Resident Evil Remake ranks among the greatest survival horror games ever made and is a must-play for anyone interested in the remastered origins of the genre.
In my humble opinion, the 2002 GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil ’96 is arguably the pinnacle of the survival horror sub-genre of action adventure games, especially of the old-school survival horror gameplay style that the first Resident Evil 1 established and popularized in the mid-90s.
Resident Evil Remake is a modern game with amazing graphical fidelity (detail in particular) yet sticks to the classic, retro gameplay style of the genre established in the original 1996 Resident Evil 1 game (PS1/Saturn/PC/DS as Deadly Silence version/PSN).
But how does this GameCube remake (also available for Wii) stack up in the year 2012?
Is the game scary? Is Resident Evil Remake still worth playing given the girth of amazing modern masterpieces available for game systems like the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and PS Vita?
Should you play the GameCube Resident Evil remake even if you’ve already played the PS1 version? Is Resident Evil Remake the best “classic-style” Resident Evil game or the best in the series? Does the game look good given it’s 10 year-old age and given the extremely detailed high-definition graphics of modern titles? Should you pick up the Wii version or the GameCube version of RE Remake?
Keep reading to find out the answer to all these questions and more! As I take a very in-depth look at one of my top 5 favorite games of all time. :)
System
GameCube (Playable on Wii)
Also On
Wii
GameCube Release Dates
America: April 30 2002 Europe: September 13 2002 Japan: March 22 2002
Wii Version Release Dates (Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil)
America: June 23 2009 Europe: June 26 2009 Australia: June 25 2009 Japan: December 25 2008
Original Resident Evil ’96 PS1 Release Date
America: March 30 1996 Europe: August 1 1996 Japan: March 22 1996
Genre
Survival Horror (Static Camera 3rd Person Action Adventure)
Players
1 (No Multiplayer)
Online Support?
No
Controller Support
GCN – GameCube controller only. Wii Version – Supports Wii Remote & Nunchuck, Classic Controller and GameCube Controller.
Saving
Requires 1 free Block on a GameCube Memory Card (required to play, even if playing the GCN version on Wii). You can only save in five slots per Memory Card (artificial limitations SUCK!). Game does not save automatically, instead you must find an Ink Ribbon and use it at a Type Writer in order to save.
The Wii Version however gives you as many Save Files as will fit, and does not require a GCN Memory Card as the game was built for play specifically on Wii and saves to the Wii’s System Memory or an SD Card.
Rated
M for Mature (Contains Violence and Blood & Gore). The game also includes words like “sh*t”, “damn” and “son of a b*tch”, although cussing is sparse. Even though adult language is in the game, it is not officially rated for “Language” for some odd reason.
Discs
2 GameCube Discs on the GCN version (you’ll be asked to switch discs near the end of the game). Wii version is on one Wii disc.
International Ratings
ACB: MA15+, CERO: D, PEGI: 16+
Download Version Available?
No. This game is only available in hardcopy form. A digital re-release is not likely, although may eventually hit other systems at some future date. Most likely for the Nintendo Wii U.
Special Editions
There are no special editions of Resident Evil Remake for GameCube or Wii, although the game was re-released in 2004 for GameCube as part of the “Pure Evil 2-Pack”.
This set included both Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil 0 (alongside a demo of Resident Evil 4), bundled together for the first time. It contains a new cardboard box holder with unique artwork (featuring Rebecca and Billy from Resident Evil Zero), along with each game in its original case. Both cases then slide into the cardbox box holder, similar to the “Devil May Cry – 5th Anniversary Edition” set for PS2. The “Pure Evil 2-Pack” versions of both games are exactly the same as their prior individual releases.
Both games were then re-released again for GameCube in 2006 as part of the “Resident Evil 10th Anniversary Collection” which included a cardboard box holder featuring Resident Evil 4 artwork. This release bundled Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil 0 with the full game of Resident Evil 4. All three games are packed in their original GameCube cases but have new yellow borders and are marked as “Player’s Choice” versions.
Both of these re-release compilation packs are rare and fetch a very high price, especially sealed. Only spring for them if you are a collector or manage to come across them in this state for cheap. The Wii version is the best and easiest way to play Resident Evil Remake in its best version for cheap.
Developer
Capcom
Publisher
Capcom in conjunction with Nintendo.
Creator and Director
Shinji Mikami
Producer
Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Music Composers
Shusaku Uchiyama, Makoto Tomozawa, Misao Senbongi
Origin
Japan
Price
As of August 15, 2012, you can get the buy Resident Evil Remake new on Amazon for $60. Average ebay price is about $20 for a used copy. You can buy the Wii Resident Evil Remake (Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil) for $20 new on Amazon. Although the games are cheap now, they will surely go up in price the longer you wait as GameCube games become sparser.
Resident Evil Remake begins much like the original 1996 version of the game, however the live-action movie scenes (including the intro with actual actors) have been replaced by a much-cooler, and much changed, CG intro that is a lot creepier than the original version with less camp. This immediately sets the mood and gives you a good idea of the fear and tone that the game is setting out to establish from the get-go.
The plot of Resident Evil Remake involves a series of grisly murders that have occurred in the forests outside of Raccoon City. There are reports of victims being attacked and eaten by small groups of people. The Raccoon City Police Department sends out two teams to investigate the murders, but the first team, called the Bravo Team, loses contact in the vast forest. Due to these circumstances, the Raccoon City Police Department sends in its elite Alpha team to rescue them and discover the mystery as to what happened to the Bravo Team and the origins of the horrible murders taking place in the forest.
Of course, the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that, and you’ll eventually discover the origins of the T-Virus that has birthed the zombie outbreak, how it intertwines with your group of S.T.A.R.S. operatives, what the Umbrella Corporation has to do with this bad scene, the true intentions of your fellow team members, and the real reason for the Mansion’s existence.
The plot is deep and involved, and Resident Evil Remake takes strides to tie this game to later games in the series, while cleaning up the original script, spoken dialogue and writing to sound more serious in tone, along with a more professional translation… Sadly the voice acting still leaves something to be desired and is not top quality.
Given that, some people still prefer the extremely campy tone and quirky spoken lines of the original Resident Evil ’96, which have been altered, or completely removed, in this version of the game. Read the rest of this entry »
