User Reviews (1 - 11 of 30)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Ten Years and Still an Incredible Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: February 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When Resident Evil first debuted in 1996, it was an instant classic. This is THE game that is responsible for the genre, "Survival Horror" and ten years later, you can play it on the go with your Nintendo DS.

The story is almost known to everyone in the gaming world nowadays, but let's take a recap. The STARS Bravo Team has disappeared while investigating nasty murders in the mountains near an old mansion. The Alpha team has been sent into these mountains to find their comrades, and are immediately chased into this mansion full of horror. As Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, you'll have to survive the mansion and its terrors and unravel a conspiracy beyond belief.

Almost everyone knows the story, and on the Nintendo DS you'll find you can play through it in classic mode, rebirth mode or Wi-Fi mode. Capcom has been known for giving you different scenarios, and Resident Evil shows that perfectly. At the beginning you can choose to either be Chris or Jill. Chris can take more damage, although Jill has an easier time navigating the mansion, and gets some fairly more powerful weapons early on.

Classic Mode is basically the exact same game that was presented to us in 1996. Most--if not all--the regular enemies are still where they once were, all the secrets are unchanged and everything. If you still remember the game from ten years ago, it hasn't changed. Not at all.

Rebirth Mode is worthwhile, though. Upon playing it, there are more enemies in place, and from time to time when you enter a room you'll be in the first person perspective, fighting against an enemy that is creeping toward you. It is your job to use the stylus to slash at your enemy until he dies. At first this seems stupid, but it's actually really fun and intense.

The map is displayed on screen at all times, so unlike before, you don't constantly have to bring up the map. When you take damage the top screen also flashes, which is actually more of a distraction than anything.

Wi-fi mode, while great to have, really isn't as worthwhile as you might think. Everyone needs the game card. You can have up to four players going through a portion of the mansion. Whether you are cooperating or competing the objective is the same, to get to the goal as fast as you can. In cooperating, you both have the same life gauge and you both go at it on your own. In competative, you're both against one another trying to see who can get there the fastest.

However, the problem is that you don't ever get to actually see your partner. You're both going through these portions of the mansion but you won't run into one another, and that takes the joy out of it, really. So wi-fi really isn't worth it.

I must say, though, it's fun to play through classic and rebirth mode to check out the differences. While it is just a port, the differences aren't just small things you won't notice at all.

The controls are still a bit clunky. Yes, up is still going to be the button to move forward at all times. And if you're used to Resident Evil 4, it may be hard to go back to those fixed camera angles. So even veterans of the series may have to readjust.

The graphics aren't bad, but they are, for the most part, dated. They don't quite live up to the DS's potential, but they do look a little neater than they did on the PSX. The music is hair-raising, and is still your only warning sign of danger. Especially the sound effects of shuffling zombies, dogs clicking on the ground. This stuff sounds even better with the DS's stereo sound. The voice acting is still laughable, and I suppose that's actually amusing. The dialogue is so bad that it's classic. You'll be saying to yourself, "Wow, we've come a long way as far as voice acting and scripts are concerned." Again, if you just got off Resident Evil 4, this could be something that takes a moment to get used to. Still, the fact that you can laugh at the voices shows that the game really is a classic, as voice acting really has come a long way.

The major problems with this game are simple. It's a game that's already been redone. The Director's Cut and Gamecube versions. Also, it's a game where its age really does show. Can Resident Evil survive the test of time? The answer is, yes, it can. But unfortunately, a port might not hold true. In fact, if you've still got the original one (or the Director's Cut) it's hard to actually recommend this title to you. Rebirth Mode is great, and it's also fun to have it on the go, but there just isn't enough new content to it. It's a great game, and after ten years it's still a blast to play. But for Resident Evil's ten year anniversary, I was expecting more extras and secrets. Still, I'd say it is worth it. Pick it up, enjoy it, and relive the classic game that invented a genre.

The Good
+Classic Game
+Classic Story
+Interesting Puzzles
+The map is now displayed on the top screen
+New Touch Screen antics are really nice
+Graphics are smoother
+The Music is still really good
+You just have to admit that after ten years, the game is still pretty damn good!

