Capcom; Resident Evil 7 will Return to Survival Horror roots

[Scream]

...yeah. We'll see about that.

I haven't played Bio6, yet... but I bought-into the turd that is "Revelations", which plays like a low-budget movie on the Sy-Fy channel.

Completely wrong..

That's an insult to the Sy-Fy channel.. some of their movies are pretty good like Alien Cargo. Revelations is probably on par with Savage Planet though..

An alien planet with killer bears. Awesome concept.

I only played Revelations for a few hours or so on a friends 3DS. I didn't like that scanning gun or whatever it was, it's sort of like drawing in FF8. Do you have to use the gun throughout the whole game? :/

[MeganGrass]

Completely wrong..

That's an insult to the Sy-Fy channel.. some of their movies are pretty good like Alien Cargo. Revelations is probably on par with Savage Planet though..

It was meant to be. You couldn't pay me to watch that garbage. 'Sharknado', seriously?

In defense of Revelations, it has more production value than any combined-number of movies and/or shows I've ever had the displeasure of watching on that intolerable channel.

An alien planet with killer bears. Awesome concept.

I'm incredibly sorry that you've had to lower your expectations and standards of what constitutes a "pretty good" movie.

To each their own, I guess.

I only played Revelations for a few hours or so on a friends 3DS. I didn't like that scanning gun or whatever it was, it's sort of like drawing in FF8. Do you have to use the gun throughout the whole game? :/

...definitely felt like a cheap gimmick, stolen from Metroid Prime.

[Dracarys]

Evil Within going to be another action game with a weak horror atmosphere, Dead Space style.

Anyone hoping for survival horror is kidding themselves.

[Lanzagranadas]

I only played Revelations for a few hours or so on a friends 3DS. I didn't like that scanning gun or whatever it was, it's sort of like drawing in FF8. Do you have to use the gun throughout the whole game? :/

You mean Genesis, you don´t "have" to use it, but you can find some extra ammo and upgrades for Jill if you do so, and it´s also useful to locate certain enemies.
That´s the way they replaced ammo drops from RE4/RE5, instead of waiting for enemies to give you extra ammo you can search with the scanner if you are in need.

Evil Within going to be another action game with a weak horror atmosphere, Dead Space style.

Anyone hoping for survival horror is kidding themselves.

Probably right. I can´t see how Mikami, who led the new direction of the series on RE4 could be now guarantee of a true survival horror experience. But hopefully I´m wrong.

[Scream]

It was meant to be. You couldn't pay me to watch that garbage. 'Sharknado', seriously?

Haha, first time I heard of it..

I like this review on imdb:

"The most brilliant film of our time:
..Sharknado is life. My passion for this film is deeper than a black hole. Don't tell me Sharknado isn't an emotion because I feel it in my soul. I stared into the brilliance of film and Sharknado stared right back. Sharknado isn't just a film--it's a part of us all. You will now address me as Sharknado."

Apparently there's another movie called Ghost Shark which is airing tomorrow evening after a rerun of Sharknado. Night-in tomorrow perhaps? Get those beers on ice! ;)

[alexdz]

Evil Within going to be another action game with a weak horror atmosphere, Dead Space style.

Anyone hoping for survival horror is kidding themselves.

Yeah, I'm not seeing why people are so excited about it. It's RE4 with a new skin, it even has a chainsaw guy.

[Wrathborne]

Evil Within going to be another action game with a weak horror atmosphere, Dead Space style.

Anyone hoping for survival horror is kidding themselves.

Lets wait until we get to see more than a few minutes of gameplay and promo images...and get some more details on the game. As it stands right now its hard to gauge as all we've scene are the action promoted in the screen shots.

[MeganGrass]

Haha, first time I heard of it..

I like this review on imdb:

"The most brilliant film of our time:
..Sharknado is life. My passion for this film is deeper than a black hole. Don't tell me Sharknado isn't an emotion because I feel it in my soul. I stared into the brilliance of film and Sharknado stared right back. Sharknado isn't just a film--it's a part of us all. You will now address me as Sharknado."

Apparently there's another movie called Ghost Shark which is airing tomorrow evening after a rerun of Sharknado. Night-in tomorrow perhaps? Get those beers on ice! ;)

Pwhhahagaha, golden.

