Sometimes when another entry into a series is made it sometimes does not have enough content or change much from the previous entry of the series to be considered a brand new entry into the game series.
Fallout: New Vegas was seen as more of an expansion pack to the Fallout franchise rather than a brand new experience in the Fallout series of games. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Revelations also share this same criticism.
Resident Evil 0 is similar to New Vegas and AC:Brotherhood as it does not feel like a brand new Resident Evil experience and instead feels like an expansion pack to the Resident Evil franchise.
Presentation
In terms of graphical design,the Resident Evil Archives edition of Resident Evil 0 does not change much. It looks if not just as good or the same as the Gamecube version of Resident Evil. The only difference I did notice in the design was the font design in texts you would read for things like "Take the Handgun Ammo?" and "Took the Conductor's Note file."
Zombies are still missing bits and pieces of their body, the background design of these areas you come across still look good and it's the same type of environment you would come to expect from a Resident Evil game.
Even the main location of the game, a mansion, is something you would see typically in a Resident Evil game. This mansion however is not like the mansion seen in Resident Evil 1.
The environments become way too familiar though. Hallways are claustrophobic but VERY claustrophobic. Resident Evil REbirth and other titles did have some closed off areas, but nothing like this. With two characters closely occupying the same space, the breathing room is non-existent.
Gameplay
This is where I will get into more detail with the game.
Resident Evil 0 introduces a new partner system, where instead of controlling one main character throughout the game, players now have the option of controlling two characters.
Rebecca Chambers, famous S.T.A.R.S. rookie we met in RE1 and Billy Cohen, escaped convict and ex-marine.
What's interesting about the game is that instead of both characters essentially being the same, except with maybe access to particular weapons or encountering certain characters throughout the story. Rebecca will have attributes and abilities that Billy does not have and Billy will have attributes and abilities that Rebecca does not have.
Rebecca is a medic, therefore she has a chemical set and is the only character able to mix herbs together. Billy cannot make herbal mixes, instead, Billy is the stronger character of the two. Billy can take more damage than Rebecca and can push heavier objects than Rebecca can handle. He also has a slightly more powerful handgun than Rebecca's Samuri Edge Handgun.
Adding to this new partner system is the puzzle solving. You will come across puzzles which require Billy and Rebecca to be placed at certain parts in a room so that way you can proceed through the game. Sometimes you will come across parts in the game where you will only be able to use one character for a limited amount of time to open a path way so you can regroup the characters.
One more change to the RE system is the item management. Unlike previous RE games where you had an Item Box to store and save items for later use or bring out an ink ribbon to use on a typewriter. Instead, you can now leave items on the ground in order to make room for either Billy or Rebecca's inventory.
Now I do give credit to Capcom for approaching Resident Evil in a different way, but a good change or innovative to the series? No sir.
The removal of the item box does make the game interesting without the lack of a reliable item storage system but what results is continuous backtracking. Past RE games had an element of backtracking as well but it was no where near the level of backtracking you have to do in Resident Evil 0.
The addition of the partner system really becomes a matter of which character you want to be using the most. Sure you can equip your other partner with a good amount of ammo but don't forget, you need ammo as well. If both characters are using ammunition to take down zombies, you will actually be losing more ammunition, rather than conserving ammunition by having more firepower.
The enemies you also experience in Resident Evil 0 are nothing that would be considered a nightmare or when you see these enemies come on screen you become horrified and don't know what to do to eliminate the new enemy.
These enemies all look like something you would see from a cheesy 1930s-1940s horror movies.
Zombie monkeys, a giant zombie centipede, leech zombies, giant zombie bats and even a big zombie frog. No, not the Hunters that look like frogs, an actual big frog.
You don't really get this sense of dread or horror from seeing these monsters come on screen. In fact, some of these enemies can be easily avoided and you won't see them again.
The frog for instance, if you leave the area they appeared from, they'll disappear and you won't see them ever again.
Why introduce a new enemy type if you're not even going to be fighting against that enemy ever again? I counted, there are only two of these big frogs, not one single round did I fire to eliminate them.
Leech Hunter Mode
Ladies and gentlemen.....let me introduce you to the most tedious and most mundane bonus challenge mode Resident Evil has ever had...
Leech Hunter.
Here's the scenario. You take control of Billy and Rebecca as you explore a limited area of the mansion, collecting Green and Blue Leech Charms. Each charm can only be picked up by a certain character(as seen above) Rebecca can only pick up green and Billy can only pick up blue.
It's the game mode that unlocks you bonus stuff such as a special ammunition, infinite handgun ammo or infinite ammo for a particular weapon or infinite ammo for all weapons.
Here's the catch. You cannot leave the leech charms to make space for ammo or medical supplies, there are a limited amount of weapons and ammo. Each room will either be filled to the brim with spiders, zombies, hunters or plague crawlers. You will either only have a handgun or a few shots from a shotgun if you found one by a miracle.
The problem with this mode is that it is clear that you would not be able to complete this mode without reading a guide to the mode or playing the mode multiple times so you don't die.
If you do die, all the leech charms the character you died with does not get counted for your bonuses.
You are constantly going back and forth through the mansion stopping at every turn to pick up these charms.
It becomes very boring very fast.
The Verdict
Resident Evil 0 is more of an expansion pack to Resident Evil rather than a full on new title.
It makes changes along the way, but these changes do not add to the experience and instead make the Resident Evil experience more frustrating and leaving you actually wanting to play a different Resident Evil game.
If there are any RE fans thinking about completing their collection with RE0 or have never played RE0 and you're thinking about trying it....
