Relive the horror as Resident Evil 5 approaches!
As we’re all now eagerly approaching the eve of Resident Evil 5 coming to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in North America and Europe on Friday 13th, it seems an opportune time to revisit the most memorable moments from Capcom’s legendary horror franchise that have terrified and thrilled gamers in equal measure over the years. It is difficult to narrow it down to just five scenes as there are many, many more so I just went off the top of my head for the ones that had the most awe-inspiring psychological impact.
Of course, this is a very subjective and personal appraisal and I’m sure that you all have your own favourite recurring nightmare scenes from Resident Evil, so don’t forget to share them with us in the comments and Beefjack forum. Let the horror commence!
1) Resident Evil 1 (Remake for Gamecube): The giant snake in the library battle. O.K, so to those of us who had played through the original Playstation game it wasn’t exactly a surprise to learn that there was a huge snake lurking in the shadows and guarding items essential to our progress. However, the all- new photorealism of the environments certainly provided some additional urgency and shivers down the spine to this epic battle with ‘Yawn’. It was possibly even more terrifying then the now famous ‘Rabid hellhounds bursting through the window’ scene!
2) Resident Evil 2 (Playstation): The alligator in the Umbrella sewer facility. This scene certainly made the most vivid impression in the highly acclaimed sequel to Resident Evil. One moment its just the echo of your own footsteps in the sewer then you turn a corner and an massive alligator that takes up pretty much the entire corridor / screen raises its immensely ugly head. Worse still is the realisation that there is no escape possible and you’re going to have to confront the beast. It may all be over in one essential shot but the sense of sheer terror hangs in the air for some time afterwards. This was one of the greatest cinematic scenes in early Resident Evil titles.
3) Resident Evil 3 (Playstation): Being continually stalked by Nemesis gave the term ‘Survival Horror’ a whole new meaning. This was a new innovation to the series: A giant, nightmarish creature who had the intelligence to run, use a rocket launcher, dodge and follow you around, even springing up in random encounters. The best element of the game was the pervasive feeling that you had hadn’t seen the last of Nemesis, even if you defeated him in combat he would bounce back. He casts a shadow over the entire game, heightening the experience and remains one of the most effective and downright terrifying characters in the history of Resident Evil or indeed of video games in general.
4) Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube / PS2/ Wii): Becoming trapped in a ramshackle hut surrounded by masses of insane pitchfork wielding undead villagers at the beginning of the village level. The sense of claustrophobia and panic is compounded by the fact that you still don’t really know what is going on. You quickly push the shelves against the door, smash the cabinet for the shotgun, push the ladders down and breathe for just a moment. Then you hear the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw revving up…..
This was an excellent baptism of fire into the deranged world of Resident Evil 4 and an innovative way of demonstrating the impressive capabilities of the AI as the ‘Los Ganados’ communicate, conspire and plot, beginning to smash the doors in and rapidly put the ladders back up. It obviously wasn’t the most exhilarating scene in the entire game but was a gripping, action packed introduction to the new dynamics on offer.
5) Umbrella Chronicles (Nintendo Wii). Despite being on the rails, this release was a tour de force through the dark heart of Resident Evil, so I’ll include the entire game rather than a key scene. Encompassing familiar environments from Resident Evil 1-3 and Zero, it was a genuine thrill to revisit the mansion and train derailment scenes.
From the killer sharks to giant scorpion Stinger and giant spiders in caves, the enemies were brilliantly recreated and updated. For devout fans of the franchise, there were numerous revelations about the back-story and some cool Easter eggs. For the uninitiated it was simply a fun, immersive and scary arcade shooter. It was a short but utterly sweet experience that left us crying out for more and therefore rejoicing at the recent news that Capcom are developing a ‘Dark Side Chronicles’ follow up (see Beefjack news section for more info on that).
So, come on then- What are your Top 5 Resident Evil moments so far?
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