Though it may be the weakest in the Resident Evil mainline series, it's still a great game.
As stated above, the gameplay in Resident Evil 0 suffers from some major problems. The game has introduced something new to the franchise, and that is the ability to instantly switch between the two playable characters, rookie S.T.A.R.S. member Rebecca Chambers, in whom you’ll be familiar with if you’ve played past titles, and Ex-con Billy Coen, an original character created for Resident evil 0. This new gameplay addition unfortunately becomes tiresome. If you’ve played past titles, you’d know that the Resident Evil franchise is known for great puzzles. Resident Evil 0 has puzzles as well of course, but how they are presented is what separates Resident evil 0 from the past games in the series, and that is not necessarily a good thing. The puzzles will almost always take advantage of the two-character system. This means you will be forced to switch from one to another to complete puzzles. This takes away more than it adds, and becomes tiresome. The game would have been much more enjoyable had this feature not be implemented.
Another addition, or should I say subtraction Resident Evil 0 has made is the ability to drop items out of your inventory. This would have been useful for swapping an item in your inventory for one on the ground when your not near an item box, yet ultimately Capcom has decided to remove the item box, which makes this new item dropping feature totally useless. Most of the time, you will just end up dropping all your unneeded items in one room, so you don’t forget where they are. Sometimes you may even drop an item somewhere thinking you won’t need it, but then the use for the item becomes apparent and you have to backtrack for 15 minutes just to find the item. That’s not the worst part, you may encounter some enemies on your journey, get killed and repeat. This new feature is totally useless, and the absence of the item box is a disappointment as well.
Another notable aspect is that while you control one character, your other character will be CPU controlled. You can give the basic commands of “follow”, “attack” and so on, but ultimately when your characters are split apart, you will have to control each one separately by switching back and fourth, moving each of the two to their destination, just so you can meet up again, which gets tiresome.
Alas, more important problems plague Resident Evil 0, and that is an odd storyline that just doesn’t fit in with the other games in the franchise. Parts of the story are completely incomprehensible in context that this is in fact a prequel to the original Resident Evil, and doesn’t tie in. Not to say the story is a complete wreck, as you do get some history on some of the characters in the Resident Evil universe as well as the umbrella corporation, that do tie in appropriately. Yet there is more bad than good in this category, which is a huge disappointment.
The graphics in Resident Evil 0 are superb. The backgrounds are pre-rendered and look great, yet they lack the smoothness and perfection of Resident evil remake. One problem is, During FMV’s, characters stand out from the backgrounds in lighted areas. Resident Evil 0 was in production before Resident evil remake, so they could have ironed it out a bit more. Overall the graphics are amazing, and the atmosphere, like past Resident Evil games, is breathtaking. Upon starting the game, you will see the unprecedented level of detail and the great lighting effects used in Resident Evil 0, which make this category nothing short of superb. The only disappointment is, just as Resident Evil remake, is Resident Evil 0 does not support progressive scan.
The sound category is solid as well. The sound effects are eerie and add to the atmosphere. Music will climatically pick up when an enemy is by, giving a great effect. Also, footsteps in the distance are another great part of this category, as it adds to the horror theme. This category is done extremely well, and is one of the best aspects of the game, aside from some rough voice work.
One of the problems with Resident Evil 0 is the lack of any worthwhile extra content, and lack of any reason to go back to the game after completion. In past resident Evil games, there have been exciting content and worthwhile extras ahead, which adds to the replay value. While Resident Evil 0 does indeed have extras, none of them are worth your time. If you’re not a diehard fan of Resident Evil, than you should give this game a rental. If you’ve stuck with the series through out the years than this game would be worth a purchase. The game, during the first time through, will last on average about 8-12 hours, depending on your skill level and experience with the franchise and/or genre.
While it may not be needed, and probably not wanted, Resident Evil 0 is here, and yet while ultimately a disappointment, the game has a lot to offer, and is a good title. The game also gives us some inside on the umbrella corporation, which was nice. The graphics and sound make this game technically superb, although lacking in other areas. Resident Evil 0 does indeed immerse you in its environment and your surroundings, and yet while the gameplay is made worse by these new features, and the story is albeit lacking in areas, you’d be good to give Resident Evil 0 a go, for it’s high production values and great atmospherically creepy ambience.