The game which came back from the dead

THIS is the Resident Evil game that almost never was. Conceived in the dying days of the N64, Resident Evil Zero was supposed to be a Nintendo cartridge exclusive.

Capcom tantalised Nintendo gamers with mouth-watering screen shots but on sale dates came and went with gloomy regularity. Eventually the publishers admitted what everyone suspected: the game had been canned because Capcom no longer believed it could turn a buck on the N64.

And that seemed to be that.

Except, of course, it wasn't. Behind the scenes those Capcom boys were beavering away turning the cartridge code into something much more, erm, monstrous.

We should have realised that a game that features so many zombies would refuse to stay dead.

So Resident Evil Zero has been reborn on Gamecube - only bigger, better and scarier than ever before.

It's a pre-quel to the original horror adventure that's scared the wits out of millions first on PSOne then - in re-coded form - on the Cube.

Events occur the day before Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield crash land in the grounds of a creepy old house that may be devoid of living people but is positively filled with the undead. Your characters are STARS agent Rebecca and renegade special ops vet Billy.

So far so much the same only this time you can play both characters simultaneously - none of the complete the game with one character then do it all again with the other. This time when you play as Rebecca, Billy follows in your footprints taking out the bad guys; alternatively you can order your computer-controlled character to stay put while you head off in search of healing plants (handy if one or the other is in a bad way).

If you're feeling particularly cocky you can even turn off the auto-pilot and control both at the same time.

Capcom ensures you don't rely on your buddy too much, though. Certain puzzles require that the guys be in different places.

The cut scenes also move this game up on to a different level. They are of a detail and scope that would have been impossible to achieve on an N64 cart. In fact, they are so good that I could have sat back and watched the movies on their own; they are certainly preferable to the cinematic tripe that was Resident Evil - The Movie a few months back.

None of which prepares you for the feast of undead ghouls coming your way in this episode. Remember when the dogs smashed through the corridor window in the first game? Forget how you jumped with fright? Play this game and you'll experience a whole new dimension in cathartic relief - guaranteed.

Of course there are the age-old problems but they've been around so long now that a Resi game with the awkward character movement and long loading times hidden by creaking doors just wouldn't be the same. I almost welcomed them like old friends.

Just six months ago I was hailing the Cube version of the original Resi as the ultimate survival horror game. This adventure makes the first look and feel thoroughly old fashioned.

In fact, it's so good that I just wonder how in the heck Capcom will ever top it. No wonder discussions are taking place back in Japan that could see the franchise reaching its logical conclusion.

And if Resident Evil does come to an end I couldn't think of a more fitting swan song than this game.

Got the message yet? Then I'll put it a bit more straightforwardly: IF YOU ARE 15 OR OLDER, RUSH OUT AND BUY THIS NOW!

RAYMAN 3: HOODLUM HAVOC. Publisher: Ubi-Soft. Platforms: Xbox and PS2. Price: Varies

ANOTHER old favourite returns this month in the limbless form of Rayman. The French favourite started life on the Saturn and has seen action on just about every console since.

This adventure is pretty much standard platforming fare. Rayman must go on an epic quest to help his dumb friend Globox who has eaten a poisonous Lum.

Not that any of this nonsense really matters because Rayman 3 is a traditional adventure platform game. Precise timing and lightning quick reactions are required more than careful consideration and a talent for lateral thinking.

It looks great and there's plenty to keep you happy for many hours. Gamers who haven't got Mario 64 in their collection and didn't pick up Rayman 2 will be knocked out by the apparent invention on display.

Platform veterans will find it a highly polished, albeit slightly less innovative, example of a popular genre.

It falls short to true greatness because it doesn't offer anything genuinely innovative; although what it has to show has been crafted with loving care and precision.

Published: 28/03/2003