Resident Evil: Archives

The survival horror genre was truly kick-started in 1996, with the original Resident Evil arriving on the PlayStation. The game’s ambition, storyline, gameplay and atmosphere all broke new ground for spine-chilling games and spawned a franchise that has sold over 40 million games around the world.

This year has already satisfied series fans with Resident Evil 5 and Capcom’s E3 announcement of a PSP instalment has given gamers plenty of reason to be excited. Last month, Capcom released a title that is sure to expand the Resident Evil fanbase further: Resident Evil Archives.

Revisiting the first game in the series, this title not only allows veterans to relive the horrors they first experienced back in 1996, it also introduces newcomers to the franchise. Based heavily on the 2002 remake released on GameCube, this latest version of Resident Evil has been enhanced and optimised for the Wii.

The classic story remains the same. When a Special Tactics and Rescue Services (S.T.A.R.S) team disappears while investigating a mysterious mansion in the Aklay Mountains, the unit despatches its Alpha team to discover what happened.

NECESSARY EVIL
Players once again take on the role of Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine as they follow two separate paths through the mansion, with a possible ten endings depending on the decisions they make along the way.

As they progress, they must solve fiendish puzzles and battle with the hordes of zombies and other infected creatures as they fight for survival. While Resident Evil fans may remember most of the game’s twists and turns, anyone who missed out on the 2002 remake will find new rooms and areas to discovers, as well as additional items and enemies that did not appear in the 1996 original.

With gameplay that still holds up today tweaked to account for the Wii’s unique control system, this is the ultimate edition of a modern classic.