It is an absolute blessing that Resident Evil 0 will be the first RE game that I will be playing in this series; that also means it is an absolute curse as well. As stated in the initial blog, Resident Evil 0 is one of the few RE games that I have actually beaten and played to completion. In fact, behind RE4, 0 is the Resident Evil game that I have beaten the most times and spent the most time with, that is how much I really enjoyed playing this game back in ‘03/’04.

That means I have quite a bit of nostalgia backing my memories of the game and are ready to defend this game in most cases right now. Why must it be defended? Well apparently RE0 is one of the black sheep of the main RE games and it seems the majority of people (or at least the people that matter i.e. 8-4, Yummylee) either hate it and/or find a lot of it dull, boring, uninspired, etc. My main goal is to return to these games and just enjoy the through story, I’m not going to defend a bad game if it is a bad game, but once the final bullet has pierced the giant leech thing and the game ends, I will be most devastated if my nostalgia is shattered and I’m left sitting there completely bummed as the credits roll. For the most part all the other RE games that I have played are pretty much a known quantity to me, RE0 is the one that even though I spent a ton of time with it, I can’t quite separate fact from fiction in my memory. Ultimately I will find this out on my own and I’m very excited about either crushing my memories or validating them and need to plead a case to the fans of RE on the site.

Note: I meant to write the next part before I actually started the game but I was unable to do so, I am writing this as of finishing the train (roughly 1 hour in)

What are my memories, hopes, dreams, and expectations of the game before going in?

• ·As mentioned before, I feel like I remember quite a bit about the game but I’m not sure how much of it is accurate in anyway. I fully expect to constantly state to myself through the playthrough, “I remember this!” Going through the train just a little bit ago absolutely validates this and I don’t expect any difference for at least the mansion, if not more.
• ·I remember liking Rebecca for the most part, she was kind of annoying but her cuteness made up for it.
• ·I also remember really liking Billy, his back story of why he was doing time really intrigued me (didn’t want to massacre a village so his squad pinned it on him(?)) and it felt like he was different than most characters in the game/series, and I love the fact that he is a one-and-done character, walking off into the sunrise after the hellish night. While I have really no idea why I feel this way, I’m very intrigued to find out if this is how I will feel afterwards.
• ·Tons of insects (forgot about the scorpion on the train), remember the centipede fight to be annoying.

Note: I should state first and foremost I really hate the slimy design that the series seemed to take over the course of the franchise (that I’ve experienced). This deals a lot with the fact that I just didn’t think the character design is scary and most of their attacks are annoying. An example, (one of?) the final bosses in RE5 being a giant tentacle creature thing was fucking stupid.

• ·Ammo was never a problem in my memory… this freaks me out as in just the first hour I have actually had to survive so that either means: a. I was fucking awesome at the game or (more likely) b. I played on easy exclusively (playing on Normal for every game in the series). It could very well be that the train has little ammo and everything else is stocked, we shall see...
• ·I remember there being only a few puzzles where you are separated from your partner BUT I remember enjoying them. This could possibly be that these puzzles were annoying so the fewer the better, I….am expecting that to be the reason.
• ·Weird mutated creature Lisa……? For the life of me I can’t remember if Lisa (that her name?) the mutant girl that was tested upon is in this game or the REmake, I feel like I can argue who was there whether it being Rebecca or Jill. Most of me thinks that she is in the REmake but a little part of me is going “Nah dude, she is totally in this one” and it’s just enough for me to question myself

For the most part that is what I remember. There is a bunch more minor details that I don’t feel are important in stating (really specific boss fights, moments that stuck with me and I’m not sure if they actually occur in this game). If there is one thing I can hope for, regardless of how I feel about the game by the end, I want the desire to jump into the next game rather than needing a break.

