The first Resident Evil game (known as “Biohazard” in Japan) was a huge release for the then young PlayStation console. It was instrumental in proving that gaming had matured past run-and-jump and in defining the survival horror genre.
The first few minutes of the game are also famous for two very different things. The first, at least in North America, is the hilariously bad voice acting and the even more hilarious script. With lines like, “Jill, here’s a lockpick. It might come in handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you.” gamers may have been forgiven for writing the series off.
Minutes after this line was delivered the second thing came along and chased any such thoughts away. As you wandered down a hallway toward an anonymous, hunched figure the mood built. As you approached, the sounds of gnawing and chewing rose. The tension built expertly until, in a gush of blood and gore the creature turned and groaned and millions of gamers simultaneously wet themselves like toddlers terrorized by circus clowns.
This was our first exposure to the T-virus although we didn’t know it at the time. The zombies in this first outing may have been primitive by modern standards but they sure as hell got the job done. Even if they, and you, did move like drunken tanks until the forth game.
