Resident Evil: Director's Cut - Dual Shock (PS1, 1998)
Graphics-7 Sound-7.5 Control-6 Challenge-7 Story-6/7*
Level Design-7 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5
*Barry
+
Choose between Chris and Jill before beginning (sometimes different paths and events - if you pick Jill then Chris will be elsewhere when you start out and Barry won't be missing, more importantly Jill can carry 8 items+meets fewer enemies+can find a bazooka early on while Chris can't get it at all+can play the piano+has a lockpick for locked desks so it's basically easy mode, Chris has a bit more HP but it doesn't make up for it)
Difficulty options (original=US ver. difficulty except you find one more ink ribbon (for saving) each time you find a pack+hunters are easier to kill, Beginner=JP ver. difficulty (more resources), arrange/advanced=hard mode (less resources+enemies do more damage and take more hits to kill, more enemies and items are placed in different spots))
Auto-aiming option in all three modes
Dual analog support (only uses the left stick though), Control config
Some entertaining lines (Kenneth is described as being a shadow of his former self when you find his decapitated body, jill sandwich)
Early survival horror gameplay (resource management, creepy atmosphere, some jump scares and enemy movement sfx, can generally examine your surroundings (some of the text is very short and generic though) - Alone in the Dark and various older Adventure games)
Fight/ready and exploration stances (can only attack in the former) - Karateka
Journal/note log feature
Item boxes/stashes (you can access all items placed in one box from another box - weird but leads to much less backtracking; the other option would've been to let players leave items where they found new ones if their inventory was full but then they could forget where they placed certain items)
Get radio transmissions at certain points which are accessed via the pause/inventory menu - similar to Metal Gear
Pretty expressive models during dialogue (kind of dated/clunky animation though)
Pretty well written journal entries
Decent map feature (auto-map which shows the explored layout of each floor - can also find full maps of floors, which room you're currently in and room connections; doesn't show points of interest nor the player's position and you can't place markers on it)
Head shots using the shotgun (can blow up zombie heads with it) - locational damage
Decent sense of vulnerability when temporarily playing as Rebecca if Chris gets poisoned
Tells you when a key item is no longer needed so that you can discard it
Context sensitive action button (push/open/interact/fire (when holding R1)) - Ultima 1 prayer spell, Dragon's Lair, Nazo no Murasame Jou, Shinobi, Pandora AMI, Sword of the Samurai, King's Quest SMS, Zelda: A Link to the Past
Tougher enemies replace the zombies in the mid-late game (new enemies when backtracking later on)
Pretty good replay value (see the optional paths below, multiple endings - saving the other main character is optional)
Unique death animations when killed by bosses
Some decent puzzles (v-jolt potion mixing puzzle, spatial awareness at a couple of points in the courtyard and underground areas, computer password x-ray puzzle)
Good visual variety
Different footstep sfx depending on the ground material (some footstep sfx don't sound that good though) - Metal Gear 2
Some major environmental changes (draining two areas of water - at one point leaves the zombie sharks on land)
Escape sequence after activating a self-destruct mechanism (Metroid)
Some decent bosses (the giant spider)
A couple of interesting enemies (the hunters (although their inconsistent behavior can be annoying) and the ceiling crawlers)
Funny "wrong password" animation
+/-
Partially non-linear structure (after the others leave the main hall you can go in three directions and explore multiple rooms - the two main paths forward are opening a secret door with Rebecca's help (piano room) for the gold emblem (leads to getting the red key and reaching the snake boss) and using the chemicals to get the armor key (also a requirement for reaching the snake boss+for getting the shotgun), can choose whether to have Rebecca follow you (you'll then encounter her at certain points in the game) or stay in the save room you found her in for free healing if you go back there (+a timed segment after the Hunters appear where you're supposed to go save her on 2F), optional giant snake boss (if you avoid it completely you don't have to go get the serum as Rebecca); Jill can be saved by Barry at one point if found early on on the balcony - this leads to a few more story-related encounters with him later on, can choose whether or not to trust Barry at one point)
Save points (need to use an ink ribbon to save and they are somewhat rare)
The game is paused while in the inventory menu
Very cheesy dialogue and narration (decent VA for the narrator intro voice though), Low budget live action intro