Let the game begin or rather continue! As always suggestions on how to improve these in anyway would be most appreciative. (Continue to Post-Game Thoughts)

Sometime around early 1997 my older brother (by 10 years) brought home an unknown game system that I had heard very little of. It was something called the “PlayStation” I think it was. At this time, why would anyone need a gaming system besides a Nintendo 64? I belated my brother on not getting a N64 because everyone at school had that and not this “Japanese thing” or whatever it was. Regardless he presumed to set it up in his own room where he had his own personal television Over the course of owning the console that year he bought home several games I specifically remember: Jet Moto where I always played as the Butterfinger characters as it was my favorite candy, another racing game called Metal Gear Solid that had like a bazillion discs (I never played the game in my defense), a cool demo disc with a ton of games I could play (something that finally impressed me) and another game that he said I couldn’t play when mom was around as he would get in trouble, that game was called Resident Evil.

Over the next few weeks my brother would proceed to come wake me up late after my parents had gone to bed to come play Resident Evil. Looking back his main motivation was probably to scare the shit out of me for his own entertainment, and it worked. We didn’t have a memory card (or he would never let me have my own save, don’t remember specifically) so I never got very far in the game but I didn’t care. This was a creepy mansion with the walking dead and I was scared shitless. It was years later that I found out people made fun of the hilarious lines and FMV video, but I was 8-9 years old and took it as seriously as a Rated R movie. I vividly remember the hallway where some dude sounded like he was eating a guy…what the fuck? And he slowly turns around and HE’S FUCKING DEAD! I froze there my first time as I was freaked out and proceeded to let the dude bite the shit out of my neck. Another time I was watching my brother who was “crazy” far into the game (or I assumed he was) where there was this dead dude in the chair with a grenade launcher. He picked up the weapon and the crows began to attack him mercilessly, he freaked out and proceeded to fire all of his grenades, missing all of the attacking crows, this was the first time that the game got to him when I was present and it was great (I’m still unsure if this scenario actually happened or whether it was a story I fabricated to brag to my friends at school on the playground). From that point on I was a fan of the Resident Evil series and I wanted to consume as much of the series as I could.

Looking back now I was never as big as a fan as I thought I was. There are a number of factors that led to this: I was a child so I had no sources of income to buy games; my parents hated video games so when I would get a game it would have to be very selective; I didn’t follow any sort of gaming magazines or websites so I had no idea there were other Resident Evil games; again I was a kid so my tastes and desires in terms of video games often changed, I very well could’ve wanted a game only for that game to be usurped by another cool game that I saw walking through Target, at a friend’s house, talked about at school, etc.

My next experience with the series would be the REmake and RE0 on the Gamecube. God damn I was impressed with the graphics in those games and this would also be the first time I actually beat a Resident Evil game. I have a lot of reverence and respect for those two games even to this day. REmake was just such an amazing game and legitimately scaring with the addition of the crimson heads. RE0 was just so cool that I could control two characters and switch between them at will, they would help in combat, I would have to solve puzzles by leaving them in another location, and this was just so revolutionary to me at the time that games could do that. These two games along with Eternal Darkness really defined the years I owned my Gamecube and paved the way for probably my peak fandom when I played Resident Evil 4.

Once again I never really followed gaming in anyway except from my brother. We were visiting him (probably around mid to late 05) and he had this game that he wanted me to play, Resident Evil 4. He let me play all the way through the town survival part and I was blown away. Everyone coming to attack you, barricading yourself in the house by blocking the windows and the door, the intensity of that scenario still haunts my memory. Wait that sounds like a chainsaw, what the fuck are they doi-HOLY SHIT THEY ARE COMING THROUGH THE DOOR WITH A CHAINSAW. Next thing you know I have a chainsaw in the side of my neck and I was sold on the game. My brother who had recently beaten that game and was looking to shell the game as quickly as possible sold it to me, it was probably way overpriced but I really didn’t care, I just wanted to play this game. Resident Evil 4 to this day is probably the game I have beaten the most times. I easily played it at least 20 times in a row at one point, constantly starting a New Game + right after escaping on a jet ski and turning the sexy President’s daughter advances down. I consider RE4 as one of the best controlling games ever (fuck you @jeff, you’re wrong), contains a fun action/horror story, amazing visuals and atmosphere and a kickass hero. Resident Evil 4 was that one game that I come across every once in a while that captivates me for months on end and I can’t stop playing.

