Want to feel a bit old? It’s been about 19 years since the original Resident Evil released on the Playstation in 1996. And it’s been about 13 years since the 2002 remake that this version of the game is based on. Although Resident Evil’s 2002 rendition isn’t a stranger to port jobs, this latest attempt at revisiting the classic follows the last effort on the Wii. But the visual upgrades and the new control scheme make this entry more inviting for those who are new, or wished for something other than the original’s ‘tank’ controls.

The game is about a police special task force called S.T.A.R.S. Who in the middle of investigating reports of mutilations and disappears in the mountainous region of Raccoon City. After getting attacks by very dangerous (and dead) looking dogs they run into an apparently abandoned mansion for shelter. Of course, things go sour once they realized that it’s crawling with both undead and mutated monsters. The name of the game is survival, as you have only limited ammo and usually little room to move around in. And you can only take so much punishment. The stuff survival horror is known for. While the original game was well known for its cheesy B-movie themes as well as infamously bad voice acting and scripting. The 2002 version had an actual concerted effort made to scare players, or at least up the level of tension and unease considerably. It’s fixed the script, and has a much darker tone, thanks to the level of technology allowing for a more direct vision for the game. Environments are more uninviting, and now regular zombies can mutate into even nastier foes if their bodies aren’t burned after they are taken down. The mansion had also been redesigned to throw off players and up the level of fear with more ghouls to deal with. It was a great game in its day, and that still remains true now in 2015.

The enhancements brought to this latest port are very small. It has received a much appreciated visual and audio boost, but as for features, not so much. There is a new control scheme, which lets you use the analog stick to move your character in any direction, while still letting you use the traditional ‘tank’ controls. You can also choose new starting costumes for Jill and Chris, based on their RE5 DLC outfits. There are also achievements for completionists. Nice additions that could have been present would have been some kind of ‘game synergy’ using the Vita and a Surface for looking at maps, health or using items. The Wii U would have been a great system for such features, but it was not on the port list, regrettably. But, Resident Evil, despite receiving a cheap port, is thankfully a good port. And the game is still the solid experience 13 years ago, and I whole-heartedly recommended it. And what better time than the present?

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