Why Mr. X is Resident Evil at Its Finest (And Why Nemesis Kind of Sucks)

[StewShearerOld]

Why Mr. X is Resident Evil at Its Finest (And Why Nemesis Kind of Sucks)

In a series filled with silly, in-your-face frights, Mr. X is a cleverly implemented and even subtle horror that's one of the Resident Evil franchise's greatest achievements.


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[Casual Shinji]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

The dude was just no threat in the slightest, untill the very end.

I agree Nemesis feels more like he was designed by a comitee (Mr. X has a bit more dignity to his visual design), but whenever he showed up you genuinely felt like a puny human in his presence. His stalker theme alone was enough for me to pee my pants. Ironically though with him he remains threatening untill the end (about the time you enter the park area).

 

[Lieju]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

The dude was just no threat in the slightest, untill the very end.

Same here.
I'd say Lisa Trevor was the genuinely best thing in the franchise.

Not only is she an unstobbably force of nature, she's also a genuinely tragic figure, and her backstory is told in an actually effective way. Mainly by being vague and not pushing it to our faces.

Ah, I love Lisa Trevor.

But what's scary is as subjective as what's funny.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

I always thought Mr. X was intelligent when compared to other Trench Coated Giants in the Resident Evil series. Though if I had a say in who was the scariest monster in Resident Evil 2 I'd go with Brian Irons.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Mr. X was subtle, yes, but the game mechanics didn't do a whole lot to let him back that up. The poor guy seemed constrained by the same tank-control mechanics that players were, so that with even just a little cleverness it was entirely possible to leave him trudging along in our dust- and in a game, an enemy has to be able to prove itself effective consistently in order to be considered a threat rather than just an obstacle.

Though if I had a say in who was the scariest monster in Resident Evil 2 I'd go with Brian Irons.

The human monster is the scariest of all, because it can do so much more than just kill you.

 

[StewShearerOld]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

The dude was just no threat in the slightest, untill the very end.

I agree Nemesis feels more like he was designed by a comitee (Mr. X has a bit more dignity to his visual design), but whenever he showed up you genuinely felt like a puny human in his presence. His stalker theme alone was enough for me to pee my pants. Ironically though with him he remains threatening untill the end (about the time you enter the park area).

I could agree that this is a legitimate criticism. That said, it's also one I would extend to a lot of the enemies if Resident Evil 2 (and the PS1 series overall). Most of the baddies are pretty much fodder once you get the shotgun, as long as you can maintain your distance. It's mostly the staging of Mr.X that I think makes him so brilliant.

That said, you could also point to this being one of the weaknesses of RE2's linear design. One of the reasons Mr.X was effective against me, especially the first time I played the B scenarios, was because I've always been a bit of an ammo horder. I would usually leave everything besides my pistol (and maybe the shotgun with a few shells) behind to save for bosses. So while in hindsight he can be taken down with a few solid Magnum hits, I often didn't have those with me because I wan't expecting to run into anything.

In other words, this whole is completely subjective and all my opinion!

 

[Casual Shinji]

I could agree that this is a legitimate criticism. That said, it's also one I would extend to a lot of the enemies if Resident Evil 2 (and the PS1 series overall). Most of the baddies are pretty much fodder once you get the shotgun, as long as you can maintain your distance. It's mostly the staging of Mr.X that I think makes him so brilliant.

That said, you could also point to this being one of the weaknesses of RE2's linear design. One of the reasons Mr.X was effective against me, especially the first time I played the B scenarios, was because I've always been a bit of an ammo horder. I would usually leave everything besides my pistol (and maybe the shotgun with a few shells) behind to save for bosses. So while in hindsight he can be taken down with a few solid Magnum hits, I often didn't have those with me because I wan't expecting to run into anything.

In other words, this whole is completely subjective and all my opinion!

I also usually played it Claire A/Leon B. And Leon got the better weapons and long hallways to fight him in. Claire had the kinda shitty grenade launcher and got much more enclosed areas that he would show up in.

I think what always stuck with me about Nemesis (besides that awesome theme) was that he was the first Resi baddy that followed you through doors. And up till that point you had been conditioned to think entering a load door meant leaving the danger behind. Just hearing that door shutting sound after you went through a screen transition was a major jump scare.

 

[Fox12]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

The dude was just no threat in the slightest, untill the very end.

I agree Nemesis feels more like he was designed by a comitee (Mr. X has a bit more dignity to his visual design), but whenever he showed up you genuinely felt like a puny human in his presence. His stalker theme alone was enough for me to pee my pants. Ironically though with him he remains threatening untill the end (about the time you enter the park area).

I could agree that this is a legitimate criticism. That said, it's also one I would extend to a lot of the enemies if Resident Evil 2 (and the PS1 series overall). Most of the baddies are pretty much fodder once you get the shotgun, as long as you can maintain your distance.

I didn't find most of the RE games particularly scary (though they were fun).

However, as much (legitimate) criticism as the later RE games get for dumbing down the horror, I have to stand by the reginerators as the best designed horror monster in the series. Every aspect of their design is meant to counteract your previous experiences. I'll never forget the first encounter. Headshots did nothing. I tried shooting out his kneecaps like other enemies, but this actually made him more dangerous, as he begins to lunge at you. If you try to keep away from him then he can reach out and seize you from a longer distance then normal opponents. Then, if you win/flee there are more of them in the hallway.

