If playing through horror titles is your Halloween activity then you can’t go wrong with a classic.  Resident Evil began frightening gamers on the PlayStation way back in 1996, the series has mutated into an entire franchise with movies, countless spin-offs and a strong following under its belt.

 

If you’re new to the series or perhaps are looking to get a better insight into the franchise after trying out some of the more recent entries such as Resident Evil 5, then you might be wondering where the best place to start with this survival horror franchise is.  Well the beginning obviously but we recommend you fast forward six years from 1996 to 2002 when the Nintendo Gamecube remake of the original was released.

 

 

At the dawn of the series revival in 2001, Capcom set themselves a task of remaking the entire Resident Evil series for a new audience starting with the one that started it all.  The original 1996 classic had been a roaring revelation which took the 3D horror elements created by games like Alone in the Dark and improved on them.  Alpha Team’s venture into the Spencer Mansion was very well received by gamers; its cinematic offerings, original gameplay and hilarious script made it an instant hit for all the right and wrong reasons.

 

So, what changed?  Well, even if you’re familiar with the PlayStation original, the remake (which I’ll now be referring to as Resident Evil) will feel like a completely new game.  Boasting a serious chunk of new content on top of various gameplay tweaks and a graphic touch up that still looks great to this day; Resident Evil is one impressive package and more of a horror game than the other games in the series.

 

The addition of defense weapons will help you out of close situations like this.

 

The story is almost virtually unchanged.  Alpha Team is sent out to search for their comrades Bravo Team who’ve disappeared in the Arklay Mountains where a series of strange incidents and sightings have occurred.  After finding Bravo Teams helicopter downed and the pilot dead, their search is interrupted by a pack of vicious dogs that drive the team into the Spencer mansion.  Divided in the pursuit of survival, protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield and a cast of other team members soon discover they’ve stumbled into a mansion with a dark secret and the shuffling rotting victims of its secret are roaming around its corridors in search of fresh brains.

 

It’s a classic story filled with frights, shock, twists and plenty of deception.  It comes across more predictable than it did years ago but it’s a tried and true tale. Capcom haven’t skipped on giving the games plot more mystery by adding a handful of new addition stories weaved into the game including the new side villain Lisa Trevor, the mutated daughter of mansion designer whose shackles and moans echo through the halls occasionally meeting with Jill and Chris face to face.