This was always the old-school one that got away from me. Never got a chance to play it on the Dreamcast or the PS2 when it came out even though I got it on both. I was able to score a free copy of the HD version for Xbox and a bud and I decided to go through it.
In comparison to the old ones (ie. pre-RE4), I'd put it ahead of #2 and #3 (I wasn't overly fond of either) but behind #1 (I played the Director's Cut). That may be due more to the fact that #1 was fresh and new in 1997 than anything else. My fav is still the remake of #1 on the Gamecube/Wii, that's an absolutely phenomenal game. Never did finish Zero so I can't say anything about that one.
I like the set-up of this one, where you get to play as both Chris and Claire. In general, the storyline was perfectly fine and you can see the eventual tie-ins to the later games as well (particularly one character) even though it was meant as a side-story or "gaiden" game. Voice acting is comically cheesy like we remember and, in a lot of ways, like and kinda misss. As an old-school RE, it's pretty solid......
...but the problem is that it's an old-school RE. What was horrible and annoying controls in 1996 that was never changed for this 2000 game are virtually unplayable 15+ years later. My Lord the controls FUCKING SUCK!! I hate them now more than I ever did before. I may try to go through Zero sometime but other than that, I will never, ever play these games again due to their unspeakably brutal control schemes. Any "tension" in these games is due to how amazingly shitty the controls are and you just can't turn around fast enough or aim properly or whatever because your character is a freakin' wooden statue. Some masochists out there may prefer this but never again for me.
And there was one severely moronic design flaw at the end of the game where you flip back and forth between characters. To try and keep it as spoiler-free as possible, there's a couple of big boss battles in this game near the end, one with each character. Since your characters share an item box, you can just prepare what each has by manipulating save points so one character isn't loaded while the other is left barren. Well, during these battles near the end, you basically have a save spot with one character, initiate a sequence where you switch to the other, have an item box you can use (no save point), do a boss battle, automatically switch back to the other character, do another boss battle, THEN you can save.....and NEVER use the first character again.
The first boss battle in particular is odd ball (ie. you don't just shoot until you waste them) and very frustrating. So we finally get past that after 7 or 8 tries then go right away to the next boss battle with whatever that person has. So we get past that after a couple of tries (no too bad; you "try again" right at the second boss battle instead of the save point) then save it. Since I loaded up the first character to fight the oddball boss battle, I essentially lost ALL those weapons for the last parts and final boss battle. I only had a magnum with 8 bullets and a 100% assault rifle with a 50% refill clip and two green herbs that I combined into one to get a decent amount of healing.....that's it. If you know what the final boss battle is like in this one, that ain't much at all. Took us about 15 or 20 tries to get through that final boss battle. I almost stopped trying it was so insane. And there was no reason for it. I had about 37 grenade rounds, 30 shotgun shells, and 30 explosive bow arrows I coulda used if those weapons weren't lost with the first character. Fucking retarded design that really had no reason to exist (just give me a save spot with a chance to swap before the end).
Overall, I liked finally going through this one but man, I just can't tolerate the insanely horrible controls anymore. And that design flaw at the end? Unreal....
In comparison to the old ones (ie. pre-RE4), I'd put it ahead of #2 and #3 (I wasn't overly fond of either) but behind #1 (I played the Director's Cut). That may be due more to the fact that #1 was fresh and new in 1997 than anything else. My fav is still the remake of #1 on the Gamecube/Wii, that's an absolutely phenomenal game. Never did finish Zero so I can't say anything about that one.
I like the set-up of this one, where you get to play as both Chris and Claire. In general, the storyline was perfectly fine and you can see the eventual tie-ins to the later games as well (particularly one character) even though it was meant as a side-story or "gaiden" game. Voice acting is comically cheesy like we remember and, in a lot of ways, like and kinda misss. As an old-school RE, it's pretty solid......
...but the problem is that it's an old-school RE. What was horrible and annoying controls in 1996 that was never changed for this 2000 game are virtually unplayable 15+ years later. My Lord the controls FUCKING SUCK!! I hate them now more than I ever did before. I may try to go through Zero sometime but other than that, I will never, ever play these games again due to their unspeakably brutal control schemes. Any "tension" in these games is due to how amazingly shitty the controls are and you just can't turn around fast enough or aim properly or whatever because your character is a freakin' wooden statue. Some masochists out there may prefer this but never again for me.
And there was one severely moronic design flaw at the end of the game where you flip back and forth between characters. To try and keep it as spoiler-free as possible, there's a couple of big boss battles in this game near the end, one with each character. Since your characters share an item box, you can just prepare what each has by manipulating save points so one character isn't loaded while the other is left barren. Well, during these battles near the end, you basically have a save spot with one character, initiate a sequence where you switch to the other, have an item box you can use (no save point), do a boss battle, automatically switch back to the other character, do another boss battle, THEN you can save.....and NEVER use the first character again.
The first boss battle in particular is odd ball (ie. you don't just shoot until you waste them) and very frustrating. So we finally get past that after 7 or 8 tries then go right away to the next boss battle with whatever that person has. So we get past that after a couple of tries (no too bad; you "try again" right at the second boss battle instead of the save point) then save it. Since I loaded up the first character to fight the oddball boss battle, I essentially lost ALL those weapons for the last parts and final boss battle. I only had a magnum with 8 bullets and a 100% assault rifle with a 50% refill clip and two green herbs that I combined into one to get a decent amount of healing.....that's it. If you know what the final boss battle is like in this one, that ain't much at all. Took us about 15 or 20 tries to get through that final boss battle. I almost stopped trying it was so insane. And there was no reason for it. I had about 37 grenade rounds, 30 shotgun shells, and 30 explosive bow arrows I coulda used if those weapons weren't lost with the first character. Fucking retarded design that really had no reason to exist (just give me a save spot with a chance to swap before the end).
Overall, I liked finally going through this one but man, I just can't tolerate the insanely horrible controls anymore. And that design flaw at the end? Unreal....
I was there on that fateful day, were you?
