Resident Evil: Where do we go from here?

[Chaos Isaac]

More boulder punching, and letting us play as mildly mutated freaks of nature smashing in zombie and other mutant freaks of nature's face with... some kind of evil plan and badguy behind it who are not too serious but a actual threat enough to bother trying to stop.

Seriously, I miss 'roid Chris. He was awesome. He punches boulders. And monsters. And just doesn't give a fuck.

 

[Vausch]

A reboot in of itself isn't entirely necessary. Instead, go tangential.

Use a few characters from the original series. Have it do the branching inter-crossing stories. Have each bit reveal a little more about it.

And most of all: keep it simple, keep it relatively self-contained, and if possible have it make a lick of sense. Heck, spice it up a bit: Make Umbrella good guys! Have the new heads legitimately be trying to STOP a virus outbreak but something goes wrong in the labs and it spreads quickly.

 

[Whitbane]

Depends on what they want to do with the game.

They'll obviously try to make it accessible for everyone, A.K.A, what they pulled with RE6. It was a bastardization of what Resident Evil stands for, with more action that actual horror, and the whole run-and-gun style of gameplay, vastly different from the slower paced RE4, which was dramatically different from even the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2. They tried that whole "attract a wider audience" marketing spiel which really meant dumbing the game down so everyone and their grandma could beat it. Weirdly enough, RE6 sold "under expectations", probably because of the insane development cost of AAA games.

http://www.destructoid.com/resident-evil-6-fails-to-meet-sales-projections-again-253379.phtml

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Capcom-Resident-Evil-6-Biggest-RE-Game-Yet-40426.html

In comparison, RE4 sold much better and probably a much lower budget.

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Resident_Evil

The thing is, would a game like RE4 sell well in the industry nowadays? 2005 was a while back and games have changed a lot since then. You know, they were more game than movie. With how "cinematic" games have to be nowadays, something that was actually challenging like RE4, with ammo and health management, would probably sell awful to the current generation of gamers.

I mean just take a look at the Wolfenstein review from IGN.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/05/20/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review

They talk heavily about the writing and characters... in a goddamn wolfenstein game. They also criticize how you have to pick up ammo manually, and complain about the dual wielding, aspects of the gameplay, which is fucking insane. God forbid you have to press square or X to pick up items on the ground, they should all just teleport into your inventory.

Overall, Capcom probably no idea what to do with Resident Evil.

 

[Sarge034]

Go back to Resident Evil's origins. Go back to July 1998. Make a new game that takes place around the same time as the original Resident Evil, but in a different location and with different characters - and don't have those characters interact with any of the S.T.A.R.S. people. That way you can go back to the series' roots like a reboot, but without disrespecting the people who like the originals.

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!

Um... bud. They already tried that, Operation Raccoon City anyone?

I think that if we can get back to legit zombies and maintain decent controls everything will be alright. I personally enjoyed every RE I have played (even, begrudgingly, RE:ORC) starting with RE4. I really enjoyed the Leon/Helena campaign in RE6 and figure if you just had a whole game of open world zombie madness in a quarantined town with patented RE story it could be legit. That's really what I was hoping for with RE:ORC.

 

[Asclepion]

A reboot in of itself isn't entirely necessary. Instead, go tangential.

Use a few characters from the original series. Have it do the branching inter-crossing stories. Have each bit reveal a little more about it.

Bring out Elza Walker, the concept character who would eventually be remade into Claire Redfield.

She sees the bioweapon outbreaks and says "I'll let the boulder-punching guys fight them."

The rest of the game is about her becoming a champion motorcycle racer.

 

[GTMippey]

I'd go the reboot route, but without erasing the series' history. Start fresh. Modern setting, new city, new characters so we can have inexperienced rookies or civilians against zombies again. Make zombies a threat, limit the main character. Maybe an upgrade system where instead of weapons getting stronger, your character gets better at using them. Start out with really shaky aim, slow reloading, bad recoil, and the more you use a weapon the better you get with it. Have ammo scarce and items well-hidden. Bring back static camera to increase the tension of the unseen, but with over-the-shoulder aiming. (Ever played Cold Fear? It works.) Have the story maybe pass a reference to the events of Raccoon City but keep it self-contained and almost entirely new. If you MUST have co-op, have a separate story mode better suited to it, something with two different characters with events running parallel to the main story. But keep the main story single player. Isolation was the key to making the older games scary and the zombies threatening. Bring Resident Evil back to it's former glory and you may win back this jaded fan.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

OH! You mean like no ties at all to the original at all? Sorry about that. I guess I got confused a little when you compared it to The Thing. I mean The Thing (2010) doesn't take place in some completely new place with no relation at all to the plot to the original. It takes place in the demolished Norwegian camp the Kurt Russell and crew visits during the original film.

Ha ha ha! Yea, I guess since Rebecca is an important member of Chris' story is kind of creates new plot holes. The tie worked better in The Thing because what happened in the Norwegian camp was actually part of the original plot. There was just no details so they could make a prequel that fits like a glove. Hey, Lars even then tries to warn them about the incident that happened in the prequel. Shame he couldn't speak English; he could have saved all of their lives if he could.

Yeah, the demolished camp (which, in actuality, was filmed at the same outpost as the American camp - just after they blew up the set at the end - yay for the magic of cinema). The only Norwegians you meet in the Carpenter version are the two guys in the helicopter - neither one of them gets a name, and you don't even see their faces because of their snow gear (though to be fair, you do see a very quick shot of one of them without a mask in the morgue after Gary shoots him in the eye). For all intents and purposed, the prequel is completely new characters and location.

That's what I was getting at with a related-but-seperate style prequel. I mean, we've been to Raccoon City a few times now... but that doesn't mean that we can't just make a game taking place somewhere else within the city, featuring new characters. Ditto for the Arklay Mountains. Maybe have a game where you play as a detective or crime scene investigator that's looking for evidence at the scene of one of the murders around the Arklay area, then shit gets real. Or maybe play as a SWAT officer that's defending one of the barricades the RPD set up early in the outbreak who is the only survivor of his team. Or hell, go the Silent Hill route and maybe play some random civilian. I mean, we have a whole city that got infected and overrun. Surely there are some good stories among the people there.

Um... bud. They already tried that, Operation Raccoon City anyone?

I think that if we can get back to legit zombies and maintain decent controls everything will be alright. I personally enjoyed every RE I have played (even, begrudgingly, RE:ORC) starting with RE4. I really enjoyed the Leon/Helena campaign in RE6 and figure if you just had a whole game of open world zombie madness in a quarantined town with patented RE story it could be legit. That's really what I was hoping for with RE:ORC.

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.

 

[Frankster]

Without Albert Wesker the series is dead to me.

Such an awesome over dramatic villain, running around trolling the protagonists and antagonists of various games and always ready with the evil laugh and grandiose exposition.

I didn't really see how the series could survive much longer after Re5 where they killed off Wesker, and having not played RE6 I still don't know.

So the reboot route seems the only logical option, or...Let the series die and start a totally new zombie IP?

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Nowhere. We leave it right where it is. At least all this T-virus and bio weapon stuff anyway. We drop it all and move on to another scenario now another continuity with new characters and we make the evil new and residential and confined again.

Seriously all this bio weapon stuff has gone far enough I would rather we just all consider it wrapped with 5 and that can be that.

 

[Eve Charm]

Kart racing, I mean really where else is there to go with the series, It started horror, went action, did lightgun, had arcade games, online, reboots, a 3rd person squad shooter, An spin off full game on their mercs mini game. The only thing your missing is give platinum the game to make a character action RE the movie game starting whoever from the movie as a mix of bayonetta and Raiden killing zombies, soldiers and everything else.

Other then rebooting RE2 for the crowd that like reboots ((people wanting FF7)) The only thing left of the series that was any good is raccoon city. other then like a whole new story with other people or an event even before like the zombie testing phase just let it go.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

Give me my game about Rebecca. That is all I want. Seriously, the girl has simply vanished from the Resident Evil games as far as I can tell. We have no problem dragging literally everyone else back into the series, but for some reason she remains absent.
There's your return to Resident Evil 4 style too. Just like 4 showed what Leon was up to after everything calmed down, Rebecca's game can do the same thing with her. Completely unrelated to Umbrella or anything else of that nature, she simply gets swept up in something bigger than she is and sicne she's the only one who has had any experience dealing with this sort of thing, she steps up.

There's an original Resident Evil novel called "Resident Evil: Calbin Cove" about Rebecca Chambers going to a Umbrella own research facility at a place called Calbin Cove Main with branch team of STARS members.. it's pretty cool. it features zombies, puzzles like those found in the original RE games and has an interesting story.. it would be perfect to adapt into a game.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

what they need to do with the RE universe is reboot it.. Go back and keep what worked about the original games and add in what was changed for the better of later games like the over the shoulder camera,causing damage where you shoot the enemy, and the inventory/cache case system from RE4.

Here's how i'd do it.. long area of text warning...

