Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Replay: 6.5
Multiplayer: No

Everybody who has ever heard of or played a horror game knows of the Resident Evil series by Capcom. It is one of the most popular horror games series around. Why? Because the games are challenging and most incredibly scary. Trust me, you don't want to play these games when your home alone late at night in the dark with the volume turned up. If you do you won't be going to sleep for a week (well, at least you won't be able to stay asleep due to the reoccuring nightmares that will haunt you). Resident Evil Zero is the first Resident Evil game made exclusively for the Gamecube. Is Capcom's venture into the Gamecube a successful one or will you be looking elsewhere to satisfy your sadistic pleasure in killing zombies?

I'd say that if you liked any of the originals you will love this game. The controls definately aren't the best. I mean, seriously, they were bad on the Playstation and Playstation 2 but with the awkward Gamecube controller the controls are even worse. I heard somebody mention that the controls are this way to add to the horror effect. It makes sense. Not being able to do something as easily or as quickly as you would like can definately add to the suspense and difficulty of the game. It really makes you think before walking through a door because if there are zombies waiting you won't have much time to react.

The gameplay in this whole series has basically remained the same. There are a lot of secrets to find in this game, mainly items. It is wise to explore around to find herbs and other important things. The dark horror setting is still present. The game is set up perfectly to be scary. A narrow train, so there isn't much space to move, and a lot of zombies. This leads to some tight situations.
The biggest addition to the gameplay in this newest version is all the ways you can interact with your partner. There are two playable characters in this game, the rookie S.T.A.R.S. Bravo member Rebecca Chambers and the escaped convict Billy. You can order your partner to follow you or stay put. Be careful not to leave them in a dangerous place however as sometimes zombies will be coming through and they will be crying for your help. Your partner can take care him/herself most of the time but sometimes there are too many. You also have the ability of telling your partner whether to unload as much ammo as possible into the enemy or to conserve and only take smart shots. This is useful when ammo is getting low.

The graphics in this game are incredible. It uses the same style as the Silent Hill series to make it look good. Dark environments so objects don't have to be completely detailed but still look good. Also, since most objects are non interactive they are able to look very good as a background. This game also uses the room by room graphics set up so that the game has to load up each new room. This is good for making the game look nice but I don't like the loading in between rooms. I would like for it to run smoother instead.

Environments are as scary as ever. There are plenty of body parts strewn across the train and enough blood to make you feel queasy. This definately isn't the right train to be on. The characters are very well modeled and incredibly detailed and they look very realistic. The zombies look incredible as they are missing parts of their bodies, etc. The good graphics adds to the horror of the game.
Naturally the sound is by far the most important factor in horror games. Without the sound the game wouldn't be scary and wouldn't be any fun. This game does the sound well, but it could be even scarier. When you are walking down a hall all alone with blood splattered everywhere and all of a sudden you hear a high pitched scream coming from the darkness, it makes you jump and gets your heart pumping, just like it's supposed to. The moans and groans of the zombies are scary and it's a lot nicer when you are pumping bullets into them to silence them for good.

There is practically no replay in this game. It is worth it for the first time through as it is very fun, but there is nothing to keep you coming back. So for most people this is just worth the rental. Unless you are collecting the Resident Evil games I would suggest just renting it, beating it, and taking it back. The game is very fun and very scary while it lasts.