Then Resident Evil 5 came out. This time in my life I was just working during the day and hanging out with friends at night. Had a job but no expenses so I was swimming in cash and bought anything I wanted, because I could. I had purchased the GC version of RE2 and 3 and intended to play before the release of RE5, but something called Metal Gear came into my life and never got around to beating them before March like I had intended. I remember getting off work at 9:30 PM, met with my friends in the parking lot and heading to the GameStop to wait for the midnight launch of RE5. I super pumped as everything I had seen about the game was awesome and reminded me a lot of what I loved about RE4. Now don’t get me wrong, RE5 isn’t a bad game by any means, it just didn’t feel right to what I had learn to love and respect of the series prior. It was fun to play but after 2 or 3 playthroughs I was done. When the DLC was released I bought those and intended to give RE5 another go along with the DLC, but I stopped a few hours in. It just wasn’t the same experience and I had fallen out of love with Resident Evil.

Over the years since 2009 I flirted several times of rekindling my love with the series. But no plans ever came through. Until recently there was a thread about 8-4 Play and when they did a RE focused podcast. Now I’m a sucker for video game series talk, I’m still pining for the cut 20 minutes of Resident Evil discussion that occurred back in 2011 that Ryan cut from a podcast. So when I heard that there was an hour + long discussion I had to check it out. And what do you know, I sit here now planning out a series playthrough of the Resident Evil games, and I can’t wait to start. Just 4 dudes sitting around and talking about Resident Evil was really enough to convince me to try again, and by starting and (hopefully) writing these series of blogs will keep me honest. I would like to thank specifically @yummylee and @quarters for answering questions I had and giving suggestions on how to approach this task.

After consideration I decided to go based on chronological order rather than release order. A lot of me returning is the main story that connects all the games which I’m a big sucker for in video game series. I know people shit on Nintendo releasing the order of the Zelda games, but I find that type of shit cool and interesting. Therefore the order I plan on approaching these games will be:

• Resident Evil 0
• Resident Evil 1: Director’s Cut
• Resident Evil 3 (Up until Carlos)
• Resident Evil 2 (Claire A/Leon B)
• Resident Evil 3
• Code Veronica X
• Darkside Chronicles - (these games are unplayable with a controller, disbanding them from the playthrough)
• Umbrella Chronicles - (see above)
• Resident Evil 4
• Revelations
• Resident Evil 5
• Revelations 2
• Resident Evil 6

For the most part I will be playing all the games off the PlayStation systems (except for 0). When it comes to Darkside and Umbrella Chronicles I might just take Quarter’s suggestion and watch the cutscenes on youtube, but maybe when it comes time to play them I’ll feel like playing a railshooter. And, as Quarters suggested, I’ll be throwing in the anime films for the lore (I remember enjoying Degeneration when it was first released) just for the hell of it. And again, just for the hell of it, I’ll play the recent REmake somewhere down the line, I want the initial experience of the Director’s Cut and then eventually take a stroll through the game I actually beat at some point.

My main goal is to enjoy the series, so I will be avoiding the urge to rush through the series as quickly as possible. I do best with series’ when I have a palate cleanser between games (like what I’ve been doing with the MGS series this year) and unless I really want to start the next iteration, I’ll use the same philosophy. And I want to start writing my thoughts down more often about games, so another goal is to write down hopes, thoughts, memories, theories of each game before hand and then come back after I’ve completed it to counter or back up my initial thoughts. I personally love the before/after type of writing and thus I’ll be doing the same. And as I advance in the series I want to go back and add additional thoughts to games if my opinion has changed. Since I’m starting with RE0 (and it’s a game I have tons of nostalgia for) I hope to express the memories I had of the game, the now impression and then future thoughts looking back on the game compared to others in the series.

I want to enjoy the series as much as I can so there is no time table on when I’ll be playing each game, but rather just the order will keep me focused. I don’t like the idea of planning out a schedule because I never know what game will grab my attention for a few weeks and eventually I just keep delaying playthrough after playthrough. If I beat at least one game a month I would be happy with that pace as I advance in the series.

