Been playing some Resident Evil Revelations recently. As a
late comer to the franchise (4 was my leaping on point), the initial stages are
providing me perhaps with an insight into what it was like for gamers in 1998
when they first stepped into that fabled Racoon City mansion. It’s a decent
game so far, not stellar, but enjoyable enough. Having some issues with the
controls, but I guess I’m just far too used to controlling over the shoulder with
dual analogue.
But it’s left me
thinking about the upcoming instalment to be released this winter. Resident
Evil 6 is being hailed as the most jam packed Resident Evil yet, with three separate
scenarios each catering to a different aspect of the of the franchise. First
you have Leon, engaging in the type of survival horror associated with the
series, with him and his new partner fending off hordes of zombies on limited
resources. Then there’s Chris Redfield, who will be taking part in missions against
mutants armed with guns and able to co-ordinate military tactics
with each other. And finally there’s new character Jake Muller, supposedly the
son dear old Albert Wesker, who has a new strain of virus in his body that
gives him super human abilities.
All this sounds
rather grand, but it begs the question, why?
Why are we having
some many gameplay styles thrown into one game, rather than focusing on one style
and sticking with it? Capcom say this is to provide the most epic instalment into
the series yet, and cater for all the fans who want different things. But do
the fans really want this variety? Last time I checked people liked Resident
Evil because of its survival horror aspects. Since when has all out action
become a series staple? Some would argue since 5 a few years back, but even
those sections were in small doses, with most of it progressing in exactly the
same manner as its predecessor.
You can’t help
but feel Capcom have seen the success of shooting games like Gears or War and
Modern Warfare, and action titles like Prototype and Infamous, and decided ‘yummy,
we’ll have some of that.’ But instead of taking a risk on a new franchise, they’ve
shoehorned these aspects into one of the companies most successful properties
in order for them to compete with the multi-million sellers produced by their
western counterparts.
I feel this is
counter-productive. For one thing, it’s almost impossible for any series to
replicate the mega success COD has recently enjoyed, so if Capcom think making
these changes to Resident Evil will allow them to compete (I read that they
want to sell 7 million copies in this fiscal year) then they are in for a rude
awakening. All this will do is make fans resentful and hurt the series
integrity.
When I think about
what made Resident Evil 4 one of my favouritest games, I realise it wasn’t due
to over the top action. It was because of its setting. You felt like you were
progressing through some kind of dark, sadistic yet incredibly cheesy
pantomime, leaping happily from reserved corridor trudging to over the top set
pieces in moments. It felt like a modern day gothic tale. All the traditional
gothic elements, isolated landscapes and dark foreboding castles, fair maidens
under threat from creepy villains and sinister monsters, a successful fusion of
science and the supernatural. All the elements were there, and while due to its
excellent streamlined gameplay it isn’t strictly a horror game, it sure as heck
feels like one.
Yet this all seems
to be sacrificed in a vain attempt to win over the Modern Warfare crowd, and
that’s a shame. Because right now the gaming world needs games in Resident Evil
4’s ilk, and it looks like that while Leon may provide some comfort, overall
the next game in the series looks like it’s abandoning a lot of what made
Resident Evil so popular in the first place.
Oh and also, Leon,
Chris, Sherry and Ada but no Claire Redfield? What the hell Capcom? (On disc
DLC probably)
