Ideas are tired and uninspired; we're used to the same old tricks the series has thrown at us.
(Meh.)
Ever since the fearsome Nemesis' relentless campaign of stalking Jill Valentine, the Resident Evil series was capable of anything. No dramatic camera angles or grotesque CG really mattered; just the very sight of Nemesis pouncing onto the scene without warning was truly terrifying. Silent Hill may be more of a psychological terror and Dino Crisis had better ingredients in the gameplay, but Resident Evil, no matter how over the top, remains the most gritty. You just can't beat groaning zombies I guess.
Resident Evil Zero (or O) is the long awaited prequel to the first ever Resident Evil game back in 1996. It was due to book a release on the N64 until Resident Evil 2 was favoured instead. Likewise, the game was to be one of the first games surrounded with the Gamecube's release and after months of delays, it finally arrived. This is the prequel, and covers everything leading to the events in the Spencer mansion through the perspective of the B.R.A.V.O team (you know, the guys who were already ripped to pieces when Jill and Chris got to the mansion.)
What immediately sells this game is the fact that Resident Evil has a knack for creating characters you truly feel attached to throughout their hours of nightmare and torture. We've probably all counted by our fingers the people from S.T.A.R.S who have fallen to the deadly T-Virus Umbrella unleashed upon Racoon City. Even with her cardboard personality, Jill Valentine and her aloofness of being eaten at any moment wormed her into the affections of many gamers (well, she can play Moonlight Sonata). Also, Claire Redfield also managed to win the teenage boy vote when she rode onto the scene in Resident Evil 2. Needless to say, the Resident Evil games have often saved themselves from becoming stale, not by invigorating the gameplay (because frankly, they haven't) but instead by throwing the survival horror baton to some other poor fool, who forms a bond with us based on our thudding heartbeats.
Which leads us to Rebecca Chambers. Remember her, the B.R.A.V.O rookie who hid out in the storage room and attacked Chris Redfield with... a first aid spray? This time Rebecca is the first of two characters you'll be controlling through this dismal adventure. Ever wonder what did happen to make the mansion infested with zombies and that deadly virus? Or how the helicopter supporting the B.R.A.V.O team was taken down and what happened to them individually? While Resident Evil gave us glimpses of this, Zero gives us the full insights and how Rebecca winded up in the mansion and the events that took place before Jill and Chris stole her limelight. If you thought the beginning was Jill and Chris being hounded by flesh eating dogs, then think again.
Zero begins with a gory CG introduction showing the B.R.A.V.O team flying to Racoon City to check out the mysterious happenings. A train travels through the downpouring rain and stormy weather during the night. Suddenly a mysterious figure appears across the mountains and chants a weird spell; moments later, a swarm of leeches attack the train, killing all of the passengers. At the same time, the B.R.A.V.O helicopter suddenly crashes into the Racoon woods, only to quickly discover that another helicopter suffered the same fate - except a notorious criminal named Billy Coen was on board, and is now roaming the forest. Deciding on instinct, they split up and decide to search for him and any evidence to what could have happened. Rebecca, making the first mistake in horror land by being cute and alone, searches the haunted woods and stumbles upon the train...
The second character is Billy Coen, a serial killer (a total of 23 murders, reportedly) is being transported from Racoon City to a federal prison when his helicopter is taken down. After losing the guards (who seem to be very dead) he escapes and bumps into Rebecca on the mysterious train she's investigating, just as the morbid goings on reach the surface. Totally unphased that she has just come face to face with a professional killer, Rebecca chooses not to arrest him or point a gun at him; but instead engage in some feisty banter with him. Like most horror heroines, Rebecca is remarkably aloof and brash when it suits her. Perhaps a little dense for the most part, what makes up for her foibles is the fact that her naivete is complemented somewhat with the wonderful graphics showing these expressions on her face - whereas back in the old days Jill would say something stupid and come off being serious and unintentionally funny about it thanks to the lack of animation.
Rebecca continues to search the train, realises that she's out of her depth, and it's only when Billy saves her life that she finally agrees to co-operate with him. And here is where the heart of Zero's gameplay lies: teamwork. In previous games, having anyone tagging along with you on your journey was met with the stipulation of 'carrying' that person - which meant ultimately making sure that they wouldn't be hurt (look up Sherry Birkin's hate campaign). Here however, you can switch between characters at any given moment of the gameplay, which is necessary to solving puzzles and perhaps to overcome a swarm of zombies at one point. A good case would be where Rebecca crashes through the roof of the train and becomes trapped in the kitchen. Switching over to Billy, you have to find an ice pick and send it up to Rebecca via the dumb waiter, so Rebecca can collect it for her to picklock the door.
