Resident Evil HD Remaster....any players here?

[evil_ash_xero]

Really happy with this port. I usually hate most of Capcom's ports, since they don't really do anything to touch up their polygonal games much. And they look kind of like crap on an HD TV.

Okami is a big exception, but that was done by HexaDrive.

This version of RE is about all I could ask for (without changing the game too much). The character models look great, and the backgrounds are good as well. I'm assuming they were easier to do, since they are static CG backgrounds.

And the new controls....thank God! I have despised tank controls, since I started playing this series. I just sort dealt with it.
Well, no longer! Finally, normal analog controls. How nice.

Anyone else check this out? I have it on the PS3, as I don't have a PS4 yet. It looks really good, and I can't find much to complain about. Just don't play it in widescreen, as it's not "true" widescreen. It's just zoomed in.

[opt2not]

And the new controls....thank God! I have despised tank controls, since I started playing this series. I just sort dealt with it.
Well, no longer! Finally, normal analog controls. How nice.

I was checking out a few reviews and it looks really good. I might have to pick it up just for the controller change alone!

[dan76]

I want to know if there are any new modes to unlock before buying this. I played the gamecube version to death - is there any point in playing it again?

[Blinge]

And the new controls....thank God! I have despised tank controls, since I started playing this series. I just sort dealt with it.
Well, no longer! Finally, normal analog controls. How nice.

Someone hold him down, I'll get the kerosene!

[ACSeraph]

I was planning to pick it up when my fiance comes back to Japan with the PS4. Even if it's the same as before, any excuse to play REmake is a good one. There is an option for tank controls right? I grew up playing RE that way, so I'm very used to it and not so open to change...

[evil_ash_xero]

And the new controls....thank God! I have despised tank controls, since I started playing this series. I just sort dealt with it.
Well, no longer! Finally, normal analog controls. How nice.

Someone hold him down, I'll get the kerosene!

Man, we knew they were bad controls in the 90s! Freaking Super Mario 64 was out, so everyone knew the controls sucked. And I'm talking about the original RE and RE2.
Most of us put up with it, because the game was so cool in every other aspect.
Don't make me go Crimson Head.

But you like what you like.

I do believe it has an option for the tank controls. When it starts up it has an option for the new controls or the "original" ones. I haven't tested that out though.

As for "new" things... I've read you can unlock a Real Survivor Mode. I don't know if you could do that in the GC version.
The controls are nice, and it has a big graphical upgrade. It's worth it to me!

[Blinge]

UNGG they didn't suck once you got used to them! It makes more sense in a game with fixed camera angles to use tank controls, but yes, to each his own.

Yeah real survivor mode is an option in the GC release. As is some crazy mode you can unlock that makes the zombies invisible.

[SuperSoaker360]

I'm not too big on the new analog controls. It almost feels like cheating when using analog since the quick turning speed basically renders the original 180-turn useless. They should have set a limit to how fast players can actually turn around with analog but I heard that it was designed primarily to attract newer audiences to the game.

In any case, I had originally never played RE1 or REmake at all so picking this up was definitely worth it for me since I was a fan of other traditional Resident Evil games. Graphical touch-ups aside, I feel like the game still holds up pretty well today. The voice acting is the same though and is the only thing that truly feels aged.

[No_not_like_Quake]

I was planning to pick it up when my fiance comes back to Japan with the PS4. Even if it's the same as before, any excuse to play REmake is a good one. There is an option for tank controls right? I grew up playing RE that way, so I'm very used to it and not so open to change...

There's an option for original controls, as well as a few button mapping configurations.

I'm playing in 4:3, as I was worried 16:9 might fuck things up. Anyone playing in 16:9?

[Ed Oscuro]

Does the 16:9 aspect add bars, or extra background details? I would be surprised if it does, since there's not anything over there and it seems that they just blur-uprezzed the backgrounds.

[Leader Bee]

Might just be my settings but i'm finding the game darker and blurrier than the GC original - i bought it thinking it would look nice on HD TV but i'm still not sure.

[DestroyTheCore]

The tank controls are part of the game design. The clunkiness is what makes Resident Evil what it is. Playing with analog controls would be like being able to run while shooting in Resident Evil 4: it would not be the same experience.

