Resident Evil 0
Encyclopedia
Resident Evil Zero, known in Japan as , is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom
for the Nintendo GameCube
and released in . It was the last of the main titles to use the original Resident Evil
game system prior to the change in system ushered in by the release of Resident Evil 4
.
The game's storyline serves as a prequel
to Resident Evil, covering the events and ordeals experienced by the STARS Bravo team, including Rebecca Chambers, a few hours prior to the original game. The game was released on November 10, 2002 in North America; November 21, 2002 in Japan; February 28, 2003 in Australia and March 7, 2003 in Europe.
The game also does away with the use of boxes placed in fixed locations for the player to store items in. Instead, the player can now drop items on the floor to make room for new ones, which they can later retrieve for future use. The locations of dropped items are displayed on the player's map.
Rebecca soon discovers that the train, the Ecliptic Express, is infested with zombies. After a little exploration, she teams up with the man the military police were escorting to his execution; former U.S. Marine Billy Coen and the two explore the remaining train compartments while combating the zombies, swarms of strange leeches, and a mutated scorpion. As the train begins speeding out of control towards a cliff, the two manage to apply the brakes and divert its course towards an abandoned research and training center.
The pair investigate the underground facility, being forced to defeat the Umbrella Corporation's experiments: mutated insects, spiders and primates. During their navigation, Billy reveals that his unit was forced to kill the innocent civilians of an African village in the midst of a civil war against his wishes, and he soon found that their actions were based on false information. They discover that the former operator of the facility James Marcus, along with Ozwell E. Spencer and Edward Ashford, discovered the Progenitor virus which, when combined with the ebola virus, created a strain that, despite being photosensitive, caused rapid mutations. Ashford originally wanted to use the virus to help the handicapped through its regenerative effects, but after his death Spencer and Marcus began research on its applications for bio-weapons, combining it with leech DNA which eventually led to the formation of the zombiefying T-virus. After a showdown with a gigantic bat inside a church, Billy is attacked by a T-virus infected primate and becomes lost inside an underground laboratory.
While searching for him, Rebecca meets fellow Bravo Team member Enrico Marini. He tells Rebecca about 'an old mansion which Umbrella uses for research' not far from the facility. Rebecca declines Enrico's offer to follow him there, instead deciding to continue her search for Billy.
Then Rebecca fights a released Tyrant before finding Billy washed up on a walkway.
After fighting the Tyrant together, the two eventually meet Marcus. It is revealed that both Albert Wesker and William Birkin were oblivious to the cause of the outbreak in both the Ecliptic Express and the mansion, and that the real culprit was Marcus, an employee of Umbrella who operated the facility until his assassination by Wesker and Birkin, on the orders of Spencer. During his dying moments, his pet queen leech entered his body and reproduced exponentially over ten years to absorb his DNA and memories to bring him back to life. Marcus proceeds to split into a mass of leeches, before chasing Rebecca and Billy through the facility. Birkin activates the self-destruct system as the Queen Leech, Rebecca and Billy continue to fight. After being injured due to a brief exposure to sunlight, the monster is paralysed when the overhead entrance to the laboratory is opened just as the sun rises. Rebecca throws Billy a Magnum revolver and he delivers the final shot to the Queen Leech.
As the facility crumbles, the two escape into the forest and come to a halt on a cliff overlooking the Spencer estate. They salute one another after Rebecca declares Billy "officially dead". Each goes their own way, with Rebecca heading towards the mansion to investigate the whereabouts of Bravo team. Immediately after the mansion would detonate or not. (depending on the different endings of Episode 1)
in 2000. The game was originally slated for the Nintendo 64
, as it was believed by the developers that the platform's cartridge-based media would be more capable in handling the item dropping and 'partner zapping' systems proposed for the game than the disc-based media used by the PlayStation
and Dreamcast, due to the lack of loading times. However, production of the game shifted from the Nintendo 64 to the GameCube as a result of the transition to sixth generation consoles. Since the GameCube made use of a disc-based media, the programmers were forced to rely on clever programming methods to shorten the loading times.
In contrast to other Resident Evil prototypes, which have been known to go through massive changes during production, the story and settings remained mostly unchanged in the released version. Rebecca's original character design featured her wearing a beret instead of the red bandanna she wears in the original game. In the released GameCube version, she uses the same design from the previously released GameCube remake of Resident Evil.
version of Resident Evil Zero was released in Japan on July 10, 2008 as Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil 0. The Wii version is a direct port of the original GameCube game with added support for the Wii Remote
and Nunchuk (without pointer controls) and the Classic Controller in addition to the GameCube Controller. It was also released in North America on December 1, 2009.
IGN gave the Wii version a "poor" 4.5/10, while IGN Australia gave it a "mediocre" 5.4.
of the game written by S. D. Perry
. It is the seventh and final Resident Evil novel written by Perry, but precedes the others in chronological order. It follows the same continuity as Perry's previous novels based on the series.
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and released in . It was the last of the main titles to use the original Resident Evil
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...
game system prior to the change in system ushered in by the release of Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
.
The game's storyline serves as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to Resident Evil, covering the events and ordeals experienced by the STARS Bravo team, including Rebecca Chambers, a few hours prior to the original game. The game was released on November 10, 2002 in North America; November 21, 2002 in Japan; February 28, 2003 in Australia and March 7, 2003 in Europe.
