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.