Enemies aren't knocked bad or stunned when hit
Pretty resilient enemies (up to 10 knife hits per zombie)
Oddly there's no music while encountering the first zombie in-game (there is later on), The soundtrack was also completely replaced here and it's sometimes worse (the basement track seems like a joke or like the composer forgot to switch some MIDI instruments around, the piano track when the hunters arrive is very short, some other instrumentation is worse). They should've included both and let players pick
Unintentionally hilarious voice acting at times ("What a Mansion!", -It's me, Chris!, -Is that you Rebecca?, Barry in general)
Have to pause to see your current health - no hurt/limping animation here
Zombies can't follow you through doors - less frustrating but also less scary and challenging
Can't move while attacking
The desk keys are optional as Chris (both lead to shotgun shells)
Gore
Enemies generally don't respawn (with a few exceptions - the path towards the courtyard after the hunters arrive and the lab area)
Cinematic camera angles (Alone in the Dark)
Can't place traps to lure enemies into (mines, tripwires, fox traps, etc)
Bestiary at one computer terminal in the late game (doesn't actually tell you anything about the monsters though but the artwork is nice)
-
Some control/camera issues (still camera shots only and the way they switch angles suddenly while moving around is sometimes awkward or causes cheap hits because you can't see the enemy, sometimes inconsistent hit detection (most enemies can't be hit while they're getting back up, trying to take out zombies with the knife without getting hit is very frustrating), can't switch to non-tank controls where you'd hold a button or toggle to move backwards instead of down always being back and up always being forward, pretty large amount of space required for turning around while moving and there's no quick turn button or button combo - see Tomb Raider, have to search a body more than once to be able to see all there is on it (for example, the first body you come across has to be searched twice to get both clips of ammo and you don't see that it has two clips when searching it the first time), can't combine items while checking an item box (so if you're picking up a clip it won't be added to the clip you have), unskippable cutscenes, no subtitles)
Some tedious elements (getting caught by multiple zombies in a row when trying to dodge a group of them to conserve ammo - can't knock a zombie over (or knock into others to stun them for a bit) after getting caught here, the former issue gets wirse when facing more than one hunter at once as there is no invincibility time, 5 seconds of loading between every room, tedious how keys/key items and ink ribbons take up a whole inventory slot when you only have 6 as Chris (increased to 8 for both chars in the sequel) - combined with not being able to place map markers/the game not creating them for you it leads to a lot more backtracking (or memorizing/writing down where everything is), some block pushing puzzles that are too simple to validate their existence, having to use flamethrowers as keys at a couple of points in the underground area - also feels artificial)
Awkward pauses between spoken lines during in-engine cutscenes
Still have to press a run button to run with the dual shock controls and aiming up/down is binary - it does add some rumble but could've been used better
"Bold-looking man" - should be bald-looking (used for a sequence puzzle), A few other spelling errors
Some trial & error (some surprise attacks, sharks can't be killed?, weird how you have to use the lighter on the candle in the 2F dining room to see into the cabinet in a hidden hallway adjacent to it when you could just use the lighter directly - reward is just some shotgun ammo too which makes it not quite worth the trouble, the first boulder trap - didn't register as a boulder to me at first)
Weird how Jill gets scared by the second zombie but not the first
Dialogue scenes could've been more effective with more close-ups but then again they probably had some issues with the animations
Ammo isn't particularly scarce on Normal (plentiful on Beginner which takes away a lot of the survival aspect)
Unsatisfying ending in that you don't get to know if the STARS members exposed Umbrella or not - the villain's motivation is also not particularly believable or fleshed out (although the story is a bit more interesting as Jill since you'll be second guessing Barry, if playing as Chris it seems he dies before the game even begins)
So-so final boss (you just run away and take pot shots for a bit, then fire one bazooka shot and he's done; if you let him get close you'll die very quickly as you can't dodge or block his attacks)
No battle game mode (Saturn ver. - linear level-based and combat focused mode with a high score)
Notes:
-Beat it as Chris in 5h50m
