Last week, Capcom announced a Resident Evil title known as Revival Selection. When I first heard of this, I was a tad giddy, only because the hopeful gamer in me assumed that Capcom had wizened up was and that it was either remaking Resident Evil 2 & 3, or that it would be recreating the original games with Resident evil 5’s engine. Unfortunately, I was wrong on both counts. Resident Evil 4, while my favorite Resident Evil game, is being subjected to yet another port in the guise of an HD remake. And the fact that it is being remade along with Code Veronica hardly makes this project worth it, let alone warrant a purchase from this longstanding RE fan.
As a fan of Capcom's celebrated survival horror franchise, I sincerely worry about the future of Resident Evil. Starting off as a Gamecube exclusive, Resident Evil 4 has since found its way to the Ps2, PC, the Nintendo Wii, and even the likes of the iPhone. Granted these ports didn't happen all at once, but the title got around while the rest of the series hasn’t been nearly as utilized and looked to for possible ports. This, along with a few other mitigating factors, has led to be believe that perhaps Resident Evil is on its way to a reboot. The rumors have been scattered all over the internet for quite some time with Capcom remaining tight-lipped on the possibility. Now with the re-re-released version of RE4, the franchises' apparent golden child, and with a remake of Code Veronica, I can’t help, but feel that a series' reboot is imminent. And here are the reasons why:
1) Wesker.
Wesker, the perfect villain for the series, is now gone. Honestly, who or what will ever be able to take the place of this manipulative genius? The Resident Evil series has had some stellar boss characters sure, such as Nemesis and Saddler. But without Wesker, the series just feels so empty. The man not only embodies Umbrella, he also shares a sorted past with the Redfield family. To think of a Resident Evil that wouldn't be able to further embrace that relationship, just seems a bit off to me.
2) The series has already ventured off course.
When the Las Plagas was introduced in Resident Evil 4, the series had clearly begun to take a new direction. But taking too many new directions set against a familiar backdrop, simply makes it feel like it just doesn't belong. Even though the Las Plagas was a stroke of genius, I can't imagine someone inexplicably discovering yet another parasite or virus by accident.
3) Uroboros was perfected.
Wesker said it himself: It is the Philosopher's Stone for human evolution. So now that we have the “perfect” virus, what else is left to explore? Are we going to go back to the Progenitor Virus or T-Virus? We have witnessed just about everything this virus has to offer us, if Uroboros indeed is perfect.
4) Fans are ready for something new.
It's no secret that after a game like Dead Space, there is no excuse why Resident Evil can't deliver a true horror experience. While Resident Evil 4 was a great title, the game was lacking in the fear department. By the time the series reached its fifth installment, Resident Evil had become completely devoid of the fear factor it was built upon. A return to form is long overdue and I'm sure that fans can agree that it's about time that Resident Evil scare us once again.
5) How many more times can Capcom remake RE4?
I could see why Capcom would want to remake titles such as Resident Evil 2 & 3, the wonders of those titles seem to forever remain in the Playstation era. But to remake RE4 for the tenth time, is a bit much, especially since it was remade on the Wii not too long ago. The game plays smoothly and looks amazing on Nintendo's console, despite how Capcom's super misleading screenshot comparison is. The fact Capcom is releasing it yet again makes me feel as last ditch effort to milk its favored RE title before the franchise is rebooted. And as for Code Veronica, that's just thrown in for good measure.
Personally, I am all for an RE reboot; I simply cannot picture Resident Evil 6 taking place in the same universe the series currently resides in. The only fear I have for a Resident Evil reboot is that it won’t be able to stand too far apart from the original, even with fresh character designs. Proof of this can be found with how violently fans reacted to Dante’s new look for the Devil May Cry reboot. I just hope that Capcom has the sense to do right by its horror series and makes its fans proud.
Post contributed by Ryan Hauser. Questions for the author? Send an email to rhauser@keystone.edu. Follow him on Twitter: @Raikugensho.
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