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is a Survival Horror Game by Capcom and is the inaugural title in the '' Resident Evil '' series. It was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and has been subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC and then re-released twice on the PlayStation in the form of a '' Director's Cut ''. In 2002 , a Remake of the game was released for the Nintendo GameCube featuring new graphics and voice acting among other significant changes. A Nintendo DS port of the original was released early in 2006 . While not the first survival horror game, its success propelled the genre to new heights of popularity and was the first game to coin the term. STORY The original game opens on the evening of July 24 , 1998 in the fictional Raccoon City where a number of grisly murders have taken place on the outskirts of town. Victims were attacked in their homes by a group of assailants with evidence of Cannibalism . Local law enforcement sends in the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. After contact is lost, the Alpha Team is sent out to find Bravo Team and to continue the investigation. Alpha Team locates the downed Bravo Team helicopter, but there is no sign of survivors; only a severed hand is found. Alpha Team is suddenly attacked by ferocious dogs and flees to nearby Spencer Mansion , believed to be abandoned. Trapped inside the mansion, the four remaining Alpha Team members ( Jill Valentine , Chris Redfield , Barry Burton and Albert Wesker ) split up and search the mansion for a way out and clues to explain the murders. At this point the player takes control of either Chris or Jill and explores the mansion with him or her. One of the first discoveries to be made is a member of Bravo Team, Kenneth J. Sullivan , being eaten by a Zombie . The mansion turns out to be full of secrets and anything but abandoned. Scattered documents and computer discs suggest that a series of experiments were being executed by the Umbrella Corporation on the property. The mysterious undead zombies and other monsters are the results of these experiments, having been exposed to a Biological Weapon known as the T-Virus (hence the Japanese title, " BioHazard "). After navigating through a series of tunnels, passageways, and other buildings on the property, Chris /Jill discover a secret underground Laboratory containing detailed records of the Umbrella Corporation's experiments. In the lab, Albert Wesker reveals that he is a double agent working for Umbrella and he releases the " Tyrant T-002," a giant humanoid monster created through prolonged exposure to the T-Virus. Upon release, the Tyrant immediately impales Wesker on its elongated claws. Chris/Jill apparently slays the Tyrant using firearms and triggers a self-destruct program to ensure an end to the laboratory and the experiments held there. After signaling for a rescue chopper, the Tyrant bursts through the roof of the lab, which just so happens to be below the chopper landing pad, and attacks. Suddenly resistant to bullets, the Tyrant is finally slain when the chopper pilot, Brad Vickers , drops a rocket launcher and Chris/Jill uses it to completely destroy the creature. Chris/Jill escapes into the chopper and the game ends. The ending sequence varies depending on choices made by the player as he/she explores the mansion. So long as the player escapes with two teammates, the ending plays out as described above. Rescuing only one or none of your teammates changes the outcome, in particular the fate of the laboratory and the Tyrant. OVERVIEW Unlike subsequent ''Resident Evil'' games, the first game had live-action openings and endings. The acting and dialogue in these scenes is often mocked (as the general dialogue in the series is), but some argue that the perceived deficiencies perfectly fit the mood of a B-grade Horror Movie , and that the actors were surely more entertaining than the CGI that would later permeate the series. The opening footage in the western releases was significantly recut to exclude most of the gore, using alternate footage. Capcom was supposed to include the unadulterated version of the intro in later revisions, but apart from the PC version, failed to do so. The Gameplay environment consists of Polygonal 3D characters placed over Prerendered 2D backgrounds. As such, the game relies on pre-determined camera angles for view of the action instead of a real-time camera like most games. As a result, the game uses a "tank-like" control scheme where the character controls in a First Person matter. Instead of moving the character in the direction the player is pushing, the character moves forwards by pressing up and backwards by pressing down and turns the character by pushing left or right. Many ''Resident Evil'' detractors have criticized this control scheme, claiming it's unsuitable for a third-person action game, but many fans defend it, arguing that a conventional Third Person control scheme wouldn't be very feasible considering the various camera angles. The player fights against enemies by arming their character with a weapon. The player draws their weapon by holding down the "Weapon Draw" button (usually a shoulder button, such as the R1 button) and pressing "Fire" (or X button) In the attack stance, the player character remains static in one place and can turn their character and/or tilt their weapon up or down. Initially, the only weapons available to the player is a Combat Knife and a Beretta 92FS , but later in the