Resident Evil Archives

This is the second time Resident Evil has had a re-release on a Nintendo console and after the success of Nintendo’s New Play Control scheme there were high hopes that we’d be getting the original Resident Evil with some fantastic new Wii-centric features.

Unfortunately anyone expecting a brand new experience is in for a disappointment as this is almost exactly the same as the Gamecube version. They haven’t even adapted it for widescreen TVs. In one way, this isn’t an issue as the core gameplay is still as good as ever, but they also haven’t bothered to fix a lot of irritating issues.

The controls, for instance, are old fashioned and extremely clunky, particularly when combined with the fixed camera angles that can have you fighting enemies you can’t even see.

It’s also irritating that you can only carry a maximum of 6 or 8 items depending on which character you choose. There are loads of items to pick up and it means you’re constantly trudging back and forth, trying to decide which you need for a particular scenario. And then there is the annoying save system and lack of ammunition.

In spite of these irritations though the game still proves a compelling experience as you explore the spooky mansion and take on a variety of creepy beasts. The visuals have been improved massively over the original and it’s a huge and in-depth adventure. The trouble is that getting into the game requires overcoming a steep learning curve and ignoring the many old fashioned peculiarities.

Verdict: 75%

Still a fantastic game but it’s a real shame they didn’t take this opportunity to improve on certain aspects of the game and make it more friendly to new players.