General Should Capcom end Resident Evil series?

[Dead-Emmett]

What is too much and stretched when it comes to stories, ideas and games? Should Resident Evil series just be ended or do you think it can continue all the way to RE:27, and beoynd?



Personally, I think any idea and anything can be kept continued endlessly, but a serie needs reboots to keep it alive. Very much like we see with movies, but I believe, rebooting something also gets boring and will confuse everything, because it makes me feel "everything before this reboot basically didn't exist". I wouldn't want this to end, but I know Capcom will pull the plug someday.

 

[[STARS]TyranT]

I think the story and world can carry on as long as they have enough fresh ideas to keep it going.
I found RE7 to be a wonderful reboot, but it does concern me that all they've done since then, and using NaH is essentially bring Umbrella back again, bring Chris back, again. etc.

The success of RE2make only makes me wonder whether we'll continue to live in the past instead of driving forward with a new story and direction. But time will tell.

Nostalgia is all the rage at the moment, for better or worse.

 

[dvader]

I have wanted a fresh reboot for a while but we are getting remakes so at this point it’s redundant. My idea would be to do a new story using the same characters but change up what happens, lead them to exciting new storylines that are planned FROM THE BEGINNING. Have something like a 5 game story mapped out already like how marvel does with its movies.

 

[Mark5]

The big irony here is that RE whole concept of viral agents capable of reanimating the dead, and Umbrella foundation as a means for its CEO to reach immortality... But if Umbrella has failed to find an immortality virus will Capcom find a way to keep the RE franchise alive forever? i guess not but It doesn't mean that more games will come, so i'm sure RE will reach Resi 10 (and that is my prediction of a worst case scenario).

 

[Cindy B]

I'd like to see the series have some better continuity outside of just source material. Like @dvader said, plan a story arc that stretches a few games and actually connect it properly. Thanks to sites like this lore is a lot of fun, but as a general consumer it's a bit thin in the actual games.

 

[Caffeine Addict]

Sometimes, I feel the same way as the OP. I really do...

I think the franchise has been milked, quite badly. It's like a love-hate thing with me in general, because I can't bring myself to have to say goodbye to it just yet. But if you asked me to say what's on my mind, I'd say that I feel like Capcom has ran out of ideas, which is why, like Tyrant said, they are rehashing the past way too much. And being so caught up in 1998 over and over again just proves my point. And yeah, the whole 'Chris is with Umbrella now' gag is so WTF? - even for a series like RE. Well, that and he has seemingly aged backwards for some odd reason.

While 7: Biohazard was a good enough game, it isn't the masterpiece some fanboys out there claim it is. It is gonna take much more than Capcom calling a survival horror, first person game 'the roots' to get me on board again. It also kind of felt like it dissolved back into an action game anyway. To be honest, I quickly forgot about the remake of 2 as well, within a month or so. It was a good game, sure, but it is not quite the wonderful remake we clamored for to see since the early 2000s at least. Was it?

The DLC was vastly disappointing as well. One example being, that 'The Ghost Survivors' could have benefited from being more story driven, if you know what I mean. It was like a few black and white clips to start and bookend things, and some non-canonical, tension-free, shooting and running nonsense.

I was particularly let down by the cut enemies in the main campaigns too, and the A and B scenarios didn't feel especially "unique" in my view. The original didn't really duplicate the boss fights either, which is why I think in this case, Capcom cut too many corners with a lot of stuff. There was some tension filled moments, but I think it's nothing like the 2002 remake at all, and could have, and should have had more TLC poured into its development overall.

The thing is, consumers these days are usually more into gimmicky, causualized shooting games like Fortnite and all that, so Capcom obviously cannot please everybody. If they had made it like the original 1998 game, it would definitely not have pleased the people that jumped into the series during 2005 or even 2017. It's sad, but Capcom has to kind of take that into account as well.

 

[Yama]

Dream scenario would have been a reboot, starting back at the mansion. I understand it’s been remade perfectly once, but that’s 17 years ago. An actual reboot with many liberties taken and even a completely different path would have been fine in my eyes and did well for a new generation to enjoy the games. Seeing RE:2 remade however made this a moot point.

Second up would be a soft reboot, which RE7 kind of did (until the end and NaH). Keep everything that has happened canon, but tell stories that don’t directly connect to all of what we know. Things could be referenced but not at the forefront. Eventually tell a connected and self contained arc of stories. Key word here is connected, like @dvader said. This works but then lacks the charm of the characters we all love and enjoy.

