Resident Evil HD Releases Jan. 20 for $19.99
Chris Redfield returns to the mansion once again, 18 years after the first entry in the Resident Evil series. (Image by Capcom)
Capcom announced Thursday that Resident Evil HD will release Jan. 20, 2015 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at $19.99 as a digital download.
The high-definition remaster is based on the GameCube version that released in April 2002, which was a remake of the very first Resident Evil game that released for the PlayStation in March 1996. The game features Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as playable characters in a zombie-infested mansion. The REmake overhauled the visuals and character models, added new gameplay elements, changed various puzzles and added new areas across the game.
Capcom announced the downloadable HD enhancement in August, which it calls the definite version of Resident Evil. On PS4 and Xbox One the game will be 1080p while the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions have a lower resolution at 720p. Both versions will be at 30 frames-per-second. The PC version will support up to 60 frames-per-second. There’s also a widescreen 16:9 display or the game’s original 4: 3 ratio that can be switched between in real-time.
“The original team had to use a lot of tricks and roundabout ways of getting the high quality performance they needed,” Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, the game’s producer, told IGN. “That means that we need to get under the hood, solve the puzzle of how the game is put together, and replicate the techniques they used at the time. This is no easy task. We’re finally at a point where we are able to do what we need to do to produce a high quality remastered version.”
Other enhancements for the 2015 release include some new polygon backgrounds and environments in certain sections of the game instead of flat images and pre-rendered video files used in the original. All platform versions also have enhanced audio with 5.1 surround sound.
The new Resident Evil features both the original “tank” controls of the 1996 release and a new, more modern control scheme where the character moves in the direction of the analog sticks. Both control styles can be selected at any time during gameplay.
Resident Evil HD will have a limited edition retail release exclusively in Japan for the PS3. A Wii U version wasn’t announced by Capcom.
Resident Evil on PS1 has sold more than 2.75 million copies in its lifetime while the REmake version has sold 1.35 million. The GameCube version was later ported to the Nintendo Wii with motion controls in December 2008 and for North America the following year. The franchise has sold more than 62 million copies across all games and platforms, as of Sept. 30.
Barry Burton from the first Resident Evil is finally returning to the franchise in Resident Evil Revelations 2, almost 20 years since his appearance in the mansion. In Revelations 2 Barry is one of the main playable characters who is looking for his missing daughter. You can watch some of his return in this trailer. The game is a four episode downloadable release, with the first chapter coming out on Feb. 17, 2015. Episode four will release March 10.
Watch gameplay of Resident Evil HD at 60 frames-per-second from the PC version:
Quarter Disorder 
2 Responses to “Resident Evil HD Releases Jan. 20 for $19.99”
[…] Evil HD Remaster released Tuesday for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $19.99. The HD Remaster is an […]
Thanks for letting me know about the price because I’m on my way to purchase it.