...I only know of the movie through pundits at Huffington Post and Comedy Central. Even so, glad I could turn ya onto it.

Now, excuse me, as I finish watching "The Thing"...

[RetroRain]

Yeah, I'm not seeing why people are so excited about it. It's RE4 with a new skin, it even has a chainsaw guy.

I honestly have to agree. When I saw that gameplay video, I wasn't really all that impressed. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like that though.

As for Resident Evil, I don't really care what they do at this point. This series has been dead to me for a long time now. I wouldn't mind some side games like Outbreak-type games, but as far as the main series, they really need to ditch the old characters, and bring in some new ones. How realistic was it that Leon went through ANOTHER incident right after RE4? He went through 3 different outbreak incidents? Come on.

Remember what they said about RE2. They didn't bring back Chris and Jill because they already experienced the horror, so they wouldn't be as afraid the second-time around. They need to take their own advice again. I'm tired of seeing Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire, and Ada. We need a new cast. And a decent horror game that has a story built around it, and is not as important as the gameplay of trying to survive. RE1 (PSX) was perfect.

We need something like 3.5 Hooked Zombie, or Revelations without the stupid side-chapters and drama they put in it.

Revelations was half horror/half action. It was a hybrid. It literally was half and half. It was "okay" to me. Could've been better, but still the most decent RE game since Code Veronica I guess.

[Guest]

Why capcom is so afraid to return to the true roots of the series ?

[Wrathborne]

Well, in order to do that you need to have a brand new, engrossing mystery, setting, and mildly likable characters and some surprises.

They know how to make some mildly likable characters and surprises, always have(which makes Jake, Quint and Keith more depressing) but a new mystery and setting is kind of hard to do now.

There are no more real conspiracy that can draw people in, that we aren't familiar with these days.

A foreboding abandoned mansion and a company that was into Bio warfare was, and still is an amazing setting and great mystery to uncover.

Since then we have cities, an Island, a villiage/castle/smaller Island fortress, a chunk of Africa/Volcano, and now parts of China/Easturn European(ish area's)college campus, as well as Abandoned ships while facing bigger and smaller mysteries that haven't been so mysterious.

When Umbrella was the conspiracy, the question in our heads was "Ok, whats next?". We got to speculate in between games and enjoy an ongoing story arc we were invested in. Thats part of what made RE so great.

We don't have that anymore. It pretty much died with Wesker and even if they introduce Alex Wesker in part 7...I cant say I care. Making Wesker part of a genetic engineering project was, and still is silly.Yes, it did fit the mold for Umbrella projects, but its not something I've ever agreed with.

The last 3 main RE games have all felt almost like stand alone side stories, which is pretty bad when the leads are Leon,Chris,Jill, and eventually Sherry and Ada.

This is another reason I want the series to go back to the Spencer Mansion and the original story arc. Because if they made that choice now they could A: Build upon the original plot line(last time they did that,we got George and Lisa Trevor) and B: Thats the series story. Umbrella was always the enemy and really, when Umbrella was gone Saddler,Simmons,Carla, Excella, even Wesker couldn't match the intrigue of Umbrella.

And we the players, never got a chance to really see Umbrella on the inside. It seemed to always be an enemy outside everyone's grasp and a surface that was barely scratched upon. We got to see their labs and buildings when epidemics happened, but you'd think that a company filled with incredibly power and evil men and women would honestly just be targeting anyone who screwed with them.

Even after the Company itself fell, I honestly think that there would be so much more story opportunities hunting down people within the company responsible for the research, or the cover ups than just...Neo-Umbrella.

War lords like Saddler, Uztanek, and other lunatics just don't really add much to the series in the long run. I mean, do you really want a story about the drug dealers? or the people who make the drugs?

[Guest]

Well, in order to do that you need to have a brand new, engrossing mystery, setting, and mildly likable characters and some surprises.

They know how to make some mildly likable characters and surprises, always have(which makes Jake, Quint and Keith more depressing) but a new mystery and setting is kind of hard to do now.

There are no more real conspiracy that can draw people in, that we aren't familiar with these days.

A foreboding abandoned mansion and a company that was into Bio warfare was, and still is an amazing setting and great mystery to uncover.

