So my original plan was to just play Chris' route in the remake after finishing Jill's campaign, however, I thought it would be best to revisit the original if I were to make a return to the Spencer Mansion. So to get some things I said previously about the game originally out of the way. Yes, this game is still insanely tightly designed, and despite a decent amount of changes (honestly way more than i anticipated), the remake still reflects what made the original such a megaton when it first dropped. The camera angles, very sparse ammo, even sparser saving resources, and enemy placement make for a very tense experience in which you'll constantly be bumbling around, and trying not to die and lose a ton of precious progress.
This game still manages to retain that, though it has definitely showed its age in a lot of regards. While there were a couple instances that definitely gave me a shock, and I was definitely very anxious at the prospect of losing a ton of progress, I don't think I'd say I was unnerved the same way the remake presents itself. Not to say the game does a bad job with its setting, the Spencer Mansion still feels like such an iconic and fun house locale, but compared to the moodiness that Resident Evil 2 would bring just two years later, it definitely has shown its age as the first (big) horror experience.
The structure is also very shaken up from that of the Remake, though part of that is definitely because I was doing a different route on top of that. And while everything is still very nerve-wracking and extremely goofy as you solve increasingly funnier and funnier puzzles as the mansion opens up, Remake just contextualizes and adds onto it to make it far better. There are so many more rooms and gimmicks, and traps in it that not only add more content, but also make the mansion less annoying to travel around in.
This game also has a bit less good enemy balancing than the first, especially when the Hunters are factored into the equation. But on the whole; this is still the big dog, there is a reason that this is a game that sparked a genre into existence. This game has infamously hilarious voice acting that has basically cemented it in history. And yes, it is a joy, hearing Chris Redfield completely blank out when he finds out someone is double-crossing the team. But I think even now, this game has stuck with people, just for being a fantastically designed game. This game more than ever makes you stay on your toes, and manage your resources, cause if you don't, you will be punished harshly if you can't act accordingly.
This is still a classic and revolutionary title, but as a fan of classic and modern titles, and being of the mind that a remake will never fully replace the original. While I would still stand by that for this game, you should be able to play this, and have the remake be alongside it. I would say this is the one time, a remake pretty definitively trounces over the original in pretty much all aspects. If you're looking to play the original, it is the way to go. But does it invalidate it, in our modern context? I'd still say no. This is such an electrifying experience even now, and if you have a love or interest in older video game eras, this should still be on your radar. It is an extremely stupid game, with Jill Sandwiches and giant spiders galore, but it is still a clever, fun, and tense experience that sparked one of the coolest franchises ever, and that alone makes it a worthwhile experience, even in the modern day.
This game still manages to retain that, though it has definitely showed its age in a lot of regards. While there were a couple instances that definitely gave me a shock, and I was definitely very anxious at the prospect of losing a ton of progress, I don't think I'd say I was unnerved the same way the remake presents itself. Not to say the game does a bad job with its setting, the Spencer Mansion still feels like such an iconic and fun house locale, but compared to the moodiness that Resident Evil 2 would bring just two years later, it definitely has shown its age as the first (big) horror experience.
The structure is also very shaken up from that of the Remake, though part of that is definitely because I was doing a different route on top of that. And while everything is still very nerve-wracking and extremely goofy as you solve increasingly funnier and funnier puzzles as the mansion opens up, Remake just contextualizes and adds onto it to make it far better. There are so many more rooms and gimmicks, and traps in it that not only add more content, but also make the mansion less annoying to travel around in.
This game also has a bit less good enemy balancing than the first, especially when the Hunters are factored into the equation. But on the whole; this is still the big dog, there is a reason that this is a game that sparked a genre into existence. This game has infamously hilarious voice acting that has basically cemented it in history. And yes, it is a joy, hearing Chris Redfield completely blank out when he finds out someone is double-crossing the team. But I think even now, this game has stuck with people, just for being a fantastically designed game. This game more than ever makes you stay on your toes, and manage your resources, cause if you don't, you will be punished harshly if you can't act accordingly.
This is still a classic and revolutionary title, but as a fan of classic and modern titles, and being of the mind that a remake will never fully replace the original. While I would still stand by that for this game, you should be able to play this, and have the remake be alongside it. I would say this is the one time, a remake pretty definitively trounces over the original in pretty much all aspects. If you're looking to play the original, it is the way to go. But does it invalidate it, in our modern context? I'd still say no. This is such an electrifying experience even now, and if you have a love or interest in older video game eras, this should still be on your radar. It is an extremely stupid game, with Jill Sandwiches and giant spiders galore, but it is still a clever, fun, and tense experience that sparked one of the coolest franchises ever, and that alone makes it a worthwhile experience, even in the modern day.