Don't
Play Resident Evil REbirth instead.
Resident Evil 0 gets a 5 out of 10
Fallout: New Vegas was seen as more of an expansion pack to the Fallout franchise rather than a brand new experience in the Fallout series of games. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Revelations also share this same criticism.
Resident Evil 0 is similar to New Vegas and AC:Brotherhood as it does not feel like a brand new Resident Evil experience and instead feels like an expansion pack to the Resident Evil franchise.
Presentation
In terms of graphical design,the Resident Evil Archives edition of Resident Evil 0 does not change much. It looks if not just as good or the same as the Gamecube version of Resident Evil. The only difference I did notice in the design was the font design in texts you would read for things like "Take the Handgun Ammo?" and "Took the Conductor's Note file."
Zombies are still missing bits and pieces of their body, the background design of these areas you come across still look good and it's the same type of environment you would come to expect from a Resident Evil game.
Even the main location of the game, a mansion, is something you would see typically in a Resident Evil game. This mansion however is not like the mansion seen in Resident Evil 1.
The environments become way too familiar though. Hallways are claustrophobic but VERY claustrophobic. Resident Evil REbirth and other titles did have some closed off areas, but nothing like this. With two characters closely occupying the same space, the breathing room is non-existent.
Gameplay
This is where I will get into more detail with the game.
Resident Evil 0 introduces a new partner system, where instead of controlling one main character throughout the game, players now have the option of controlling two characters.
Rebecca Chambers, famous S.T.A.R.S. rookie we met in RE1 and Billy Cohen, escaped convict and ex-marine.
What's interesting about the game is that instead of both characters essentially being the same, except with maybe access to particular weapons or encountering certain characters throughout the story. Rebecca will have attributes and abilities that Billy does not have and Billy will have attributes and abilities that Rebecca does not have.
Rebecca is a medic, therefore she has a chemical set and is the only character able to mix herbs together. Billy cannot make herbal mixes, instead, Billy is the stronger character of the two. Billy can take more damage than Rebecca and can push heavier objects than Rebecca can handle. He also has a slightly more powerful handgun than Rebecca's Samuri Edge Handgun.
Adding to this new partner system is the puzzle solving. You will come across puzzles which require Billy and Rebecca to be placed at certain parts in a room so that way you can proceed through the game. Sometimes you will come across parts in the game where you will only be able to use one character for a limited amount of time to open a path way so you can regroup the characters.
One more change to the RE system is the item management. Unlike previous RE games where you had an Item Box to store and save items for later use or bring out an ink ribbon to use on a typewriter. Instead, you can now leave items on the ground in order to make room for either Billy or Rebecca's inventory.
Now I do give credit to Capcom for approaching Resident Evil in a different way, but a good change or innovative to the series? No sir.
The removal of the item box does make the game interesting without the lack of a reliable item storage system but what results is continuous backtracking. Past RE games had an element of backtracking as well but it was no where near the level of backtracking you have to do in Resident Evil 0.
The addition of the partner system really becomes a matter of which character you want to be using the most. Sure you can equip your other partner with a good amount of ammo but don't forget, you need ammo as well. If both characters are using ammunition to take down zombies, you will actually be losing more ammunition, rather than conserving ammunition by having more firepower.
The enemies you also experience in Resident Evil 0 are nothing that would be considered a nightmare or when you see these enemies come on screen you become horrified and don't know what to do to eliminate the new enemy.
These enemies all look like something you would see from a cheesy 1930s-1940s horror movies.
Zombie monkeys, a giant zombie centipede, leech zombies, giant zombie bats and even a big zombie frog. No, not the Hunters that look like frogs, an actual big frog.
You don't really get this sense of dread or horror from seeing these monsters come on screen. In fact, some of these enemies can be easily avoided and you won't see them again.
The frog for instance, if you leave the area they appeared from, they'll disappear and you won't see them ever again.
Why introduce a new enemy type if you're not even going to be fighting against that enemy ever again? I counted, there are only two of these big frogs, not one single round did I fire to eliminate them.
Leech Hunter Mode
Leech Hunter.
Here's the scenario. You take control of Billy and Rebecca as you explore a limited area of the mansion, collecting Green and Blue Leech Charms. Each charm can only be picked up by a certain character(as seen above) Rebecca can only pick up green and Billy can only pick up blue.
It's the game mode that unlocks you bonus stuff such as a special ammunition, infinite handgun ammo or infinite ammo for a particular weapon or infinite ammo for all weapons.
Here's the catch. You cannot leave the leech charms to make space for ammo or medical supplies, there are a limited amount of weapons and ammo. Each room will either be filled to the brim with spiders, zombies, hunters or plague crawlers. You will either only have a handgun or a few shots from a shotgun if you found one by a miracle.
The problem with this mode is that it is clear that you would not be able to complete this mode without reading a guide to the mode or playing the mode multiple times so you don't die.
If you do die, all the leech charms the character you died with does not get counted for your bonuses.
You are constantly going back and forth through the mansion stopping at every turn to pick up these charms.
It becomes very boring very fast.
The Verdict
Resident Evil 0 is more of an expansion pack to Resident Evil rather than a full on new title.
It makes changes along the way, but these changes do not add to the experience and instead make the Resident Evil experience more frustrating and leaving you actually wanting to play a different Resident Evil game.
If there are any RE fans thinking about completing their collection with RE0 or have never played RE0 and you're thinking about trying it....
Don't
Play Resident Evil REbirth instead.
Resident Evil 0 gets a 5 out of 10
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