Resident Evil (1996) named and defined the survival horror genre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hey guys, Resident Evil fangirl here :P. Though you’ve heard this several other times in some of my other blog entries, I’ll remind you that I’ve been a fan of the Resident Evil series since I was first introduced to the second game way back in 1998. Having played all of the games in the main series as well as some of the spinoffs, including a bit of Outbreak, Dead Aim and Operation Raccoon City (ugh), I have seen the series at its highs and lows.
Resident Evil popularized the survival horror genre when it was first released in 1996. The original Resident Evil as well as the subsequent entries up to and including Zero were characterized by static camera angles and a limited inventory system. It is with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2004 that the series began to shift focus. Leon’s adventure in Europe is presented in an action-oriented fashion. The path that the player had to take in RE4 was much more linear than in the previous entries, and the fact that enemies actually drop ammo and cash ironically make the game seem less realistic than its predecessors. With the classic Resident Evil games, there was a clear sense of survival. Zombies don’t drop ammo; you had to find whatever ammo you could get and use it wisely. In addition, Resident Evil 4 features an over the shoulder camera that would return in the next two entries of the series. Gone are the static camera angles that, at times, forced the player to rely on their hearing to deduce whether there were enemies in the room with you, how far the enemies were, and what type of enemy you had to deal with. I’m not sure if I’m in the minority here, but I’m still not clear why this mechanic is considered out-of-date as it created a great sense of tension. It is for this very reason that I am not a fan of Resident Evil 4. I know, it’s blasphemy to the legions of people who loved the game. To Resident Evil 4’s credit, however, it did have some puzzles and some tense moments, so I felt that horror was still a focus of the series.
As for the next two entries in the main series, all I can say is wow. Believe me, that isn’t a complement. How can Resident Evil 5 and 6 even be considered horror games? There is no more suspense; these games are all about action. The tension that was set up with the introduction of the Ganados in Resident Evil 4 is gone in the following game thanks to the introduction of co-op gameplay. At least in Resident Evil 4, Leon was alone in dealing with these intelligent and aggressive enemies. However, in Resident Evil 5, there’s no need to worry because you have an ally who is just as competent as you are, and he or she is right by your side for the majority of the game.
Perhaps the most amazing thing is that Resident Evil 6 is even more disappointing than RE5. It is probably transparent to everyone that Resident Evil 6 was Capcom’s attempt to try to win the hearts and money of fans of the shooter genre. Viewers of my Twitch channel can attest to the fact that when I was playing through Chris’s campaign, I mentioned on more than one occasion that I felt like I was playing a game more reminiscent of Army of Two than of Resident Evil. Also, Resident Evil 6, unlike its predecessors, features an objective system which, in my opinion, is designed to insult the intelligence of the player. For those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to, the objective is text displayed (usually at the top of the screen) directing the player to complete a particular task or to go through a door. As linear as Resident Evil 6 is, do we really need this? In fact, this is a trend that a lot of modern games such as Gears of War and Call of Duty are following. Back when I was a kid, games like Super Metroid, Clock Tower and, of course, Resident Evil were the norm. If you wanted to play, you needed to figure out where to go and what to take with you. The game typically didn’t tell you what to do and that’s what made those games great. There was an element of strategy, planning and (gasp) exploration involved. The objective system in modern games, however, says to hell with exploration and challenge. Feel free to turn off your brain because the game will CONSTANTLY tell you what you need to do, even if it’s the taxing process of going through a door after you’ve flicked a switch to open said door. As you can tell, I’m not a fan of this element of gaming. What sense of involvement is this supposed to provide when I don’t need to think about what I need to do in a game? Is this really what today’s gamers want? Of course, not all modern games follow this formula, but sadly, this group forms the minority. Excuse me Capcom, you got some Call of Duty in your Resident Evil, and that is not a match made in heaven. I would rather conserve my ammo and solve some mind-bending puzzles than play yet another militaristic-type no-brainer shooter.
When dealing with a game series that has been around for quite some time, there is a delicate balance between staying true to the series and adapting to the times. I think that although Resident Evil includes games that actually exemplify both extremes (which isn’t a good thing) a shining example of how Resident Evil successfully achieved that balance is with the remake of the first game, or REmake as it is called by its fans. Released in 2002, the original Resident Evil game received not only an impressive upgrade to its graphics and dialogue, but there were some simple gameplay changes that I feel appealed to gamers who may not have liked dealing with show-shuffling zombies. Be careful what you wish for; those crimson heads are a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the mere addition of the faster and stronger counterparts to the standard T-virus infected zombies still fills me with trepidation every time I start a new game. In addition, there are a few room changes and additions that gave experts of the original game some interesting and sometimes nasty surprises. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a Resident Evil fan who disliked this version of the game. In fact, it has had such an impact on fans of the series, that there is a petition to have Resident Evil 2 remade in the same style (http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/resi2remake). I and over 28,000 people have already signed it. Just the thought of having crimson heads charging at you in the police station gives me the chills.
Thankfully, fans didn’t accept the less-than-stellar Resident Evil 6 quietly. The disappointing sales and outcry seemed to be heard by Capcom, as the company has stated that a reboot of the series is something they are willing to consider (http://tech2.in.com/news/gaming/capcom-considers-reboot-for-resident-evil/734592).
Even if Capcom heeds the outcry of Resident Evil fans, I don’t know if Resident Evil will ever go completely back to its roots, but if Capcom goes back to basics and remembers why we loved having those dogs crash through the window of that first floor mansion or our first encounter with the dreaded hunter, perhaps they can avoid another Resident Evil 6 type of debacle.
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