Resident Evil:Deadly Silence

To close this lengthy series of reviews, oddly all on pretty much the same game (blame Capcom and their Street Fighter II Syndrome, not me!), we come to Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. This game, released in 2006, is an enhanced port of the original version of Resident Evil for the Nintendo DS. This port also boosts some new features to take advantage of the DS' unique hardware as well as additions from later in the Resident Evil series.

The storyline is once again the same. Ho hum...

The graphics are meant to be a port of the original PSX version, but they are actually improved, with less pixelizated character models and better backgrounds. A nice surprise, as everything else is pretty much the same in appearance to the original.

The music is also from the original version, perhaps a bit toned down for the DS. Myself, I couldn't tell the difference. Sound effects remain excellent, even on the go, with the shuffling and scraping of zombie feet, the clicking of Hunter's claws and more.

Gameplay is two fold. Classic Mode is a recreation of the original Resident Evil's gameplay, complete with the bad voice acting. In Rebirth Mode, the VA remains, but quick turning from 3 and on the fly reloading from RE4 have been added. Also the knife is used much like in RE4, pretty darn sweet! There are also House of the Dead inspired minigames involves using the stylus as a knife to fend off enemies. All of these adds up to create a fresh experience.

Challenge may throw some people off in Rebirth Mode, as there are more enemies and fewer items. I liked the different challenge and appreciate that Capcom did not feel that having the game simply being "on-the-go" was enough to justify another release.

Replay value is enhanced due to unlockable multiplayer content for up to 4 players. This plays like previous Battle Modes, but up to 9 additional characters can be played, including Bravo Team members, all having unique items. Pretty neat. The Master of Knifing mini game is a fun thing to try out as well. Besides that, the old unlockables from previous versions carry over.

I could talk about the multiplayer aspect for a while, but a FAQ is perhaps better for that. I will say that there are two modes, both pretty diverse, and that unfortunately wi-fi is not supported. If they ever make a RE 2 port on DS, please PLEASE include Wi-Fi Capcom!

In summation, Resident Evil Deadly Silence is a blast from the past for Resident Evil fans, further justified by its portability. Too bad, that like many DS games, it is pretty rare now, so it may set you back a bit to be able to buy it. This should be expected, as it is a recent release, but Resident Evil Deadly Silence is the best version of the original Resident Evil that a gamer can get. Pick it up, enjoy it, but don't pay too much!

Whew, reviewing 7 versions of essentially the same game took awhile. Luckily this is really the only Resident Evil with enough changes in each version to make it necessary to address each game separately. Resident Evil 2's versions should be much briefer...

- Ugly Bob

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