Games Database
GameCube
Adventure: Survival Horror
Resident Evil Zero - GameCube
Also known as: Biohazard Zero', 'Resident Evil Archives: Zero
| Also for: | Wii | ||
| Viewed: | 3D Third-person, floating camera | Genre: | Adventure: Survival Horror |
| Arcade origin: | No | ||
| Developer: | Capcom | Soft. Co.: | Capcom |
| Publishers: | Capcom
(GB/US) |
Released: | 7 Mar 2003
(GB) 15 Nov 2002 (US) |
| Ratings: | BBFC 15 | ||
| Accessories: | Memory Card | ||
Summary
Although few and far between, there are games that make the GameCube more of a necessity than an option. Games to look forward to, games to cherish, games that remind you why it is that you actually got into the pastime in the first place. Obviously there was Mario. There will be Zelda. And thanks to some kind of recent exclusivity deal with Capcom, there is Resident Evil.
Now unless you've been living on another planet for the last five years or something you'll know that Resident Evil is THE survival horror series. Dark, eerie and bowel-looseningly scary, it is now in its fifth instalment and, entitled Zero, tells of the incidents that precede the original story.
The incidents in question revolve around female lead Rebecca Chambers who, along with other members of the STARS team, discovers a half-destroyed military transport truck containing corpses of several navy officers. The remains are identified and the dead officers are accounted for. Except for one - Captain Billy Coen. Under orders from Commander Enrico, Bravo Team set out to investigate Coen's disappearance and, as you may expect, what follows is no picnic with Keith Harris and Orville.
Probably the most notable aspect of Zero is the main gameplay mechanic, which sees you take control of both the central characters simultaneously throughout the game. Hitting the X button toggles between the two, Start allows you to select whether they travel as a group or split up, and you can also select between offensive and passive states for the secondary character. Also notable are the item boxes, or lack of them. That's right, they're gone, and you now have the power to leave items or, should the two characters be in the same vicinity, trade them. These two aspects mean you have to adopt a completely different frame of mind - puzzles are now geared more towards two-person scenarios and you need to be a lot more careful with regard to use and placement of items.
If you've witnessed the GC remake of the original Resident Evil then you know what to expect from this title. It looks great, with beautifully rendered backgrounds, luscious real-time lighting and believable model animations, all making for a chillingly authentic experience. Granted, some of the series' flaws are ever present, such as characters that forget to stop running upon reaching a wall. But others have been amended - you now possess the almighty power to use items without having to pick them up first, which can be extremely handy when you need health and you 'can't carry any more items'.
Zero is a fine addition to anyone's Resident Evil collection. It's one of the 'Cube's flagship titles and should be played by all. Unless you're scared of zombies, in which case you might be better off buying FIFA or something.
Now unless you've been living on another planet for the last five years or something you'll know that Resident Evil is THE survival horror series. Dark, eerie and bowel-looseningly scary, it is now in its fifth instalment and, entitled Zero, tells of the incidents that precede the original story.
The incidents in question revolve around female lead Rebecca Chambers who, along with other members of the STARS team, discovers a half-destroyed military transport truck containing corpses of several navy officers. The remains are identified and the dead officers are accounted for. Except for one - Captain Billy Coen. Under orders from Commander Enrico, Bravo Team set out to investigate Coen's disappearance and, as you may expect, what follows is no picnic with Keith Harris and Orville.
Probably the most notable aspect of Zero is the main gameplay mechanic, which sees you take control of both the central characters simultaneously throughout the game. Hitting the X button toggles between the two, Start allows you to select whether they travel as a group or split up, and you can also select between offensive and passive states for the secondary character. Also notable are the item boxes, or lack of them. That's right, they're gone, and you now have the power to leave items or, should the two characters be in the same vicinity, trade them. These two aspects mean you have to adopt a completely different frame of mind - puzzles are now geared more towards two-person scenarios and you need to be a lot more careful with regard to use and placement of items.
If you've witnessed the GC remake of the original Resident Evil then you know what to expect from this title. It looks great, with beautifully rendered backgrounds, luscious real-time lighting and believable model animations, all making for a chillingly authentic experience. Granted, some of the series' flaws are ever present, such as characters that forget to stop running upon reaching a wall. But others have been amended - you now possess the almighty power to use items without having to pick them up first, which can be extremely handy when you need health and you 'can't carry any more items'.
Zero is a fine addition to anyone's Resident Evil collection. It's one of the 'Cube's flagship titles and should be played by all. Unless you're scared of zombies, in which case you might be better off buying FIFA or something.
