Resident Evil – Nintendo DS

In 1996, our Playstations were plagued by a horror beyond the human mind’s grasping. This horror was the first, the original, Resident Evil. Ten years, several sequels, and one mind-blowing remake later, this monstrosity has risen from beyond the depths of its grave to haunt our Nintendo DS’s in Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. What makes this game so horrific is really up to you: The multitude of relentless, warped creatures and blood-spattering cinematics, or the confusing, ill-presented plot and nasty voice-acting.

If you’re not familiar with Resident Evil’s basic plot, then shame on you. You bring dishonor to your family. Allow us to enlighten you in order to reverse this unbecoming ignorance of yours.

The Raccoon City police’s elite force, the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team are sent to the Arklay Mountains in the Raccoon Forest where the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team had gone missing from a previous murder investigation. After a safe landing, Alpha Team initiates standard search-and-rescue procedures for their missing comrades. Before the group ventures very far through the foggy forest, all Hell breaks loose. A pack of the infamous zombie dogs known to the Resident Evil savvy as Cerberus hone in on the troop of elite law-enforcers and picks off Joseph Frost, their equipment specialist. As Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker begin to open fire on the creatures, Brad Vickers, the team’s cowardly pilot starts up the chopper and flies away, leaving the others trapped where they are. Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker spot a mansion during their run-and-gun away from the Cerberus and decide to take refuge within its walls. Little did they know, they were running from one disaster into another.

When you first begin your game, you’re presented with the infamous black and white, live actor cinematic that started it all. The gaudy costumes, the strained lines, and that hilarious look on Joseph’s face just before he’s ripped to shreds are all still here.

Deadly Silence comes with two single-player modes. “Classic” and “Rebirth”. Rebirth Mode offers many nifty DS-sized features that weren’t in the original game. One of the earliest of these thrown at you is the first-person knife combat. Basically, you use your stylus and run it across the screen to slash, or poke to stab any enemies that come at you. Generally, if you can defeat all the enemies that maul you without taking damage, you’ll be rewarded with some handgun ammo. The knife action gets even more intense when Cerberus, Hunters, and zombie crows are thrown into the mix. Almost every puzzle in Rebirth Mode uses either the stylus or built-in microphone. Monsters and ammo are much more abundant in Rebirth Mode, making the overall experience intense. Lastly, when a zombie grapples your character you can tap the poor soul with your stylus repeatedly to make him or her shake off the enemy and deal fatal damage to it.

Classic Mode is a direct port of the PS1 version for all you Resident Evil purists out there. No stylus, no mic, no first-person knife battles, and less enemies and ammo.
Regardless of which mode you chose, those who have played the original will find Deadly Silence much easier to control. The useful auto-aim feature, which didn’t come about until “Dual Shock Edition” was released, is included. You can now use the handy 180-degree turn, a classic RE move that wasn’t introduced until Resident Evil 3 that adds that little spin to your sprint. Holding the “L” button allows you to quickly draw your knife when you need it. This means you no longer have to take up precious inventory space to keep your precious, pointy stick on hand. The top-screen displays your area map at all times. This means having to stop, pause, and check your map files is finally a thing of the past. The classic loading cinematics you’d get when opening a door, climbing a ladder, or descending steps are still in the game. However, it seems they’re only included for nostalgia’s sake, for you can skip them with the push of a button.

Just like the original game, Deadly Silence allows you to choose between playing as Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield. Jill’s story is considered to be on a normal-difficulty setting, while Chris’s is on hard. Jill comes with a lock pick, which makes getting around the mansion much more convenient. She also has an extensive background in botany, which allows you to skip a plant-like boss early on by mixing a potion to take it down. Chris, however, has to scrounge around for “old keys” to unlock the doors Jill can usually tackle as soon as she touches them. And as far as busting out the old chemistry set to defeat Plant 42- It’s not gonna happen. You’re forced to take it down the old-fashioned way: Lots of ammo and lots of herbs. Now if that’s not enough to make you cry, Chris can only lug six items at a time while Jill can carry eight. And men wonder why women carry purses.

Multiplayer
Now you and three buddies can link up for some wireless multiplayer. Everyone who wants to play needs to own their own copy of Deadly Silence. That’s right, no game sharing. You get to choose from two modes of play: you can either cooperate or compete. By cooperating, you and your friends work together to escape the mansion. In competition mode, you and your pals run around the mansion to see who can score the most kills within an allotted amount of time. The bigger the baddie, the higher the score. Oddly, your comrades/rivals are represented on your screen as colored stars. So, yes, you and some multicolored stars will be running around together, fighting zombies. It’s like something straight out of a George A. Romero acid trip.

Not counting the inarguably awesome RE4, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence walks the same track on mankind’s list of desires that all other Resident Evil games have. Either you love it, or you hate it. If you’ve never experienced the old-school feel that is Resident Evil before, and you’re willing to take a break from the orthodox to expand your gaming experience, then certainly give this game a chance. If you enjoyed Resident Evil 4, but despised any other RE titles you‘ve touched, then you may as well leave this one alone. If all you’ve got is a DS and you need a violent break from all that Animal Crossing, then by all means, get this game. Finally, if you’re the kind of person who stands on the “love” side of the road for Resident Evil’s former style, than just be quiet for a moment. Can you hear that? That’s the unmistakable cry of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. And it’s calling your name.

DamnThatsAwesome Gives This Game Four Out Of Five Stars