Gameplay
The main gameplay feature of Resident Evil Zero, dubbed the "partner zapping" system, is unique in the series in that instead of choosing a single character to play through the game, the player controls both of the main characters through the entire game: Rebecca Chambers, STARS Bravo team's medic from the original Resident Evil, and Billy Coen, an escaped ex-military convict. Both characters can travel together, with one character being controlled by the player and other by the computer, or split up and search separate areas each at the same time. This dual control is central to solving some of the puzzles in the game. The difference between the characters is that Rebecca can acquire chemicals with her mixing kit and can get into tight spaces, but has less health. In contrast, Billy can handle heavy objects, has a lighter and can sustain more damage than Rebecca, but cannot mix herbs.The game also does away with the use of boxes placed in fixed locations for the player to store items in. Instead, the player can now drop items on the floor to make room for new ones, which they can later retrieve for future use. The locations of dropped items are displayed on the player's map.
Plot
On July 23, 1998, special police STARS Bravo Team is sent in to investigate a series of grisly murders in the Arklay Mountains region outside of Raccoon City. On the way to the scene, Bravo's helicopter malfunctions because of a sabotageand is forced to crash land in the forest. The team soon discover an overturned military police transport truck, along with the mutilated corpses of two officers. The team split up and Bravo team's field medic, Rebecca Chambers, finds a train stopped in the middle of the forest.Rebecca soon discovers that the train, the Ecliptic Express, is infested with zombies. After a little exploration, she teams up with the man the military police were escorting to his execution; former U.S. Marine Billy Coen and the two explore the remaining train compartments while combating the zombies, swarms of strange leeches, and a mutated scorpion. As the train begins speeding out of control towards a cliff, the two manage to apply the brakes and divert its course towards an abandoned research and training center.
The pair investigate the underground facility, being forced to defeat the Umbrella Corporation's experiments: mutated insects, spiders and primates. During their navigation, Billy reveals that his unit was forced to kill the innocent civilians of an African village in the midst of a civil war against his wishes, and he soon found that their actions were based on false information. They discover that the former operator of the facility James Marcus, along with Ozwell E. Spencer and Edward Ashford, discovered the Progenitor virus which, when combined with the ebola virus, created a strain that, despite being photosensitive, caused rapid mutations. Ashford originally wanted to use the virus to help the handicapped through its regenerative effects, but after his death Spencer and Marcus began research on its applications for bio-weapons, combining it with leech DNA which eventually led to the formation of the zombiefying T-virus. After a showdown with a gigantic bat inside a church, Billy is attacked by a T-virus infected primate and becomes lost inside an underground laboratory.
While searching for him, Rebecca meets fellow Bravo Team member Enrico Marini. He tells Rebecca about 'an old mansion which Umbrella uses for research' not far from the facility. Rebecca declines Enrico's offer to follow him there, instead deciding to continue her search for Billy.
Then Rebecca fights a released Tyrant before finding Billy washed up on a walkway.
After fighting the Tyrant together, the two eventually meet Marcus. It is revealed that both Albert Wesker and William Birkin were oblivious to the cause of the outbreak in both the Ecliptic Express and the mansion, and that the real culprit was Marcus, an employee of Umbrella who operated the facility until his assassination by Wesker and Birkin, on the orders of Spencer. During his dying moments, his pet queen leech entered his body and reproduced exponentially over ten years to absorb his DNA and memories to bring him back to life. Marcus proceeds to split into a mass of leeches, before chasing Rebecca and Billy through the facility. Birkin activates the self-destruct system as the Queen Leech, Rebecca and Billy continue to fight. After being injured due to a brief exposure to sunlight, the monster is paralysed when the overhead entrance to the laboratory is opened just as the sun rises. Rebecca throws Billy a Magnum revolver and he delivers the final shot to the Queen Leech.
As the facility crumbles, the two escape into the forest and come to a halt on a cliff overlooking the Spencer estate. They salute one another after Rebecca declares Billy "officially dead". Each goes their own way, with Rebecca heading towards the mansion to investigate the whereabouts of Bravo team. Immediately after the mansion would detonate or not. (depending on the different endings of Episode 1)
Development
Resident Evil Zero was developed by Capcom Production Studio 3, and first unveiled during the Tokyo Game ShowTokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
in 2000. The game was originally slated for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, as it was believed by the developers that the platform's cartridge-based media would be more capable in handling the item dropping and 'partner zapping' systems proposed for the game than the disc-based media used by the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Dreamcast, due to the lack of loading times. However, production of the game shifted from the Nintendo 64 to the GameCube as a result of the transition to sixth generation consoles. Since the GameCube made use of a disc-based media, the programmers were forced to rely on clever programming methods to shorten the loading times.
In contrast to other Resident Evil prototypes, which have been known to go through massive changes during production, the story and settings remained mostly unchanged in the released version. Rebecca's original character design featured her wearing a beret instead of the red bandanna she wears in the original game. In the released GameCube version, she uses the same design from the previously released GameCube remake of Resident Evil.
Reception
The game was well received by critics and has sold 1.25 million copies worldwide.Wii version
A WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version of Resident Evil Zero was released in Japan on July 10, 2008 as Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil 0. The Wii version is a direct port of the original GameCube game with added support for the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
and Nunchuk (without pointer controls) and the Classic Controller in addition to the GameCube Controller. It was also released in North America on December 1, 2009.
IGN gave the Wii version a "poor" 4.5/10, while IGN Australia gave it a "mediocre" 5.4.
Novelization
Zero Hour is a novelizationNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of the game written by S. D. Perry
S. D. Perry
Stephani Danelle Perry is a novelist living in Portland, Oregon. She is the daughter of writer Steve Perry.S. D...
. It is the seventh and final Resident Evil novel written by Perry, but precedes the others in chronological order. It follows the same continuity as Perry's previous novels based on the series.