#puristrant

[opt2not]

The tank controls are part of the game design. The clunkiness is what makes Resident Evil what it is. Playing with analog controls would be like being able to run while shooting in Resident Evil 4: it would not be the same experience.

#puristrant

Well in that case, then I'm not a true RE fan, 'cause I thought the controls were broken from the beginning. I just tolerated them because I liked the other aspects of the game.

[EmperorIng]

I'll be another that enjoyed the tank controls in the RE games (though they did it best in RE3). It takes 10 minutes tops to get used to (IMO), and it was the best way to control a game with the static backgrounds that made RE so memorable. My first RE was RE4 though (vague childhood memories of RE2 at a cousin's house, but that's it).

Does the 16:9 aspect add bars, or extra background details? I would be surprised if it does, since there's not anything over there and it seems that they just blur-uprezzed the backgrounds.

16:9 is akin to a pan-n-scan VHS, with the picture zoomed in and panning around as needed.

I've been thinking about getting this, but I feel like it wouldn't be right to play on my tiny laptop. I guess I'd have to dig up my Wii...

[Ed Oscuro]

Does the 16:9 aspect add bars, or extra background details? I would be surprised if it does, since there's not anything over there and it seems that they just blur-uprezzed the backgrounds.

16:9 is akin to a pan-n-scan VHS, with the picture zoomed in and panning around as needed.

Barf. I can think of a few areas that'd fuck up proper, when the game area is framed by some beautiful detritus or worse. But thanks for the info! It's a damn shame nobody doing real game reviews seems to care about such details, even though you'd imagine this angle - comparison with the original - would be completely natural for any reviewer.

[ACSeraph]

I was gonna wait but I have no self control and went ahead and bought this last night.

First off, there is a glitch when you try to play the US game via a Japanese PS3 that renders the original control scheme unusable (you can't select items in the menue because of the weird X/O reversing that has plagued the playstation brand from ages past).

So I went ahead and said fuck it and started playing with the default new controls. It feels a little weird at first, but I got used to it quick. It's liberating in a way and makes the game feel new. But it definitely makes combat easier than was probably intended. However I will say that things can get a bit janky when there are drastic camera angle changes. I'm sure this is what prompted Capcom to go for the tank controls in the first place, all those years ago.

I've played the game countless times in it's original 4:3 format on GC and Wii, so I actually opted for 16:9 this time around. It's beautiful if you ask me, and I really appreciate that they put this option in. The camera scrolls vertically to make up for the missing area, but it seems like some thought and care was put into how it is done, and so far I haven't had any problems with it at all. The scrolling actually gives the game a bit of a psuedo-3D feel, and makes things look less static. Anyhow I'm pleased with it, and 4:3 is there for the purists so good on Capcom.

Also just generally, the game is beautiful. I remember the Wii version backgrounds looking just a tad pixelated on a sharp HDTV, but in this I don't see it at all. Everything is sharp and very real looking, they must have gone back and used some very high res source images for this version, it's definitely not just a quick and dirty dump of Archives. Character models also look awesome, and definitely feel like they belong on the PS3. It doesn't have that shinier-PS2 feel most of these remasters have. Also for those that can remember, those horrendous PS1 looking shadows have been totally redone and look great now.

tl;dr This game is beautiful and the new optional control and graphical options are great too. This is the new definitive version of one of the best horror games ever made, and you should all buy it.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm sure this is what prompted Capcom to go for the tank controls in the first place, all those years ago.

That, and the fact that the average CD-ROM system-owning gamer used a d-pad back then. Remember the "Director's Cut Dual Shock Edition?"

[Xan]

Any info on whether the Japanese disc release has any censorship? The original GC Biohazard apparently didn't. They even had the damn courtesy of making the HD release multilingual.

Pondering whether I should import this or just get the GC game... the pan&scan issues are at least justified this time around, there's no other way to do it if the original backdrops were in 4:3. Still kind of defeats the purpose of having a "HD" port if some parts are cut off and it's blurrier than normal.

[ACSeraph]

It's not blurry at all, it looks really sharp on my TV.