You'll come across many weapons in Resident Evil: Zero. From handguns to shotguns, grenade launchers to molotov cocktails - there is plenty of arsenal to take out the gruesome foe. As well as rationing item use, which was always a highlight for the word 'survival' in this series, Rebecca and Billy both have different abilities and attributes which brings in a bout of logic as to how you use them. Rebecca is typically weak and falters easier to damage than Billy, who is stronger with better defence. However, Rebecca can combine and mix herbs as she's a trained nurse whilst Billy can't, but makes up for being able to push and pull large objects. Putting it simply, Zero will make sure you use both characters.
While playing as either Rebecca or Billy, you can control the other character using the yellow analog. Or, if you prefer to rely on A.I, you can function them via the start button to follow you and shoot whenever an enemy is in sight. You can also have them in idle mode, and work independently. However, it's best to always use teamwork when exploring through areas, just to be cautious. Of course, there are some sections in the game that requires the character to go it alone. Be aware if your partner dies, the game is over. And Zero doesn't break the habit of rubbing salt in the wounds when the large blood red letters appear on the screen, stating very clearly "YOU ARE DEAD" with the fallen character. Talk about biting someone in the arse.
The first problem with this game is the controls. Moving both characters is rather clunky, and takes a while to slip into comfortability with them. More frustratingly, having them try to turn around is complete murder when you're being viciously stalked by enemies. Both Billy and Rebecca feel heavier (she's a tiny little thing) and unlike the inventive quick turn Jill Valentine could manoeuvore to avoid sticky situations, it's easy for the two characters to fall into the clutch of the zombies. Given that Rebecca is terribly weak and prone to die very quickly, it's a fatal flaw in the gameplay. Likewise, the slowness of the characters makes it difficult to dodge zombies instead of having to gun them down all the time, this makes timed objectives excruciating.
Next problem: the teamwork element is a concept that should have been invented (at least) by Resident Evil 2. We all remember the trouble gamers had with Sherry Birkin, and not even a good storyline with her character could save her from being reviled by for the sheer uselessness of her. Now that we finally get the teamwork option, Zero wastes the concept. It lacks excitement on so many levels. Switching between the characters to help another is fine, but when it comes to puzzles, all that is required is the typical Resident Evil way of doing things: find an item, combine it with another item to get yet another item. Or mainly finding keys. It's beyond frustrating and dull. There are, however, some puzzles that enroll pressure and quick thinking - such as throwing you a calculation puzzle to activate the train brakes in the allotted time before it crashes. Sadly, these puzzles are few and far between. All in all, this sums up the gameplay to ultimately be nothing new. Capcom tries to add an innovating feature, and fails. This aside, Zero is your typical Resident Evil adventure. A shame really. We're in a new generation of games and all we seem to be getting from this series is rehash after rehash now. It makes it a problem when Silent Hill is pushing more boundaries in style and ideas, while the old classic Dino Crisis still holds superior gameplay values.
There is redemption in the graphics. In my opinion, Resident Evil Zero is one of the most graphically impressive games to be seen on the Gamecube. The character models animate to perfection whilst they wander around in endless pre-rendered backdrops. As vain as this sounds, the graphics completely distract the gameplay's flaws at times. Magic comes in the way Rebecca cautiously creeps around, always looking as she's supposed to: in the frame of mind of someone trying to survive. When she's injured, she limps and staggers so convincingly. When she's emptying a cartridge into a zombie's face, the might in her expression is almost endearing. Character response to the horror and carnage going on around them is truly magnificent. Dramatic camera angles and the CG scenes are also impressive, with immense detail to location and top notch animation.
Sound wise, there's not a hell of a lot to shout about. Voice duties for the characters are dealt with fine, the music is mostly reduced to an ambush or a heated fight with a hefty boss. Typically, the sounds are atmospheric to convey the feeling of fear and suspense and a string of haunting themes is what you will find often. The intensity of orchestra music when battling a boss is electrifying, creating a rush of adrenaline and fear.
Ultimately, I'm somewhat disappointed. While Billy and Rebecca's story in Resident Evil Zero is often an interesting (and gory) one, the gameplay hasn't evolved and isn't really fun for fans of the series. Silent Hill, perhaps the only other major player in the horror genre, has progressed both in psychological torment and raw survival gameplay. Resident Evil hasn't and, in remaining the same, borders being bland and nowhere near as entertaining as the first three games were. Ideas are tired and uninspired, we're used to the same old tricks the series has thrown at us, so it's time to say this: Resident Evil needs new material. Soon.