One of the finest compliments I believe can be awarded to the various talents that toiled over Resident Evil is its uncanny ability to frighten. Whether you play Resident Evil alone during a thunderstorm at 3:00AM or with a friend at 1:30PM on the sunniest of days, this game will tinker with your mind. And it should, right? After all, that is what you lay out good money for. Yet while you're definitely getting your money's worth with Resident Evil, I still feel that some improvements could be made with this series. Especially if Capcom wants to keep people like me, (who are beginning to tire of the gameplay), around for another few installments.

The control in Resident Evil is the same as it has always been in each of the previous versions. Using the analog or the D-pad, pressing UP moves forward, DOWN moves back, LEFT moves to the character's left and RIGHT moves right. Press the B button while moving and the character breaks out into a run (very, very handy). Hold the R button to raise a weapon and A to use it. The C stick is used to perform a 180-degree turn (handy for taking on multiple enemies or running like hell). The Y button takes you to the inventory screen, and the X button brings up a map. Just like in the original Resident Evil, Jill can carry up to eight items, while Chris can hold a measly six.

This is my fourth Resident Evil title, and, well, truth be told, I was starting to lose my passion for the series, mainly due to the control scheme. I was surprised to hear various websites state that there was an alternative control scheme that seemed to please many people in the same tiring situation as me. This new setup, although not ideal, is very comfortable, and I feel confident recommending it to you. Pressing the R button lightly results in the character walking. Hold it down and he/she will run. The analog stick is used to maneuver the character. To aim a weapon, the L button is now used, and, of course, the analog assists in aiming. Everything else remains the same. It feels odd to go against the grain, so to speak, but anyone who has had it up to his or her ears with the old system might be surprised at how well this new system works.

I read somewhere that the real reason players haven't been blessed with full 3D movement akin to Devil May Cry was to avoid a decrease in the fear factor. Apparently Capcom feels it would be too easy to run around and away from enemies. I'm no game developer so I won't comment on the reality of this statement. However, I will say outright that there are times when Resident Evil is, for lack of a better word, unfair. One example is those infamous pesky dogs. It's not uncommon to be attacked by two at once. Fair enough, but these dogs take bullets like champs, and regularly latch onto your arm even after you've put them down twice. Watching them run circles around you is annoying, especially when you can only tag one at a time, so it's inevitable you'll lose energy often. I just wish Capcom had done something to alleviate the stiff feeling that runs through the characters while playing.

It's true, combat can often feel frustrating, but there is a divine satisfaction to be had as, say, you feel the Gamecube controller kick in your hands when you let out a shotgun blast, taking a zombie's head clean off its shoulders. Watching the blood shoot out into the air as the body drops lifelessly to ground never ever gets old. But be warned, if you leave the bodies of these hellish creatures lying on the floor without decapitation, they're likely to rise when you least expect it - so make sure you burn them with the lighter and fluid!

Besides the undead scaring the crap out of you every five minutes, you'll have to deal with puzzles. If you just moaned while reading the mention of that, then, for your own good, please walk away now. There are puzzles, and as you may have heard, they have been altered, and in most cases completely changed. Some are tough, very tough, and one shouldn't feel embarrassed about heading over to a site for some much-needed support. Many of the riddles involve moving objects from one area to another; replacing one item for another to avoid booby traps; flipping the proper switches; and playing with dials. Most of the puzzles tend to make no sense at all. But when has that ever mattered in Resident Evil game?

Some of these puzzles will have you literally running around in circles. Since the number of items you can carry is limited, you'll frequently get to a room, realize you've left a crucial item in the item box, and have to traverse all the way back and then back again. The first few times are bearable, as Capcom has had the wise decency to surprise you even after a third trip through the same corridor. This is a nice addition, but 15 hours in and I began to loathe the entire running around bit. No matter how great this game is, one can't help but feel that item management tacks on an extra few hours of game time.

Guess what? No matter how weary I grew of retracing my steps, every time I felt like tossing down the controller, I'd solve a puzzle or locate an unopened room and the excitement would once again escalate. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as plunging into an uncharted room in the Resident Evil universe. Well, now, with Nintendo's hardware pushing Capcom's vision with a full-force shove, they have managed to exceed my every expectation on what a videogame can look like. Simply put, Resident Evil is horrifyingly beautiful. Not just in certain parts either. Each and every room is a work of art that has been painstakingly crafted to feed your eyes to the fullest. There are times when hallways envelop you in cave-darkness, and the strike of lightning is all there is to illuminate the hall. Shadows will be cast off walls, intimidating your ability to carry on with the adventure. Chandeliers hang from ceilings, swinging back and forth, casting light exactly where there should be. There is so much detail, occasionally you're forced to just stop, drink it all in, and then move on to the next work of art.

As for the character models, they can hang with the best the business has to offer. They are so beautifully textured and highly detailed, I never tired of looking at them. Gun holsters, belts, buttons, and watches round out the uniforms for the S.T.A.R.S members. You can even make out their pupils for cryin' out loud! While the good guys look great, it's the evil ones who take home the trophy. The first time you see the Hunter, there is a fifty-fifty chance you'll wet yourself, depending one what you drank earlier in the day. And wait until you get a load of the Chimera. I don't know how they come up with these things, but I've never, and I mean never, feared an enemy to the unhealthy degree I do this bastard. Taking the character models, animation, and the pre-rendered backgrounds into account, I'd go so far as to say Resident Evil is easily one the top ten best-looking games I've ever seen. The pictures in magazines don't do it justice. You must see this game in action.

The music in Resident Evil is deliciously nerve-racking. It rises right alongside your tension, building up to just the right note, before joining forces with some disgusting creature from Hell to send you jumping out of your skin. Even more clever is the lack of sound that accommodates the adventure. I can't tell you how many times I walked into a room and stood still, listening for something, anything, only to have the eerie quiet run chills up my spine. The effect is unmatched, and in some cases (like when a light tapping sound echoes from somewhere) makes more of an impact than the music.

Sound effects are used in full force as well. Everything, from the crunching of ground underfoot to the haunting moan of a zombie to the ear-piercing scream of woman, is done with great care. Capcom's sound team should be commended. Even the voice acting is bearable. I definitely miss some of the old lines from the original ("What IS IT?"), but this one is cool. It isn't going to win any awards, but it's easily the best in the series.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of room for improvement in the Resident Evil series. But what has been accomplished is nothing short of amazing. It's the little things that stick out in my mind. The defensive moves Jill and Chris have are priceless. Sticking a grenade in the zombie's mouth or ramming a battery charger into their body and watching them light up are some of the more easily appreciated touches Capcom has added. Also, mutated zombies will attack if you don't dispose of them properly the first time. When these freaks come at you, you'd better have a shotgun ready if you want to take them down - they're fast and vicious. Oh, and don't think running down the stairs will help you out either. They follow relentlessly.

What it comes down to is: Resident Evil offers up an experience that few games can match pound-for-pound. At any given time, you can walk into a room, hear some freaky sound from far off, and decide, no, better check this room out later. That is Capcom's developers getting into your head. Messing with you. Scaring you. Personally, there's no other place I'd rather they be.

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