October 29, 2008

Still Alive After All These Horrific Years: Resident Evil
By Louis Bedigian
 

Resident Evil (1996)

The game that introduced the world to Umbrella and made Chris Redfield a leading character (he’ll make his third appearance next year), Resident Evil invigorated a genre that, despite Alone in the Dark’s best intentions, wasn’t getting much attention. It took the world by storm, stole a few Game of the Year awards from the groundbreaking Mario 64, and is still a classic worth playing.

Resident Evil: Director’s Cut (1997)

The good news is this: RE: DC was cheaper than the original and came with a demo of Resident Evil 2. The bad news: Capcom screwed up and forgot to reinsert the questionable content that was cut from the original.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Trading in the old mansion for a police station, Resident Evil 2 scrapped the first game’s characters and environments, but not the general gameplay or shocking moments. Incredibly, this game was able to make players jump out of their seats once or twice, but not with the same surprise that accompanied the first Resident Evil. Playing as either Claire, the sister of Chris Redfield, or rookie cop Leon Kennedy, RE2 featured a few branching points where completing a minor task with one character (such as unlocking a specific door) could affect the game when playing with another.

Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 3 (1999)

Featuring the return of RE1 co-star Jill Valentine, Resident Evil 3 took players through the streets of Raccoon City. Its on-the-move gameplay and constantly-being-chased-by-an-impervious-monster sensations have yet to be re-created in another game. The action-packed scenarios helped form a solid foundation for replay value. Those who played through the game multiple times were treated to multiple endings – or rather, several character stills with brief story details. While definitely worth playing, the vague nature of the story, partially rehashed gameplay, and lack of true scares (by this time, most gamers were completely desensitized to survival/horror) made it the least successful in the PSone trilogy.

Resident Evil 3

Resident Evil Survivor and Resident Evil Dead Aim (2000 – 2003)

These horribly designed shooters only make the list because they exist. Of course, you won’t find the rare Game Boy Color game listed here, or the rare mobile games holding the Resident Evil name. Just know that they’re out there – and should be avoided at all costs.

Lucky for us, Capcom is a developer and publisher that learns from its mistakes, as proven by the 2007 release of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for Nintendo Wii.

Resident Evil: CODE Veronica (2000)

As the first Resident Evil to leave pre-rendered backgrounds behind, CODE Veronica was one of the most beautiful Dreamcast releases. This is the first and only Resident Evil where the Redfield siblings (Chris and Claire) fought the same nightmares together. The level and puzzle designs were classic Capcom, while the bigger, meatier-looking zombies were harder to defeat. While not as scary as the previous iterations, CODE Veronica was a thrilling game with lots of replay value, creating a reason for series fans to pick up a Dreamcast – not knowing (or caring) that the game would be ported to PlayStation 2 and GameCube a year later.

Resident Evil (the movie, 2002)

Up to this point, the thought of a video game being turned into a movie turned off most gamers. Aside from the first Mortal Kombat, which diehard fans managed to tolerate, the results were anything but pretty. Resident Evil gave fans hope by taking bits and pieces of the beloved game franchise and injected them into a movie that tried (very desperately) to be different. The results were far from perfect yet still enjoyable – for a video game movie most of us expected to suck.

Resident Evil Remake (2002)

Up until this point, Resident Evil was the king of survival/horror. It may not have been as scary as Silent Hill, but the intricate and cleverly designed mansion, hard-to-quash bosses, and never-saw-it-coming moments made for one of the most engrossing video games ever created. So why not design a remake?

Capcom did just that by creating a game that was incredible in its own right. Every detail was enhanced. From the gameplay (new zombies that are impervious to gunfire) to the graphics (best pre-rendered backgrounds ever made) to the story presentation (the re-recorded dialogue was much more believable), this new iteration of a classic instantly became a classic.

Resident Evil 0 (2002)

Ever wonder how Rebecca Chambers became the serum courier for snake bites? Her story was finally told in Resident Evil 0, the long-awaited prequel with high-end GameCube graphics. Adding claustrophobia to the experience, the opening stage began on a cramped train. Mirroring the gameplay and visual style of the Resident Evil remake, Resident Evil 0 gave players one more chance to experience the series as is before its major evolution.

Resident Evil 0

Resident Evil Outbreak Series (2003 – 2004)

Capcom’s first attempt at a multiplayer Resident Evil wasn’t very successful. The sluggish, awkward gameplay and lack of a distinct quest wasn’t as enthralling as gamers had hoped.

However, look at what happened when Capcom first tried to turn Resident Evil into an on-rails shooter. They failed miserably but kept trying, and finally got it right with The Umbrella Chronicles. Capcom is set to try the multiplayer thing once more (albeit a little differently) with two-player co-op in Resident Evil 5.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (second movie, 2004)

While the first movie was off to a good start, Resident Evil: Apocalypse seemed to be the film we were waiting for. The teaser trailer was fantastic (a dark parody of skincare products). Despite the first film’s inability to include main characters from the game, Jill Valentine found her way to this sequel.

