Resident Evil aka Biohazard

[Omegaflare]

NOTE: This is about the games, not the live-action films

Like Final Fantasy, Capcoms survival-horror/action series Resident Evil (known in Japan as Biohazard) is one of the most beloved and successful gaming franchises of all time. Since its my most favorite gaming series besides FF, I felt that I definitely should create a thread about the series.

For all the RPG-players who are not as familiar with RE, let me give you an overview:

Resident Evil was created in 1996 by Shinji Mikami (also the creator of Devil May Cry and the upcoming horror game "The Evil Within") and was one of the most important and influential games on the first PlayStation Console. While it didnt create the genre of survival horror, it greatly defined it for years to come and was one of the Playstations greatest games.

the first game revolved around a special forces unit known as STARS who ended up in a giant mansion full of zombies and other BOWS (Bio-Organic Weapons), created by a deadly viral agent known as the T-Virus, which was the work of the powerful pharmaceutical Umbrella Corporation. the protagonists of the first game were Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, who would not only go on to become two of the most important characters in the franchise but also became two of the most iconic and beloved videogame characters of all time. the series main antagonist, Albert Wesker (who would in future installments develop superhuman powers) was also introduced in the original game.

In 1998, Resident Evil 2 was released to immense critical acclaim and eventually became one of the most popular and successful games of all time. The game featured a completely new cast, introducing characters Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong and Sherry Birkin. Particularly the first 3 characters became some of the most iconic and beloved characters of the series. In RE 2 the T-virus had now infected the whole town of Raccoon City and police officer Leon as well as Chris Redfields sister Claire who arrived in town during the zombie apocalypse must fight their way through zombie and BOW-infested police stations, sewers and laboratories in order to survive, while also hunted by a creature infected with the new much more powerful G-virus.

In 1999, the 3rd installment Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was released, which was the final game of the series on the PSOne console. RE 3 was closely connected to RE 2, with the first half of it playing before RE 2 during the initial outbreak of the T-virus in Raccoon City and with the 2nd half of the game taking place directly after RE 2 and ending with the complete destruction of Raccoon City by the US Government. beloved fan-favorite Jill Valentine (who is also my favorite RE character) returned as the main playable character in RE 3. This time the explorable area was much larger and new features such as the quick turn, dodging and mixing ammunition was added. Another unique element was that Jill was constantly hunted by a powerful BOW known as "Nemesis", which Jill could not kill until the very end of the game. the game was heavily censored in several countries (Among them my country Germany as well) and while its generally considered a very good game it wasnt nearly as successful as RE 2.

During this time Capcom also began producing spin-off titles that didnt continue the main story such as the teamshooters known as "Resident Evil Outbreak", the Lightgun shooters "Resident Evil: Gun Survivor" or in later years the 3DS shooter "Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D" and the non-canonical teamshooter "Operation Raccoon City". I generally avoid these spin-off games since they dont really continue the main story at all and feel very different from the main games.

The main story of RE was eventually continued in 2000 in the game Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which was initially the first RE released not on a Sony console but on Segas Dreamcast instead but it was later ported to Playstation 2 as well.

Code Veronica takes place several months after RE 3 and features the return of Claire from RE 2 who is taken prisoner by Umbrella and imprisoned on Rockfort Island. However series villain Wesker (who now has superpowers) attacks the island and unleashes the T-virus, putting Claire back into another zombie nightmare. After roughly the 1st half of the game Claire and her love Steve Burnside whom she met on the island leave the island but end up in a T-virus infected Umbrella facility in Antarctica, where they are kidnapped by new villain Alexia Ashford. The game then shifts to Claires brother Chris (who returns for the first time since the original game) who arrives on the island to find Claire and eventually makes his way to Antarctica as well where he and Claire not only have to face Alexia but Wesker as well.

Code Veronica was a much bigger game then its predecessors. The game was much longer, almost twice as big as previous games, much more difficult to beat and had a more complex story that expanded a lot on the history of the series. It also was the first RE with 3D graphics instead of pre-rendered backgrounds. You could say that Code Veronica advanced the series in a similar way that Final Fantasy X did in the FF series. It remains one of the biggest fan-favorite games in the series and it was much more successful then RE 3, though not as much as RE 2.

Capcom then did something unexpected - they moved the series to Nintendo, making the next main games Nintendo-exclusive which of course met with a lot of angry responses by the Sony-players.

the first game released in 2002 as a part of this special deal with Nintendo on their Gamecube console was a game simply named "Resident Evil" which was a complete Remake of the original Resident Evil, which recreated that game from scratch. The original creator Shinji Mikami returned as director for this game (The first RE he directed since the original) and arguably created the greatest horror game of all time. While it retained everything from the original, it made everything bigger, grander, more scary, more detailed and added several gameplay features (quick turn, defense weapons) and even Sub-Plots that were not in the original game. The graphics were absolutely spectacular and were the most photo-realistic graphics ever created at that time and even today, 11 years later they look phenomenal. All in all the Remake was superior to the original in every possible way and is quite possibly the best Resident Evil game ever made. Unfortunately it remains a Nintendo-exclusive which was released only on Gamecube and Wii.

In 2003, Capcom released a prequel to the Remake on Gamecube (and like the Remake the prequel sadly remains Nintendo-exclusive as well) named "Resident Evil: Zero" which takes place only a day before the events of the Remake and features Rebecca Chambers (a character who also appears in RE 1) and new character, Billy Coen (who is featured only in Zero) and details their journey through the T-virus infested Raccon Forest area and the abandoned Umbrella Training Facility. The game added quite a bit to the backstory of the series since it revealed who created and unleashed the T-virus and also revealed the identities of the characters who had founded the Umbrella Corporation. The end of Zero leads directly into the events of the Remake. Zero boasted the same phenomenal graphics as the Remake but had some rather radical changes in gameplay (such as switching between characters at will and the lack of an item box) which drew a lot of criticism from fans. Overall Zero wasnt able to recapture the greatness of the Remake and was also the least successful RE game yet.

This was the point in the series when Capcom realized that the series popularity and success was rapidly declining and the gameplay had become stale and formulaic (In my opinion they had reached the absolute pinnacle with that classic style with the Remake. You can only get worse after that) and that something really radical needed to be done to reinvigorate the entire franchise and update it for modern audiences. And thus the classic era of RE ended and a completely new and different era began.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2

 

[Omegaflare]

PART 2

the first game in that new era was Resident Evil 4 which was released in 2004 for Gamecube. While initially it was meant to be Nintendo-exclusive, eventually the decision was made to port it to Playstation 2 as well, marking the return of Resident Evil to a Sony console. This decision was met with enormous contempt by the Nintendo-fans but for Capcom it was definitely the right one to make. RE 4 was the last game in the series to be directed by creator Mikami and introduced a completely different gameplay-style for the series.

While the previous REs had been pure survival horror games with emphasis on zombies, scary B-movie horror atmosphere, exploration, puzzles and the survival aspects such as scarce ammunition and healing items, RE 4 went into a bold new direction. The gameplay was now that of a 3rd person shooter which made it much more fluid and gave the series a true 3D graphics experience while retaining the dark horror setting. Instead of zombies the enemies were now parasite-infected people known as Ganado, who could run, communicate and use weapons such as Sickle, Chainsaw or later even guns. Emphasis on puzzles was severely reduced and instead of a couple of enemies here and there like in the previous games, the player was now assaulted by armies of aggressive enemies. the focus shifted from scary horror survival to adrenaline driven action-horror. However RE 4 retained the scary atmosphere and setting and actually had some of the most intense moments as well as some of the most scary creatures (like the Regenerators) in the series history.

