100 Things You Never Knew About Resident Evil

73. Resident Evil's Other Unique Controller

Resident Evil Pad
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When it comes to weird controllers, Resident Evil 4's chainsaw contraption ranks right up there. It was awkward and impractical but the fact it's still remembered today means that it was probably marketing genius. It's sort of surprising that Capcom never tried anything of the sort again. After all, they did make TWO different chainsaws depending on what system you owned so it seemed like they were really interested in pursuing the idea further.

That said, there is another weird Resi controller released before all of this. Tied to the release of RE2, the rather boringly named Resident Evil Pad was supposedly designed with the existing Biohazard games in mind. Aim and run are, rather appropriately, given the most space on the controller, and each handle is modelled differently; one a handgun, one a knife.

It's a true oddity not just in Resi history, but in peripheral history.

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Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many gaming quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite