Resident Evil: Where do we go from here?

[theSovietConnection]

From there, the sky's the limit. Want to make a survival/horror detective story of sorts relating to the murders and disappearances happening around Raccoon City prior to the events of the first game? Go for it! Want to make an over-the-top action game like RE4/RE5? Why not play as an RPD SWAT officer or a U.B.C.S. mercenary during the early stages of the breakout within the city? Hell, make both games and make everyone happy!

I really dig this idea. I'd love to see a game where you play as an RPD officer just before shit starts hitting the fan, and follow through right up until the end. Start out with the missing homeless people investigations, up to the cannibal murders, right on up until the full blown outbreak as you try and evacuate the city.

Also... am I the only one who read this topic title and immediately thought of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses?

No, no you were not.

 

[Mahorfeus]

I think it should keep going on as far as story is concerned, but should take a step back and rethink its gameplay.

Also, I want a Jake spinoff in the vein of Metal Gear Rising. It'd be stupid as all hell, but I honestly loved his silly melee combat in RE6. The last boss could a resurrected Wesker, topped off with a massive Matrix-style fist fight. It would be glorious...

 

[Michael Tabbut]

Since Shinji Mikami is now on his own, I would say the next move is to buy "The Evil Within" and not worry about Resident Evil anymore. That may just be my opinion though. I didnt really care for 5, didnt even bother to play 6, but I am excited for TEW.

Given Capcom's financial troubles of late, it wouldn't be feasible for them to buy "The Evil Within." At this point, I would rather see Capcom die or sell some of their IP's that they never touch anymore outside of token fighting game cameos(i.e. Mega Man or Viewtiful Joe). Also despite being a fan of RE, I would rather see the franchise end. Reboot it with a clean slate.

Thats not what I meant

I meant, don't worry about buying anymore Resident Evil games from Capcom because Shinji is gone, and people should buy The Evil Within instead of Resident Evil.

Ah, my mistake.

 

[Sarge034]

Negative. ORC was a garbage multiplayer shooter with practically no story (even by RE standards). It was practically just a modified Mercenaries mode. I'm talking about actual story-driven single player games.

But it fulfills most of your requirements.

>Make a new game that takes place around the same time as the original Resident Evil, >Yes
>but in a different location >Yes/No
>and with different characters >Yes/No
>and don't have those characters interact with any of the S.T.A.R.S. people. >No
>Want to make a survival/horror detective story of sorts relating to the murders and disappearances happening around Raccoon City prior to the events of the first game? Go for it! >Yes/No
>Want to make an over-the-top action game like RE4/RE5? >Yes (RE4 was "over the top action"? lololololol, nope)
>Why not play as an RPD SWAT officer >No (US Special Forces >Yes)
>or a U.B.C.S. mercenary during the early stages of the breakout within the city? >No (U.S.S >Yes)
>Hell, make both games >Yes
and make everyone happy! >No

Now to address your new criteria. ORC did some things right but a lot wrong. The story required you to know what happened in the "concurrent" (if it was cannon) games and to use this as a smaller story inside the whole. One could make the argument any RE game back to 4 (stopping there because I didn't play any of the earlier games long enough to know) was just a "modified Mercenaries mode". ORC was story driven, you would fight your way o a plot point and then be allowed to fight your way o the next plot point. I don't think a RE game has to be single player to be good. As I said before, I really enjoyed the tone and atmosphere of the Leon/Helena campaign in RE6 up until the cleaning protocol was enacted and it was hit or miss after that. I feel the scope of the story has just become too big. The story would work best in small secluded areas with a more open feel to them. Hopefully, if 7's subtitle is to be believed, they will end the WMD angle and go back to isolated incidences and/or a new contagion.

So it's clear by all the criteria you have set that you are the proverbial "old guard" in the RE community, did you enjoy the differing play styles and interconnected campaigns in RE6 or would you rather have one campaign and one play style?

 

[Buckshaft]

I find it interesting that the OP said that he was a Resident Evil fan and used that as the explanation as to why he liked RE6.

I apologise, perhaps I should have been clearer on that point.

