The series so far: The Definitive 50 GameCube Games.
Resident Evil started out as a PlayStation centric series. Although all three of the original games were ultimately ported to other systems, they always hit the PS1 first, and with the greatest success.
That’s why it was especially surprising back in 2001 when Capcom announced that the franchise would be GameCube focused.
Ultimately, two truly new Resident Evils would wind up on the GameCube, the revolutionary Resident Evil 4 and the more traditional Resident Evil 0.
0 is a prequel to the original Resident Evil which explains the events leading up to that game.
It follows the story of STARS Bravo Team medic Rebecca Chambers as she investigates first a train swarming with zombies, leeches, and other biohazardous creatures, then an underground Umbrella Corporation facility. Joining Rebecca is escaped convict Billy Coen, an ex marine with a mysterious past.
Although 0 sticks close to the traditional Resident Evil play style, it does mix things up a little with the so called “partner zapping” system. This is a character swapping mechanism the player employs to control both Rebecca and Billy as they explore the zombie infested environments of the game.
Resident Evil 0 actually began life as an N64 title. It was believed that the game would be better suited to cartridges as it featured the previously mentioned “partner zapping,” made much easier by the lack of load times with cartridges.
Of course, RE0 didn’t make its N64 release, and there are some load times, but ultimately, the vastly superior graphical capabilities and disc space of the GameCube easily make up for all of that.
The game contains beautifully pre-rendered environments, detailed cutscenes, and plenty of voice acting to keep the plot moving. It’s creepy, it’s grimy, and it’s down right scary.
On top of Resident Evil 0, the GameCube would end up with five more titles from the series, including a masterful remake of the PlayStation original, the revolutionary 4, and ports of 2, 3, and Code Veronica. More on a few of those in future videos.