Unfortunately, those were the only good things about the film. The zombies were cheesy, the acting was stale, and Jill’s presentation was extremely weak. It didn’t feel like a Resident Evil movie at all – just a lame attempt at cashing in on a popular name.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

This groundbreaking, genre-defining horror game needs no introduction. It is a rich, all-encompassing experience (read: near perfection) from start to finish. Resident Evil 4 didn’t rehash the previous games, nor did it forgo the things we loved in favor of being unique. The developers came up with a way to redefine the gameplay (new combat, camera perspective and world presentation), create entirely new and exciting (and sometimes horrifying) scenarios, and still made it feel like a part of the Resident Evil series.

Words alone cannot fully describe or do justice to this impeccable game. It is the epitome of a developer achievement – a game that stays with you long after it ends and begs to be played through again and again. At the time of my review, I couldn’t predict just how far the replay value would stretch. You can only presume. But with what I know now, if I were to review the game today, it would be the only one I would ever award a perfect 10.

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (2006)

Resident Evil is undoubtedly the survival/horror game that never stops ticking, as it has managed to survive several ports, earned the right to be remade for a more powerful machine (GameCube), and received yet another port/upgrade in the form of Deadly Silence for Nintendo DS. While not as scary or as realistic on a handheld, Deadly Silence features a mode that is mechanically the same as the original, plus a new mode that adds several DS-specific elements.

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

Resident Evil: Extinction (third movie, 2007)

Oh, the horror! The horror! And not in a good way. You’d think that zombie flicks couldn’t be this bad. You’d think they couldn’t possibly take the Resident Evil name and butcher it like a T-Virus-infected monster. But anyone who thought that would be dead wrong. This is quite possibly the worst 90-minute period you could spend sitting in front of a TV screen. Or a movie theater, if you were foolish enough to purchase a movie ticket. And if you were, I feel for you. I really do.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (2007)

This GameCube-to-Wii port didn’t add new stages, new monsters, or improve the visuals to run more smoothly in progressive scan. It did, however, include Wii motion controls, allowing for more precise aiming. Personally, I prefer the original version for GameCube and PS2, but that’s likely because I’ve spent so much time playing them and have become accustomed to their styles.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

It seems that Capcom was determined to create a lightgun shooter within the Resident Evil franchise that didn’t suck. After several failed attempts on PS2 – and a slightly weak unveiling for The Umbrella Chronicles, a Wii exclusive – it looked like all hope was lost. But come November 2007, Capcom brought a new level of excitement to the on-rails shooter world that most players didn’t know existed: replay value. This point-based, weapon-filled action game rewarded players for skillful shooting. You could tilt the camera, look for extra weapons or ammo and shoot ‘em to bring them into your inventory. Best of all, despite the on-rails style, The Umbrella Chronicles didn’t feel like some cheap House of Dead knock-off – it actually felt like it was part of the Resident Evil series.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008?)

Supposedly due just after Christmas, this long-awaited CG movie is comprised of the same animation quality that’s found within the Resident Evil games. It stars familiar Resident Evil characters (I think I saw Claire Redfield in the teaser) and looks very exciting.

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

The horror continues – in broad daylight!? – in March 2009. This mysterious chapter stars series veteran Chris Redfield, newcomer Sheva Alomar (voiced by actress Karen Dyer), offers co-op multiplayer (a first for the series), and generally plays and feels like the groundbreaking Resident Evil 4. The intense close-ups and insanely realistic visuals will draw players deeper into the experience, no question. But can this sequel – the most anticipated horror game of this console generation – live up to everything RE4 accomplished?

Resident Evil 5

On that note, there are two things to keep in mind: first, Capcom is in a moderately relaxed position right now. Having built RE5’s framework several years ago with RE4, the developers don’t need to reinvent the series again since most players are craving another experience in RE4’s style. Hence their level of comfort in creating RE2 and 3 – they knew they had to make good games, but the primary gameplay system was already in place. Now I’m not saying those games were easy to develop. But creating the first Resident Evil, and certainly RE4, must have been an overwhelming task. They started those projects with nothing and came out with two masterpieces. Given that this next Resident Evil is only the first since RE4, the gameplay is destined to be similar, an assumption that was proven by the first playable demo at E3.

Secondly, you must also remember that Capcom has only shown us what they want us to see. Resident Evil is not a series the developers like to spoil for the fans. Therefore any cool surprises – or possible jump-out-of-your-seat scares – will likely be kept secret until the game is released.

Developers, if you’re listening: include the biggest, most grotesque and realistically designed spiders you can possibly create. Utilize every ounce of the PS3 and 360’s power, then plant these spiders in key areas of the game, and have them pop out when we least expect it. Don’t show them up front – don’t let the press or anyone else see what they look like till the game ships.

  A Look at the Silent Hill Series

Be sure to check out our first Halloween Feature:  Horror through the Years: A Look at Some Pivotal Titles in the Horror Genre - From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Dead Space, the Horror Genre has seen some change for the better over the decades.

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