For years, the “Holy grail” for any “Resident Evil” fan has been the unreleased original version of “Resident Evil 2”, which has since been referred to as “Resident Evil 1.5”. On Sunday, Feb. 17, a build of “Resident Evil 1.5” has been released online.
The story behind “Resident Evil 1.5” is an interesting one. Production on “Resident Evil 2” began one month after the completion of its predecessor in 1996, with the game being officially announced that July. The initial build, later dubbed “Resident Evil 1.5” by series producer Shinji Mikami, starred Leon S. Kennedy, who was largely unchanged in the released game, and Elza Walker, a college student and motorcycle racer vacationing in Raccoon City. The game was scrapped at a stage where 60 to 80 percent of the game was completed. Mikami later explained that the game would not have reached the desired quality by the time of its scheduled May 1997 release, and especially frowned upon the gameplay and locations for being "dull and boring".
A team of hackers obtained a copy of the unfinished game, and had been attempting to rebuild and finish the game. However, it seems like a build of the restoration project leaked to someone in the “Resident Evil” community, who then proceeded to try and sell it around. Due to this, the team decided to release the same build that the person was trying to sell.
Download “Resident Evil 1.5” by clicking here.
With the release of the sixth “Resident Evil” game this past year; many fans believe that the series has lost its way, becoming a generic action game rather than part of the survival horror genre that the original game helped to create. Perhaps Capcom, the creators of the franchise, need to take a step back and look at things the way they used to. In 1996, they scrapped a game that was nearly completed, throwing away months of hard work, because they believed it wasn’t up to their standards. The fact that “Resident Evil 6” could sell nearly five million copies and be considered a disappointment is a clear indication that the company needs to get its priorities straight.
Brian Arnold is a frequent contributor and "Promising Author" on the website GayAuthors.org, under the username "WrathOfMagneto". Follow him on his blog: Click Here!
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