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But which one you ask? Read on!

Here we are at the final 5 games for this year’s list of Halloween Gaming! Last year a 1uper by the name of Wakkawipeout did a great blog cram series of playing every major Resident Evil title that he could before the release of Resident Evil 6. His series did so well it was actually featured in one of 1up.com’s cover stories. Though I didn’t add a RE title to my Halloween Gaming List that year it was fun reading up on his thoughts about the series from past to present along with adding my own comments. It’s always fun to talk shop with another survival horror fan. So in honor of that event, as well as IGNer Bluexusion considering a Resident Evil game series retrospective write up, I figured I’d add a RE title to this year’s list. But which one I ask myself. There are so many RE titles to choose from. Do I stick with the numbered series, the more recent ones, perhaps a handheld title or a side story adventure? In the end I decided on sticking with the tried and true title that’s always been my go to when it comes to gaming classics. But in choosing this title I decided to take a unique approach to it by playing a version that I’m sure very few have ever tried, or even realize exists unless you’re a hard core RE fan. Oh that’s right! My number 5 choice for my top 11 Halloween Games for 2013 is none other than Resident Evil 2: on the NINTENDO 64!

I just blew your mind didn’t I?

This might come as a surprise to some but there was an actual port of the PS1 title of Resident Evil 2 for the N64. The port was done by about 20 employees from Capcom Production Studio 3, Angel Studios and Factor 5 and by all rights this game shouldn’t have been made. More so given how Resident Evil Zero, originally a N64 title, was moved to the Gamecube when it was announced. Yet somehow by the powers that be this small group of people, along with a dedicated group of sound engineers, with a budget of $1 million dollars and a year’s work were able to create what’s been called the “definitive” version of Resident Evil 2. When I did my research on this game and heard that statement I knew I had to give this game a try. And I was lucky enough to pick this title up at the same time when I got my #08 choice for this year’s list. So after playing this title does it still hold true as a RE title as well as a Halloween title for this year?

If you’ve played previous versions of this game then you’ll know what to expect. This game IS Resident Evil 2. I don’t know how the programmers did it but they were able to cram almost everything from the two disc set from the PS1 release into a single cart along with some extras and internal memory save functions. All the levels, scares, sounds and actions are complete and in line with what you’d expect in Resident Evil 2. You get both Leon and Claire scenarios without the trouble of switching discs long before this was accomplished on the GC re-release of Resident Evil 2. And even if you’ve played Resident Evil 2 to death and need an excuse to try this title out, you’ll find some extra goodies in here to make the trip into Raccoon City a bit more memorable. You’ll find alternate costumes not seen in previous releases, a new violence setting to set the tone to your personal tastes, the ability to change the blood color of zombies, a randomizer setting for item placement after you beat the game (my cart still had game saves from a previous owner) and my personal favorite the inclusion of 16 new documents to find in the game entitled the “Ex Files” that shed more light into the series. (Something that was supposed to been done with the Resident Evil Remake with tying it to the upcoming Resident Evil 4 release. YES! I’m still sore over that!)

 

So even with those additions alone this was enough for me to enjoy my trip back into Raccoon City. Despite its age it still delivers the survival horror feeling I came to know back when I was a wee lad. But that’s not the best part about this title. Oh no, for me the best part about this game is the game’s sound samplings. Besides the game getting a visual boost with the use of the 4 RAM Expansion Pak, which boosts the screen resolution to 640×480 during gameplay, the sound was completely revamped to take advantage of Dolby Surround. And IT. IS. GLORIOUS! You can’t believe the sound I’m getting out of this game with it hooked up to Game Rig Three’s dual speaker set up. Coupled with the fact that my N64 uses an S-Video line you can tell the difference between the sounds I heard when I played the PS1 version and this version. When I played the scene in the Kendo Gun shop, where the zombies bust thru the store front windows to kill the shop owner, the actual SOUND of the zombies breaking in was so clear, so strong, so powerful that it actually made me JUMP like it did when I played this game for the first time.  I was expecting that moment to happen, much like we expect the zombie dogs to burst thru the windows in Resident Evil 1, but the clarity of the sound was so much better than I could’ve ever imagined. Combined with the other elements that made Resident Evil 2 a treat to play only helps to heighten the tension I get when I play this classic survival horror title.

 

So if this game is so much better and supposedly the “definitive” version of Resident Evil 2, why is it number 5 in my final 5 choices for this year’s Halloween Gaming list? This might sound odd in saying this but despite it being Resident Evil 2 it’s still Resident Evil 2. You still have the same “tank” controls when you move your character. Despite a reworking of the controller scheme for this release, which gives you tighter movement options with the analog stick and d-pad, it’s something younger gamers might not get use to after playing recent RE titles (or the dual shock version) with two analog sticks. Though I’m not sure if the “Tofu Survivor” or “The 4th Survivor” is in this game (I’m not that good.) this version does miss out on “Extreme Battle” mode that’s found in previous releases.

But what really throws a wrench into the “definitive” version would have to be the visuals. This might also sound odd in speaking given how this game uses the N64’s 4 RAM Expansion Pak but despite the RAM Pak’s use in having smoother animation and better polygon counts of 3D textures on screen, including auto adjusting the screen resolution depending on the number of enemies on screen, it does little else for the static background images and fire lighting effects. The PC and Dreamcast versions suffered with backgrounds looking to “crisp” in comparison to the 3D models on screen. The N64 version suffers with backgrounds that look “washed out” in comparison to everything else on screen. Also the CG cut scenes don’t look as smooth like they did on the PS1 version. You can tell the difference to that when you see the CG opening before the title screen. And though the people that help port this title over did their best to make this game look like the original, some lighting and fire effects fall short in comparison. Even the voice acting in CG cut scenes sounds “tinny” which is odd given the awesomeness that is heard during the rest of the game. Upon witnessing all the visuals I have in this version of Resident Evil 2 I find it hard to believe that this could be considered the “definitive” version if you try to weigh the game on graphics alone. But when considering the gameplay, sound and the added extras help make up for the shortcomings one could consider if you wanted to nitpick over the graphics of the game. It may not be “definitive” in the realm of graphics but it is truly “definitive” when viewed with all this game has to offer.

It’s because of this I still found this game to be just as enjoyable to play as it was so long ago. Being a Resident Evil fan it was a real treat to try out this title and add it to this year’s Halloween List of gaming. As a bargain bin buy this wasn’t too bad of a find. I was able to get this game for $14, cart only, along with the expansion pak for $5. Though not required for playing this game, having the expansion pak does help to make the game more visually appealing for those that prefer it. So if you happen to have an N64 and are willing to take the time to hunt down the game cart and/or the expansion pak, you can’t do any better in trying to enjoy a classic Resident Evil title during this dark, Halloween night. If you already own a copy of this game for another system it might not be worth the trouble in tracking this game down. But for me it was worth it to not only enjoy a different version of this game, but to actually touch something of a technological marvel. Resident Evil may have seen a lot of changes over the years, but nothing beats a classic survival horror title on a dark Octoberween night.

My Top 11 Halloween Games for 2013

#11) Resistance Retribution – PSP: $8 used.

#10) The X-Files Video Game – PSOne: $10 used.

#09) Corpse Killer – Sega CD 32X: $14 used.

#08) Doom 64 – Nintendo 64: $14 used.

#07) Castlevania Judgment – Nintendo Wii: $5 used.

#06) The Last of Us Folklore – PS3: $20 used.

#05) Resident Evil 2 – Nintendo 64: $14 used.