The Greatest Gaming Moments – Resident Evil

About a month ago I created the first ‘Greatest Gaming Moments’ article when I took a look at Bioshock. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to commit as much time as I would have liked to these articles, but I’m hoping to remedy that today with a game that defined the horror genre and how it could be executed on home consoles.

The term ‘survival horror’ is bandied around a lot these days and is often used to describe any game that has a focus on survival against untold odds and horrors. While Resident Evil was not the actual innovator of the genre as a whole – that honour probably lies with an old NES game that never made it out of Japan called Sweet Home – it is the game that gave the genre its name with the iconic line of “Welcome to the world of survival horror.”

As the game that defined an entire genre, it should come as no surprise that Resident Evil packs plenty of punch when it comes to amazing moments. Before we begin, I should note that I will be looking exclusively at the very original game here. The various remakes have great moments in their own right, in addition to the reproductions of what is listed here, but it is the original that started it all and deserves its due. 

With that being said, let’s first take a look at some of the honourable mentions. Of course, it should once again go without saying that spoilers abound. 

Wesker’s Betrayal­ – There was always something a little bit off about Albert Wesker. He never seemed to be around when you needed him and he had a penchant for disappearing, despite the fact that he was the leader of the S.T.A.R.S team. Of course, we later found out that he was actually a double-agent who was working for Umbrella the whole time and had lured the team to the mansion to test how the company’s Bio-Organic Weapons (BOWs) would fare against skilled combatants. This reveal is swiftly followed by a tyrant claw to the chest for Wesker, but he would live to fight many more days. 

Jill Sandwich – Part of the charm of the original Resident Evil was the sheer cheese that it brought along with it. The game felt like a B-Movie - bad acting and all - and Barry Burton was a potent source of meme-worthy lines throughout. While his granting Jill Valentine the grand title of ‘Master of Unlocking’ is cringeworthily-brilliant, it is when he makes reference to her almost becoming a “Jill Sandwich” after narrowly saving her from a trap that would have seen Jill crushed under a descending roof that takes the cake.

Getting To The Root Of The Problem – It’s not just the supporting cast that had the ability to deliver awful lines. Chris Redfield, who was one of the choices of main character alongside Jill Valentine, is just as prone to brilliantly-bad puns. The best comes after the anticlimactic battle with Plant 42, who you just poison with a bag of chemicals. Basking in victory, Chris delivers the immortal line “We got to the ROOT of the problem.” It is met with dead silence by supporting character Rebecca Chambers and many a gamer was left in stitches at just how bad the delivery was and how out of place such a line is in a horror game.

Killing The Tyrant­ – In what would become a series-defining climax – in that the Resident Evil series basically replicated the general idea for many of the games that followed – the player faces off against the monstrous Tyrant while the mansion is moments away from self-destruction. A minute or so into the battle, which is as much about survival as causing damage to the humongous beast, helicopter pilot Brad Vickers finally returns and drops a rocket launcher into the fray. One shot and the Tyrant is toast…unless you’re unfortunate enough to watch the bloody thing swat that rocket away like a fly. Thankfully, you have more ammo and the Tyrant can't avoid an explosive death forever.

The First Zombie­ – So you’ve just watched the intro - which is both heart-pounding and hilariously acted - and now you find yourself in a seemingly deserted mansion. Wesker orders you to search the dining hall, which is also empty. You move onto the next room and a cutscene starts. You hear crunching and biting before whatever the hell is in front of you notices you’re there. Slowly it turns to look at you and you get up close and personal with the first of many zombies you will encounter. Extra points are given to the Jill scenario, as running back into the dining room prompts Barry to blow the things head off. 

The Moment

If there is one thing Resident Evil did well, it was the game’s ability to create a tense atmosphere that constantly had you on the edge of your seat, thinking about whatever could be lurking around the next corner. This would be lost somewhat in the later, more action-heavy games, but the original used this atmosphere to great effect early on in the game.

As you continue exploring the mansion you will come across a fairly non-descript corridor. You won’t be able to hear the shuffling of zombie feet so you start to proceed, feeling fairly safe in the knowledge that all is as well as it can be, given the situation. 

Suddenly, the window you just walked past shatters and one of the zombified dogs from the intro gives chase. You pelt around the corner and head for the door, only for a second dog to jump through another window in an effort to corner you. They are a pair of jump scares that are truly worthy of the name and the panic that they create is not replicated to the same effect again at any point during the game.

Worst of all, most gamers will have run for their lives to escape the corridor, but that only means the dogs will be there and waiting if you make the mistake of venturing back there. 

The Final Word 

Resident Evil defined a genre by offering a cinematic presentation that was able to suck players into its world and manipulate their most base emotion – fear – to great effect. Later games in the genre, such as the excellent Silent Hill 2, would focus on the more psychological aspects of fear, but Resident Evil and the many great moments it contains rightly stick out in the memories of all who played it. Happily, the updated version of the game is now available on modern consoles, which means there is no reason to avoid entering the world of survival horror all over again. That is unless you’re too scared of course!