Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero

Once they stop bitching at each other, getting through the various locations necessitates a degree of enforced co-operation, and a modicum of lateral thought to make the best use of the objects available to you. This unique co-op puzzling system gives Resident Evil Zero a degree of its own charm, somehow managing to make the endless search for glinting items less futile than it might have otherwise been.

Rather like Resident Evil 5, the system also extends to jointly manipulating the environment, passing objects between one another and giving a leg up where necessary. Sometimes the teamwork involves being in two separate parts of the environment at once; one might end up doing most of the puzzle legwork, while the other gets their hands dirty fighting solo. Zapping between partners is a single button press, and on the whole it's an experiment that works well in the confines of the genre.

The co-op combat, mind you, doesn't fare quite as well, and can, at times, be a real bugbear. Not only is the partner AI prone to getting itself into trouble, but it also illogically tends to use up its most powerful weapon when it doesn't need to - not exactly helpful in a game that's as much about prudent inventory management as reslaughtering the undead. Most of the time, in these situations you're better off ordering them to stay out of harm's way in another room and do all the killing yourself, or else you'll end up in a boss fight with nowt but pistol ammo.

Fortunately, the implications of keeping your partner elsewhere are minimal. In most respects, the game plays out just like any other old Resident Evil - albeit now with an extra layer of nannying. The targeting lock-on certainly helps offset the problems associated with off-screen enemies, but it only goes so far towards solving the broader issues.

Like most of the hugely unforgiving early Resident Evil games, this process of learning through bitter experience becomes perversely enjoyable, and helps ratchet up the often unbearable tension that comes from the threat of danger. Never quite knowing what drooling menace is lurking around the corner is one of the key ingredients that keeps us coming back, and in that regard, Zero doesn't disappoint.

As usual, some of the highlights of Zero are its epic boss battles. Released back in the day when Capcom wasn't inclined to offer concessions to a less patient player, these terrifying, beautifully rendered, screen-filling behemoths generally require every ounce of focus and concentration to dispatch - not to mention pre-planning. For those who've recently embraced Demon's Souls, this return to a less forgiving, more challenging set of enemies has a peculiarly satisfying appeal that feels unexpectedly relevant right now.

Perhaps one of the more surprising aspects of Resident Evil Zero is how well the visuals have held up after all these years. By using a combination of highly detailed static backdrops, scripted animation and shadowing, the effect is still glorious. Capcom always did have an eye for atmospheric detail, and this along with the Resident Evil remake represent the pinnacle of that bygone style. But as tension-inducing as the static camera technique was, the practical limitations are simply unforgivable in a game that involves so much shooting. Going back to this old system now merely underlines why games aren't made this way anymore.