Posted in: Capcom, Games, Nintendo, Resident Evil, Video Games | Tagged: capcom, game review, GameCube, nintendo switch, resident evil, Resident Evil HD Remaster, Resident Evil Remake

Review: 'Resident Evil' HD Remastered Solid Port for Nintendo Switch

It's hard to believe the original remake of Capcom's Resident Evil started on the Nintendo Gamecube and now its superior HD version has made its way to the Switch.

The 2002 remake was part of an exclusivity deal Capcom made with Nintendo that saw the game mostly reworked. The puzzles remained the same, but the remake contained a new boss, graphics and audio overhaul. Part of the exclusivity deal included the prequel Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 4. All enjoyed a simultaneous May re-release on the Nintendo Switch.

The game begins with S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team that was headed to a mansion located in Raccoon City in search for the missing Bravo team. Grossly underprepared for the threats they face Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine must find a way to escape the house of horrors from pharmaceutical conglomerate Umbrella Corporation. Their experiments left hordes of the undead and mutated beasts with equal bloodthirst.

As with the classic Resident Evil system, you have limited space to carry in your inventory. You pick one of two characters, Chris or Jill. Chris can take more damage and use a lighter, but Jill can carry more items and use a lockpick. There are certain characters you will run into depending on who you choose. If you choose Chris, you'll run into Rebecca Chambers, a survivor of the Bravo team and medical officer. If you choose Jill, you'll have Barry Burton, another member of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team.

While you don't have to deal with the Playstation D-Pad controls of the original game, you have the advantage of using the analog. Another difference in the remake is Chris and Jill have the use of defensive weapons to compliment your existing arsenal. You can choose between daggers or the weapon unique to the character. Jill can use a taser, while Chris can shove stun grenades and detonate them with a placed shot. Defensive weapons can only be triggered when grabbed by an enemy.

The remake does a remarkable job making the mansion more intimidating than the original focusing on a limited color palate and capturing the appropriate mood with its use of lighting. If there was a lingering frustration with the game is Capcom could have improved on camera allowing more options to view an entire room. They could have accomplished this either by using the right analog stick or allow a top-down isometric view. So you can track the entire room rather than the part that's convenient for the game.

Controls are as responsive as the original Gamecube remake. The script is as bad as the original. One thing I do miss is the use of full motion video as in the original game. They could have easily reshot it in live action and given the current technology, the actors wouldn't have to look like rejects out of an Uwe Boll film.

One bonus Easter Egg, which is a slap in the face of a Nintendo fan is the alternate costume available for Chris at the select screen is the one from Resident Evil 5, which Capcom has never released for a Nintendo console. If you never owned a copy of the game for any system, you can't go wrong with the Switch port.

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