RE 4 also marked the return of fan-favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy (now an agent in the service of the Government) and sexy femme fatale spy Ada Wong, who were last seen in RE 2. Leon and Ada shared a romance in RE 2, which ended when Ada seemingly died. In RE 4, which takes place 6 years later they meet again under very different and new circumstances. The Umbrella Corporation collapsed in 2003 (one year before the events of RE 4) and is gone. Leon is sent to a rural european area in Spain that is controlled by the cult known as Los Illuminados to free the presidents daughter Ashley Graham, which has been kidnapped as part of a diabolical plot by the cults leader and new villain Osmund Saddler. During his journey to save Ashley, Leon meets Ada again who secretely seems to work with series villain Albert Wesker (though she is only pretending to do so to achieve her own goals and she protects Leon against Weskers orders to kill him) and he also meets his former partner, Jack Krauser again who is now a loyal enforcer for Wesker.

RE 4 was an enormous milestone not just for the series but for gaming in general. Its widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made (Aggregate critical reception of 96 %) and at the time it was the most successful game in the series, surpassing even RE 2 in sales. Without a doubt RE 4 reinvented the series and made it more successful then it had ever been. Which is exactly what Capcom had hoped for with the radical change. After RE 4, the series was moved away from Nintendo (that partnership hadnt exactly been very lucrative for Capcom) and back to Sony for the main games (Though they would also port future games to Microsofts X-Box 360)

After a couple of new spin-off games (such as the Wii railshooters "Umbrella Chronicles" and "Darkside Chronicles" which redid the plots and key scenes from RE Zero, Remake, RE 2, 3 and Code Veronica in Wii graphics as well as creating new story episodes which revolved around the collapse of Umbrella and Leons past with Krauser prior to RE 4) Capcom released a CG film in 2009 known as "Resident Evil: Degeneration" which takes place one year after RE 4 and reunites Leon and Claire for the first time since RE 2 during a T-virus outbreak at Harvardville airport.

The movie was followed by the first new RE main game for HD consoles, Resident Evil 5.

RE 5 was based on the new gameplaystyle introduced with RE 4 but with a very different setting (african villages and landscapes) and a strong emphasis on action rather then scary horror. Though it did retain horror elements and even brought back the famous Lickers from RE 2. exploration and puzzles were pretty much omitted from the game and the focus instead was on adrenaline-fueled action-heavy battle for survival with Africa serving as a new unique backdrop for this new kind of hell. This was also the first game in the series with Co-op story play or having an AI partner.

the enemies much like in RE 4 were parasite-infected people again, an advanced version of those from RE 4. The game brought back fan-favorite Chris Redfield and partnered him with the new african character Sheva Alomar who replaced Jill Valentine as Chris´partner after Jill had seemingly died in 2006 (3 years before the events of RE 5). There is also a DLC episode for the game known as "Lost in Nightmares" where Chris and Jill are the playable characters and which explores what exactly happened in 2006 when she apparently died. This DLC episode is in stark contrast to the main game with it returning to the roots of the series and being straight scary atmospheric horror instead of adrnaline-filled survival action like the main game. the DLC episode is also a heavy tribute to the original RE with the mansion where the episode takes place looking very similar to the mansion from RE 1. Basically the episode combines the new 3D gameplay with the setting, tone and atmosphere from the classic games. especially longtime RE fans favor the DLC episode over the main game because of this.

Chris and Sheva are agents/soldiers in a global military organisation known as the BSAA, which is fighting a global war against Bio-terrorism. While on a mission in africa, Chris eventually discovers that Jill is alive and begins searching for her. This search brings him not only face to face with a mindcontrolled Jill but also with his old nemesis Wesker, who plans to infect the entire planet with a new virus that would obliterate billions of people.

RE 5 enormously expanded the backstory of the series and even changed the outlook on several events from the past. It revealed that Umbrella was always just a means to an end to its founder Ozwell Spencer whose true goal it had been to create the ultimate human race through forced viral evolution and to make himself into a god to rule that new race. Umbrella and all the viruses that had caused the events in previous games had just been stepping stones to fulfilling that goal. RE 5 also revealed that Wesker himself was part of that plan and had been one of 13 "Wesker children" who were formed by Spencer and supposed to be the foundation of his new human race. However almost all of them had died in the process. The game eventually ended with Weskers final demise and his new virus being destroyed before it could be released.

While Resident Evil 5 seriously split the fandom (Some enjoyed the new action-focused co-op approach as something new while others hated on the game for not being primarily horror anymore and focusing too much on shooter gameplay), it became the most successful game in the series with nearly 9 million sold games worldwide and also had a largely positive critical reception.

A few spin-off games followed (such as the aforementioned Mercenaries or Operation Raccoon City) until in 2012, Capcom released the first main series-installment on a handheld system: Resident Evil: Revelations. This also marked the return of the main series to NIntendo.

While Revelations (much to the chagrin of the Sony players) initially was Nintendo 3DS-exclusive, eventually an upgraded HD version for Playstation 3 and 30 was released in 2013 as well.

Revelations returned the series (much to the approval of a large portion of the fanbase) to the survival horror concept with emphasis on saving ammunition, less enemies, scary horror setting and exploration and puzzles while retaining the modern control system from previous REs (much like the DLC episode "Lost in Nightmares" had done).

The story of Revelations takes place in 2005 between RE 4 and 5 and features the return of Jill Valentine as playable character, making this the first game since RE 3 where she is playable (not counting the RE 5 DLC episodes where she is also playable) again. The game also features Chris as playable character, though Jill is the main protagonist here. There are several new characters as well, among them Jessica Sherawat who is voiced by Lightning voice actress Ali Hillis!

Revelations has a very complex story that revolves around a major conspiracy involving a federal anti-terror organization known as FBC, a first, much smaller version of the BSAA and the terror organization Veltro. Chris and Jill ultimately unravel and expose the culprits in the conspiracy which leads to the disbanding of FBC and BSAA and the reformation of a new BSAA, funded by the GPC (Global Pharmaceutical Consortium) and under the direct jurisdiction of the United Nations, making it the BSAA we know from RE 5.

Later in 2012, Capcom released a 2nd CG film known as "Resident Evil: Damnation" which features Leon and Ada who get involved in a civil war fought with BOWs in an eastern european country. The movie also features fan-favorite creatures from RE 2 such as Lickers and Tyrants as well as the parasite infected people from RE 4 in new advanced versions. Being a great mix of character story, action and horror the movie gained very positive reception from fans and critics alike (Unlike the live action films)

Shortly after the film, Capcom released the newest installment of the series, Resident Evil 6 for PS3 and 360.

RE 6 was the most massive RE game to date, featuring not just one but 4 story campaigns who are interwoven with each other at several points and each having their own characters. The gameplay was based on RE 5 but massively advanced with much more fluid movements and new features such as throwing on the ground, shooting from the ground, a completely new coversystem, close combat system as well as a RPG-like skill system instead of weapon upgrades.

The story features several returning characters as well as lots of new ones. Each campaign has a very distinct setting and feel to it. The first campaign features Leon and fellow federal agent Helena Harper (who by the way is voiced by Serah voice actress Laura Bailey!) as they make their way through a zombie-infested Tall Oaks and to China where a massive bio-terror attack has occured that transformed many people into new creatures known as Javo. While Leon and Helena hunt for the man behind the attack on Tall Oaks (which resulted in the death of the President), a powerful man named Derek Simmons they encounter other characters in China as well such as Chris or Sherry Birkin (see below). They eventually witness 3rd Bio-attack that turns an entire city into Zombie central. Leons campaign for the most part is very dark with horror setting and emphasis on zombie horror, though it later becomes very action-packed as well.

The 2nd campain features Chris who is now in charge of en entire BSAA squad and his new partner Piers Nivans. They enter China to stop and contain the Bioterror attack unleashed there by mysterious organization "Neo Umbrella". Chris who is under the belief that Ada Wong (from RE 2 and 4) killed his previous team 6 months ago (though this was actually not Ada but derek Simmons former protege Carla Radames, who had been turned into an evil copy of Ada by Simmons) begins to hunt her in blind thirst for vengeance, which ultimately ends in the deaths of his new team as well. After meeting Leon he comes back to his senses and Chris and Piers eventually fight and destroy Carlas most powerful BOW, Haos in an underwater facility. The Chris campaign is extremely action-heavy and features no zombies but instead the aggressive weapon wielding Javos. Some parts of his campaign even feel more like a military action movie then a more traditional Resident Evil story. Though the setting later switches to almost straight horror, featuring one of the scariest sequences in the franchise (a giant snake that hunts Chris and his team in a house), before returning to more action again. Overall his campaign is definitely much more action and shooter-heavy than Leons.

The 3rd campaign features returning character Sherry Birkin, who in RE 2 was a 10 year old girl but is now a 25 year old young woman and agent entrusted with protecting mercenary Jake Mueller (who is voiced by Snows voice actor Troy Baker!), who also happens to be Weskers son and is immune to the new deadly C-virus. They are eventually kidnapped by Carlas Neo-Umbrella and experimented on in China before they manage to escape and fighting their way through the Javo-infested city. Much like in RE 3, there is a seemingly indestructibe BOW known as Ustanak who keeps hunting Jake and Sherry in their campaign. Sherry and Jake form a close bond with each other during their journey and Jake must come to terms with his fathers evil legacy when ultimately he is confronted with his fathers killer, Chris. This campaign is a mix of more atmospheric setting and brutal action and especially because of the interplay between Sherry and Jake probably the most entertaining one in that regard. Plus its cool to finally see Sherry again, whom fans had wanted to see again for over a decade.

the 4th campaign features Ada Wong and is the only campaign that is played without a partner (Though for online co-op there is a "Ghost partner" who is only there for gameplay). Adas story revolves around her going to Tall Oaks where she meets Leon again, finding out about her "evil twin" Carla and going to China to stop Carla and her organization from committing atrocities in Adas name. This is the campaign that ties together all of the other campaigns since it shows how Ada gets involved in the other 3 campaigns. This is also the campaign where its revealed that Ada and Carla are not the same person and what the reasons are behind Carlas and Simmons actions. Adas campaign features a great mix of classic RE atmosphere and puzzles and more action-heavy gameplay (plus Ada is a really awesome character, who is sexy, cool and badass. Besides Jill she is my most favorite RE character) and is easily the most fun campaign to me.

Resident Evil 6 GREATLY split the RE fandom (even more than RE 5 did) because of its emphasis on blockbuster-movie feeling and massive scale and the constant uneven shifting from horror to ueber-action. Capcom tried a bit too hard pleasing all the different kinds of fans which ironically ended in even greater criticism.

Personally much like with Final Fantasy XIII I find the criticism for RE 6 to be too harsh. Some people act like this is a really crap game, which it most certainly isnt. Most people seem to see no difference anymore these days between a flawed game and a truly shitty game. To me despite some obvious flaws, Resident Evil 6 was a ton of fun and I have been passionately playing the series since early 1999. I have a total playtime on RE 6 of over 200 hours, its probably the PS3 game I have played the most (Though once FF X HD comes out that is likely going to change^^). Yes it is flawed, yes its not as great as it could have or should have been and its certainly nowhere near milestones like RE 2 or Remake but it is also NOT a bad game. Its a lot of fun, the characters are awesome and its great to continue their journey and the presentation is fricking epic.

I understand if those fans who want a scary, dark, survival horror RE back and they probably will get it with RE 7 but you can always play Remake or Revelations for that and enjoy RE 5 and 6 for what they are. A balls to the walls load of action-fun with horror elements and great characters.

 

[Azuardo]

I love the passion you show for this series. I love Resident Evil as well, and own the majority of them. I'm with you - I don't care what people say about games like RE6; I loved it and spent a hell of a lot of time in it. I've lost a lot of hours to Mercenaries! Of course I would like some of the horror to return, but I play these for the story more than anything. I love seeing what happens to the characters next. Seriously hope the next game is the return of Claire!

 

[Omegaflare]

Thanks yeah I really love RE and I have been loving it for over 14 years by now.

