Completed the Saturn version, getting the best ending with Jill in around 6 hours. Whilst I'd like to post review and expand on my previous post, I can't do so objectively as so much of it is based on nostalgia. If I was being completely honest then I can imagine anyone who didn't grow up with it having a bad time, even if they played later RE games. The lack of a quick turn or auto aim, whilst increasing tension, is a pain since it can be hard to line up your shots or avoid damage in certain areas.
But it still has a real unique charm to it. Playing it when I was young really felt like a trip into the unknown, especially as I was coming straight from the SNES which felt a world away in terms of graphics and it was the first game I played where I had a genuine sense of fear and tension. Yes in the day I had a magazine guide, but that was still only an overview and there was no internet to spoil everything. There's also a real sense of isolation, that you're trapped in this house in the middle of nowhere. Whilst the environment is a lot less detailed than RE2, with some corridors that are completely empty, somehow it adds to that unnerving feeling. Another part I'd never really considered before was the Hunters, yes they're absolute bastards and borderline unfair, but they completely change the way you approach the otherwise familiar mansion upon your return.
Since it was the first game, there was no existing lore to have to build your story around and no expctation they'd still be making entries 25 years later, so the story is almost refreshingly straightforward. Yes the voice acting is even worse than I remembered, since Capcom just went out and grabbed whichever gaijins looked like the characters, but again it adds to the charm. But I do have to give props to music and sound design, which reaally add to the atmosphere. Also whoever played Jill in the fmv - well I think there was a reason 13 year old me liked playing as her. Although I did forget just how much harder playing as Chris is, especially when the game never indicates they're basically easy and hard mode.
So unlike the remake, which is still an awesome game, I could only recommend playing it if you have the patience to live with its flaws (and to be honest the Director's Cut would be a better way to experience it. But I still really enjoyed going back into the mansion.
