Resident Evil Zero is an oddity. I remember playing it on GameCube many years ago and not having fond memories. While the gameplay was great, the story was somewhat lacking. Mind you, somewhat lacking is quite the understatement. The remastered version maintains the overall aesthetic of the GameCube version but improves the resolution. Textures and models are clearer and look better than ever. This might be the unpopular opinion here but I honestly don’t see a huge difference between the GameCube version and the one available on Xbox One many years later. Sure the game now supports widescreen mode and looks better but it’s not a massive leap. Definitely not the leap I was expecting. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was a proper way to update a classic. That’s how old games should be brought to the new generation of consoles.
Before I talk about the game, I want to mention a conversation I had with my editor recently. How do you go about reviewing a game that has been out for so long? Do you take away points for the story even though you know what you’re getting? What qualifies a good remaster? We came to the conclusion that judging remasters might be highly subjective but certain principles hold true. You have to compare them to other remasters available on the system and the examples set by other developers.
Let’s start with the story. While the original Resident Evil was great, Resident Evil Zero stumbled on that front. The game takes place in 1998 on an Umbrella Corporation train. The Ecliptic Express is attacked by leeches. A few hours later, Bravo Team is sent to investigate some cannibalistic murders outside of Raccoon City and finds a prison transport with the corpses of two officers. Medic Rebecca Chambers and former marine Billy Coen find the train during their investigation and the story goes from there. It’s not as good as the original Resident Evil but it still manages to be quite terrifying. The uninspired story is definitely the weakest part of the package.
I remember Resident Evil Zero made more breakthroughs in mechanics than storytelling. It has the partner swapping system which is similar to what was presented in Resident Evil: Revelations 2. You can control two characters throughout the experience and each has special abilities. You can swap them at any time and the non-active protagonist is taken over by the computer. Splitting them up is also an option.
Just like the first game, one character is weaker than than other. Rebecca can combine herbs and chemicals while Billy can move heavy objects and take more of a beating. You have to use them both to solve the countless puzzles in the game.
Just like the Xbox One remaster of the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero lets you adopt modern controls which still feel archaic to me. They’re clunky and hard to maneuver especially when the camera angle switches. They’re much easier than the original controls available to players when the game first came out but that really isn’t saying much. I can’t remember if the same control scheme was available on the GameCube version but it sure feels like I’m playing the same way. The controls definitely needed a significant overhaul.
There are a few technical issues that need to be brought up. The Xbox One version suffers from occasional frame rate drops and stutters. I also had trouble launching the game as it would freeze on the main image. For the interest of full disclosure, I should say that the game was installed on an external hard drive so I don’t know if that affects performance. I don’t have the problem with games like Halo 5 so it’s probably related to the title itself. Additionally, the game has a lot of glitches that don’t seem to have been patched for the Xbox One release. I’m pretty sure they were present in the GameCube version too.
The Resident Evil Zero remaster also features costume packs. For the low price of $10, which is half the price of the game itself, you can buy some outfits for Billy and Rebecca…well, mostly Rebecca. There’s the cheerleader outfit, the nurse outfit, and other strange attire no one in any special force would ever wear during a mission. I don’t know why Capcom would include these. Shouldn’t the outfits be geared towards survival gear and extra protection against the undead? One of our other writers said that the costume packs came across as “pointless possibly sexist microtransactions.” I tend to agree with his assessment.
Summary
I think I’ve rambled on long enough about Resident Evil Zero. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good experience but it will only appeal to fans of the franchise wishing to relive moments from their childhood. Younger gamers will find it strange and clunky. The story isn’t as good as the original and while it looks better, the remaster is essentially the GameCube version. I’m positive I’ve seen YouTube videos of people using GameCube emulators to increase the resolution already.
If you compare Resident Evil Zero to a game like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, you realize how inadequate it is. Some might find this comparison unfair but it really isn’t. Other studios have set the bar so high since the first remastered Resident Evil game came to Xbox One that you can’t help but think about what could’ve been. Capcom had the chance to introduce the younger generation of gamers to a good horror title and franchise but they needed to drastically overhaul the presentation. Appealing to nostalgic gamers won’t garner new fans. If you want to revisit some history, then be sure to play Resident Evil Zero, because that’s all it is. Here’s hoping the long-rumored Resident Evil 7 can save one of my favorite franchises. I just wish Capcom would make a product that would appeal to younger gamers and old. This is another wasted opportunity and that’s what’s most disappointing.
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.