I would like to thank the community, Giant Bomb moderators and crew for being awesome throughout the years. In only the few years I’ve been here a lot of people of come and gone but for the most part the attitude and atmosphere as always been the same and I thank you guys for that. Comments, suggestions, criticism, tips, hints, corrections would be most appreciated. Goal is to start Resident Evil 0 within the next few days, I’ll have to find all my Gamecube shit first….

EDIT: Blogs Will Be Posted Here

• Resident Evil 0 (Pre-Game Thoughts; Post-Game Thoughts)
• Resident Evil: Director's Cut
• Resident Evil 2 & 3
• Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
• Resident Evil 4
• Resident Evil: Revelations
• Resident Evil 5
• Resident Evil: Revelations 2

*I am currently off track from school and working only nights. To keep me entertained I have been making lists and watching older action films while I wait for stupid people to call who don’t know how to use their computer. I used to think I was an action film connoisseur but I didn’t know shit and I want to change that. My plan is to watch as many as I can and record how they live up to today’s standards.*

Mad Max (1979) -

First Blood (1982) – Brian Dennehy is the biggest ass on the planet and my God is Rambo a badass. For a movie with only body count of one, it’s quite awesome and still lives up to the hype of being 30 years old. It’s rare to come across an action film with character development, an evolving story, growth, and understanding. The balance of the movie having some pretty good action scenes and some great drama is absolutely outstanding and creates a perfect movie. I highly recommend it for those who haven’t but I’m probably the last person to see this movie.

Escape From New York (1982) -

The Road Warrior (1982) -

Commando (1984) – The repetitive music and annoying sidekick are the only down falls of this movie. I loved it. Arnold is Arnold and it pays off. He kicks ass without remorse in some badass and hilarious ways. While I do feel that True Lies and Commando share a lot of similarities, True Lies is the better film but Commando should not be passed up. The final action scene, which lasts close to 20 minutes, is awesome to say the least and while I did find it hard to believe that a fat Barrett could go toe to toe with Matrix, it ends in a pretty awesome way. You don’t fuck with Arnold, add this one to the list.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - It was alright....not as action packed as I thought it would be but when there was action it was pretty good. It feels like 2 and 4 are similar movies and while the the Boss Battle with a Helicopter is pretty sweet (and something I wish would appear in more films) the mowing down of an entire army with a .50 Cal Machine gun in the most brutal fashion takes the cake. Is this also the start of action movies having a love interest and they get killed near the end resulting in the main character going on a kill spree? Kinda corny and I expected better. It was a fine movie but compared to First Blood and Rambo (4), you wan skip it and watch those 2....Rambo 3 around the corner for me though.

Cobra (1986) – Watched it at Jeff’s praise but I couldn’t help but be disappointed. The action and chases are pretty good, but you have to wade through a lot of shit to get to the good parts. After the opening scene in the grocery store, the next 45 minutes (give or take) are pretty brutal and uninteresting. Cobra himself is an interesting character and his interactions with his partner, Poppy from Seinfeld, are humorous but every other character is terrible. The Night Slasher in particular is a bad character and sadly adds nothing to the film. He is no Hans Gruber in terms of bad guys but on an interesting note he is the punk in the beginning of Terminator that gets his heart ripped out. While Cobra does have its good moments particularly at the end, it just isn’t as good as I was hoping it was going to be.

RoboCop (1987) -

Bloodsport (1988) -

Rambo 3 (1988) - You know what? I'm stunned that I enjoyed this more than Part 2. While both aren't typically amazing films, they are fine in their own right and personally, I thought 3 was better. I see a trend in the 80's and 90's is that these awesome, unbeatable people need a sidekick or someone to tag along with....this wasn't the worst case (Commando ugh) it was still pretty bad. I side with RedLetterMedia that children actors are the worst and this is a case of that syndrome. Annoying enough to bother me but Rambo still kicks some ass like usual. We worried me for a bit in not using a bow but totally showed up and fucked up some people with it, bonus points for that. I am still siding with Rambo 1 and 4 as the best of the bunch and people should watch them, 2 and 3 are ok to good and will watch them from time to time.