I also give Lisa Trevor props for having an intimidating design and a tragic story. Her encounters, though scripted, are very well designed.

 

[Jonsbax]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

Unfortunately Mr. X is completely beatable even with a handgun with maybe the exception of the the smaller areas where you encounter him.

He was badass in Resident Evil Outbreak File 2, though. What was cool was that he was on your side the first time you see him, so you just watch him wreck shit knowing that any moment something's gonna happen to make him turn on you, and when it finally does it's not pretty. He's a lot faster and more deadly than in RE2, being able to run and he stalks you even more intensely than Nemesis in RE3.

Damn, now I started to think about the Outbreak -games again and I'm getting sad. For every point they got right...

 

[Lono Shrugged]

What was interesting about him was the sense of malice and intent. The fact he was dropped in via chopper and even HAD a trenchcoat implied that there was a sense of purpose and 'other' motivation. He is nearly human when so many monsters are very obviously monsters. He is also the only creature with a purpose and that alone is spooky. (Except Birkin)

 

[Hawki]

Yeah...sorry, I still have to go with Nemesis. With Mr X, the tactics to beat him were "get out the machine gun, fire until he goes down." With Nemesis, the tactics were "run, oh my God, run!" I won't deny that the final battle with Mr X is very impressive (after he crawls out of the vat), but Nemesis not only gave me similar memorable boss fights, but three of them.

There's also the matter of intent. Mr X was deployed to recover the G virus, and the impression I got was that he only attacked Leon/Claire because they happened to be in his way. Nemesis however, is explicitly sent with the intent of killing STARS members, and to serve as a field exercise in the process. In terms of intent, that's far more chilling.

 

[deathmothon]

I can barely remember anything about Mr X but "Starsszzz" still gives me the willies. Take your cynical adult analysis out o here.

 

[Rad Party God]

I'd say Lisa Trevor was the genuinely best thing in the franchise.

Not only is she an unstobbably force of nature, she's also a genuinely tragic figure, and her backstory is told in an actually effective way. Mainly by being vague and not pushing it to our faces.

Ah, I love Lisa Trevor.

But what's scary is as subjective as what's funny.

Lisa is definitely one of my favorite villains of the entire franchise and one of the many reasons I absolutely love the REmake.

While Nemesis is big, scary and almost unstoppable, Lisa's backstory is creepy and subtle, also her design is just pure genious.

I think what always stuck with me about Nemesis (besides that awesome theme) was that he was the first Resi baddy that followed you through doors.

As a "constant baddie", he definitely is the first one who could follow you/smash through doors, but I clearly remember the very first RE had a few enemies that could break down doors, like some zombies and some hunters.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Subtlety and being beaten to a pulp with fists...I don't really think his appearances or actions are all that subtle.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

I consider Mr. X more akin to Michael Myers and The Shape from Halloween than the Terminator. Terminator had guns, ran when he had to, and had a monotonous voice. The Shape--and Mr. X--is robotic, silent, and quietly cunning.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

You mention Mr. X curbstomping you, but I've never in all my playthroughs even seen that happening. The reason being that he never got the chance, since I either pumped him full of shotgun/magnum ammo as he ever so slowly made his way to me, or I just ran past him, where the worst that could happen was getting a punch that would bring me off balance for two seconds.

Unfortunately Mr. X is completely beatable even with a handgun with maybe the exception of the the smaller areas where you encounter him.

He was badass in Resident Evil Outbreak File 2, though. What was cool was that he was on your side the first time you see him, so you just watch him wreck shit knowing that any moment something's gonna happen to make him turn on you, and when it finally does it's not pretty. He's a lot faster and more deadly than in RE2, being able to run and he stalks you even more intensely than Nemesis in RE3.

Damn, now I started to think about the Outbreak -games again and I'm getting sad. For every point they got right...

God I hated him in Outbreak, not the "god I hate this loser" type, I was legit scared the moment he showed up and started fighting for us for that brief time ebcause deep down I knew we'd have to face him.

I really do miss the Outbreak series, as much as I loved Resi 1-3 I found the OB series to be my most favourite since we were playing as civs instead of hero type characters, just your average joe people trying to make it out alive with what they have. I really miss the days where I'd play as David and put together a spear with some duct tape, a broom and knife or fixing broken weapons, that series really had some great survival elements like the virus gauge that made it that bit more intense because each swipe or stab meant the gauge would go up and we'd have less time to reach the end along with getting slowed down the more damage and infection we took, being able to craft weapons and create new medicines was a great addition to the series.

That and I loved some of the soundtrack like the opening themes and Thanatos 3rd fight theme
It's a damn shame though since I never really got to play the co-op mode with anyone back then because OB file 1 had no online that I was aware of for the UK and by the time I got file 2 I didn't have my PS2 online set up until it was too late, though with Resident Evil REmake Remaster coming to the new gen and PC it would be nice to see a remake of the Outbreak series, either as the same or remastered because I'd kill to play co-op on that for the first time and plunge back into Raccoon city.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Weird...I have absolutely no recollection of this "Mr.X" whatsoever. Maybe I just blew through him like other commenters have said and never gave him a second thought.