The Bad
-The voice acting is terrible. Although, I like that you can see just how far games have come, you'll find yourself laughing in spite of the games overall serious tone.
-There just weren't enough new extras for this port. Yes, it's nice to have a rebirth mode, and it's nice to carry it around, but there could've been more extras thrown in here.

A mixed bag, but still holds some nostalgic fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Capcom basically made the survival horror genre a force to be reckoned with (while borrowing heavily from the original PC game Alone in the Dark) thanks to the original Resident Evil on the PS1, and now the game that spawned an entire series and countless immitators makes it's mark on Nintendo's DS, and also marks the first Mature rated game for the dual screened handheld to boot. Now, let's get it straight that this is pretty much a direct port of the original PS1 classic (along with the unedited "director's cut" opening FMV sequence), and sadly the game hasn't aged all that well. Everything bad you remember about the game is still here; from the unbelievably bad voice acting and dialogue, to go along with the incredibly cheesy FMV sequences. Not to mention that the controls, which were annoying enough when you first played the game a decade ago, are now just plain archaic, especially on the DS. However, after a while, you can get used to the control scheme, although prepare for bouts of frustration. Not to mention that the graphics look granier here than one may recall, particularly the character and zombie models which look washed out. Besides all the negatives, if you've played the PS1 game at all, then you know what else to expect here: playing as either Chris or Jill in different branching single player modes as you take on zombies, mutated dogs, and other beasts in a huge mansion. There's doors to unlock and puzzles to solve to progress to your inevitable showdown with the Tyrant, which still manages to pack a punch to this day. For all it's negatives, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence still has a bit of nostalgic charm to it that makes it worth playing, and the bonuses which Capcom has thrown in (including a first person perspective using your trusty knife and some additional touch screen and microphone features) make the game worth checking out even for veterans of the long running and influential series. Whether you want to lay down the full price for it though is entirely up to how much nostalgia you can take in before longing to play the much superior Resident Evil 4 on your console.

Love it but is too short...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Well this was my first time playing a Resident Evil game...boy it was fun. I got caught in the storyline and it was tense!! I loved the ride!! however I was EXTREMELY dissapointed that the game was so short...I was sure I was only halfway through...but nope...I thought I was just getting started and all the sudden it was over...i mean i killed the last boss with 4 shots?...good puzzles, intense and scary fun, lots of zombies! but you might be put off by how short this game is. has to be slightly above average simply because of the shortness of the game...if it wasnt for that it would be a 5 star winner!

The cheese is back!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 18
Date: February 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Anyone questioning how powerful the DS is has a relatively good answer now. The original Resident Evil on the DS holds its own pretty well on the handheld with clean graphics, slightly improved over the original. Basically, on the small screen, the game resembles the N64 RE2. But those of you who are not interested in retro gamming may not exactly be excited about yet another port/remake of the original RE. It's not the masterpiece that the GCN version is, and what was scary a decade ago about this game is laughable now. To be truthful, aside from a couple of DS exclusive puzzles, and the knife fights, and a couple of much needed tweaks to the interface Deadly Silence really doesn't offer anything new or innovative so the motivation for picking this title up has got to be entirely about reliving the cheese-fest that was the original PS Resident Evil.
The game is fun, as it always was, but doesn't light a candle to its GameCube counterpart. In fact, the original live action fmvs are included, intact, as is the original horrible voice acting (the only element of the game that really is scary). Ever wonder what all the hoopla about the "master of unlocking" is? Well now's your chance to wince in pain as the dialogue passes through the DS speakers into your unsuspecting ear. But that's where the fun lies. We can use this game to remember how far the survival horror genre really has come over the years, and more importantly, we finally have a Resident Evil handheld game that isn't completely unplayable (Unlike RE: Gaiden).
My only gripe really is that this game is the original RE... Again. I picked this up only because I want RE games on handhelds that are good, and also because you can't resist an old favorite on a handheld. It means there's actually time to play it. It's also the reason that I've picked up the re-releases of Final Fantasy for the DS/GBA despite having their PS1 counterparts. I have more time for handhelds.
Even though there are nearly as many ports of RE2, I think that one would have been a better choice to port to the DS. Mainly, it's voice acting (while still bad) isn't nearly as horrid as RE1, and it didn't have the glory of being remade into a masterpiece of gaming for a newer console like RE1 did, basically playing RE2 would feel more natural, since I don't have memories of significantly better graphics and dialogue to contend with.
In all REDS is a fun addition for the DS library for a handful of reasons. It is the first M rated title for the DS, making it a milestone of sorts. It's a classic, it's so bad it's funny, but still retains enjoyable game play and even has a few new surprises up its sleeves. I just hope Konami sees how good this turned out and brings Silent Hill to the handheld as well.