Third option is simply continue it but bring the convoluted story back to the basics and find ways to make things work that we actually want to see and care about. Tell a self contained story that is meaningful start to finish, without a scope that forces players to study reference material from 60 sources. Aka villains that matter again, characters we love to see. They obviously brought the gameplay and atmosphere back to square one with RE:2 and that worked perfectly, so the toughest part is out of the way. Now make something akin to that, but new.

 

[Caffeine Addict]

No. It's a huge...

 

[An Herb Sandwich]

My thoughts are in the vein of Caffeine Addict’s in that the series is (or has been) in a rut and feels more comfortable retreading the same story beats and names instead of taking the story forward. They’re content to reuse old shit like Raccoon City and Umbrella over and over again. I think the best time to have ended the series was after 5, but since they’ve moved past that point, it’s just been water treading. 7 could have been a good place to write things on a smaller scale but then they messed that up by shoehorning in points that have already been finished. Like Umbrella and Wesker and doing weird, left field shit like Umbrella Chris. And the way they phoned in so much of the RE2 remake was inexcusable. It’s all very discouraging as a fan.

 

[Caffeine Addict]

7: Biohazard is a good horror game, but more so, it just has the name of a major series associated with it to boost its popularity.

I still don't understand Chris' new looks, as there's a lot of other models that Capcom could have hired that actually resemble him, I'm sure. He looks so stupid, and each time you play the game as him, it kind of bugs even the most veteran of players knowing that they screwed up big time in that department. That aside, the game copies a lot of famous horror movies, which makes it feel less original and cheapened, and it also feels like they just decided to do their own game because of Silent Hills not being completed. And Revelations 2 really does copy The Last of Us, like... a lot. This is why I see this, and think, it's shit, but that's the Capcom of today cutting corners.

 

[An Herb Sandwich]

7: Biohazard is a good horror game, but more so, it just has the name of a major series associated with it to boost its popularity.

I still don't understand Chris' new looks, as there's a lot of other models that Capcom could have hired that actually resemble him, I'm sure. He looks so stupid, and each time you play the game as him, it kind of bugs even the most veteran of players knowing that they screwed up big time in that department. That aside, the game copies a lot of famous horror movies, which makes it feel less original and cheapened, and it also feels like they just decided to do their own game because of Silent Hills not being completed. And Revelations 2 really does copy The Last of Us, like... a lot. This is why I see this, and think, it's shit, but that's the Capcom of today cutting corners.

Same. I feel if they didn't tack on the Biohazard/RE name to it, it would have done far worse in sales in the US/Europe. Since the RE name is really the only thing connecting it to the franchise, aside from a few insignificant name drops/name drops that make no sense and a character who caused a firestorm on the internet because they decided to pass him off as a beloved character. The game very much feels like they copy-pasted various media to try and make it have sustenance (hint: it failed).

Side note: I like Rev2, but I do feel it copied a bit too much from The Evil Within.

 

[Captain Redfield]

I honestly don't care and I'm done discussing this. RE7 is just a horror game and nothing else, Remake 2 while resembling what RE used to be prior to Paranormal Hazard 7 also lacks good writting and managed to make Leon and Claire as generic as possible with a very basic story that tries to be standalone but at the same time it drops the usual reference... It simply doesn't know what it wants to be.

I lost faith and patience because the fanbase is easily sold by horror, as long as it has a dark atmosphere and cheap jumpscares that's all that matters to them, just the basics. When in reality while the classic games knew how to scare you they also kept things perfectly balanced and with actual good writting for videogames' standards in the 90's, the characters were relatable, the continuity and repercussion of events was felt in the story and everything was perfectly connected.
RE1, 2, 3, CODE Veronica, Outbreaks (putting you through a perspective of your average citizens added some more weight to the Raccoon Incident), 4 (while the story was mehh it still is a very acceptable game considering the Chronicles and 5 fixed the story it lacked), 5 and also 6 to some extent represented what this franchise should be about. I don't care about hallucinations being a cheap gameplay mechanic to immerse you into the horror by labelling them as the effects of some viral agent, parasite or fungus... Not to mention the horrible script and inconsistencies. Resident Evil 7? LMAO

I don't care if RE ends or not, I came to a point where I'm just here to play whatever they throw at me. I would, however, like to see a modern version of my favorite classic game (CODE Veronica). Nothing else matters to me.

