Resident Evil 7 was a fresh shock for many fans. Many were pleased with the overall quality of the game, and the returning to more horror-centric design instead of action-oriented gameplay gave fans hope that the franchise would rise again after the previous games which were considered blunders by many. With the recent release of Resident Evil: RE2, the fans preferring the old-school Resident Evil once again find hope in the series' direction. In what ways does Resident Evil franchise learn from their past criticisms and rejuvenate its strengths?
I don't think it's entirely true that they've learned from all of their mistakes. One of the more frequent criticisms of the RE2make is that they axed a sizable chunk of enemy types. The bosses are also the kind you'd expect from an action game, considering they require you to hit a specific tiny spot on the enemy if you want to do any damage, and they can take hundreds of bullets to kill. And Mr. X is more of a dangerous nuisance than a terrifying adversary, unlike Nemesis and Lisa Trevor. That said, Capcom has probably learned that making Resident Evil an action series based of the success of RE4 was a mistake, following the failure of RE6. The general removal of quick-time-events outside of self-defense item use was probably a good idea, but not so with the removal of the ability to shake off enemies by rapid stick/button mashing. I think RE2make is a step in the right direction beyond 7, but it still falls back on bad habits in certain respects. I think there is definitely a lot to discuss here – LaPlant06 years ago
I agree with LaPlant0. While RE7 was definitely a masterpiece of horror storytelling (the first 30 mins were amazing!) I found that the RE2 remake was lacking in a lot of what made the original such a great game, including ditching the fixed camera for a player-controlled camera. I think part of what made a lot of 90s horror games great (RE1 and 2, Silent Hill 2 and 4) was the limited and sometimes altered perspective of the game camera. RE7 captured a little of that by using tricks with a first-person perspective, which, as I recall, is somewhat unique to 7, but the RE2 remake felt far too action oriented, like the somewhat cheesy RE games released in the 00s. – Samir M Soni5 years ago
Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil Zero were remastered recently. Resident Evil was considered the historically significant game which led to the immense popularity of zombie horror, and survival horror as whole. But is it still effective? Does Resident Evil's formula still deliver tension and scare as it used to? If so, what does it say about the horror game genres of today? What can the current horror games learn from Resident Evil Remake's strengths and weaknesses?
Well, that depends. Are you asking if it could scare somebody who played through the original, or somebody who is either new to the franchise or that particular entry? I think that the answer depends on who you are trying to scare. If you are trying to scare somebody who played the original, then no because they already played the game and know when the scares are supposed to happen and what they are supposed to be. However, if you are trying to scare somebody who has never played the original, then yes it would more than likely still manage to deliver the intended scare. Maybe this requires a bit more of an in depth look. – Aarogree9 years ago
In my experience, Resident Evil 4 was the last successful game in the RE franchise. This was largely because of the developers' new approach to gameplay and its emphasis on storyline. All titles that followed after were not as successful, because they did not build much further on this new formula. However, Resident Evil as a franchise set the standard for many of its contemporaries and developers that came later. Atmosphere and environment were always major factors. Resident Evil 4's new camera angle (as opposed to the traditional fixed angle), which followed directly behind the protagonist, allowed for the player to appreciate the environment more wholesomely and assume a more immersive role in the game. This new approach can easily be traced to more recent titles like the 'Dead Space' series and 'The Evil Within'. One aspect of Resident Evil 5 that substantially hurt its "horror factor" was introducing a multiplayer option. This significantly diluted the feeling of isolation and desperation that contributed to Resident Evil's success as a horror game. – DoultonSchweizer9 years ago
