Resident Evil: The Missions

The Resident Evil series has certainly had its ups and downs over the years, but with the recent release of the best entry by far in the series (as well as the best entry into the survival horror genre as a whole), Resident Evil 4, the franchise has been undergoing somewhat of a rebirth. Riding on the successful coattails of RE4 comes Capcom’s survival horror foray into the cell phone market, Resident Evil – The Missions. Luckily for us, Resident Evil – The Missions is a solid game, not exactly a port, but an engaging game in and of itself. Resident Evil fans with a capable cell phone should definitely not miss this one.

In Resident Evil – The Missions puts you in control of Jill Valentine as you complete a pyramid of missions and explore a huge mansion owned by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation. Along your foray into survival horror, you have access to various weapons and items from previous RE games.

The Missions takes you through a variety of mini-quests as opposed to a full-on survival horror game. These small quests are generally composed of finding a certain item, clearing an area of zombies, or rescuing someone from a threat (usually zombies). Once you finish a mission, you continue along on the grid to another mission.

The controls are quite good on the cell phone, and feel even better than they do in some of the console versions. You don’t quite control like a tank this time around; you move in the direction that you push. There is also a targeting system where a crosshair will show up on your enemy before you shoot them, making things easier for players to play one-handed.

Graphically, Resident Evil looks quite good. The 3D polygonal characters look good and move smoothly, and the pre-rendered backgrounds are quite impressive and have a lot of detail packed in. The sound is pretty good, although the loud screams and groans do get irritating.

Resident Evil – The Missions is a fun and surprisingly deep incarnation of the beloved franchise, and manages to do it justice even considering the limitations of its hardware. This game is a must for RE fans with a 3D capable mobile phone.

Gameplay: 8.5
Resident Evil – The Missions is a bite-sized RE experience, but that doesn’t keep it from being a fun and engaging game. The mission structure is well suited for the pick-up-and-play pacing of the cell phone, and the game as a whole feels very realized.

Graphics: 9.0
The game does a great job of emulating the look of the console games, with polygonal characters against static 2D backgrounds.

Sound: 8.0
The screams and groans sound pretty good, but recorded a bit too loudly so they may get a little annoying after a while.

Difficulty:  Medium
 

Concept: 8.5
Resident Evil is an original entry to the series that at the same time feels very well fitted for its platform and manages to stand in a class of its own.

Overall: 8.5
Resident Evil – The Missions is a fun game and a solid entry to the series; a worthy purchase for fans of the series.