Zombie-tastic or simply a moan?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: February 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Americans are so lucky. You guys tend to get all the movies, games and DVD's before us Brits do. Take Animal Crossing DS for example, you get it in December 2005, we get it in March 2006. Luckily I managed to get hold of a copy of Resident Evil DS as soon as it was released in the states but the question is... am I glad I did?

The answer is that Im not sure. This game could have been so much better than the almost straight port of the PS1 game that it is and im left wondering if Capcom are getting just plain lazy or they are running out of original ideas.

Would it be so hard to come up with an original plot with up to date graphics and control system? Seemingly so. This is the fourth version of Resident Evil 1 that Capcom have produced (The others being the original, the directors cut and the remake on the Gamecube)the best by far being the Gamecube remake which updated the graphics system and added better voice acting and FMV footage.

I can't help buy wonder why none of this improved FMV and Audio was used in RE-DS, Capcom instead opting for the original cheesy footage. I also wonder why the graphics were not improved for the DS, which is capable of so much more.

Don't get me wrong, this game is still very good and still managed to get a jump out of me. The DS stereo speakers add an extra dimension to the sound effects and the gameplay is still what made the game such a great hit in 1996 but if you own any other version of Resident Evil I would not bother buying this game, there is nothing new to blow you away. If you don't own it, or haven't played in in ages then buy it. Its the grandaddy of survival horror and the sheer novelty of playing it in handheld form is a joy.

Ten years ago, this game was a big deal

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: May 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The first game in the RE series came in the form of this here port of a PlayStation game. What made the game so damn special back in '96 were the stuning visuals and overall spooky atmoshpere. The backgrounds are pre-rendered and are mainly uninteractive. Because of this, the camera angles are fixed, so you can only move your chacter around a static screen, and making it more scary.

But, this here, is an excellent game and still holds up well today in my humble opnion. This is an enhanced port of the PSX game, everything you remember and more. Even the so bad it's funny dialogue an voiceover is present, along with every full motion video cutscene, which is impressive considering the DS card's limited amount of data storage. The graphics are slightly grainier, but the character models were redone. The game is enhanced in a couple of ways, first off, when you first open a new game file, you have the option of "Classic Mode" or "Rebirth Mode". Classic mode is the closest thing to the PSX orignal, and Rebirth is a sligh variant. In Rebirth mode,you utilize the touch screen in fun and interesting ways, such as first-person zombie knife combat. The mansion, the main setting of the game, is gigantic, and thnakfully, the top screen is used for an on-screen map, and it is pretty usefull. Gun combat in this game is a little weak though, and the controls, well, I don't blame Capcom, sine it would only work the way it is set up. Still, without giving away too much, I'd highly reccomend it.

There are a few shares of cons, however, such as the pain in the ass inventory system. You can only carry six or eight items at once, depending on whcih character you choose, which really becomes a nuisance, and you can't drop items anywhere you like when you run full. The game does run at a fairly slow pace as well, and a game like this can only be appreciated at night, with no distractions, and the volume turned all the way up on the DS. Also, this game isn't good for quick-play sessions, so once you start playing, you won't be done putting it back down for at least an hour. The game is fairly difficult as well, don't suprised if you die a couple times throughout.

So to sum it all up, this is an excellent ten year old game with a few enhancements that still holds up well today. Defitnently is the most under-appreicated DS title, and it's Resident Evil!

