Welcome to my second episode of Forgotten. This time we'll be covering a game that never saw the light of day. While many different ports of this game have been released throughout the years, this was definitely one of the most intriguing. Resident Evil for the Gameboy Color was definitely considered an ambitious move for CAPCOM. Trying to scale down an entire 3D game into a small 2D producing cartridge was quite the challenge, and actually proved to difficult to accomplish. Lets take a look at the game that never was, Resident Evil for the Gameboy Color. Now before I get this started, I don't want anyone to mix this game up with Resident Evil Gaiden. Gaiden was a completely unrelated project that was a side-story of the Resident Evil franchise, and doesn't even follow the same storyline as past installments. So now that that's out of the way, I can get onto what Resident Evil for the Gameboy Color (REGBC) was really about... CAPCOM wanted to make a breakthrough in handheld gaming by providing the first real 3D experience on a handheld console. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, it never came to be. You can simply look at the game and understand why this would be impossible. People who have played the original Resident Evil, may find it easier to understand. Resident Evil was a rather large game, especially on a 3D scale. While technically it was pre-rendered backgrounds with 3D character models moving around it's space. Resident Evil was, indeed, considered a full 3D gaming experience. While it seemed like they were pretty far along, CAPCOM definitely could not have fit the entire game into one cartridge. After looking at some screens, it seems they may have been able to pull off the entire mansion. Enemies on the other hand just didn't seem to act right in the GBC project. Not to mention, they even attempted to fit an entire Jill storyline in the game as well. Death animations weren't complete, lack of musical variation, graphical limitations, all of these contributed to the fall of this project. Here are some screens so you can judge yourself if this project ever stood a chance: This video footage shows that CAPCOM definitely planned on fitting the entire game inside this one little cartridge. Here's footage of Chris meeting up with Wesker, and then going to check out the mansion for the second time. You can definitely spot a few places where they either cut out some areas, or just hadn't developed them yet. Also, notice the lack of Hunters. I've also got two other scenes you can take a look at. One includes the game running on the actual Gameboy Color, but with no sound. Notice how Chris starts off with a Shotgun in his inventory, and can actually travel past a previously locked door. In the other it shows the beginning of the game if you play as Jill, with sound. Pretty cool footage. CHRIS with NO SOUND JILL with SOUND Here is a video of Jill inside the Umbrella lab. It shows her attacking with the knife, an enemy that doesn't attack her, and a lot of inventory related screens. Check'em out. So now there lies one question, what could CAPCOM have done to make this game work? The answers are pretty obvious. Cut down on some of the less important rooms (such as the bathroom). Maybe even relocate some items so that the rooms they previously existed in could be cut out. Not only that, make it to where you only play as Chris or Jill. Hell they could've re-released it with you playing as the opposite character, just pull a PoK'eMoN and release 2 games at once. If that wasn't enough, maybe make this game only involve the mansion and guardhouse, but not the sewer or lab. Save those for the next installment. If you were worried about player's items not carrying over, use a password system, or better yet use all the advice I gave above. Continue to cut screens, and you may just be able to squeeze the sewers and lab in. Still, keep Jill and Chris on separate cartridges. It was all very simple really. I think in the end, CAPCOM looked at the project, the amount of dedication it would require, plus the limitations of the hardware, and they pulled the plug. It's a shame really, it would have been the first time we would see this game on a handheld. Who knew we would have to wait until 2006 to play it on the Nintendo DS for the first time! CAPCOM's original attempt was on the Gameboy Color, but then they skipped over the Gameboy Advance, and waited until the DS to make this project happen. It almost makes you think what CAPCOM was thinking when attempting this game on the original Gameboy Color! This wasn't the end of canceled projects by CAPCOM on Nintendo handhelds though. Next time on Forgotten I'll cover the attempt to bring this same game to the Gameboy Advance, but not only that the attempt to bring Resident Evil 2 to the Gameboy Advance. I hope you enjoyed this blog. If you've got any comment, positive or negative, please express it. Rate or Digg this blog, I love to see what you guys think. Thanks for reading and make sure you check back for my next episode of Forgotten. P.S. If you comment this blog, I'll make sure to send you a private message informing you on the next entry. That is unless you ask for me not to.