Original Vs Remake

When Resident Evil was first released for the Playstation in 1996 it became an instant hit. It was so successful it even coined a new phrase for the genre that emerged from it - Survival Horror.

At the time of its release Resident Evil was a state of the art, terrifying game. However, just a few short years and many graphical improvements later, the game started to show its age. Thus, Capcom decided to totally remake the game, updating it to be more in line with Shinji Mikami's true vision of how it should be.

While the game remains largely the same, many improvements were incorporated into the game, as well as familiar puzzles and rooms getting changed around to increase the level of fear. You can check out some of the additions and differences below.

Differences

Perhaps most notably different is the inclusion of defense weapons in the GameCube remake. These weapons allow a greater chance of escape from the evil hordes of undead, and can sometimes even kill. Both characters can use survival daggers found around the house, while Chris also has access to flash grenades, and Jill to stun guns. If an enemy's head is also blown off while he still has the dagger in his head, it can also be retrieved and used again. The weapons work on a variety of enemies, not just zombies.

The most terrifying addition to the game however is undoubtedly the Crimson Heads. Unlike in the original game, if you kill a zombie and leave the room, it will remain there. If you leave it long enough, the T-Virus begins working on the body again, mutating the zombie into a horrifying creature with increased speed and vicious claws, while the skin turns red and the eyes bright. Crimson Heads are extremely difficult to kill, and attack with ferocious speed. However, there is a way to prevent them. One must either burn the body (with the canteen and lighter found in the mansion) or blow their head clean off. Just don't leave the bodies lying there too long, or you may get a surprise when you return.

The remake also includes a whole new subplot, that of Lisa Trevor, daughter of the mansion's architect. It is revealed that Lisa has been used as a guinea pig for Umbrella for countless years, having been injected with every virus imaginable. Amazingly however she has survived them all, although she is now something quite other than human.

Items and rooms have also been moved around, as well as the location of some zombies. Because fans had already played the game for so long and knew the location of everything, the designers moved things to heighten the tension again. Where zombies once roamed, rooms were now empty. Typewriters were moved around, and some rooms were either added or moved to different locations to get fans thinking again.

Lastly, the opening movie was also changed. No longer live action, it is CGI like the rest of the game, and fits in a lot better. It's also changed very slightly, but the rest remains almost word for word.

Graphics

Obviously the biggest improvement in the game is the graphics. To this day still one of the most realistic ever released, REmake took the original game's mansion and cranked up the atmosphere to overdrive. No longer bright, dull and a bit plain, REmake's mansion is a foreboding, eerie place to be. Paintings were added to walls, textures to doors and wallpapers, but most importantly, the lighting works to a magnificent effect. Shadows play on the walls, surroundings are realisticly lit, and lighting strikes outside light up the room. Even the shadows of trees outside dance across the walls. Have a look below to see the huge differences.

Characters

For the most part the characters have also remained the same, and retain the roles they had in the original. Looks wise they are the same as well, the only real difference being that Rebecca lost her headband. Take a look below to see how they have improved.

Credit: Tara


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