ReMastering the Mansion with the Same Good Looking Friends

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: July 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Fan or foe of the Resident Evil series, you have to admit that it changed the face of gaming forever. Along with franchised games like Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and Alone in the Dark "the term "survival horror" became a way to describe what was not only a fad in gaming but that was also a marketing force. This, of course, led to many noteworthy offspring of the genre, many rip-offs of the big kids, and many consoles trying to cashing in by making the next in their series the best in the series.
And now, hoping down the Bunny Trail, comes the brand new world of porting.

For those who are not accustomed to "porting," it is basically a term used to say "we took an old game and shoved it into a new system with a shiny new box." Sometimes this works out well and you have a great piece of nostalgia, and sometimes this works in the "not-so-well" classification and you find yourself somewhat miffed by your purchase. With Resident Evil :deadly Silence, I kind of feel like the title says it all. There are all those graphics that stepped back out of the same place I think disco went to die, seemingly 16 bits when compared to the beauty of the "now." And this isn't meant to insult the original Resident Evil because, when it was cutting edge, it was cutting edge. This is more like saying that the blade has dulled and the experience has soured and, well, you get the picture.
And then there were the controls.

One of the biggest complaints I've ever heard from people playing the older games are that the controls are terrible - at best. If you go into the game with that mindset, expecting the controls to be abominations, then you'll find yourself impressed with how psychic you are. That seems to be another drawback of porting - you have the same schema following you in all sorts of forms, making you not-so-silently curse the things that also made the game a memorable one to play. Fighting the wonderful world of remembered enemies is a pain at best with the controls that make life difficult - playing with them and running into old big and bad (O that loveable Tyrant!) reminds you why you spent so much time trying to master running and gunning and moving backward and assaulting at the same time.
Chris, Jill, flashbacks - "Haven't I see this before?" Yeah, you have.

Despite all of this, the game is still a fun thing to bust out and play again and it really does deserve a little praise. When your eyes adjust to the glint of the pixels and your fingers adjust to the way you reformatted your fingers just to play videogames you'll sometimes slide into the zone and remember how much you loved this game. You'll also laugh as well, amazed that these moments were some of the most frightening things that the digital experience ever spawned.
Add in the new controls that you get to play around with and you have something nice to play - provided that you play at a discount.

Its amazing what can be forgiven when it comes to fond memories and handheld gaming.

excelent game, with minor flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

For those who haven't had a chance to experience the original Resident Evil game from the 90's this is pretty much a dirrect port over, featuring a couple of play modes; classical, rebirth, and multiplayer. Classical speaks for itself, it's bassically the original game with nothing added or removed. Rebirth lets you play the original game with a few extra features added, such as being able to use the touchscreen to solve puzzles and slash at enemies with the knife when in firstperson view, it also lets you blow into the mic to perform CPR on fallen members, or blow back the vomit zombies my spew your way. Also being able to switch instantly from using a gun to your combat knife without having to access your inventory is a nice change. Multiplayer mode, which I have yet to try, sounds interesting, however I'm dissapointed that other players in the game are shown to you as big stars moving around, rather than actually seing the other characters 3d model.

Another thing they could of done to improve the game, would of been to remove the original cinemas and voice acting, and replace them with CG cinemas and real voice actors like they had done for Resident Evil 0 on Game Cube. But some weirdos might like the cheesy voice acting, it adds to the horror.

Same Game New System

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Resident Evil has been a hallmark in the horror survial genre and I have been wishing for a handheld Resident Evil and thats what I got. First of all the graphics are pixel to pixel accurate which is nice to know. One thing that they had in this game that I didn't like was the camera angles which are terrible and thats probably why someone could've thought the zombies were sometimes invincible because it was hard to shoot at because of the camera angles. The voiceovers are still the same cheesy voiceovers from the original which is awesome since I'm an old fan of the series and I said that they had to have the voiceovers which they did.

The controls are one the things that made this game not get 5 stars because of the camera angles and the controls put together are sometimes hard to master but once you do which for the average gamer would probably take 20-30 minutes but the camera is probably impossible to master. This game is very smooth and sets a prime example on how to transfer a older-gen system to a current-gen handheld.

Every review is right

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: May 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The controls are hard to learn at first, but you get use to it. I found the controls didnt work as well as other games for the DS. Maybe it was just me. All in all, it can be a fun game but hard to learn at first.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions