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Resident Evil: Deadly Silence 
Release date: 7 Feb 2006
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Mygamer review
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Portable Evil
It's rare for a game to define its genre. It's even more rare to see a game create a genre. However, that's exactly what Resident Evil did ten years ago. While the '92 PC hit Alone in the Dark got the ball rolling, Resident Evil made the Survival Horror genre what it is today. Mixing a creepy atmosphere with quick scare tactics and ghoulish enemies, RE quickly became a hit, so much so that the RE series now spans multiple sequels, including last year’s mega popular Resident Evil 4. It has also spawned many ports and remakes of the successful original.
As of right now, the original Resident Evil has been released in some shape or form for the Playstation, PC, Sega Saturn, and GameCube. The GameCube version, released in 2002, was a complete remake, with new graphics, environments, and story elements. Resident Evils are scarce on handheld systems, with only one release on the GBC, Resident Evil Gaiden. Originally, Capcom was planning on creating a remake of RE 1 on the GBC, but cancelled it because the creators didn’t think it would live up to their standards due to hardware restrictions.
That’s where Resident Evil Deadly Silence comes in. RE DS is the latest remake of the classic RE, available for the Nintendo DS. While some may be turned off by yet another re-release, having a portable version of RE can’t be bad. Or can it? Did Capcom expand on the RE experience, or ruin it?
The story is simple. Bizarre murders have taken place near the fictional town of Racoon City, and the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) has been assigned to investigate. However, shortly after landing their helicopter, they are attacked by a group of carnivorous dogs, and escape into a seemingly deserted mansion. The object of the game is to escape the mansion. RE was a very scary game back when it was released, so if you are playing this game for the first time, be prepared to jump every now and then.
The first thing you will notice when you start playing RE DS is that the game gives you two options. You can play either the Rebirth mode, which has all the DS only extras, or you can play the Classic mode, which is essentially a port of the PS1 version, released ten years ago. The Rebirth mode, however, is where veterans of the original game will want to go first. In this mode, RE DS puts the DS’ touch screen and microphone to use, with all new puzzles that require you to either touch your way to victory, or blow life back into some of your teammate’s. While some of these puzzles make excellent use of the touch screen and microphone, others do feel a little tacked on, as if Capcom was desperate to use the touch screen in any way they could. Another use for the touch screen is the knife fights. Sometimes, when entering a room, you will view the room from a first person view, and monsters will attack you. You must fight them off by using the touch screen. The stylus acts as a knife that you use to swipe at your enemies until they perish. What’s great about these bouts is that they are random. Sometimes you will enter a room, and it will be calm. But, enter the same room ten minutes later, and you may have to fight. The one thing I didn’t like about these fights is that they don’t really make sense. When you have all these monsters coming at you, why would you use a knife, rather than blowing them away with your guns? I would have loved to have been able to use your other weapons during these fights, with first person shooter controls, such as in the upcoming Metroid Prime Hunters.
Brand new to RE DS is the multiplayer modes. In these modes, you and up to three friends can play either together, or against one another. The main goal of these games is to make it out of either the mansion, guardhouse, or laboratory alive. Along the way, you will find various weapons, ammo, health, and etc. to aid you. This is a fun mode, except for the fact that you can’t see your friends’ player models. Their models appear on your screen as a colored “star” icon. While I eventually got over it and had fun with the game anyway, it took away from the experience a little.
Other changes to RE DS are in the controls, such as the ability to do a quick turnaround, which has been a series staple since Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Another cool new feature is the knife being mapped to the L button, like in Resident Evil 4. This item is always with the characters, and never takes up any space in their inventory. Auto-aiming is also featured, which was not in the original release of RE, but was later added to the Director’s Cut version, and has been in RE games ever since. You can also use these new controls in the Classic mode of the game, not just the Rebirth.
With all of these extra moves incorporated into RE DS, it’s a shame that Capcom didn’t make it more accessible to newcomers of the RE series, or those who have only played the quite different RE4. Things such as the inventory system, and the controls, could have been changed, and this was a perfect opportunity to do so. The inventory system is still very limited. A small, two inch key takes up as much space as the Rocket Launcher does. It would have been nice to see the upgradeable cases from RE4 make a return. In those cases, different items took up different amounts of space, depending on how big it was. The control system also could have been changed for this re-release. The controls in RE games are based on an axis. Pressing up always makes your character go forward, but holding down right and left on the directional pad makes him/her spin around. While I have never had a problem with the controls in RE games, many have, and Capcom should have tried to work on a simpler system. Also, starting with Resident Evil 2, whenever your character got hurt, he/she would limp around. This would cause them to run slower, leaving you more vulnerable to attack. Sadly, this was not added to the DS release. I would have loved to have seen these things added to RE DS, but they were left out.
Other than that, RE DS is a perfect port of the PS1 original. The zombies still moan exactly how you would expect them to, and the graphics look slightly better. Even after all these years, and after being converted to a smaller screen, nothing can match RE’s presentation, in terms of putting you in the mood. The music is absolutely perfect for every situation, whether it be to terrify you during your treks through the ancient mansion, or to calm you in rest areas. The voice acting is a different story. While some love it, others will hate it. RE came out before a time where we were spoiled with great voice acting, such as in Metal Gear Solid. There really was no bar set at the time. So, let me be the first to warn you, RE DS has bad voice acting, but it also puts you in the mood. It makes you feel as if you are in one of those late night B movies, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
While gamers who cut their teeth with Resident Evil 4 may not be ready for it, Resident Evil Deadly Silence is a great, portable way to get started in the series. While others may like the GCN 2002 remake better (and don’t get me wrong, I love it as well), I’ve always had a soft spot for the original, and RE DS does not disappoint. RE DS doesn’t score many originality points, but it doesn’t have to. RE was, and still is, a classic, and having it available in the palm of your hand is nothing to complain about.
Review by Mike Shaeffer on 13 Feb 2006
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