2002's Resident Evil, a remake of the classic 1996 game, was headed by Shinji Mikami with the goal of replacing the original and realising his true vision for the story and game. And there's no doubt he succeeded.
Having never played the original, this leaves me with no desire to do so after experiencing Mikami's true vision for entering the survival horror. The graphics and visuals are stunning and have a slick, clean and classy flare to them. The direction is at times scary, other times exciting, and sometimes just plain cool. The entire opening cutscene sets the stage perfectly for an atmospheric horror with Hollywood-influences, having expert lighting, sound-design, pacing and camerawork.
The central characters also have an endearing goodness about them which makes them instantly likeable, while the unfolding mystery of Spencer Mansion is constantly engaging.
My first play through as Jill Valentine (which took about 18 hours), was a nerve-wracking and intense experience. Turning every corner and entering every new room was an effectively scary thing. Throughout the run, there is also a consistent amount of new enemies and creepily cool bosses thrown into the mix that kept me on edge. At times, it was hard to see where this was all leading, but the mystery of the Mansion and finding out what would happen next kept me going. As soon as I concluded I felt an urge to play it all again. I wanted to see what the game was like now knowing what it had in store.
And it was on my second playthrough, as Chris Redfield (which took around 10 hours), that the experience truly came together for me. It perfectly clicked as to why there were two playable character experiences in the first place. Knowing what was coming, I was truly able to appreciate how seamlessly the puzzles, discovery and pacing all came together. And it was rewardingly fun to prepare myself for each coming obstacle and overcome the horror. Not to mention, the differences in characters and story here and there that help make it feel like a fresh experience.
It's safe to say this game has a timeless balance of horror, tension, mystery and excitement that make it a truly fulfilling and memorable game. Not to mention a nice ray of hope and heart with its primary characters. Resident Evil deserves its place as a classic video game.