Since then we have cities, an Island, a villiage/castle/smaller Island fortress, a chunk of Africa/Volcano, and now parts of China/Easturn European(ish area's)college campus, as well as Abandoned ships while facing bigger and smaller mysteries that haven't been so mysterious.

When Umbrella was the conspiracy, the question in our heads was "Ok, whats next?". We got to speculate in between games and enjoy an ongoing story arc we were invested in. Thats part of what made RE so great.

We don't have that anymore. It pretty much died with Wesker and even if they introduce Alex Wesker in part 7...I cant say I care. Making Wesker part of a genetic engineering project was, and still is silly.Yes, it did fit the mold for Umbrella projects, but its not something I've ever agreed with.

The last 3 main RE games have all felt almost like stand alone side stories, which is pretty bad when the leads are Leon,Chris,Jill, and eventually Sherry and Ada.

This is another reason I want the series to go back to the Spencer Mansion and the original story arc. Because if they made that choice now they could A: Build upon the original plot line(last time they did that,we got George and Lisa Trevor) and B: Thats the series story. Umbrella was always the enemy and really, when Umbrella was gone Saddler,Simmons,Carla, Excella, even Wesker couldn't match the intrigue of Umbrella.

And we the players, never got a chance to really see Umbrella on the inside. It seemed to always be an enemy outside everyone's grasp and a surface that was barely scratched upon. We got to see their labs and buildings when epidemics happened, but you'd think that a company filled with incredibly power and evil men and women would honestly just be targeting anyone who screwed with them.

Even after the Company itself fell, I honestly think that there would be so much more story opportunities hunting down people within the company responsible for the research, or the cover ups than just...Neo-Umbrella.

War lords like Saddler, Uztanek, and other lunatics just don't really add much to the series in the long run. I mean, do you really want a story about the drug dealers? or the people who make the drugs?

So it's safe to say that the series is officially dead to the original fanbase, but still alive in the eyes of today's action games fans ?

[Wrathborne]

Not a lot of action fans enjoyed 6 really. I mean we had our share of folks here who enjoyed it but for the most part 6 was hit pretty hard by critics and fans alike.

Probably why we haven't heard much in the way of RE from Capcom outside the Revelations port.

[MeganGrass]

Great post, Wrathborne.

And we the players, never got a chance to really see Umbrella on the inside. It seemed to always be an enemy outside everyone's grasp and a surface that was barely scratched upon. We got to see their labs and buildings when epidemics happened, but you'd think that a company filled with incredibly power and evil men and women would honestly just be targeting anyone who screwed with them.

I think players really got all the company had to offer, as presented by series writers. The BOWs, scientists, crazed power seekers, politicians and so on. The latter is the boring part... after all, I couldn't imagine Chris or Leon running into a crowded office space, shooting everyone wearing a suit and tie during a business conference. Those people were presumably dealt justice when the company tanked, with the unveiling of all their wrongdoings. Furthermore, it wouldn't be interesting or viable to rid the world of a deluded old-man in a wheelchair, who happened to have god complex (Spencer).

I believe the real problem is that most players, myself included at one point, had some sort of idea that the company's "core" was a singular location that would be brought to and end by said player. Hence why I believe so many were disappointed when Bio4 revealed that Umbrella no longer existed.

The company's fate isn't without a true sense of irony, however... I think of Umbrella as a virus. It will continue to live on, and I don't think players have seen or heard the last of it (unless they choose to ignore all future titles).

That said, I partially agree with you - to me, the company died with Wesker, but only in the sense that he was all that was left of the original evil. No secondary or overused/overhyped 'main' character, plot and/or location can recapture that. If anything, it makes the overall series the butt of a cosmic joke, a cartoon of itself... which brings me to my own recommendations for redemption:

1 - No AI partnership - Secondary characters that follow the player around obviously destroy the feeling of both isolation and desperation, and generally make things easier. This is not survival horror. Additionally, the spoken dialogue is just distracting, flat-out annoying and unfitting. No, I don't give two squirts of piss that Jessica wants rewarded with a lobster dinner, due to her lackluster efforts while taking a hunter's claw to the face. And then, there's the issue of programming AI that actually works as intended. Sheva, anyone? General overuse, as well - Two people to open a door? -_-

2 - New musical artists - nothing against techno/dubstep, but it simply doesn't fit into a survival horror setting. Original titles had music that presented true tension and dread. And nothing grandiose, either - Bio5 was very nice, in it's own right, but outrageously overbaked. An entire orchestra? Keep it simple, stupid!

