Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

Playing the original Resident Evil 2 after playing its 2019 remake is a weird experience. Initially, I felt the similarity between the two so strongly that I began to doubt my decision to play and review the game, since I wouldn't want to play the original of something surpassed and replaced by its remake. However, it soon became apparent that despite hitting the same beats, the two games have completely different rhythms. While the remake is an expertly crafted Action Survival-Horror game, the original follows the old-school Survival-Horror genre, which, despite being classified as "Action" in the past, I actively refuse to acknowledge it as such. I have made this point in the past, in my review of games like Alone in the Dark and Galerian , that classic Survival Horror games are closer to point-and-click Adventure games than frantic shooters, and that's true with Resident Evil 2 , which may be the best of its genre. #12: Resident Evil 2:- Year: 1998. Genre: Surviv...

The development story of Enemy Zero is an interesting footnote at the beginning of the 5th generation console wars. Initially conceived as a PlayStation exclusive, WARP was discontent about Sony's handling of the game and its marketing. So, in a great show of contempt, the game was revealed in the PlayStation 1996 Tokyo Expo , with the PS logo slowly morphing into the Saturn's. As such, Sega gained an exclusive that was well-regarded at the time. However, in the great scheme of things, the PlayStation was not affected, and Enemy Zero is not worth much regard today. 72: Enemy Zero: Year: 1997. Genre: Survival Horror, Adventure. Publisher: WARP, Sega. Developer: WARP.

Moving away from aping the Survival Horror formula of Resident Evil like the first game did, Dino Crisis 2 instead crafts its own identity as an Action-heavy take on the genre, giving justice to the concept of fighting dinosaurs for survival. This is simply a much better sequel, and probably one of the best Action games on the PS1. Now it makes sense why my cousin was so addicted to the game when it was first released, but more on that later. #44: Dino Crisis 2:- Year: 2000. Genre: Action-Horror. Publisher: Capcom. Developer: Capcom.

What would Resident Evil play like if all the enemies in the game were mobile and aggressive dinosaurs? Not very differently, as the first Dino Crisis game demonstrates. If you were not aware that the game was actually made by Capcom, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is the most blatant Resident Evil clone that ever existed. Since it was made by Capcom, it survives the sin of unoriginality through experience and provides a really solid PS1 Survival Horror experience, but it suffers from lacking the trapping and atmosphere of the Resident Evil locations. #44: Dino Crisis:- Year: 1999. Genre: Survival Horror. Publisher: Capcom. Developer: Capcom.

The massive success of Capcom's Resident Evil games heralded the appearance of many pretenders to its Survival-Horror throne, very few of them ever getting close to the level of proficiency needed to match the leaders. Despite being developed by a little-known developer, Galerians was one of the closest games to reach the level of Capcom's marquee Survival-Horror franchise. #A21: Galerians:- Year: 1999, 2000. Genre: Survival-Horror. Publisher: ASCII Entertainment, Crave Entertainment. Developer: Polygon Magic.

The Silent Hill franchise is often considered the second great Survival Horror franchise starting on the PS1 after Resident Evil , and that's largely accurate despite the two games being very different. While Resident Evil is defined by its campy horror influence and survival mechanics, Silent Hill leans far more on the horror angle. It is to Team Silent's immense credit that the first game still manages to elicit fear and admiration for someone playing it today. #23: Silent Hill:- Year: 1999. Genre: Survival Horror. Publisher: Konami. Developer: Team Silent (Konami).

In a telling signal of its diminishing legacy, several reviews of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare suggested that it was heavily inspired by Capcom's Resident Evil series, which is obvious to anyone looking at both games in the context of the PS1. However, it was Resident Evil that was inspired by the first Alone in the Dark game, which is the game frequently thought to have originated in the Survival Horror genre. Yet, the game's two sequels were disappointing messes, and Resident Evil's success cemented it as the leader of the genre that The New Nightmare then emulated. Unfortunately, while a competent game at the time, there is little to recommend this game today. #A70: Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare: Year: 2001. Genre: Survival Horror. Publisher: Infogrames. Developer: Darkworks.