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Resident Evil teaches that cinematic doesn't mean uninteractive.
In the current zeitgeist of the videogame artform, the current standards call for a certain kind of game design. Filling your game with scenes, linear segments and a certain feel that the interaction was an afterthought. Games are trying to become movies and in such process, they simply forget what made videogames so special: interaction.
I'm not implying that such games shouldn't exist, or that such games are inherently bad — I'm a Metal Gear Solid fan, for F's sake. But I also do think that there's a model where they apply such elements without putting any thought on how to properly make the experience justifiable as a game. "Cinematic" became a really marketable adjective, but I don't think any of these recent cutscene focused games are the prime example of this quality just because they have a lot of dialogues and film-like photography. If I'm honest, the most "cinematic" game I have ever played is the one you are looking for opinions right now: Resident Evil Remake.
Due to the fact this title doesn't force you to watch Hollywood inspired scenes, some people might question my statement. And these people should maybe take some time to watch more films, especially Sam Raimi, Alfred Hitchcock or George Romero's films. Resident Evil Remake is the master of gamifying the experience of watching a horror thriller film through the clever usage of a philosophy the title coined: the so called "survival horror" experience. Akin to the classic Evil Dead, you are forced to explore an uncharted, lethal environment full of uncertainity. You have limited inventory slots, limited resources and the enemies you are facing are quite relentless. This game will show you how people in the 2000s viewed zombies: flesh dolls that hunt you regardless of how many shots you fired at them; it takes a lot of resources to effectively deal with them.
If you take the wrong choices, you might probably need to restart the game rather early... because even the saving system requires you to use a limited item. It never gets frustrating because the only part of the game you are given full player agency and freedom to experiment is the early segments (it gets linear and less likely for you to screw up in the last levels). Still, you are always exploring, room after room, with a gun in your hand and a lot of fear of what will appear next. This game hides surprises and plays around with making you familiar with ambients to subvert this notion later, while presenting challenges in unexpected ways. Resident Evil isn't as disturbing as Silent Hill or Fatal Frame, but it's constantly a despair fest, where you are always picking resources and planning your inventory so you can travel through corridors without falling into the mansion's deadly traps. It's the apex of the classic "haunted mansion" trope, even if it avoids supernatural explanations.
This is the first part of the "survival horror" experience, and it's where you might feel frustrated and overwhelmed. However, do not give up! The second part is where you find some kind of overpowering resource, which you can abuse to dominate the game and show those zombies what you are made of. Do you remember when Ash found the shotgun in Evil Dead? You'll feel just like him when you find RE1's shotgun. You will become an overpowered action hero that is throughly able to deal with the threats that oppressed you for so long; that is, until the game throws at you new enemies, traps and puzzles. It's a constant dance of being underpowered and overpowered and it's addicting. It's a masterclass on building tension, giving you consistent pay-offs and surprising you like a classic horror film.
One might ask himself about the replay value, due to the fact most of the surprises won't have the same effect if you know the mansion. Resident Evil answers this by rewarding players who know the layout with unlockables, new game modes and the fact you have two campaigns. While you are exploring the same basic environment, choosing between Chris and Jill alters a lot of the resources, gameplay elements and choices you are forced into. Playing at least two times to witness different situations and twists is totally worth it — Chris being the pure ludonarrative path, where you are given total agency of how you explore the mansion, and the game is tougher; Jill being the more "linear" path, where you have more resources and you don't need the same amount of backtracking and inventory management, thus making the exploration a bit more of a traditional videogame since you won't need to clear your path or worry about coming back all that much.
And as a remake, it plays around a lot with the idea of surprising the hardcore fan who has played the originals, changing a lot of the surprises and mixing a bit of the mansion's layout. New mechanics are added and they make the game even harder than it originally was. They also fix a lot of the issues the first game had, such as the underwhelming cave segment, the awful shark "bossfight" while adding a bit more of narrative to spice things up. I'll just say a name: Lisa Trevor, and you'll know what I mean when you get there. It also improves a bit on the controls, allowing you to use the analogue stick and giving you an option if you are not a fan of tank controls.
I'm more of a Chris fan because of how it plays out more akin to "living" a horror film, but both campaigns still feature the same core experience to some degree. Resident Evil Remake is a true masterpiece and I feel very compelled to play this until there's no more content to be found. I already have +20 hours, and this game lasts like, 10-12 hours in your first run. Your run can be optimized up to 2 hours or something if you do play it a lot, and it's just joyful. If you enjoy game design and haven't played this, I don't know what you are doing. This is a purchasable evidence that you can take movie elements and translate into a truly interactive and immersive game. Play it right now!
10/10