E3 came and went again, and while everyone else was freaking out over "Cyberpunk 2077" or "Dying Light," I was interested in another announcement that flew relatively under the radar.
Anyone who knows me knows this...I am obsessed with "Resident Evil," especially the early games.
"Resident Evil 2" is getting a remake. Arguably, "RE2" is the favorite among hardcore fans, aside from the legendary "Resident Evil 4." As far as the old-hat Resident Evils go, it's the one everyone can agree on.
It's not the first time an old title got an "update;" in 2002, "Resident Evil," the first in the series, got a total overhaul from its original PlayStation 1 graphics on the Gamecube. Besides improved graphics and voice acting (and let's all thank our respective religious deities for that), it included new areas and new enemies, including Lisa Trevor - the unkillable face-collecting monstrosity whose backstory gave players insight into the inhumane experiments that took place beneath the Spencer Mansion like never before. Having played the original "RE," I like many players were caught totally by surprise by her introduction. I thought I knew what to expect...then, I got to the marvelously-paced set piece that introduces the player to Lisa, and found myself panicking, screaming, "HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT" at my TV screen. The remake of "Resident Evil," or REmake for short, was a remake done right.
Then there were the "Darkside Chronicles" games for the Nintendo Wii, which essentially turned every game before "Resident Evil 4" into levels in a rail shooter with updated graphics. Each game included chapters that added characters and backstory to the main plot that were completely inconsequential. It was an interesting experiment but was ultimately forgettable.
Now, "RE2" is getting a remake...and I'm not at all surprised.
1. RE fans have been asking for this remake for about 15 years, at least.
Not to turn this into a dick-measuring contest, but I've been a hardcore fan of the "Resident Evil" games for a long time. I spent a lot of mornings, nights and afternoons on message boards pertaining specifically to RE. I was a part of several communities to which I regularly contributed because I liked talking about "Resident Evil" with strangers online a hell of a lot more than I liked pretending I wasn't a nerd with real people in person. Having said that, I can assure you, dear reader, that fans have been begging for this remake since 2002.
The only game video game nerds, in general, have been clamoring to get remade worse than "Resident Evil 2" is "Final Fantasy 7." And guess what?
2. Resident Evil, I love you but...we need to talk about all these plot holes.
Seriously, "RE" has a ton of plot holes. I'm not afraid to admit it.
It's particularly hard, I imagine, for younger fans of the series to keep up; to them, understanding who Alfred Ashford or Annette Birkin is must be like trying to keep up with Seth MacFarlane's obscure 70's TV show references in "Family Guy" when I was a teenager.
Still, everyone knows Leon S. Kennedy. "Resident Evil 4" has been REmade to death now, it's supported by more platforms than Skyrim. The game's other protagonist, Claire Redfield, was most recently featured in "Resident Evil: Revelations 2," which was good, but hardly set the world on fire.
Plus, I guarantee that if you were born after 1997 and played "Resident Evil 6" before playing any of the early games, you had no idea who Sherry Birkin is or why her being a playable character was a big deal...especially opposite Jake Wesk- ah, Mueller.
Sherry is the annoying little girl you babysit in "Resident Evil 2." That is, if you played through either of the "Claire" campaigns.
My point is, the plot of "Resident Evil" is complicated and sprawling and full of plot holes, dead-ends, and red herrings. Updating old titles presents a much-needed opportunity for the franchise to trim the fat off of its positively corpulent plot.
3. Remakes are safer than new titles.
What, is Capcom going to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-release "Resident Evil 4" again? Push out a new game less than a year after "Resident Evil 7?" No. Ubisoft puts out a new "Assassin's Creed" every other second now, the "Call of Duty" audience is wavering, "Fortnite" and "PUBG" are more popular than "World of Warcraft," and Konami's so tragically riddled with dementia nobody bothers telling it that the year isn't 2001 anymore. The gaming scene is changing, and the Japanese market is struggling to keep up. Capcom knows it has to hustle if it's going to stay relevant. What better way than to finally give its hardcore fans the game they've been clamoring for for over a decade?
The game looks like it's paced linearly, so it will likely feel a lot like "Dead Space," or "Resident Evil 6." The old tank-style controls and the fixed camera would definitely not appeal to a contemporary gaming palate, making this potentially an accessible, if not good, revamp to the old PlayStation One classic.
This gets me almost hyped enough to consider buying a PS4. I say "almost," because apparently, they've decided to stop hiring voice actors who are affiliated with unions.
But more on that next week.
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