Resident Evil 0 is the official first game in the Resident Evil timeline, despite being released after the 3rd game in the series. It is a prequel to the original Resident Evil released in November 2002. Until Capcom decides to make an earlier game dealing with Umbrella's forbearers, Zero is the first canonical Resident Evil game.

Zero's storyline takes place in July 1998, one day before the events of the first Resident Evil. The Stars Bravo Team has been tasked by local police to investigate the disappearance of a military convoy near the Arklay Mountains. A dangerous prisoner by the name of Billy Coen was being escorted by MP's when their convey was ambushed by something... Bravo Team's investigation leads them to a nearby train that seems to have mysteriously stopped in the middle of the woods. And then the game begins.

Resident Evil Zero's graphics make the player wonder how the Gamecube ended up in 3rd place. The textures, backgrounds, character models: everything looks amazing to this day. Is it simply a case of Capcom again trying to learn a console's nuances where many 3rd party devs don't try hard enough? I don't know but when I think of instances like missing jersey numbers in GC Madden games, and then I look at this game, I think my theory is correct...

Monsters always have to be expressive and well designed to be scary, and Resident Evil has always excelled at this. Some of the boss choices are a little silly in Zero, but that just makes you want to kill them quicker to put them out of their misery. Regular enemies are the standard lot, but we do get to finally find out what monster was: "seemed to play with it...tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before it actually started eating." , from the famous 4 Itchy Tasty note in Resident Evil. It is an interesting choice with an interesting name, to say the least.

I could probably say more about the excellent graphics, but due to how little graphics matter to me, even when they are excellent, I feel I have said enough. Moving on.

When it comes to music, I can't sing praises. Zero unfortunately starts another new tradition in Resident Evil: the bane of score aficionados like myself: the ambient (or mostly ambient) score. And this is what Zero features. There are standout themes to be sure, full of tense, but because I can't name them or point out when they are in the game, they must be fairly ineffectual. Even the action cues in Zero are muted and dull. I miss Masami Ueda and his command of what Resident Evil was supposed to be about musically.

Interestingly, a family member remarked on the haunting nature of the score from hearing it in another room. This is an interesting suggestion as ambient scores are meant to reflect the environs of your surroundings, through creature noise and perhaps wind blowing through grass. I still don't favor Zero's score or its ambience, but that is a good remark from my mother as to its effectiveness in conveying terror and dread.

I guess I should comment on sound effects, due to the brevity of commentary on music. Zero features good sound effects for monsters, with the standard zombie groans and odd damage sounds for player injuries. The weapon sound effects are great as always. It is a lot of fun to use the same type of weapon in tandem with the other character to take down enemies. The weapon's sound effects seem to echo and feel powerful. Fun stuff.

Gameplay in Resident Evil Zero uses the standard Resident Evil 3rd person system, with the camera having an above view of the action as the player moves, shoots and interacts with the environment. The big change Zero brings to Resident Evil is the new modifications to the "zapping system". There are two playable characters that can exchange items if nearby, assist each other in combat, and work in tandem to solve puzzles. It is an interesting change and is necessary to allow the gameplay to work. This is because there are no magical item boxes in this game, leaving the player to rely on both characters to carry important items. Besides that, you are able to drop items on the ground.

This item ability is probably the weakest new addition to the game. I understand what the developers were trying to do, but this change is more cumbersome than useful. This is as such because if you forget a certain key item, you often have to go back to get it, trekking through many many rooms. Not challenging, just tedious.

Resident Evil Zero's challenge really seems to depend on the player. For instance, the layout of the areas you visit can be confusing, even with the maps they provide. I was always able to recognize the fundamental differences between rooms, thus eliminating the need for a map.

Besides navigation, the cumbersome controls could make combat difficult for new players. The player has no dodge maneuvers and several enemies are much quicker than you. Boss fights are not difficult even if you die, as it is often just a matter of which ammo you are using on them. Having no enemy life bars can make it difficult to tell if you are damaging bosses effectively.

Lastly, some puzzles definitely provide challenge, in that it can take some time to figure them out. Many actions require the use of a specific character so try and remember their strengths and weaknesses. This is probably the most unique Resident Evil in what a character can and can't do based on the situation. For example, if Rebecca tries to push a bookshelf, she fails and hits the side of the case in frustration. Amusing.

Replay value is significant, and not just for Resident Evil games, which usually have very high replay value. There are unlockable difficulties, bonus games that affect the main storyline, unlockable weapons and more. And ALL of them are worth getting! I especially like the variety of unlockable weapons. I have been known to do entire playthroughs of RE games with one weapon, and Zero certainly gives you plenty of options to do that. The costumes you can use as alternate outfits are definitely nice looking, especially Rebecca's leather outfit...

In summation, Resident Evil Zero works best as a storyline entry for Resident Evil, not because of its new gameplay changes, some of which are half-baked, as noted above. The new characters are mostly cliche, but it is fun to see familiar characters and locales in a new light. Zero was meant to be a prequel to the original, and for the most part it succeeds. It is aware of the series' history and tells a compelling storyline, an aspect that the superlative Resident Evil 4 seemed to lack. Not everything became automatically better when RE4 came around...

8.4/10.0

-Ugly Bob

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