Box Art
Game: Resident Evil Zero
First Released: November 12, 2002, Gamecube
Developers: Capcom
Platforms: Gamecube, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4
Rated: M, for Blood ad Gore, and Violence
First Released: November 12, 2002, Gamecube
Developers: Capcom
Platforms: Gamecube, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4
Rated: M, for Blood ad Gore, and Violence
How I Came To Play This Game
First Boss
I got Resident Evil Zero as a birthday present from my father. We went to Slackers one day around my birthday and he said I could have any game I wanted. I chose Resident Evil Zero because it was the only game of the series I didn't have for the Gamecube.
Story
Fight With The T-001
On July 23, 1998, S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team is sent in to investigate a series of grisly murders in the Arklay Mountains region outside of Raccoon City. On the way to the scene, Bravo's helicopter malfunctions and is forced to crash land in the forest. The team soon discover an overturned military police transport truck, along with the mutilated corpses of two officers. The team split up and Bravo team's field medic, Rebecca Chambers, finds a train stopped in the middle of the forest; the Ecliptic Express. Soon after, she discovers that it is infested with zombies. After a little exploration, she teams up with the man the military police were escorting to his execution; former Marine Billy Coen and the two explore the remaining train compartments whilst combating the zombies, swarms of strange leeches, and a mutated scorpion. As the train begins speeding out of control towards a cliff, the two manage to apply the brakes and divert its course towards an abandoned research and training center. They investigate the underground facility, being forced to defeat the Umbrella Corporation's experiments; mutated insects, spiders and primates. During their navigation, Coen reveals that his unit was forced to kill the innocent civilians of an African village in the midst of a civil war against his wishes, and he soon found that their actions were based on false information. They discover that the former operator of the facility James Marcus, along with Ozwell E. Spencer and Edward Ashford, discovered the Progenitor virus which, when combined with the Ebola virus, created a strain that, despite being photosensitive, caused rapid mutations. Ashford originally wanted to use the virus to help the handicapped through its regenerative effects, but after his death Spencer and Marcus began research on its applications for bio-weapons, combining it with leech DNA which eventually led to the formation of the t-virus. After a showdown with a gigantic bat inside a church, Coen is attacked by a t-virus infected primate and becomes lost inside an underground laboratory. While searching for him, Chambers meets Enrico Marini and fights a released Tyrant before finding Coen washed up on a walkway. After fighting the Tyrant together, the two eventually meet Marcus. It is revealed that both Wesker and William Birkin were oblivious to the cause of the outbreak in both the Ecliptic Express and the mansion, and that the real culprit was Marcus, an employee of Umbrella who operated the facility until his assassination by Wesker and Birkin, on the orders of Spencer. During his dying moments, his pet queen leech entered his body and reproduced exponentially over ten years to absorb his DNA and memories to bring him back to life. Marcus proceeds to split into a mass of leeches, before chasing Chambers and Coen through the facility. Birkin activates the self-destruct system as the Queen Leech, Chambers, and Coen continue to fight. After being injured due to a brief exposure to sunlight, the monster is paralyzed when the overhead entrance to the laboratory is opened just as the sun rises. Chambers throws Coen a revolver and he delivers the final shot to the Queen Leech. As the facility crumbles, the two escape into the forest and come to a halt on a cliff overlooking the Spencer estate. They salute one another after Chambers declares Coen "officially dead". Each goes their own way, with Chambers heading towards the mansion to investigate the whereabouts of the Bravo team.
Pros And Cons
Story
Billy Profile
The whole idea of a Resident Evil prequel was great because it allowed us to see how the outbreak really started. We knew an accident happened in the lab at the mansion, but we didn't know any details about how it happened. The story surpasses the gameplay for sure. The mystery behind Umbrella as well as the story of Billy are also epic.
Characters
Rebecca And Billy
It was nice to actually see the Bravo team in great detail. Before this game, the Bravo team was only seen dead or going to die, except for Rebecca who lives. Also, Billy makes a nice character because your skeptical about him being a good guy at first, but you find out he is innocent in the end. Do you remember how in the original Resident Evil everyone hated Rebecca because she was yappy? Well now she seems to have a completely different personality. Her personality goes back to the way it was though in the REmake, even though it happens in the same chronology.
Gameplay
Barred Door
The gameplay remains largely unchanged from the previous released games in the series except for the fact you control two characters instead of one. However there are some flaws in the games design that make it annoying. There is something I can't put my finger on that makes the game seem different from the others. Maybe because it isn't scary at all? That's right, the only things in the game that count as slightly scary are the Mimicry Marcuses. You know those leech zombies? Those things aren't fair. In fact, all the enemies in this game are not fair. The 180 degree turn is to slow so it's harder to get away from them. Once you shake them off an enemy that grabs you, they can immediately grab you again. The game has to give you time to raise your weapon doesn't it? It doesn't even matter if the other character saves you by shooting the enemy, as long as the enemy grabs you, damage is done. Damage should not be done unless the enemy actually bites you and spills blood. Another annoying thing is how they changed the item system. You can now drop items as well as exchange them with your partner. That is fine and dandy, but where are the item boxes? I can't find them. I don't want to have to remember exactly where I left an item when I need it again. I'm used to leaving all my items I'm not using in a box in one room to come back to later. At least we can "pretend" there's a box and leave all our items in a single room, but it's not the same. You can only leave a limited amount of items in a room anyway. That is a lot of nonsense to deal with.
Graphics
Hunter Attack
The graphics are up to date with the REmake. Way better than what they were originally going to be on the Nintendo 64. The graphics aren't as dark as in the REmake though. That is another reason why it isn't as scary as other games in the series.
Releases
Box Art
Resident Evil Zero was originally released on the Gamecube on November 12, 2002. It was then re-released for the Wii with new controls on December 1, 2009. It has recently been announced to have an HD remaster in the wake of the REmake. The remaster will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, and PS4, in 2016.
My Rating
I give this game a 8/10. It was really good but had a few flaws.