Road House (1989) –

Die Hard 2 (1990) -

Total Recall (1990) - Man Michael Ironside looks young, and he wasn't slurring his lines so he must have been drinking a lot less 25 years ago. While the action in it is pretty good, I'm going to consider it more of a Science Fiction film and not a pure action flick ala Commando. I understand why people adore this movie and where pissed that they remade it this year, frankly I don't understand how they remade the movie without going to Mars and such but that's besides the point because it is apparently awful. Probably what I enjoyed most about the film is the parts where it is mind fucking you into thinking what is reality and what isn't. Even though it doesn't matter I just like the idea that he really is still in Recall and does wake up after the credits. I'm sure there is plenty of evidence that debunks this theory (I can think of some) but still. Parts of it are quite impressive still while parts have aged noticeably but it only adds to the charm and tone the film is going for. Worth watching but I don't know about revisiting it as often as some of the other ones I have watched.

Hard Boiled (1992) -

Demolition Man (1993) –

The Crow (1994) -

Torque (2004) – What a piece of shit this movie is. I find it hard to believe that one could enjoy this movie ironically too. Terrible action, acting, lines, script, pacing, everything. When you have movies as terribly awesome as Tokyo Drift, why the hell would anyone watch this? While I did enjoy the performance of Adam Scott, Ice Cube being Ice Cube, and the shocking transformation of Jamie Pressly, everything else is just complete shit. And who the hell is Martin Henderson? I have guilty pleasure movies, I love the first Mortal Kombat, but there is no reason for anyone to enjoy this in any way. Fuck this movie.

*Feel Free to Suggest Others*

The moment I was sold on the Bombcast, only took 2 episodes

One year ago I was a podcast addict. I listened to everything I could, sports related. I listened to ridiculous 3 hour podcasts that came out daily and I loved it. I even started listening to a Miami specific sport cast for reason unknown to me know (I live in Idaho and originally from Colorado and hate just about every Miami team out there). But the only thing I didn’t listen to was a video game podcast. I never thought about listening to something about video games and I don’t know why the thought never crossed me.

Around this time I was on IGN (and God dammit do I regret spending so much time there for so long, if I only knew). The community is full of assholes. Chobot was nowhere to be seen it felt like. The “news” stories were stupid and constant. The entire site was just not satisfying to me anymore. I never really cared for Gamespot and didn’t use them for years (little did I know of those who worked there).

July 4, 2011 that changed. I was visiting my sister for the Independence Day and was sick of how much sports talk I had on my iPod. Tony Kornhiser show (2 hours a day), MMAJunkie Radio (2 hours a day), Dan Lebatard Radio Show (2 hours a day) where just some of the shows I tried to listen to each day. I was stupid and was in over my head. I was sports out and needed a change. I was sick of the NFL, NBA, MLB everything but MMA in reality.

With my pallet cleaned of free time for my ears now I did a simple search in iTunes Podcast. “Video Game Podcast.” If I remember the order correctly it was “’Games Dammit’ – 1 Up” and then the “Bombcast.” I downloaded both of them but I was amazed at seeing 2 or 3 hours of podcasts talking about video games. I was looking foreword to the Bombcast the most.

The next day my ride was heading back to Idaho in time to be back at school the next day. I started to listen to “Giant Bombcast 07-05-2011.” I had no idea who these people were. I didn’t know what they were like but I was instantly hooked. The highlight of the episode specifically was Jeff (who at first I didn’t like which changed quickly within a few weeks) questioning Brad about the game Journey. It quickly escalated to harassment and hilarity as it turns into Jeff ask existential questions. I was in the car with several people I didn’t know and was trying not to laugh my ass off. I couldn’t wait till the next episode featuring my favorite moment still to this day from the Bombcast. Ryan is a Narc/Twitter bashing is probably the funniest 20 minutes I have ever heard. After this part I decided to do a google search about the Bombcast and these cast of characters that it had. I didn’t even know Giant Bomb was a website, I just thought it was friends that got together and talked about video games and loved to talk about it, just like me.