What I meant was, I was heavily invested in the story and characters, and I don't really mind any changes to the status quo. I'm not gonna stop being a fan just because one game isn't the same as the series at it's best. RE6 Isn't a great game by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not the Harbinger of the apocalypse that some reviewers (including ones on this site) made it out to be. And I'm probably gonna keep on following RE through 7, or whatever else they have planned next, because I think the games themselves are still enjoyable. That said, I won't be doing so if they're more like ORC. That's just taking the piss. Personally, I'd like to see a Barry Burton game, but in the RE world, that's a bit like playing as Superman.

 

[TheRookie8]

I'd be eager to see a reboot of the franchise. Another person on this forum said it best; the current Resident Evil games are about super spies that fight monsters.

For a reboot, I might suggest something like this: When several missing persons turn up in a bizarre ritualistic murder scenario in the Arklay Mountains, the sleepy town of Raccoon City is suddenly driven to panic. The local police department assembles a task force to investigate the murders: Among them, Leon S. Kennedy, a dedicated officer living in the shadow of his father, a respected officer killed in the line of duty...and Rebecca Chambers, an unseasoned but determined new recruit. But when investigations into the murders reveal a string of killings dating back several decades, it becomes clear that the current threat may not be the work of a single lunatic in the woods...and when the task force is assaulted by a violent and otherworldly force, the only refuge for Leon, Rebecca, and the other survivors is a reclusive mansion seemingly in the middle of nowhere...

Toss in some shout-outs to Billy Cohen and perhaps Jill Valentine (maybe Chris Redfield was one of the murder victims?) and suddenly you can start fresh with the series. I'd also keep the tone similar to games such as "Outlast" or "Alan Wake".

 

[babinro]

I'd like to see the game take another direction much like the transition from RE3 to RE4.

What new direction?

You've got me. Action / Survival / Horror is not an easy genre to get right. I suppose my 'ideal' zombie game would be a mix of The Walking Dead style storytelling with gameplay that's enjoyable as well. Make the storylines less complex and more character focused. Keep it simple and small scale. Involve player choice and genuine consequence for multiple endings.

From a gameplay standpoint I'd want everything to scale back. Keep things like grenades, rockets and such to a minimum. Heavier focus on melee weapon and environmental interaction to overcome hazards.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

One issue the series faces is that survival horror doesn't have the "mass market appeal" of a third person shooter (with rpg elements). It's a hard sell but I think it can work.

In my opinion, the franchise would benefit from bring forked into two game series. The first series would be traditional survival horror. It would have star agents, umbrella, viruses and little action. Coming horror and thrills would carry a deep story, have lots of characterisation and could introduce/develop characters and storylines.

The second fork would continue in the RE4 vein, an action/zombie game with puzzles, starring series favourites in a story linked to the first fork. It could tie up loose ends, introduce new plot elements but generally would be an otherwise standalone story set in the same, shared continuity.

By splitting the franchise, two teams could alternately release titles which take turns at developing story and characters in a survival horror and having an action/adventure in the same universe with a supporting story and cast. The two would be different types of games but support and complement each other.

I think RE is one of very few franchises that could support and benefit from such a developmental approach. People could play one, the other or both as they choose, neither title would get too diluted by trying to be too much to too many people and fans of either genre would have choice and may win more fans who wouldn't necessarily enjoy the other genre but want more RE.

 

[Nadia Castle]

A lovely HD port of REmake. I'd buy it twice. If that goes well, give Resident Evil 2, 3 and Zero the HD remake treatment too. If it doesn't, go back, play the hell out of some Resident Evil 4 until they grasp that the game was NOT Gear of War.

Also stop thinking that people care about Chris, no-one cares about Chris! He's by far the least interesting character in the entire series despite them desperately trying to make him 'deep'.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

But it fulfills most of your requirements.

Again, negative. Any place where there's a 'no' or 'yes/no' means it failed. The majority of those criteria or 'no' or 'yes/no'

ORC is nothing like what I'm talking about.

So it's clear by all the criteria you have set that you are the proverbial "old guard" in the RE community, did you enjoy the differing play styles and interconnected campaigns in RE6 or would you rather have one campaign and one play style?

Also negative. I didn't play any Resident Evil titles until long after the series was already established. Resident Evil: Rebirth (the RE1 remake on GameCube) was technically my first experience with the series, and initially I hated it because of the clunky controls and fixed camera angles. I didn't even bother finishing it. The first Resident Evil that I played start-to-finish was RE4. I liked it enough that I went back and gave the remake a second chance, loved it this time around, and then proceeded to play the rest of the games. I've actually liked all of the main series games that I've played, though I haven't had the chance to complete RE6 just yet. I'm actually one of those apparently few individuals that actually quite enjoyed RE5. The only games in the universe that I tend to dislike are the spinoffs. I hated Survivor, Gaidan, Dead Aim, the two Outbreak games, and those crappy rail shooter games for the Wii. No idea where Revelations fits into the whole thing, but I'll probably give that one a shot next time it goes on sale on Steam.

 

[Sarge034]

Again, negative. Any place where there's a 'no' or 'yes/no' means it failed. The majority of those criteria or 'no' or 'yes/no'

So having a completely new cast of people being supported by tie-ins doesn't count as "new characters"? Well excuse me as I try to find them in any other RE game. I can't, so there are new primary characters. Change that to "yes". There are new locations in the form of locals never visited before and locals only mentioned or briefly viewed in other games. Change that to "yes". If you're going to get caught up in the semantics then you simply don't wish to have meaningful conversation on the topic.

ORC is nothing like what I'm talking about.

But it is. If I was a betting man I would say ORC was testing the waters for a re-boot. Make a non-cannon game going back to "legit" zombies with vast changes to pacing, characters, game mechanics, and controls. See how it fairs and then make some cannon shit if it does alright.

Also negative. I didn't play any Resident Evil titles until long after the series was already established. Resident Evil: Rebirth (the RE1 remake on GameCube) was technically my first experience with the series, and initially I hated it because of the clunky controls and fixed camera angles. I didn't even bother finishing it. The first Resident Evil that I played start-to-finish was RE4. I liked it enough that I went back and gave the remake a second chance, loved it this time around, and then proceeded to play the rest of the games. I've actually liked all of the main series games that I've played, though I haven't had the chance to complete RE6 just yet. I'm actually one of those apparently few individuals that actually quite enjoyed RE5. The only games in the universe that I tend to dislike are the spinoffs. I hated Survivor, Gaidan, Dead Aim, the two Outbreak games, and those crappy rail shooter games for the Wii. No idea where Revelations fits into the whole thing, but I'll probably give that one a shot next time it goes on sale on Steam.

I said, "So it's clear by all the criteria you have set that you are the proverbial "old guard" in the RE community..." Meaning you sound like them.

Revelations plays kindda like 4 with the atmosphere and resource scarcity but with the co-op element from 5 and the RPG leveling system in 6. Weapon management and leveling is a pain in the ass but overall I enjoyed the game. Would defiantly find someone to play with though. The AI is an AI and there are optional challenge modes of each level culminating in one that is 100% of the game, no stops.

 

[Sarge034]

Also stop thinking that people care about Chris, no-one cares about Chris! He's by far the least interesting character in the entire series despite them desperately trying to make him 'deep'.

I would agree with you with the RE5 Chris, but the RE6 Chris was brilliant imo.

Spoiler: Please spoiler tag RE6 story stuff. I know for a fact Tuesday Night Fever hasn't completed it quite yet.

While he was doing stupid "why du fuq" things the idea of him having PTSD and memory loss over failing his team/getting brained by his "team", then getting his memory back, then going into a rage fueled vendetta mission, then realizing his rage got more people killed, and then finally getting back to just wanting to save people and do the right thing was brilliant. Also, dat ending of his campaign...

 

[Inazuma1]

Nothing can be done for the Resident Evil franchise. It is a dead horse that jumped the shark 2 games ago (RE5,) and nothing can make people look at it the same way again. It will always be tainted by the stink of RE6 and Revelations. May as well let it die and see if Capcom can come up with something new. Of course, Capcom doesn't have an original bone in its body anymore, so that's not going to happen.