“Are you affraid of death?“
No?!
"We think you’ll change your opinion!"

In 1996 this sentence made up big attention to the gaming community. A new star was born in the horror heaven.

Of course we are talking about Resident Evil.
Unfortunately the game had to be censored for its international release. Actually, this term is quiet complicated because there do exist many different versions of the game. First of all: The original Japanese version is uncensored. But it looks like that this does not apply to the Japanese Nintendo DS version. But every other Japanese Version is completely uncensored, no matter on what platform.

Regarding the international versions, only the PC versions have been released uncensored. However, there do exist some censored PC editions, e.g. in the UK. Here, an uncensored and a censored version are available for PC.
The console versions (PSX, Sega and Nintendo DS) only include a censored version. However, different censored versions are available. The most common one is the first edition. Here, the intro video is cut and only available in black and white, an ingame sequence is cut (a head which has been torn of) and the ending is different. Some later released console versions have the intro in colour but do still miss some other moments, like the ingame sequence.

A short list of releases:

First edition censored version (intro cut and in b/w, censored ingame sequence, censored ending) has been released on

• PSX no matter if it is the original version or the director’s cut edition in the USA, Europe/UK
  
• Sega Saturn (USA, Europe/UK)
  
• PC (UK First edition from Virgin, the Edition from Videologic is uncensored)

Second edition censored version (intro uncut and in colour but still censored ingame sequence and censored ending)

• PSX director’s cut (Europe, e.g. France or Germany, but not the UK)
  
• Nintendo DS (worldwide)

This comparison compares the most common censored first edition with the uncensored PC Edition.


Notice: The pictures were brightened because sometimes nobody would recognize anything.

Censored intro
In the old German PS1 version the intro was cut and made in black and white. This had advantages but also disadvantages.

Disadvantage: The splatter effects were barely recognizable and it remained unclear what has happened to Joseph.

Advantage: Nobody could realize how bad the intro was actually made.

However, no time for complaining because the intro offered a large amount of trash factor and was nice to see … and it belongs to the game.

The uncut intro runs longer for. 10 sec.
Censored: 3min 36sec
Uncensored: 3min 46sec

The censorship in the intro:


Intro only in black and white

Example fort he difference between b/w and the coloured version.

Uncensored version:	Zensierte Version:

Alternative scene
While Chris is on his briefing the uncensored version shows bodies instead of newspaper articles from the censored version.
(no time difference)

Uncensored version:	Zensierte Version:

Censored scene
The German version shows a freeze frame before the severed hand can be seen.
(no time difference)

Uncensored version:	Zensierte Version:

Cut scene
When Joseph is jumped on digital animated blood splashes around.
(ca. 1 sec.)

Cut scene
In the censored version the following takes are cut away:

• Joseph shoots around sich (1 Sec.)
  
• A dog is hit by a shotgun. (0,5 Sec.)
  
• Joseph is being bitten (0,5 Sec.)
  
• Bloody bite in the arm. (0,5 Sec.)
  
• Joseph is still being attacked and mauled alive. (0,5 Sec.)

(total: 3 sec.)
Images in order of the cut description:

Cut scene
Two zombie dogs are hit.
(ca. 2 sec.)

Cut scene
Camera panning over Josephs body.
(ca. 4 sec.)

Alterantive scene
After the actors reached the mansion one can see who is who. Therefore two versions were made. The uncensored version shows Chris enlightening a cigarette (here the old German version appears coloured).

Censored render scene at the beginning
When the first zombie is faced ingame one can see a nice render video. Both version shows the zombie how it eats something. One can hear a crunching noise and it is hardly recognizable in the German version what it is doing.
The uncensored version shows what this noise is all about. The head of Kenneth J. Sullivan falls down into a pool of blood and rolls towards the camera. The zombie turns around and the German version continues.
However, the Director’s Cut for the PS1 lacks this scene despite the fact the intro is uncut.
(1 Sec.)

Censored Bad-Ending
After the intro has to be cut the endings were also censored. The so-called “Bad-Ending” (only one character survives, in this case Chris) was alternatively produced/cut for the PSX versions.
The uncensored version runs longer for 15 seconds and shows Chris enlightening a cigarette.

Uncensored: 59 sec
Censored: 44 sec

The difference appears after 25 seconds when the scenery changes into the helicopter: Chris wipes away sweat. The uncensored version remains in this perspective, the uncensored version fades to a close-up on his face.
(no time difference)

Afterwards Chris takes deep breath (no time difference).

Then he takes a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, enlightens one and inhales it before blowing out smoke. During the blowing out the image becomes blurry.
(ca. 14 sec.)

The cut version shows his face again.

Afterwards both versions continue in the same way for 10 seconds.