Resident Evil 0

- Reviewed on PS4 -

Resident Evil 0 released on November 12th, 2002. 

Serving as a prequel to the first Resident Evil title, Resident Evil 0 sets up the universe and its inhabitants by showing what happened and how the famous virus(es) came to fruition. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

You play as two main protagonists in Resident Evil 0, Rebecca Chambers who appeared in the first Resident Evil game, and Billy Coen who is / was a U.S. Marine Corps Second Lieutenant. 

Even though Billy was a Marine, you quickly find out he is wanted by authority and is now a death-row inmate. 

Capcom did an amazing job designing Billy, as for people who never played Resident Evil 0 before can truly think he is a dangerous person, however (SPOILER) you find out Billy is not the bad guy in this scenario and he was actually trying to save the people who were killed in the mass shooting in the village. 

Story is probably (in my eyes) the most important game aspect and although you don't need to show the conflict right off the bat, Resident Evil 0 did a great job showing exactly what your up against in the first portion of the game, the train. 

The locations you will visit in Resident Evil 0 are...

    - The Train

    - Training Facility

    - The Basement 

    - Laboratory

    - Factory

    - Treatment Plant 

Controls in this installment are a bit wacky in my opinion, however, Resident Evil 0 does include an option for regular, free movement or the original, tank movement (controls). 

I was a fan of the free movement controls, as the tank movement control scheme never fitted me well in the Resident Evil series. 

Playing through Resident Evil 0, I also was a fan of the partner dynamic. 

Essentially what this was is, whom ever you are controlling in Resident Evil 0 (Billy or Rebecca), you can set the AI (the other character) to help fight monsters or be idle (not fight and use your ammo). 

You could / can also decide if you wanted the AI to follow you or stay put. 

This mechanic was used for many different puzzles across the different locations in Resident Evil 0 and the actual puzzles themselves weren't that bad after all and I enjoyed figuring them out, when normally I would just look up the answer to other puzzle games. 

The voice acting was not that great but because this game was a re-release (for newer consoles) and not an actual remake, I could look past this. 

I loved the graphics of this game and I appreciate the photo realism they decided to go with in Resident Evil 0 as it made locations seem scarier and / or safer respectively. 

Items were still in classic Resident Evil fashion as Resident Evil 0 included items such as Herbs, First Aid Spray, Ink Ribbons, etc. 

The menu for using, combining, and mixing items was very straight forward and easy to understand which I appreciated. 

One thing I did not like was the amount of space each character gets. 

Yes, Resident Evil 0 is a survival horror game but I just think that maybe some items could've been one slot thick instead of two. 

I really enjoyed the story of Resident Evil 0 and just like other Resident Evil games, there is always a main antagonist monster to be aware of. 

Unfortunately I did not find the main antagonist monster interesting and he / it was very easy to beat considering the plethora of ammo and weapons Resident Evil 0 gives you. 

Resident Evil 0 is not the first game to have an easy final boss battle, and it won't be the last either but for a survival horror game, I thought the final battle could've been harder. 

Finally, the music in this game is just outstanding, especially the save (safe) room music. 

With its classical music tone and the sadness it entails to the player in a monster filled world, the music really puts you in the mood they wanted you to be in. 

Pros: 

    - Photo Realistic Graphics

    - Controlling Options

    - Plenty of Items (Weapons, Healing, Ammo, etc.)

    - Outstanding Music 

    - Great Story 

    - Great Character Development

    - AI Controlling Help (Partner Play)

Cons:

    - Bad Voice Acting

    - Unfair Inventory Slots

    - Easy / Short Final Boss Battle

    - Boring Antagonist (Monster)

My Rating for Resident Evil 0 (on PS4):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.