I picked this up today from BB for around $19 or so. I think I could get into it and enjoy it, but I HATE the control scheme they have set up. Trying to kill that first set of zombies when you only have the knife is a pain in the ass with the seperate targeting button you have to hold down too, but the real thing I can't stand is the character specific controls.... i.e. if you push up, the character walks forward, if you push down, they walk backwards, if you push to the side, they turn. For games like this, I really like screen specific controls (push down, the character walks towards the bottom of the screen, push up, they walk to the top, push left, they go to the left of the screen, etc.) I looked at the options and I didnt see anything to allow me to change this. Is this possible at all, or am I stuck with crappy movement controls I'll just have to get used to? If that's the case, anyone want to trade for some other used PS2 game from Blockbuster? The disc is in perfect condition.

Brian

Welcome to the frustrating world of Resident Evil. You're stuck with the control scheme the way it is (unless the PS2 version is different from the Dreamcast version, which I doubt).

As for the first set of zombies... I don't think you're supposed to try killing them right away. You'll find this is true for like 90% of the game; you'll be pretty under-equipped, so you just have to do your best to run past them and take as little damage as possible. Come back when you have a better weapon.

I loved the first RE for the Playstation, but after that, I just lost all interest. To me, there's nothing that fun about backtracking through the same area a hundred times with a frustrating control scheme and no friggin' ammunition.

On the other hand, I have LOVED all of the Resident Evil games and feel that Code Veronica was the best of the bunch. I can't wait to play the new game on Nintendo's Gamecube. However, the above guy is RIGHT on when he says run past that first set of zombies in the graveyard. You can come back later and take them out. Conserve ammo whenever possible and much of the time you can run past the monsters in any specific screen. However, I like to kill them! Just don't miss much or ammo will really hurt you, because in some places you need enough ammo to get important things done.
The control scheme is nothing spectacular, but for Resident Evil fans it has been consistent. I actually enjoy it, but I have played all of the games, and like any control setup after you learn it things get easier. There should be an option to change some of the button controls though. I know there was on the Dreamcast. Enjoy the game!

The tank-like controls of the RE series hasn't bothered me that much since I've gotten used to them (I've played the series from the beginning). Perhaps future installments of the RE series will give you the option to choose between control types. Silent Hill 2 gives you that option -- RE-like controls or Super Mario 64-like controls.