'Resident Evil' may be one of the best games of its genre, but it has very little appeal outside of it.
Overall, the theme of 'Resident Evil' seems to be realism. The game presents itself in as realistic a manner as a game about zombie possibly can. The characters are not made to be action heroes, but normal human beings with realistic strengths and weaknesses (but mostly weaknesses). There is no superficial action. The environments and graphics are as detailed as possible and the storyline tries its best to be conceivable. This constant theme of realism is asserted throughout the game as the player progresses through numerous puzzles that require logic to be solved. The theme serves the game well for its genre, but it also works against its appeal outside that genre in many cases.
The foundation of 'Resident Evil's thick atmosphere is in its cinematic camera angles, which can be both thrilling and incredibly obnoxious at times. The camera always seems to cut the screen just enough so that you cannot see what is right around the corner or where those pesky footsteps are coming from. This is a composition technique stolen from film, and as such it is indeed effective in creating tension and uneasiness in the player. However, when there actually is something around the corner (and in this game there often is), these camera angles prove to be more of a hindrance than they are valuable as an aesthetic. This has every bit to do with the controls as it does with the camera angles, for each time the camera shifts to a new angle, the controls get reset, making it impossible to run away cleanly and quickly as you are constantly having to adjust and re-adjust the direction you are running. On top of that, there are times when something is coming at you from off screen and your character can see it, but you can't. This is more than a simple annoyance, as the characters seem inept when it comes to aiming and actually hitting the target. So although they do add a special dramatic feeling to the overall gameplay, the cinematic camera angles are simply not functional during combat.
The controls in the game are equally dysfunctional. Movement is extremely limited, your character can move one of four directions and from there they can move either forward or backward, constant adjustment is necessary for progress through the game, which makes fluid movement is impossible. The characters feel sluggish, almost like they are trudging through snow. The combat controls are just as awkward; your character can aim directly forward, or at an upward or downward angled. To the reader, this might sound fairly functional, but I assure you that it is not. Without proper aiming techniques (which weren't employed until much later in the series with RE4) combat is immensely difficult and you will often find it more beneficial trying to escape rather than attempting to fight. These clumsy controls are a handicap to the overall experience of the game and make the player feel helpless. The echoing sound of your character's footsteps is a constant reminder of your solitude, making you feel utterly alone. This is yet again another effective technique to create tension, but it is also an effective way to irritate the player. Gameplay also gets tiring after a while, quickly degrading to dull and repetitive once you have been playing for a few hours.
Graphically, Resident Evil was ahead of its time. Not only were characters fully detailed, but the environments were simply stunning. Employing a technique used by Square-Enix in their Final Fantasy series, 'Resident Evil' utilizes stationary picturesque background environment. This of course has both its advantages and disadvantages. First, it contributes to the theme of realism, by making the backgrounds as detailed and realistic as possible. However, upon closer inspection (and after just a few hours of gameplay) the environments begin to look rigid and unnaturally stagnant. There is hardly any interaction available with objects in the environment; when one thing moves, everything else feels oddly inert-as if completely unaffected and there are no cause-effect physics.
With those three main points tackled, I should probably state that 'Resident Evil' is still a great game for its genre, but it's just not a great game "in general." You have to have a specific set of preferences to enjoy this game, and you also must have patience, for the journey is long and treacherous. However, I do not want to discourage anyone from trying it out, for you may find that you like it very much and that the broken controls and repetitive gameplay do not irk you one bit. If you have a broad range of tastes, this game may also appeal to you. But for those of us with more specialized and developed tastes, we will not be wowed by the thrills of 'Resident Evil.' Overall it is not the kind of game that everyone can enjoy.