Resident Evil (1996) - MobyGames (original) (raw)

Atari 7800+

Atari 7800+

aka:Biohazard,RE

Moby ID: 1195

Moby Score

8.0

#2,435 of 25.1K

Critics

85%(55)

Players

(226)

Review Ranking

Collected By

444 players

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Description official descriptions

A team of S.T.A.R.S (Special Tactics And Rescue Squad) members are called to investigate a series of murders near Raccoon City. While searching the woods near the city, the team is attacked by bloodthirsty dogs and they have to retreat to a nearby mansion.

The player chooses between Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield and starts to explore the mansion. It soon becomes very clear that it isn't just any mansion, but a hellish place where the undead walk the corridors, and other horrors are lurking in the darkness, waiting to eat some heads. While solving puzzles, collecting keys, and shooting monsters, the player has to unravel the mystery behind this mansion and, if possible, get out alive.

Exclusive to the SEGA Saturn version is a Battle Mode bonus mode, where, with limited ammo and under the threat of limited time, the player must survive a series of rooms filled with monsters.

Spellings

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Screenshots

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Promos

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Videos

Credits (PlayStation version)

94 People (90 developers, 4 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 55 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5(based on 226 ratings with 13 reviews)

A Great Version of a Classic Game

The Good
This game is in my opinion the best version of Resident Evil. The onscreen colors are in some places better than on the Playstation version (blood more realistic). The gameplay is very intense. For instance, when you open up a door and discover two zombies lunging in for a bite it will scare the crap out of you! The graphics aren't bad for the Sega Saturn and really push the powers of this weaker 3D system. The storyline isn't bad. Although many people have never heard of this version of Resident Evil, if you have a Sega Saturn and can track down this version it has many features not found in any other versions. These include a "Battle Game" and even a zombified Albert Wesker.

The Bad
I can only complain of the sound which is a bit more muffled compared to the Playstation's. The zombie's moans are different from the playstation version and not as "realistic". Really, the sound issue and the slight inferiority of the game's character graphics to other versions (more blocky) are the only flaws in this version with some unavoidable using a Saturn system. Also,the horrible voice acting may get on some people's nerves,but I think it's just hilarious.

The Bottom Line
The story takes place in Raccoon City in July of 1998. Your S.T.A.R.S. team has been sent to find the answer to a series of gory murders in the surrounding forest. The helicopter of your compatriots in Bravo team who were sent first to search for the culprits have crashed in the forest and you must find them too. While searching the crash site, zombie dogs come and kill one of your team members ,Joseph, and you (Jill or Chris),Albert Wesker, and Barry Burton run and seek shelter in a secluded mansion. While inside, you uncover the reasons for the murders in the forest and discover the remains of several Bravo team members all linked together by an evil corporation's biological experiments that have gone loose. The story reminds one of the cheesy "b-movies" ,like Night of the Living Dead.

SEGA Saturn · by Jordan Connor (4) · 2006

Almost the first, and STILL one of the best...

The Good
Not the first third-person survival horror game -- Alone In The Dark beat it to the screen by a few years -- but certainly the best known, most successful, and most POWERFUL example of the genre. I've been playing this game for the better part of ten years, and it STILL has the power to scare the bejabbers out of me. A textbook example of what a scary entertainment experience (movie, videogame, or otherwise) should incorporate. Also made a point of incorporating multiple endings, based on YOUR actions along the way... a neat way of pumping up that replay value...

The Bad
There's not much NOT to like, if you're a fan of third-person action games and/or survival horror. The graphics are a bit dated by today's standards, and since it's a Playstation port, there are some minor control issues -- it plays best with a gamepad.

The Bottom Line
Third-person action shooter; the archtypical romp through a haunted house. You take the role of Chris or Jill, two members of a police team assigned to investigate a string of murders near an old mansion on the outskirts of town. Once there, things go horribly wrong, trapping you in a bizarre mansion laden with traps, zombies, and hideous horrors from hell. ...all of which is leavened by a PLOT, actually, which leads you deeper and deeper into the situation, trying to learn more as you try to survive and finally escape... and STILL one of the most compelling games I've ever played. Three thumbs up!

Windows · by Dr.Bedlam (55) · 2002

Best 32 bit version.

The Good
This is supposed to be a better version than the playstation equivalent. It was released after and had extra feature likes new outfits and things to unlock. The tension is immense. Never have I felt so taken in by a game. You are always wondering what is around the next corner and desperately trying to survive as your measly ammunition supply soon becomes critical, dogs jumping out on you, blood and gore, some amazing cutscenes, the best storyline I have ever witnessed in a game and the suspense. Prerendered back drops give some very nice graphics and the sound is creepy

The Bad
The acting is non existant. I couldn't voice act worse if I tried. The game could have been longer, and you'll be wanting to conserve those ink ribbons as your saves soon run out.

