Resident Evil 0 made its original debut on the Gamecube back in late 2002. The installment set out to clarify the start of the outbreak in Raccoon City in a somewhat "origin story" fashion. The game features two main characters, ex-US Marine Lieutenant Billy Coen, who makes his debut appearance, and S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team Medic Rebecca Chambers, who appeared in the first Resident Evil game.
Most importantly, let's discuss the HD remaster aspect of this title. Resident Evil 0 runs flawlessly, it's an outstanding port that doesn't suffer from any crashes, bugs, glitches, or framerate drops. I had my framerate set to 85 for the duration of my two play throughs, and I never saw the rate drop below 83. The optimization is both incredible and commendable. Furthermore, the work that Capcom put into revamping the textures and character models really shines here. Sure, the cutscenes are still old and have not been updated whatsoever; that's nothing new for HD remasters, but everything else has the same sharpness and gleam to it that the Resident Evil HD remaster has. Even the windows have dynamic and clear reflections. The 5.1 audio upgrade really stands out if you have a gaming headset capable of rendering either 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, and it really helps to tell which direction enemies are going to come from. The subtle ambiance of the game has also been severely upgraded.
So the port and HD upgrades are great, but what about the game itself? Well, RE0 is definitely no RE4, but it's still a decent game and also a highly important one for those who care about the plot of the franchise. Seeing as I never have owned a Gamecube, I never got the chance to play this particular title until now. Throughout the game, you will learn about the origin of the infamous T-Virus and who created it, along with the origins of the Umbrella Corporation, how Albert Wesker got his start, various prototypes and early stages for certain key monsters such as the Lickers, and other tidbits of information that you'll be able to use to piece together information from later games if you have played them.
You start off playing as Rebecca Chambers, on a mission to find criminal Billy Coen who is rumored to have killed 25 people. Your search soon leads you into a train, where all hell breaks loose. Soon you meet up with Billy, who becomes your co-op partner for the remainder of the game. You're able to control both characters both at the same time, and independently. Many times, the characters will have to split up and go separate ways in order to solve puzzles or to get each other out of sticky situations. The main game leads you from the train through the vast Umbrella Training Facility, which is where you will spend about 90% of your time. Although the map of the game isn't incredibly large or varying in comparison to later titles, since RE0 is a prequel the smallness of the world is justifiable.
A huge pain point for Resident Evil 0 is the abysmal lack of storage boxes. Sure, any fan of the franchise has gotten used to dealing with cramped inventory space; it's a staple to the game play. Though to my best recollection, every other title in the series has had some form of storage. In RE0, you're left to scattering your items on the floor and then taking on the painstaking task to move every item as you progress into new sections of the game. This might not sound awful, but when coupled with the slow door-opening animations, it really is quite time consuming. It's also extra annoying when the save room (any room with a typewriter) that you're attempting to dump your precious cargo in says that you cannot leave any more items in the room. This leaves you with the option to either forget about the item, or dump it in a different nearby room.
Once you beat the game, you will open up two new modes; Wesker Mode and Leech Hunter. Let me begin by saying that Wesker Mode is just so lazy and tacky that it is painful. This mode simply reskins Billy as Wesker, and gives him two new abilities; Death Stare and Shadow Dash. The cutscenes remain the same, featuring Billy, and Capcom didn't even take the time or put in the effort to change the audio. When playing as Wesker, you will still hear Billy's voice, and people will still refer to him as Billy. However, Wesker is extremely powerful and his Death Stare can kill many enemies in a single hit; zombies, hunters, monkeys, plague crawlers, etc. As well, many bosses are made significantly easier and take only 3-4 hits before they're toast. This is a perfect mode for speed running or grabbing hard to get achievements. However, this mode isn't anything to scream about. Leech Hunter is even more mundane, as you take Billy and Rebecca back into the Training Facility to collect blue and green leech charms; there are 50 of each, you're under no time limit, there are enemies to take care of, and the game is over once you either leave the Facility or die.
The main story of Resident Evil 0 will run you anywhere from 8-15 hours, depending on what difficulty you play on and if you use a guide. After that, there's really not a whole lot to do other than try for some achievements or check out the two modes that are unlocked upon completion; however those may not hold the interest of many. I wouldn't say that this installment is a must play by any means, but it's definitely a worthwhile origin story and those who are major Resident Evil fans should check it out.
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