3 - No apocalypse setting - It was obvious from 'the days' of Bio4 that this is where the series is headed. The problem is that it isn't an original idea, and grossly overused by many other games and movie plots. No matter how many bad guys get taken out, the next title just keeps expanding upon this boring concept that the world is going to end and our cliche characters are going to save it. Last time I checked, these games aren't produced by Holy Wood. Cut the bullshit, CAPCOM.

4 - New protagonists and antagonists - Jill, Chris, Leon, Ada, Wesker and Claire have had way more than enough of their fair share. I, like many others, simply do not care about these people, anymore. Their 15 minutes are long gone, and it's way past time for some true freshness. And no, Jake and Sherry don't count. "lolz, my daddy is Wesker" isn't enough to make people care.

5 - Tone down the 'sexy' - Whoever created and rendered that pant-less DLC character for Revelations puts the stereotype of "virgin nerd" to utter shame. Grow up!

6 - ...ah fuck it, just reboot the damn thing, already.

[Guest]

Great post, Wrathborne.



I think players really got all the company had to offer, as presented by series writers. The BOWs, scientists, crazed power seekers, politicians and so on. The latter is the boring part... after all, I couldn't imagine Chris or Leon running into a crowded office space, shooting everyone wearing a suit and tie during a business conference. Those people were presumably dealt justice when the company tanked, with the unveiling of all their wrongdoings. Furthermore, it wouldn't be interesting or viable to rid the world of a deluded old-man in a wheelchair, who happened to have god complex (Spencer).

I believe the real problem is that most players, myself included at one point, had some sort of idea that the company's "core" was a singular location that would be brought to and end by said player. Hence why I believe so many were disappointed when Bio4 revealed that Umbrella no longer existed.

The company's fate isn't without a true sense of irony, however... I think of Umbrella as a virus. It will continue to live on, and I don't think players have seen or heard the last of it (unless they choose to ignore all future titles).

That said, I partially agree with you - to me, the company died with Wesker, but only in the sense that he was all that was left of the original evil. No secondary or overused/overhyped 'main' character, plot and/or location can recapture that. If anything, it makes the overall series the butt of a cosmic joke, a cartoon of itself... which brings me to my own recommendations for redemption:

1 - No AI partnership - Secondary characters that follow the player around obviously destroy the feeling of both isolation and desperation, and generally make things easier. This is not survival horror. Additionally, the spoken dialogue is just distracting, flat-out annoying and unfitting. No, I don't give two squirts of piss that Jessica wants rewarded with a lobster dinner, due to her lackluster efforts while taking a hunter's claw to the face. And then, there's the issue of programming AI that actually works as intended. Sheva, anyone? General overuse, as well - Two people to open a door? -_-

2 - New musical artists - nothing against techno/dubstep, but it simply doesn't fit into a survival horror setting. Original titles had music that presented true tension and dread. And nothing grandiose, either - Bio5 was very nice, in it's own right, but outrageously overbaked. An entire orchestra? Keep it simple, stupid!

3 - No apocalypse setting - It was obvious from 'the days' of Bio4 that this is where the series is headed. The problem is that it isn't an original idea, and grossly overused by many other games and movie plots. No matter how many bad guys get taken out, the next title just keeps expanding upon this boring concept that the world is going to end and our cliche characters are going to save it. Last time I checked, these games aren't produced by Holy Wood. Cut the bullshit, CAPCOM.

4 - New protagonists and antagonists - Jill, Chris, Leon, Ada, Wesker and Claire have had way more than enough of their fair share. I, like many others, simply do not care about these people, anymore. Their 15 minutes are long gone, and it's way past time for some true freshness. And no, Jake and Sherry don't count. "lolz, my daddy is Wesker" isn't enough to make people care.

5 - Tone down the 'sexy' - Whoever created and rendered that pant-less DLC character for Revelations puts the stereotype of "virgin nerd" to utter shame. Grow up!

6 - ...ah fuck it, just reboot the damn thing, already.

Simply everything wrong with the new fucked up series is what you exactly mentioned in this post, i couldn't say more !