 

[Smiley]

Any good franchise has the potential for a long-running series. It only becomes a problem when the creative drive isn't there. Back when RE6 came out I was practically begging for some series closure as I felt RE became creatively bankrupt by focusing on multiplayer action over survival horror. Then RE7 rejuvenated what I loved about the series with a fresh new feel to it, and paved the way for further potential. Ironically, it was by taking steps back rather than making it bigger and better in size and scope. If they have new surprises in store I look forward to more on the horizon.

 

[mert20004]

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[Caffeine Addict]

Well, I think it's a shame that they had all that build-up with the early games and the primary emphasis was on the heroes learning about Umbrella, so that they could one day face this threat head on, only to throw that out with RE4 on an immediate basis.

In my opinion, The Umbrella Chronicles should have been like a full fledged Russian based scenario, and it could have been an action title to an extent, possibly even being named as RE4, but also feeling more so like CVX, with lots of atmosphere, and your soldiers getting lost, or captured. That would have been a more fitting end to the Umbrella arc, since it started with Wesker, Jill and Chris, and deserved to end with all three characters, whether Wesker lived through it or not. Then RE4 should have been RE5, or maybe the game should have been giving a new name to verify that it was going in a totally new direction altogether. That way, people wouldn't have been so taken back by the mostly unrelated story, the new creatures, the action heavy gameplay, and whatnot.

But how they did it was just meh to me. No one really likes on-rails shooting games, and going from CVX to Zero and then 4 was just too weird. The original chapters in both 'Chronicles' games are actually very interesting from a fan's perspective, but I just don't like shoot and move games, because that feels too much like an arcade game than the proper survival horror games we had gotten so used to. So that's kind of where my enthusiam ends for games like this. I'd rather just watch strung together scenes in YouTube videos, to be honest.

And, while the Revelations games are also exciting side story games, they don't particularly matter too much as the story is rarely continued. They feel like games that just lead into the main games, which is why both endings do so. So a third Revelations games may tie into 7: Biohazard in some way, or another title. But it would be interesting if Alex (as Natalia) grew up to be the next Albert Wesker again.

 

[mert20004]

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[Caffeine Addict]

Yeah. RE6 doesn't feel like a RE game that much. You can even get in a chopper and shoot down neon signs, and other choppers.

RE7 is a good horror game, but for the most part, it hardly feels like a RE game at all, until "Blue Umbrella" shows up with Chris 'Shemp' Redfield. Then it kind of becomes another Call of Duty type of story, with a lot of Saw vibes. Also, it's lazy how other than the insects, alligators and the Baker family, you don't get a variety of enemies other than the same looking Molded. They're like goo with limbs, and probably took little effort to design. But Capcom was probably like, "Oh well. Who's gonna care?"

We got new Molded in the DLC, but it really just felt like they added in yet another fatso enemy, as even RE6 and The Last of Us has overweight enemies. Hell, every other RE game had practically the same sort of staple enemies coming back, like the zombies, dogs, Hunters, and blah, blah, blah. Now it feels like Capcom has phased all of them out, other than bringing them back in the bland remakes. But many enemies end up completely omitted, like the worm, and the original plants.

You're not the only guy who wishes that RE6 was connected to RE7.

 

[TheSeth]

I guess I’m sad to see the negative responses but I know everyone has their own opinion. For me personally the last 3-5 games in the series have been some of the best honestly. RE2 remake is now my favorite resident evil and favorite game of all time, RE3 is my 8th favorite game in the series, RE7 is number 6, with Revelations 2 at number 5 overall. So for me personally I’m very happy with the quality recently. I’m excited to see 8 and although disappointed if they don’t do code Veronica I’ll happily take a RE4 remake especially if it’s as good as RE2 remake.

 

[Caffeine Addict]

The series will probably never end anyway. It's too valuable and can be milked repeatedly. ?

I hope they bring back Billy Coen. He's one of the few characters I actually wonder about. And Sheva. Surely her killing Wesker meant something. Right? ?

With this RE Engine, I guess they can de-age everyone. Which again, is kind of stupid. Chris looked like the appropriate age in most of the games. But I just don't like his new appearance at all. Hopefully Dusk Golem is correct, and that changes.

 

[TheSeth]

The series will probably never end anyway. It's too valuable and can be milked repeatedly. ?

I hope they bring back Billy Coen. He's one of the few characters I actually wonder about. And Sheva. Surely her killing Wesker meant something. Right? ?

With this RE Engine, I guess they can de-age everyone. Which again, is kind of stupid. Chris looked like the appropriate age in most of the games. But I just don't like his new appearance at all. Hopefully Dusk Golem is correct, and that changes.

I still want Sherry to lead her own game or at least have one with Claire together.