Resident Evil 2 VS. Zelda 64

* This is a comparison post highlighting two games which share a lot in common but are often not grouped together in discussions due to either their platform exclusivity, budgets, sub-genres or thematic content. I've tried to keep it brief and to the point, separated by categories in order of how the games themselves play out and which one builds a more captivating world. To skip to the juice you can start at the second paragraph, but the first paragraph might ignite some nostalgia and familiar feelings in you if you give it a read.

Control Mechanics

Zelda: Ocarina of Time would have felt better than any 3D third person game at the time (1998), as it was one of the first (if not the first) to translate sword & shield combat into 3D with ultra responsive analog controls. Resident Evil 2 by contrast had more conventional control scheme which did not make use of analog movement or camera control. Just like Super Mario 64 two years before, the first impression players would have had when playing Ocarina of Time would have been extremely powerful, even for those used to advanced arcade game cabinets like Time Crisis and Sega Rally 2. The quick feeling of moving Link around and coming to grips with the various controller actions would have been a pleasure, and these control mechanics exceeded many sword & shield games being produced even in the early 00's such as Drakan and the Gothic series. Resident Evil 2 doesn't fall far behind though, and while the fixed camera system often disorients players perspectives, due to clever programming players will always find their controls mapped to the desired direction regardless of these camera changes. Character movements in Resident Evil are also fluid and realistic, with characters have various walking and turning speeds based around their health. Lastly there is an aiming system in the game, which while difficult at times has an element of strategy, and can help players leverage the game in their favor. These new elements add a great element of strategy and drama to the game, especially for first-time players who find themselves dragging their avatars to dark, unseen areas of the game.

Winner: Ocarina of Time

Gameplay Design

Resident Evil 2's only rule for the most part is that players search their surroundings for items, manage their inventory wisely (by keeping some free space just in case), and keep moving forward until the area has been covered. This will usually result in the player acquiring items that will open up new areas that will take them to areas they had explore before. This makes the game very lean, and mostly alleviates tedious backtracking. (in reference to Leons first campaign). The action in the game is heightened by your need to use weapons and save points strategically, as there are limited resources scattered throughout the world that don't regenerate themselves.

Zeldas gameplay structure is slightly different, as the game doesn't map out your objectives as clearly nor is the gameplay as linear. While this is not a problem in itself (mapping your own path through the Lost Woods can be an exciting exercise), the issues crop up when players find themselves travelling long distances to experiment with puzzle solutions or item quests only to find they wasted their time. Its quite noticeable then, that future Zelda's like Twilight Princess keep its ambiguity within relatively self contained areas, which helps alleviate some of the tedium that can be associated with this trial and error style puzzle gameplay that Zelda is so well known for. The second major gameplay element in Ocarina of Time is text boxes. Unfortunately, these interrupt the player on many occassions throughout the game, are slow and often unskippable/cant be scrolled through quickly. This really breaks up the real-time pacing of the game, especially when compared to similar Action Puzzle games like Tomb Raider which instead opt for audio and visual cues to assist players.

Winner: Resident Evil 2

Level Design

Aside from the pacing issues outlined above, the last major difference between the two games comes in the form of level design. While Resident Evil 2's world is made up of a series of rooms and interconnected alleyways, Zelda's world is made up of hills and plains, being much larger in scope. Also, while the action in Resident Evil 2 always takes place very much on a 2D plane, Zelda is game that is very much about exploring a 3D space without any loading screens to break up the environments. One would think then, that the approach taken by Ocarina of Time is more suited to an engaging gameplay experience right? 

I believe Resident Evil 2 still edges out Zelda in terms of level design. By using pre-rendered backgrounds, a fixed camera system and clever sound design the game creates an atmosphere unique to almost every scene where the player does not know what to expect in many situations throughout the game. Many of the areas in Ocarina of Time by comparison are predictable and disconnected from each other. There are villages, over worlds and dungeons, neither of which aside from some of the dungeons offering that same sense of danger and anxiety. Should Zelda have these same elements though? This is something that has been answered long ago by Nintendo, and I will leave you to come to your own conclusion as to which direction they chose.

Winner: Resident Evil 2 (by a narrow margin)