Resident Evil (GameCube)

Ask anyone what the scariest game they've ever played is and they'll invariably mention Resident Evil (unless they're trying to be a smart aleck and choose Rise of the Robots). Six years after its original release the mix of cinematic camera angles, shock-horror movie atmosphere and the constant state of panic that having virtually no ammo or health gives you has still never been bettered.

Although films and music are forever being remade, remixed and generally reheated, games never seem to get the same treatment. Resident Evil is bucking that trend, though, and is back with almost another game's worth of extra rooms and puzzles and what are arguably the best graphics ever seen in a video game--we're talking near-photo-realistic characters and a subtle use of light and shadow as has never been seen before.

Ignoring the stodgy control system and incongruous puzzles, the genius of Resident Evil is that you genuinely don't know what'll happen next. Just deciding whether to risk opening a door can be a fearsome and suspenseful experience. The fact that you can only hold half a dozen items at any one time forces you to plan what you're going to do in far more detail than any other action game, deciding which monsters you can afford to shoot and where you can run to if things go pear-shaped. In short, if you're a Resi fan this revamp will be like manna from heaven; if you've yet to experience its dubious delights, you'd better break out the brown trousers right away. --David Jenkins

"A big dollop, dirty, steaming evil that has been moulded into one of the best games you'll play. 94%."

Resident Evil, the game often credited with starting the survival-horror genre, has been reinvented for the GameCube. For those unfamiliar with the series, a mysterious corporation has secretly been performing ungodly biotech experiments in the sleepy little town of Raccoon City. When reports of gory attacks come in from nearby areas, two crack military squads are sent to investigate. You take the role of either sharpshooter Chris Redfield or demolitions expert Jill Valentine to track down the source of the town's problems--specifically, something in a decaying mansion that's mutating animals into grotesque killers and turning humans into bloodthirsty zombies. Supplies and ammunition are scarce, so you'll have to know when to fight, when to run, and how to keep their wits about you--you can't afford to waste their shots and expect your character to survive.

The story has been retrofitted with motion-captured animation, next-generation graphics, real-time lighting and shadow effects, new areas, and newly rendered in-game video segments to create an even more cinematic experience. Also, a redesigned combat system lets you attack and defend yourself with a variety of items found in the environment.

For years a secluded mansion and its grounds have been the site of top-secret biotechnic experiments funded by a respected corporation. A while back the weekly laboratory reports started to become increasingly vague and now they have stopped completely. Recent gory attacks near the mansion have lead to rumours of unnatural canines on the prowl. Something has gone terribly wrong.

Two Special Tactics and Rescue Squad teams are sent to investigate these strange and gruesome developments. Bravo Team are the first to mobilise and they disappear almost immediately. Alpha Team follows, urgently driven towards the mansion to find out what happened to Bravo Team and see if they figure out what the hell is going on.

Turn out the lights. Lock the doors....Live the Nightmare.

The award-winning survival horror series debuts on Nintendo GameCube system!

Raccoon City. A secluded mountain community, plagued by a storm of vicious attacks, is completely overrun. Mutant beasts, blood-thirsty zombies infest the landscape. You are S.T.A.R.S - Special Tactics and Rescue Service. Your mission: investigate the ominous mansion at the core of the horrific disaster. Uncover secrets behind a radical, genetic research facility. With unspeakable horrors lurking around every corner, the ultimate test may be just to make it out alive!

• The most terrifying, realistic video game ever created.
• An entirely new gameplay experience spanning 2 discs!
• Solve hair-raising mysteries and uncover spine-chilling new secrets.
• Play as S.T.A.R.S. operative Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield.
• Face sheer terror as you encounter faster enemies and master devastating weapons.
• Tread unexplored areas: new estate rooms, secret lairs, graveyards, guest houses and more.