The Bottom Line
The best version bar the new GC one, essential to see how the genre started out essential for any Saturn owner

SEGA Saturn · by pluke (4) · 2002

[ View all 13 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
What is your favorite Resident Evil? TwoDividedByZero (114) Apr 16, 2010

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Resident Evil appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cancelled Port

Significant work on a port to Game Boy Color was completed before Capcom pulled the plug citing quality concerns. This port was a fairly direct adaptation of the original with characters moving about in 3D on prerendered backdrops.

Cut Content

Dewey

Bravo Team's pilot, Dewey, was originally conceived as a thin African-American member of STARS who would've also served as the game's comic relief. He and another character named Gelzer (a giant man with cybernetic implants) were planned to appear in the game, but were discarded from the final version. The Edward Dewey in Biohazard 0 is a tall Caucasian and is a departure from the character's initial concept. The thin African-American 'comic-relief' character was eventually recycled into Jim from Resident Evil: Outbreak.

Ending

Along with the remake, this is the only Resident Evil to feature a "best-case-scenario" ending which does not elude to a possible sequel or spin-off and suggests that "everything is finally over". The reason for this is possibly because the company was uncertain how well the game would be received, so this game could stand on its own story-wise if it failed economically.

GameCube Remake

Completely redone for the Nintendo GameCube: includes better graphics, CG FMVs (rather than live-action), different item placement and other goodies. Part of the Resident Evil exclusive GameCube deal which includes ports of other instalments as well as Resident Evil Zero.

Inspiration

Japanese Voice-Acting

Although Japanese games with English text/dialogue are not uncommon, Resident Evil was originally intended to have Japanese dialogue for its domestic release. These were discarded before release, however, and to date the only Resident Evil media to not have spoken English in its home land has been Resident Evil: 4D Executer, a short movie that played over an "interactive ride" that was only shown in Japan.

Name Change

Originally entitled Biohazard, the game's name had to be changed to Resident Evil in US and European versions because of copyright issues - the name Biohazard was (and is) being used by an American metal band.

Novels and Movies

A book adaptation of this game was published in 1998 by Pocket Books, written by S.D. Perry and entitled The Umbrella Conspiracy, launching a seven-book series of novels by the same author adapting from the Resident Evil games (described under the individual games' trivia sections) and inspired by their themes and premises -- of those latter, notably number 2 in the series, 1998's Caliban Cove, and #4, Underworld, published in 1999.

A separate series of novels inspired by Resident Evil has been published in Japan:1. Biohazard: The Beginning (1997), by Hiroyuki Aniga; 2. Biohazard: The Beast of the North Sea (Biohazard Hokkai no Yôjû) (1998), by Kyu Asakura; 3. Biohazard: to the Liberty (2002), by Suiren Kimura; and 4. Biohazard: Rose Blank (2002), by Tadashi Aizawa.

Of course, the series has also inspired two movies starring Milla Jovovich: Resident Evil: Genesis and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, with which you are likely to be far more familiar, each of which also boasts novelizations of their own.

In 2002, St. Louis Judge Stephen Limbough reviewed a videotape of four games, in order to decide whether or not parental consent would have to be granted for children to purchase M-rated games. There was much hilarity online when the original Resident Evil, one of the four games, was incorrectly identified by the court and its reports as The Resident of Evil Creek. In the end, the judge's decision said the city could regulate video games because they were not free speech protected by the First Amendment.

References to the Game

This game is referenced in the Eiffel 65 song My Console.

Sales

According to publisher Capcom, Resident Evil has sold 2.75 million copies worldwide since its initial release (as of June 30, 2016).

Sega Saturn Release

The Japanese Sega Saturn release of Biohazard does indeed contain the uncensored introduction but it is still monochrome. Joseph's death is extended and there are shots of the Cerberi being torn to pieces by the gunshots.

Awards

Information also contributed byAce of Sevens,Andrew Pine,J. Michael Bottorff ,Kyle Levesque,Lain Crowley,Matthew Bailey,MegaMegaMan,Oyn,Pseudo_Intellectual,Sciere andTiago Jaques

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Matthew Bailey.

SEGA Saturn added by Kartanym.

Additional contributors: Trixter, Zovni, Unicorn Lynx, tarmo888, Foxhack, Alaka, —-, Paulus18950, CalaisianMindthief, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack.

Game added March 27, 2000. Last modified August 2, 2024.