I came upon the site and was amazed at what I saw. Videos upon Videos. The first video I watched on the site was “Quick Look: Wipeout: In the Zone.” The concept of a Quick Look was fascinating to me. I never thought that about actually watching people playing a game and seeing/getting a feel of what the game is actually like. Writing a review is an ancient concept to me now. Deciding to purchase a game from reading something written by someone you don’t know what games they like or are into.

One of the best QL’s I’ve ever seen. Few have been as funny as this one

After one video and started watching every video I could. I never have seen anything like this in my life. Everything was funny and informative. I instantly felt regret that I have never come across this site before. Over the next few weeks I eventually created an account but didn’t use the forums. GB doesn’t really add news so I still used IGN but that was more out of habit and stupidity really. But over the next 2 months that changed quickly.

Around the time Deus Ex: Human Revolution was released I wasn’t completely sold on the game. I kept going back and forth on whether to purchase it or wait till it is really cheap. At this time in my life I only, ONLY, purchased games that got a score over 9, critically acclaimed, GotY, all that bullshit. A game lower than 8.75 was just not good enough. That is just stupid to me now. I can’t believe I thought that way for the majority of my life. But that all changed hearing Jeff break down the game. Is it a perfect game? Far from it? Does it have it’s problems? Absolutely, but it is a fantastic game and a game that I enjoyed more than those Blockbuster games released a few months later. I now look back on my video game career and thought about all the possible games I have missed out on because it wasn’t up to my absurdly high standards. I’m surprised I even liked and bought games because of this way of thinking.

I learned about myself that I’m never going to get a perfect gaming experience and if I never leave my shell of only buying Blockbuster/AAA titles, I will miss out on some fantastic experiences. Giant Bomb showed me my way of thinking. Very quickly I attached myself to specific Giant Bomb staff and learned that their taste in games where similar to mine. Games that they enjoy I will most likely enjoy too. Over the past year I have enjoyed more AA titles and games that I have never heard of more than the media pushed games that Gamestop tries to shove down your throat the second you walk into the store. I never even bought an Indie game. If the game is only $15 it can’t be good. I look back on myself and wonder what I really got out of gaming then. Since then I have bought quite a few smaller titles and enjoyed them, again, more than the bigger titles. Examples: It is going to be hard to find a game I enjoyed more than Journey this year. I have never experienced anything quite like Journey and 1 year ago I would have never given it a chance. Darksiders I never thought to play and that game is fucking awesome!!! I never would’ve thought a game would out Zelda Zelda. The list goes on.

Thank you Giant Bomb. You taught me that greatness could be found in any video game. You are going to miss every now and again but if you aren’t willing to take a leap of faith you are going to miss out on finding something special. My appreciation for video games has grown 10 fold over the year and showed me a new light on video games and how I can increase my experience with them. Thank you and I will forever follow Jeff, Ryan, Vinny and Brad to wherever their endeavors take them. Thank you.

Favorites:

GB Crew: Vinny, Ryan, and Dave. MORE RPCG GUYS!!! Come on!!!!

Taste in VGs I’m closest too: Patrick (even though I hate his stories and comments, he is very passionate about video games and have only disagreed a few times.)

Favorite Bombcast Episodes: 07-12-2011, Giant Spoiler Snakecast, 10-13-2009

Favorite Quick Looks: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Wipeout: In the Zone, Amy, Once Upon a Monster, Michael Phelps: Push the Limit

Favorite GB Videos: RPCG: Phantasmagoria Parts 1 and 2 (Best 4 hours of my life, worth the yearly subscription in and of itself), Members Only SNES Party Parts 1 -3, Deadly Premonition ER – VJ: Episode 31 and 33

Still Need to watch Person 4 and DP - BR Endurance Runs. Cannot wait till I can watch it all!!!

AGAIN Thank you Giant Bomb, you are the best!!!!