-Influenced by The Birds, The Shining (typewriter) and Jaws
Level Design-7 Frustration-7 Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5
*Barry
+
Choose between Chris and Jill before beginning (sometimes different paths and events - if you pick Jill then Chris will be elsewhere when you start out and Barry won't be missing, more importantly Jill can carry 8 items+meets fewer enemies+can find a bazooka early on while Chris can't get it at all+can play the piano+has a lockpick for locked desks so it's basically easy mode, Chris has a bit more HP but it doesn't make up for it)
Difficulty options (original=US ver. difficulty except you find one more ink ribbon (for saving) each time you find a pack+hunters are easier to kill, Beginner=JP ver. difficulty (more resources), arrange/advanced=hard mode (less resources+enemies do more damage and take more hits to kill, more enemies and items are placed in different spots))
Auto-aiming option in all three modes
Dual analog support (only uses the left stick though), Control config
Some entertaining lines (Kenneth is described as being a shadow of his former self when you find his decapitated body, jill sandwich)
Early survival horror gameplay (resource management, creepy atmosphere, some jump scares and enemy movement sfx, can generally examine your surroundings (some of the text is very short and generic though) - Alone in the Dark and various older Adventure games)
Fight/ready and exploration stances (can only attack in the former) - Karateka
Journal/note log feature
Item boxes/stashes (you can access all items placed in one box from another box - weird but leads to much less backtracking; the other option would've been to let players leave items where they found new ones if their inventory was full but then they could forget where they placed certain items)
Get radio transmissions at certain points which are accessed via the pause/inventory menu - similar to Metal Gear
Pretty expressive models during dialogue (kind of dated/clunky animation though)
Pretty well written journal entries
Decent map feature (auto-map which shows the explored layout of each floor - can also find full maps of floors, which room you're currently in and room connections; doesn't show points of interest nor the player's position and you can't place markers on it)
Head shots using the shotgun (can blow up zombie heads with it) - locational damage
Decent sense of vulnerability when temporarily playing as Rebecca if Chris gets poisoned
Tells you when a key item is no longer needed so that you can discard it
Context sensitive action button (push/open/interact/fire (when holding R1)) - Ultima 1 prayer spell, Dragon's Lair, Nazo no Murasame Jou, Shinobi, Pandora AMI, Sword of the Samurai, King's Quest SMS, Zelda: A Link to the Past
Tougher enemies replace the zombies in the mid-late game (new enemies when backtracking later on)
Pretty good replay value (see the optional paths below, multiple endings - saving the other main character is optional)
Unique death animations when killed by bosses
Some decent puzzles (v-jolt potion mixing puzzle, spatial awareness at a couple of points in the courtyard and underground areas, computer password x-ray puzzle)
Good visual variety
Different footstep sfx depending on the ground material (some footstep sfx don't sound that good though) - Metal Gear 2
Some major environmental changes (draining two areas of water - at one point leaves the zombie sharks on land)
Escape sequence after activating a self-destruct mechanism (Metroid)
Some decent bosses (the giant spider)
A couple of interesting enemies (the hunters (although their inconsistent behavior can be annoying) and the ceiling crawlers)
Funny "wrong password" animation
+/-
Partially non-linear structure (after the others leave the main hall you can go in three directions and explore multiple rooms - the two main paths forward are opening a secret door with Rebecca's help (piano room) for the gold emblem (leads to getting the red key and reaching the snake boss) and using the chemicals to get the armor key (also a requirement for reaching the snake boss+for getting the shotgun), can choose whether to have Rebecca follow you (you'll then encounter her at certain points in the game) or stay in the save room you found her in for free healing if you go back there (+a timed segment after the Hunters appear where you're supposed to go save her on 2F), optional giant snake boss (if you avoid it completely you don't have to go get the serum as Rebecca); Jill can be saved by Barry at one point if found early on on the balcony - this leads to a few more story-related encounters with him later on, can choose whether or not to trust Barry at one point)
Save points (need to use an ink ribbon to save and they are somewhat rare)
The game is paused while in the inventory menu
Very cheesy dialogue and narration (decent VA for the narrator intro voice though), Low budget live action intro
