This year we’re putting together a list of 31 Retro Horror games. Games that have come from dead console generations, back to haunt us. Sadly, not all of these games will be available for you to play due to the complicated nature of video game preservation. However, we’re going to note if it’s possible to play them on modern hardware. We’re going to be covering games from the Seventh Generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) and earlier. So basically anything before 2006.
Day 9
Resident Evil
What would a horror game list be without Resident Evil? Alongside the Silent Hill series, it’s probably one of the most important horror video games ever. Of course, without games like Sweet Home or Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil probably wouldn’t exist. In fact, Resident Evil started out as a remake of Sweet Home–a game only released for the Famicom in Japan. But that remake evolved into something that would become a cultural phenomenon.
The Resident Evil series is a monolith. But it started with a game released in 1996 featuring Chris Redfield and Jill (the master of unlocking) Valentine. Known for both its unprecedentedly gory content and cryptically incongruous puzzles.
Despite how important the first Resident Evil game is, the very original game gets little love these days. Most people play the Resident Evil remake. Originally released on GameCube, the remake has been ported to modern consoles and has filled in for the first game in the series for longer than the original Resident Evil had the chance to. It’s a bummer, because the low fidelity look of Resident Evil is fantastic, and there have been few games that have attempted to recreate the look and feel of the original Resident Evil.
That isn't to say that the Resident Evil remake is bad–far from it. In fact, the remake is a fantastic version of Resident Evil, and one I’ve probably spent the most time in.
If you want to play the very original Resident Evil you’re going to have some trouble finding it as it would require you to find retro hardware and a copy of the old game. However, the Resident Evil remake is available to modern audiences. Still, it’s too bad that the original is so hard to play. Your best bet to play the original is to download it from a website like myabandonware.com. And one more note: The PC version of the original Resident Evil actually does away with a lot of the censorship the NA PlayStation release suffered from.
Comments