Resident Evil: Survivor Review

For PlayStation

By Contributing Writer Chris George

Rating: Crappy
   I can't decide what's scarier- The tension and suspense of Resident Evil:
Code Veronica, or the thought of someone breaking into my house late at 
night and forcing me to play Resident Evil: Survivor for hours on end.  
Since the series began in 1996, every Resident Evil game has been different 
in its own unique way.  Resident Evil: Survivor is different, all right, but
not in a good way.  It's different because it's one of the worst games 
released in years.
   Capcom has taken a serious risk of ruining the Resident Evil series' 
hard-earned reputation for quality.  Everything about this game is the 
opposite of what you would expect from Resident Evil: Awkward control, ugly 
graphics, a plot that could have been written by an elementary school 
student, and an "adventure" that can be finished in less than three hours.
   In case you're wondering, Resident Evil: Survivor isn't a game that 
features the cast of CBS's Survivor turning into zombies and attacking a 
rural town.  It's a light-gun game, but Capcom (lacking the balls to do 
anything else) removed the light-gun support to avoid political controversy.
Playing a light-gun game with a controller is bad enough, but this is just 
the beginning of Resident Evil: Survivor's troubles.
   The one and only smart move that Capcom made with this game was to not 
include any of Resident Evil's familiar (human) characters.  As it is, 
Capcom has soiled the reputation of the series as a whole, but at least the 
characters themselves weren't damaged by being associated with such drivel.
The intimidation factor of the enemies will forever be damaged by this game,
though.  The next time I'm playing a Resident Evil game and I come across a 
giant spider or a licker or even the Tyrant, the only thing going through my
mind will be painful flashbacks of playing Resident Evil: Survivor.
   In the shockingly creative story line, you wake up from a helicopter 
crash without knowing who or where you are.  Naturally, you decide to go on 
a quest to figure out who you are.  Hasn't this story already been done to 
death in oh... I don't know, about 100 different games and movies?  It 
doesn't make sense that the main character, Vincent, questions who he is 
throughout the game, but never seems to think that there's anything unusual 
about the dead walking around killing people.  Honestly, by the end of the 
game, I didn't give a damn who Vincent really was, I just wanted to the pain
to stop.
   I could have looked past the story (or lack thereof) if the rest of the 
game kept me on the edge of my seat.  After all, the Resident Evil is known 
for its suspense more than anything else.  I don't know about you, but I 
don't think there's anything suspenseful about struggling to control my 
idiotic character while aiming for repetitive hordes of enemies.  And just 
when you think you can't take it anymore, you'll be pushed over the edge of 
insanity when you re-enter a room you recently cleared out and find that all
of the enemies have magically re-generated.
   In addition to being maddening, Resident Evil: Survivor can also be 
unfair at times.  Not only does it take about seven bullets from the pistol
to kill a zombie, but you have to press R1 and freeze yourself in place in 
order to bring up the targeting crosshair.  Since you're frozen in place and
often can't see behind you, it's not uncommon for enemies to sneak up behind
you and begin attacking.
   If you're looking for a game that lives up to the high standards of the 
Resident Evil series, Resident Evil: Survivor isn't it.  On the other hand, 
if all you're looking for is a half-decent shooter that will provide a few 
hours of fun... wait a minute, Resident Evil: Survivor still isn't it.

Send your thoughts on this review to chris@mastergamer.com

    
 Back To Reviews