Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is a great game, especially if you're a newcomer to the series.
When I played this game, I was greatly surprised with how good the original Resident Evil was. I started on the Classic mode so I could experience the direct port of the Playstation classic before going to the upgraded Rebirth mode. Being the first time I really played the game myself, I was very surprised by how much the game had to offer.
The graphics in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence aren't exactly easy on the eyes compared to current gen console standards, but the game has excellent graphics for DS standards. The game runs quite smoothly, and the character models look rather decent. The only problem with the zombies is that there are only two models for zombies, so you're basically blowing the head off of the same looking creature over and over again. But still... when you blow their heads off, you get quite a display of gore.
I've payed enough attention to the original Resident Evil to know what the sounds are like. The sounds in the DS remake are exactly the same. On one hand, it's not so bad, seeing how sounds like footsteps, gunfire, and zombie moans are quite good. And then there's the fact that the music is almost always playing something to keep the atmosphere of the game creepy, especially in a tense situation. However, a possible disadvantage of the ported sounds is the fact that the voice acting in the DS remake is just as bad as it was in the original. However, some of them are quite amusing. A couple of examples are Barry's "Master of Unlocking" and "Jill Sandwich" lines, which are familiar to anybody who's played the original. The fact that the voice acting is so terrible that it's funny is enough to make me overlook the bad voice acting.
There's a surprising amount of content in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. As mentioned before, there are the two single player modes, Classic and Rebirth, that can be played through as either of the main characters. That means even if you don't try to unlock every little detail, you'll still be able to play through the game 4 times and still be tense the whole way through the game each time.
Rebirth mode has a lot of different things than Classic mode. Rebirth mode takes full advantage of the DS capabilities. If a zombie grabs you, you can tap the screen so your character attacks it and kills it on the spot. There are plently of touch screen based puzzles, such as putting jewels on a balance scale just right so it balances out. There are also knife fights where you use the touch screen to fight off a room filled with zombies from a first-person perspective. The microphone is used as well for things such as doing "mouth-to-mouth" to save another person on your side, or for blowing out candles. All of these things can only be done on Rebirth mode.
The Multiplayer mode nicely adds to the game. There are two modes, Co-op and Versus. Up to 4 people can play in a game. In versus mode, you basically race through one of the three maps given to try to escape before your friend(s). In co-op mode, you obviously fight together to help each other out of the area that you're in. The downside of co-op is that everyone shares the same amount of health, meaning that if you have 3 great players, and one that sucks, you'll all suffer for the person that sucks, so you better help him out. The only bad thing about the multiplayer is the fact that you can't actually see the people you're playing with onscreen. All you really see is a big star indicating the person's location if you're in the same room. However, you can have enough fun that it's an easy detail to overlook.
One last mode that this game has to offer is the "Masters of Knifing" minigame. You really don't get much out of it, but it's a lot of fun, and can be challenging as well. It's fun to slay an army of zombies using only a combat knife.
After starting on the Resident Evil series with RE4, I was reluctant to try this game, because I didn't think I'd be able to go back to the old controls and camera angles of the original game. I was surprised with how well the game handles, even after playing RE4 a lot. The controls are simple and effective for the camera angles. Left and Right make you turn, and then you can walk forward or backward with Up or Down. They also added a couple of control mechanics to both modes of the single player game, which should immediately be comfortable to RE4 players. You are now able to reload at any time without going into your inventory, and you are now able to equip your combat knife on the fly by simply holding the L button, much like in RE4.
I liked this game a lot because it was my first time playing through it, and anybody who started the series with RE4 should definitely check this game out. If you've played the original, this game still offers enough to warrant a purchase, especially if you're a hardcore fan of the series.