Evil 4, though. RE4 was a terrific game, it just wasn’t a terrific Resident Evil game.
That said, Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is a fantastic remaster. It shines on PC. The enhanced graphics bring the backgrounds to life, you can read signs and notices that were blurry on the GameCube version, the story (while not the best in the series) does an excellent job of providing more background on Umbrella, and while it introduced a couple of new things to the series (character switching, ability to drop items), it also removed some (such as item boxes).
Pros
- Graphics are very well done, and Capcom has done an excellent job of bringing the backgrounds to life; both Rebecca and Billy look better than ever
- Lots of story to uncover, which gives further insight into the minds of Umbrella’s execs
- Puzzles are fun (but haven’t changed), and switching between both characters to solve them feels natural as opposed to a “just because” mechanic
- Music is fantastic and sets the mood perfectly
- Sound effects are excellent
- Enemies are greatly detailed
- Decent length
- The story, while not the greatest, is still entertaining
- Tank controls have been retained (I’m a fan)
- Voice acting is as bad as before, but seeing as how it’s a Resident Evil game, that’s fine
Cons
- Nothing has changed gameplay wise; if you beat this on GameCube way back, you’ll know exactly what to do
- Cutscenes appear to be original, and therefore look very low-def compared to the in-game scenes
- Not much replaybility, unless you’re looking to catch up on achievements you’ve missed
- Micro management is more prevalent, as item boxes are no longer a thing
Summary
It’s Resident Evil, you either love it or hate it. It’s great because it’s the slow paced explorative gameplay that Resident Evil was, but it’s sad because it truly is the last of its kind (Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, forthcoming Umbrella Chronicles, etc).
Regardless of your view on the game, it’s well worth the time. It is a great revisit for old fogies like me, and it’s a great survival horror game for newcomers. As long as you don’t compare this to the current crop of horror games, you’ll enjoy yourself.
(This review was first written on January 22nd, 2016, on the Steam store page for Resident Evil 0)