game, more weapons become accessible to the player such as the Remington M870 and a Colt Python . Ammo for firearms is limited and is often recommended that the player save their strongest weapons for boss battles. The player must survive by fighting against the various monsters that populate the mansion. The most common enemy in the game are zombies, which are slow-moving and easy to outrun, but hard to avoid in tight corners. During later portions of the game, the player must also fight against Zombie Dog s (known as the " Cerberus "), Hunters , Chimera s and Web Spinners, as well as small enemies such as Crow s, Wasp s and Adder s. The player must also fight against bosses such as a giant snake (Yawn), a mutated plant (Plant 42), a giant spider (Black Tiger), a giant shark (Neptune), and the Tyrant . Health is restored by using first-aid sprays or healing herbs. Of the two, healing herbs are more common and restore a portion of the player's health, while first-aid sprays are more scarce, but will restore the player's health completely. There are three types of healing herbs available: the Green Herb (for restoring health), the Blue Herb (which cures poison) and the Red Herb (which can't be used by itself, but will triple the healing power of a green herb when mixed with one). The player can mix herbs for up to six usable combinations. The player must navigate through the mansion by picking up various keys and items which are integral to the game's progress, while solving puzzles along the way. The player has a limited capacity for carrying items and thus, enforcing the need to carry only essential items while still having space for new items. As such, storage boxes are available for the player to store any item for later use. The player can only save their progress by going to a typewriter and using Ink Ribbon s to save the game. Ink ribbons are available in a limited quantity, forcing the player to think carefully on whether they have made enough progress to justify saving the game. This saving method has also been criticized by many, but designer Shinji Mikami defended it by arguing that it increases the tension in the game. There are also various documents available to the player within the mansion which serves to provide the solutions to certain puzzles or simply to further divulge the plot to the player. The game gives you control of Alpha Team members Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as they look for another way out and try to locate the Bravo Team . The characters play out similar scenarios but they have different skills. Chris is assisted by Bravo Team medic, Rebecca Chambers (who becomes playable in certain portions of his scenario), while Jill gets help from fellow Alpha Team member, Barry Burton. Jill's quest is easier because she has a higher item-carrying capacity (eight compared to Chris' six), can pick simple locks, and has a comparatively stronger teammate. She also has access to a grenade launcher (although, Chris has very limited access to a flamethrower) and can complete certain puzzles by herself, while Chris needs Rebecca's help in certain areas. Chris' limitations make his quest harder but he has more stamina than Jill and can sustain greater damage. Cast and Jill . From the GameCube version.]] Playable characters ''Resident Evil'' gives players a choice between two playable characters (one male and one female): S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team members Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine . The differences between both characters are more than superficial, with differences in abilities, items and even supporting characters (resulting in a slightly different scenario for both characters). Later ''Resident Evil'' titles would follow this tradition of including a male and female lead, with very few exceptions, although in some, they aren't both available at the start of the game (i.e. ''Code Veronica''). Notably, ''Resident Evil 0'' has players control both protagonists simultaneously.
Supporting characters
Most of the other members of S.T.A.R.S. make minor appearances throughout the games, usually as victims of the monsters. In later versions, Forest appears as reanimated corpse, while Richard plays an extended role in both characters' scenario (if the Serum is given to him in time) Though in the game, only Rebecca or Barry will make it out alive, in the Canon of the series, it is thought that both were involved with and survived the mansion incident. Enemies The following is a list of creatures the player faces during the course of the original game. The main enemies in the game are known as Bio-Organic Weapons or B.O.Ws, creatures that were experimented on with the T-Virus and transformed into ravaging monsters as result. There are also creatures in the game (such as Crow s and Adders ) that underwent secondary mutation (a considerable growth in size and/or aggressiveness) as a result of the viral outbreak in the mansion, although they're not exactly considered B.O.W.
Bosses
Weapons
The weapons listed above are the ones included in the original PlayStation version. Some versions (particularly the GameCube remake) of the game contain additional weapons as well. This includes numerous custom models of the Beretta, a different combat knife unique to Chris, character-specific defense items and a customized shotgun among others. TRIVIA
The following details are from ''The True Story Behind Biohazard'' (1997, Capcom):
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