I still remember reading previews for a Gameboy Color version of Resident Evil as a boy. Having merely watched the harrowing survival game on my cousin's PlayStation (I had an N64), I desperately wanted to get my hands on the game. The GBC version was my best chance at the time, but it was sadly canceled due to its lackluster quality. Now, 15 years later, we finally have the chance to see just how odd and strangely impressive this handheld version was.

The two versions of the canned game have been in the custody of a mysterious collector, who stated they would leak the game to the public if $2,000 were raised. Now that the person has been paid, the game can be played. Head over to Assembler Games forums to get your grubby mitts on the unfinished product.

Some say it can be completed, some say it can't. Overall, it's supposed to be about 90% finished. Having tinkered around with it a bit, I have to say that this is strikingly similar to the 1996 survival horror title. The mansion layout is identical, item/enemy placement is pretty close, and the text dialogue is the same. The biggest difference I've noticed is also the creepiest -- zombies simply fall to their knees when they're incapacitated. The site of an immobile corpse resting on its haunches is unsettling, even when terribly pixelated.

What are you waiting for? Go explore a piece of Resident Evil history! Unless you're playing Resident Evil: Revelations. In that case, beat that game, then check it out.

[via Destructoid]