Resident Evil (2002 video game)

Resident Evil
North American GameCube cover art
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 4
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Director(s)	Shinji Mikami
Producer(s)	Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Designer(s)	Kouji Kakae Joesuke Kaji Shigenori Nishikawa
Programmer(s)	Hideaki Motozuka
Artist(s)	Naoki Katakai
Composer(s)	Shusaku Uchiyama Makoto Tomozawa Misao Senbongi
Series	Resident Evil
Platform(s)	GameCube Wii PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Windows Xbox 360 Xbox One Nintendo Switch
Release	March 22, 2002 GameCube JP: March 22, 2002 NA: April 30, 2002 EU: September 13, 2002 AU: September 20, 2002 Wii JP: December 25, 2008 NA: June 23, 2009 AU: June 25, 2009 EU: June 26, 2009 PS3, PS4, Win, Xbox 360, Xbox One JP: November 27, 2014 WW: January 20, 2015 Nintendo Switch WW: May 21, 2019 JP: May 23, 2019
Genre(s)	Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player

Resident Evil^[a] is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. Released for the GameCube video game console in 2002, it is a remake of the 1996 PlayStation game Resident Evil, the first installment in the Resident Evil video game series. The story takes place in 1998 near the fictional Midwestern town of Raccoon City where a series of bizarre murders have taken place. The player takes on the role of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, S.T.A.R.S. officers sent in by the city and the R.P.D. to investigate the murders.

Resident Evil was developed over the course of one year and two months as part of an exclusivity deal between Capcom and Nintendo. It was directed by Shinji Mikami, who also designed and directed the original Resident Evil. Mikami decided to produce a remake because he felt that the original had not aged well enough and that the GameCube's capabilities could bring it closer to his original vision. The game retains the same graphical presentation, with 3D models superimposed over pre-rendered backgrounds. However, the quality of the graphics was vastly improved. The remake also features new gameplay mechanics, revised puzzles, additional explorable areas, a revised script, and new story details including an entire subplot cut from the original game.

Upon release, Resident Evil received acclaim from video game journalists, who praised its graphics and improved gameplay over the original game. It is often described as one of the best, scariest, and most visually impressive entries in the Resident Evil series. However, the game sold worse than expected, leading Capcom to change the direction of the series to a more action-oriented approach. In 2008, the game was ported to the Wii, featuring a new control system. In 2015, a high-definition remaster was released to critical and commercial success for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, then later for Nintendo Switch in 2019.
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