Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (Nintendo DS)

This is just a port of the original classic PSX/PS1 survival horror Resident Evil. But it is so much more than just a port at the same time: the game features two different modes, each with two characters to play as (Chris and Jill) and each character having a different difficulty to play the game on.

I played this game first when I was just 6 years old, 10 years ago, and I was so scared I had nightmares for weeks! But this game, despite the fact that it looks pretty dated compared to the fantastic remake for the GameCube and the new classic Resident Evil 4, is a gaming masterpiece; it started survival horror, and made way for games such as Silent Hill, Forbidden Siren, amongst others. When I first heard this was coming out for the DS back in mid 2005 I just couldn't wait to play it portable.

The game does sound better for the PS1, but the graphics don't look at pixeled (sorry bout the spelling) on the DS version.

The two main modes of the game are Original (the classic Resident Evil that all original fans will remember) and Rebirth (a slightly different version that encorporates the DS' stylus as your knife and also makes you solve puzzles with the stylus i.e. tapping colours on a storeroom chest in order for them to line up and give you a first-aid spray or something - only 25% of the time, when you walk into a room, will you be required to fight with the stylus). Rebirth lasts longer than the main game, as enemies can always come back if you enter a room and are forced to fight with your stylus, whilst Classic is just the exact same game that was made 10 years ago.

Once you have finished the game once you unlock the 'Master of Knifing' minigame, where you play through the 5 main areas of the main game, but shortened down to make it more like an arcade game. The minigame requires you to play with just your stylus as you have only your knife and no other weapons or health-kits etc. and you have to fight as you do occasionally in Rebirth.

One of the best features is multiplayer, although every player requires a game card each - so I had to go spend £70 on 2 versions when the U.S. version came out in February 06 just so I could compete against my brother. Multiplayer allows you to choose a character and either work with your friend or compete against them in 3 different stages (each should last around 3 to 4 minutes). Jill and Chris are only available when you start, but other classic characters can be unlocked as you complete each main game mode on each difficulty, and when you have played through the minigame and got a B rank you also unlock...well, my favourite character out of all Resi games ('the always calm, cool S.T.A.R.S. who always where dark shades' - don't want to give it away for those who haven't played any of the games yet).

The actual story is pretty simple: you are a member of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics And Rescue Squad) Alpha team who are sent in to help find their 'brother' team Bravo, who you lost contact with whilst they were in the Racoon Forest. You arrive to find their helicopter deserted, are attacked by Cerberus (hellhounds/ mutilated dogs) and are forced to flee into an old mansion called the Spencer Estate. You find the mansion to be infested with the living dead (ZOMBIES!) and other creatures from Hell, such as HUGE Black Widows, Cerberus, the awesome Hunters, and the unforgetable Tyrant, and must now find other ways to escape the mansion and get back to Racoon City.

Whilst some people believe Resident Evil 2 is the best game, I have to say that I always thought this was the best - it's the classic haunted house scenario - and I am still scared to death of the 2002 remake for GameCube (get a Cube and buy that and Resi 4 too!) This game started the legendary Resident Evil series, and it has the most memorable characters out of the entire series (Chris, Barry, Jill, Wesker (oh yeah!), Rebecca etc).

The dialog is so cheap and pathetic compared to today's standards of gaming speech, but that's what adds to the game's legendary status!

I hope that Resident Evil 2 comes out for the DS sometime soon (maybe Feb next year?) as that is the second best in terms of survival horror.

Anyway, get this game; I guarantee that if you like classics or/ and horror games, you will love this!

RESI FAN 4 LIFE!

This is an absolutely amazing game and one that if you are a ds owner is a must buy. The new rebirth mode which is a feature for the ds which allows you to use the touchscreen in some places of the game as well as the ds microphone is a very nice addition as opposed to the regular mode or classic mode as they call it. The sound in the game is fairly good although sometimes it can be hard to hear what is going on but plug in a pair of headphones and you will be fine. The gameplay is standard resident evil which ive never had a problem with so the controls suit me fine although some people complain that the characters control like tanks, so if you are one of those people this game is not going to impress you. Overall this is a great resident evil on the go and lets hope they will bring out a port of resident evil 2.

Anyone who loves Resident Evil shouldn't be disappointed with this Playstation one port. The whole concept of being able to play this great game on the move is awesome. The backdrops sadly aren't as detailed as the Playstation original, nor is the sound as crisp, but the characters and zombies still look great. The sound effects and speech have been squeezed in, and hearing the poor acting once again brings a tear to my eye. The controls of the game are no worse than the original, and play fine. The best part of this conversion is being able to skip the door opening sequences, and being able to view the map constantly on the other screen. This to me creates better fluidity, and speeds the gameplay dramatically. This convertion lacks the atmosphere of the Playstation due to the small screens and quiet background music, but to me being able to play it anywhere makes it a must buy for any fan of the series.

The inclusion of another play mode with different puzzles using the touch screen and 1st person battles also gives the game more value. Buy the game today, you won't regret it!