Should you climb aboard this HD remake?
Last year, Capcom released a HD remake of the GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil, it became the best selling title on PSN at the time and it wasn’t long after that we found that the GameCube exclusive Resident Evil Zero would also be getting the HD treatment for all consoles.
Unlike the original GameCube version, I never actually played Zero before so it was a new experience for me. The game handles just like the original Resident Evil, but there are a number of changes…for example, there are no item boxes to speak of…instead you drop items on the ground and must backtrack to retrieve them, as well as trading items between Rebecca and Billy, you can also control both at once by using alternate analog sticks, as well as setting AI commands for the other partner as well as controlling each individually.
The game is set before the Mansion Incident of the original game. Rebecca Chambers from STARS is deployed to a nearby train, on the hunt for Billy Coen..an ex-soldier who is accused of killing 20+ people. Soon after entering the train, Rebecca encounters Billy and eventually join forces when the T-Virus is released and the dead passengers on the train come back to life. You’ll see a few familiar characters such as Wesker via cutscenes and it does a good job of explaining how Rebecca ended up in the Mansion, even if the voice-acting and story are incredibly cheesy, as you would expect from a Resident Evil game.
The train section itself is short and it’s not long before you end up at an Umbrella Training Facility, which does look very similar to the Spencer Mansion. You will feel a sense of deja vu, that’s for sure…as with the past games, Zero has a number of bosses that vary from giant scorpions to giant bats and even a Tyrant variation. Once completed, you’ll unlock new modes such as being able to play as Wesker and a Leech Hunter mode, as well as unlocking new costumes and bonuses for extra playthroughs.
This remake is about as perfect to the original GameCube version as you would expect, so expect the odd dodgy camera angle and tank-like controls. Luckily, these don’t hold it back as much as you would imagine…Zero isn’t the best Resi game, but it’s hardly the worst and even after all these years, still looks impressive from beginning to end. Having to maintain two characters can be a little frustrating, as can the backtracking…but they are manageable after a while and you’ll be holding your own against the zombies in no time.
The Verdict
Capcom have done a great job in bringing the true Resident Evil Zero experience to consoles. It does still have it’s issues from backtracking to awkward camera angles and cheesy dialogue, but it does have some truly terrifying moments. It does well to bind together the story from the original game and this version has some neat unlockables for you after your first playthrough. It may be frustrating at times, but the good definitely outweighs the bad on this occasion. This is one train journey you should definitely take.