They have it set at the Spencer mansion but only for a little while.. a team made up of both the Alpha and Bravo STARS teams start off together at the mansion, but have to flee the mansion and head to a close by Raccoon City where several of the team members who were bitten and unknowingly infected by the t-virus become zombies at a hospital where they infect more and more people, causing widespread panic and chaos. Albert Wesker receives orders from Umbrella to activate a pre-created plan to test the STARS teams against the various BOWs (bio weapons) from a laboratory underneath Raccoon City. Then have only Jill, Barry, Chris, and Rebecca survive the chaos and have them try and find a way out of Raccoon City with zombies and monsters everywhere.. they head the the RPD and on the way, meet up with rookie police officer Leon Kennedy, who's one of the few surviving members of the RPD. He agrees to help them and they split up and have Jill, Leon and Barry get separated from Chris and Rebecca. They find the RPD building in a similar state as in RE2 and have to solve puzzles, and fight zombies and monsters as they look for survivors as well as they're missing team(Chris and Rebecca's story could be another game that takes place at the same time)


Along the way Jill, Barry and Leon meet up with Claire Redfield who had just came to town during the mess and took refuge in the RPD along side a small girl named Sherry Birkin, who was her neighbor where she lived. Recognizing her as Chris's sister Jill asked her to come with them. They all eventually get out of the RPD but a massive earthquake occurs as a result of several dozen bio-weapons called Grave Diggers( the giant worm things from RE3) and causes Claire, Leon and Sherry to get separated from Jill and Berry ( another side game, see Capcom,plenty of story for 3 games here). Leon, Claire, and Sherry manage to get a message to Jill, Barry as well as Chris and Rebecca ( who they meet back up with at the edge of town where there' all going to escape the city). Chris refuses to leave his sister behind and goes back with Rebecca into town to find Claire and Leon (still a part of the separate Chris and Rebecca game). The game ends on a sort of cliff hanger with Jill and Barry reluctantly leaving the city, but promising to warn the outside world and bring in help.


Hows that Capcom? in the words of the Joker ( you can have this one for free)

 

[Greg White]

I suggest they either let the series die(not a bad idea based on the last game) or get as far away from the established story as humanly possible.

The first few games worked because they were designed as horror games, even if the most horrifying thing about the first one was the voice acting, while the later entries were just kinda clunky action games with too many QTE's and a RE paint job. I can appreciate the games evolving, but sometimes they get too far from their roots or, in the case of RE6, try to play things too safe and don't make anyone happy with the results.

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

If they really want to get people's attention, they should drop the over-the-shoulder perspective they've been using ever since RE4, and go back to the original formula(with some improvements, of course). On top of that, fire who ever is responsible for the story of RE6 and start killing off characters that have gotten too contrived for their own good. Most of the affection for the canon characters has either faded, or been killed off so it may be time for a fresh start.

 

[ChristopherT]

They should make another one. At some point there's a slightest chance I'll like one again. Averages, bitches. (though I haven't played Revelations yet, and the demo seemed alright).

What I would like to see though is Outbreak on PC, a combo of 1 and 2, as well as enough content for a third in there, as one game, with dedicated servers and Lan options.

Also, more focus on the closed in, locked down, horror aspect. I do not care if it's scary, I don't mind if it's not zombies, just give me something horror themed and new (for the series) would be nice. I don't care if it's werewolves, vampires, mummies, trees, moving dolls, laughing mounted deer heads, ZOMBIE BEARS, what ev. They did zombies, rather well I think, they did Bio-Weapons, they did Parasites and I think Dead Space did it better, they tried trolls and insects, let's keep the wheel turning and just go with the next thing.

However if they do Dinosaurs I will either be so very happy, or I will hate them for it not being a new Dino Crisis game, though if they throw in Regina I can't really care too much what the name of the game is.

 

[Olas]

How about they just make a good solid game based loosely on the established cannon but which goes in it's own distinct new direction, you know, kinda like that one they made a while ago that everybody loves?

I don't think it really matters what's come before, nor do I believe there's a magic formula for success. Resident Evil doesn't need to return to it's horror roots, or embrace over the top action, or do anything in particular. The next Resident Evil game just needs to be the best "it" it can be. And if longtime fans of the series don't like it? Well, boo hoo, you still have the games you fell in love with.

 

[A-D.]

Well as long as its more like Revelations rather than the disjointed mess of multiple storylines somewhat, kinda, maybe connected to each other that was 6, i can see the franchise going uphill. Honestly Resident Evil was never really horror, not since the very first game. Sure you had the whole "survival" part, but it was never really about being afraid or anything. So all the game needs is a "good enough" story and gameplay elements to work, just..it needs to kinda make sense, even if its essentially "only in movies" type of logic at play. Just less action, a bit more you, maybe a partner..and a whole ton of zombies and other assorted monsters, add some kind of overarching plot and you're good.

The problem with 6 really was that it wanted its cake and eat it too. It tried to be everything at once and was literally nothing at the end of it because no single part actually stands out as being good, but rather a hastily-thrown together mess of different genres and tastes it seems. So you have the slow, creepy stuff. The loud bombastic shooty-stuff and then the over the top ridiculous, and the game jumped around between tones so much nothing can actually have any sort of impact on you.

In short, more Revelations, less Resident Evil 6. Thanks. Also a new Dino Crisis.

 

[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.