Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

The creatures are definitely fodder for nightmares and the ambient music will assure that you don't play this game alone in the dark - instead, play it with four people alone in the dark.

It may not be the all-new title some were hoping for, but it's a great game worthy of bearing the Resident Evil name. [Apr 2006, p.82]

RE DS doesn’t score many originality points, but it doesn’t have to. RE was, and still is, a classic, and having it available in the palm of your hand is nothing to complain about.

The ten year old puzzles are still there, graphics are the same mostly, and you still have to use ribbons to save. On the other hand door and cutscenes can be skipped, loading in between areas is almost instantaneous, and DS frills are fun. [JPN Import]

As the umpteenth port it can’t score as highly as original and exclusive DS titles, but as a handheld survival/horror game it is everything I wanted.

Nothing is more impressive than seeing good 3D graphics on a system considered "underpowered" in that area (see also: "Panzer Dragoon" on the Sega Saturn), and you get the whole package with Deadly Silence.

This could be due to the age of the game, the fact that we've played it before or because the screen is so tiny, but the game isn't nearly as frightening as it used to be.

Even with the control and dialog problems, and the item-toting frustrations, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is still as good as the original was, and more so because of the addition of Rebirth mode and the touch screen mechanics.

While we've obviously got reservations about the exhumation of a decade-old game, the fact that Resi can still provide tension and enjoyment in equal measure is testament to its quality.

It's fun to relive the experience we had years ago on a tiny handheld, and given the nature of the DS, you can forgive more of the rougher edges. [Apr 2006, p.69]

Basically the old PSOne Resident Evil. The atmosphere is still there and the game is very addictive. On the other hand, old problems like small inventory are also there. The dual screen has been used very sparingly, some lacklustre touch screen knife battles and puzzle elements here and there, nothing more. [April 2006]

The PlayStation action adventure classic makes an unlikely appearance on the Nintendo DS, complete with some surprising new twists and all the gory scares that made the original so memorable.

While a 180-degree turn and permanently mapped knife button are nice additions, as a fan this edition is almost most worthwhile for what has been kept, even if unnecessary. [Mar 2006, p.115]

Overall, REDS delivers and fills fans’ hearts with hope for an even better sequel for the DS.

Deadly Silence manages to exhume possibly some of the most memorable aspects of the series, while fine-tuning the experience with some intriguing DS-capabilities. However, its control method and outdated visuals can prove frustrating at the best of times for newcomers to the series.

The Rebirth mode is a welcome addition, and it offers a harder quest, more enemies and new puzzles, but touch screen support is minimal, and the knifing battles feel more like hastily created mini-games rather than well-integrated portions of the quest.

In the wake of Resident Evil 4's Game of the Year honors, it's nice to see where the series got its roots, but it also reminds us just how far the series has come.

It's hard to ignore all the little quirks in gameplay and presentation that were a bit easier to disregard in the earlier days of 3D adventuring, so if we look at it as a new title instead of a revival, well, it's not a whole lot better than a good but flawed game design.

New players will find a passe and not-scary survival horror relic, but old hands will enjoy the nostalgia of a fine old classic with a couple of new features. Take your pick.

Not essential, but worthwhile for anyone who hasn't played the original Evil in ages. [Apr 2006, p.104]

Normally, mining the license library to populate new hardware is a move that smacks of laziness and creative bankruptcy. In this case, Capcom seems to be on to something. [May 2006, p.91]

Back in 1996, Resident Evil was a groundbreaking game. Now, it pales to most other survival horrors, especially "RE4."

If Capcom's aim was to deliver the original Playstation experience with knobs on to the DS, then that aim has been met and exceeded. It looks the same, it sounds the same; not that is a bad thing - far from it, the DS probably isn't capable of improving things by that much.

The game’s innate charm and mixture of overbearing tension and fear still works as well today as it did back in 1996. [May 2006, p.117]

There are many good elements to Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, but it ultimately fails to excel on the two levels it attempts: it fails as nostalgia because the weaknesses of the original get in the way of the fun, and it fails as a new game because neither the environment nor story translate to a unique or very scary experience anymore.

If you haven't experienced the original Resident Evil, now is your chance to embrace a classic. Gamers who have played it before, however, won't find quite enough extra here to justify paying for the privilege of doing it all over again.

But the multiplayer modes suffer from severely limited interaction and only three maps for play. The most promising new feature becomes routine very quickly, so before you know it the latest experiment in Raccoon city is over.

If you've never played any of the games in the series then you may want to try this one out, if not there are plenty of better DS titles out there.

It's almost gut-wrenching to realize that with it has come all the problems that plagued it in the past. Add to this the newly implement touch-screen mini-games that feel like more of a distraction than an addition, and you're left with an experience that only the hardest of the hardcore fan could stomach.

But the game certainly hasn't aged well, and what worked ten years ago (ink ribbons, that zany control scheme) isn't so attractive these days.

While there is nothing new for veterans or anything to change the minds of the pessimists among you, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is a good game that commemorates a classic series. Too bad that it’s pretty much redundant as a portable game.

There may be better ways to relive Resident Evil than Deadly Silence, but no version could demote it from its status as a creaky but compelling classic. [Apr 2006, p.94]

For those who have played the game to death on an older console, the 'Rebirth' mode and assorted other extras may offer enough incentive to drop the cash on it again, and for the ten people who are yet to play Resident Evil, it's certainly worth experiencing for the first time, despite its rather aged control scheme.

Great games never really die, they just get reanimated.

There's really no reason to go back and replay it. I have to admit a certain amount of nostalgia in the early going, especially as I remembered cool parts of the game, but that's not a compelling reason to fork over the bucks for this remake.

Is this trip down memory lane worth $35? The Rebirth Mode is the most justifiable reason, and even then, the case isn't that strong.

The new additions to in the DS version are pleasant enough, but it’s not enough to make the game feel new or exciting.

In my opinion the 10-year-old game this cartridge contains just does not hold up in 2006 and the clear lack of consideration for the needs of the platform earn it a below average "C-" score.

Placed on a handheld, the gravitas of the shock scares is gone, and with unrealistic graphics and a cheese factor turned up to eleven, any feeling of genuine creepiness is lost. While it does keep all the flaws described here, the GameCube remake does at least offer beautiful graphics and some decent shocks.