Enemies aren't knocked bad or stunned when hit
Pretty resilient enemies (up to 10 knife hits per zombie)
Oddly there's no music while encountering the first zombie in-game (there is later on), The soundtrack was also completely replaced here and it's sometimes worse (the basement track seems like a joke or like the composer forgot to switch some MIDI instruments around, the piano track when the hunters arrive is very short, some other instrumentation is worse). They should've included both and let players pick
Unintentionally hilarious voice acting at times ("What a Mansion!", -It's me, Chris!, -Is that you Rebecca?, Barry in general)
Have to pause to see your current health - no hurt/limping animation here
Zombies can't follow you through doors - less frustrating but also less scary and challenging
Can't move while attacking
The desk keys are optional as Chris (both lead to shotgun shells)
Gore
Enemies generally don't respawn (with a few exceptions - the path towards the courtyard after the hunters arrive and the lab area)
Cinematic camera angles (Alone in the Dark)
Can't place traps to lure enemies into (mines, tripwires, fox traps, etc)
Bestiary at one computer terminal in the late game (doesn't actually tell you anything about the monsters though but the artwork is nice)
-
Some control/camera issues (still camera shots only and the way they switch angles suddenly while moving around is sometimes awkward or causes cheap hits because you can't see the enemy, sometimes inconsistent hit detection (most enemies can't be hit while they're getting back up, trying to take out zombies with the knife without getting hit is very frustrating), can't switch to non-tank controls where you'd hold a button or toggle to move backwards instead of down always being back and up always being forward, pretty large amount of space required for turning around while moving and there's no quick turn button or button combo - see Tomb Raider, have to search a body more than once to be able to see all there is on it (for example, the first body you come across has to be searched twice to get both clips of ammo and you don't see that it has two clips when searching it the first time), can't combine items while checking an item box (so if you're picking up a clip it won't be added to the clip you have), unskippable cutscenes, no subtitles)
Some tedious elements (getting caught by multiple zombies in a row when trying to dodge a group of them to conserve ammo - can't knock a zombie over (or knock into others to stun them for a bit) after getting caught here, the former issue gets wirse when facing more than one hunter at once as there is no invincibility time, 5 seconds of loading between every room, tedious how keys/key items and ink ribbons take up a whole inventory slot when you only have 6 as Chris (increased to 8 for both chars in the sequel) - combined with not being able to place map markers/the game not creating them for you it leads to a lot more backtracking (or memorizing/writing down where everything is), some block pushing puzzles that are too simple to validate their existence, having to use flamethrowers as keys at a couple of points in the underground area - also feels artificial)
Awkward pauses between spoken lines during in-engine cutscenes
Still have to press a run button to run with the dual shock controls and aiming up/down is binary - it does add some rumble but could've been used better
"Bold-looking man" - should be bald-looking (used for a sequence puzzle), A few other spelling errors
Some trial & error (some surprise attacks, sharks can't be killed?, weird how you have to use the lighter on the candle in the 2F dining room to see into the cabinet in a hidden hallway adjacent to it when you could just use the lighter directly - reward is just some shotgun ammo too which makes it not quite worth the trouble, the first boulder trap - didn't register as a boulder to me at first)
Weird how Jill gets scared by the second zombie but not the first
Dialogue scenes could've been more effective with more close-ups but then again they probably had some issues with the animations
Ammo isn't particularly scarce on Normal (plentiful on Beginner which takes away a lot of the survival aspect)
Unsatisfying ending in that you don't get to know if the STARS members exposed Umbrella or not - the villain's motivation is also not particularly believable or fleshed out (although the story is a bit more interesting as Jill since you'll be second guessing Barry, if playing as Chris it seems he dies before the game even begins)
So-so final boss (you just run away and take pot shots for a bit, then fire one bazooka shot and he's done; if you let him get close you'll die very quickly as you can't dodge or block his attacks)
No battle game mode (Saturn ver. - linear level-based and combat focused mode with a high score)
Notes:
-Beat it as Chris in 5h50m
-Influenced by The Birds, The Shining (typewriter) and Jaws