Im guessing the JP version is censored, since basically ever modern RE is, and it's rated D rather than Z. I want to say Archives was censored, and I know for a fact UC was.

[Xan]

4 was also censored (headshots and decapitations). Apparently they didn't censor Biohazard GC because the decapitations there weren't related to gameplay, or something like that.

The blur remark was more in comparison to the 4:3 mode. If the 16:9 mode fills the screen it's not going to be as sharp I suppose, though it might not be as bad as RE4's 16:9 mode.

[Limbrooke]

Im guessing the JP version is censored, since basically ever modern RE is, and it's rated D rather than Z. I want to say Archives was censored, and I know for a fact UC was.

I guess it's down to being released before the CERO ratings came about. Although Code Veronica and 4 both went for CERO 18, the former title of the Z category. Perhaps it was with the Wii games they began to censor?

[system11]

Leaving this alone since Capcom couldn't be bothered to run it at 60fps on the consoles. As such, I cannot be bothered to give them money for it.

[Satan]

I'll pick it up Xmas 2015 for pennies.

[Zorator]

Whoa wait they changed the controls? I can't decide if that makes me more of less interested in this port now. I think the GC version finally refined the tank control scheme to perfection, at least in conjunction with the layout of the controller.

[Ed Oscuro]

Whoa wait they changed the controls?

The original control scheme is still selectable.

[Leandro]

I've only played Resident Evil: Code Veronica for Dreamcast and I loved the game. Even beat it under 4:30 hours with only one save (and got the unlimited rocket launcher). Never played any other game on the series. What's the best one, the must play? I guess RE 4

I'll pick it up Xmas 2015 for pennies.

Same here

[evil_ash_xero]

Man, that is a debate that rages on to this day.

It always comes down to the more "pure" RE experience of the Remake, or the incredible RE 4, which is quite different from the rest of the series.

I like the 4th one the best, in terms of gameplay. The remake is the best one, in terms of atmosphere, and the classic "this house is a puzzle" type of RE.

[Ed Oscuro]

On system11's important note about frame rate - apparently it's only the consoles that get limited to 30fps. The stupid Eurogamer staff pooh-pooh this apparently nonsensical change; that being said, I have to admit that a 30Hz bump won't kill gameplay for many players, especially considering many people played the 50Hz version years ago.

However, the PC version runs at 60fps. So, depending on the version you're interested in, this is or isn't an issue. As for myself - I don't intend to pay Capcom big money to buy the same game again, but I will eventually check it out on PC. I'm kind of intrigued about the atmosphere tweaks mentioned in the article.

Recommended RE titles?

RE2 is pretty good - not quite as primitive-seeming as the very first versions of the original, of which the GameCube version really still is the definitive (if you don't like the changes in this version - blurry textures). Apparently the third game is quite good, though after the high production values of RE2 I thought the screens I saw looked primitive - but I didn't play enough to really be sure. I like the post-RE4 games all, but to differing degrees.

Also it's worth playing Dino Crisis. It has a pretty good theme and an improved control scheme. Dino Crisis 2 might be fun too, though it's more action-oriented and has some strange changes.

For what it's worth, I would look into other "survival horror" type games before really getting into the nitty gritty of RE obscurities. There's plenty of games which probably fit the bill and are quality titles, though I should note that a fair number of them are "haunted Japanese house" type games (Kuon*, the Fatal Frame games seem to be like this), in addition to the expected RE knockoffs.

*Kuon represents one of two times From Software portrays the historical character of Abe no Seimei as a grriiilllll

[Xan]

Why stupid? That's like about the only gaming journalism site that I even bother reading, honestly.

[Ed Oscuro]

It's stupid to pooh-pooh an issue like that in the way they do, because they make it look like somebody just flipped a coin or Dracula's Magic happened. They should have pressed on for an explanation.

But yeah, that's a bit much against the generally excellent work they do, so I should be kinder.

Something in the back of my mind kept saying "the original wasn't 60fps either, though," and here we are.

So that does change things a bit. The PC version's 60fps, if it's implemented properly, will be an upgrade to the original. The console versions will basically be the same, and the only impact would be on how smooth the door animations look.