I actually like both styles, the more scary, horror survival style and the epic, blockbuster-action style. Having both styles makes the series very multi-facetted in my opinion and keeps it from becoming stale. I also want it to be more horror again because we had now several action-focused REs but I never disliked RE 5 or 6.

Whats most important to me in a RE game are the characters, their story (I love how the games show the characters maturing and different stages of their lives and what that experience does with them) and the sheer fight for survival against monstrous BOWs. Wether thats done in a scary horror way or as adrenaline-fueled action-horror. I always say the original title of the series is "Biohazard" not "Zombiehazard" or "Horrorhazard". The core of this series to me therefore is the battle for survival against biological terrors - BIO-HAZARD.

As I stated in my previous posts my favorite characters are Jill and Ada so I was very happy that in RE 6 we got to play a whole campaign as Ada and that in Revelations HD (I dont play handheld so I got this game this year when it was ported to PS3) I got to play as Jill again. That was awesome.

One thing that really upset me in RE 6 was that Jills existence was basically ignored. She wasnt even mentioned which was so weird. Why wouldnt she go look for Chris when he disappeared (Same goes for Claire btw. I mean she went looking for him when he didnt contact her in RE 2 but now where he actually goes AWOL Claire doesnt care?) and where was Jill when Chris went to China? The Bio-attack on Lanshiang was probably the biggest act of Bioterrorism yet so you´d think they would put all their best agents on that case. So where was Jill? Besides Chris she is probably the best BSAA agent there is. And especially when Chris lost his memory and would go to China I just cant picture Jill not going with him to fight at his side.

The only possible explanation I have is that like Chris, Jill also is captain of her own squad now and her squad was on a different mission someplace else. maybe she was in the helicopter that picked Chris up at the end. I just found it really stupid and strange that Jill would not be mentioned at all in the game. Like she suddenly didnt exist anymore.

as of Claire, I know there are lots of fans who want her back. She has a surpisingly big fanbase considering that she was only in 2 games and her last appearance in a canonical game was 13 years ago. But as the movie Degeneration clearly stated, Claire chose a different path in life then Chris and wants to stay away from fighting. So it would make no sense for her to voluntarily return to the field so to speak. She would need a really good reason to come back and I think Capcom has simply decided that her story has been concluded when she found Chris and decided to become an activist instead of a fighter. But it would be very cool indeed to have her back.

 

[Azuardo]

If I'm brutally honest, I prefer the actiony style the series has gone down. I had already bought REmake, but I couldn't get through it. I gave RE4 a go after the rave reviews, and it's pretty much what got me into the series properly, because it was awesome. I went back and completed REmake and did Zero, also have done 5 and 6, and the Wii shooter games to get the full story. So whilst I haven't played RE2, 3 and CV in their original forms, I've atleast played through the whole series' story in some shape or form.

I love the CG movies, and I'm really glad they're canon with the series. The less said about the live action ones the better (awful).

Interesting points about Jill. I have to admit, I was very surprised she wasn't in RE6, but you make good points about Claire, even though I really want her back.

I still need to play Revelations, but I'm hoping it'll be a PS Plus freebie soon, at which point I'll be right on it.

I think what I would really love to see is a RE2 remake. I know there's petitions and fan pages for it. While I do prefer the action given a choice, REmake was an awesome remake, so to have RE2 remade with today's graphics would be incredible.

 

[Dollow]

I still love Code Veronica, that is my favorite in the series as a whole, a lot of the older RE game still hold up, but sadly since RE 4 (Don't like that game) that series has gone downhill. I don't where Capcom is going with the series Post-RE6, but lets hope its better.

 

[Omegaflare]

yeah Remake was the best horror game ever made and to me its the greatest RE ever. Its also my 2nd most fav game of all time. It totally sucks that its a Nintendo-only game since I am a dedicated Sony-gamer. Just the atmosphere and the sounds in Remake were so damn awesome.

You can buy RE 2 , 3 and Code Veronica all from the Playstation store which I strongly recommend to do. Playing the Chronicles games really isnt enough. They skip over many things from the original games and even downright change things completely. The Chronicles games are just nice bonus games that allow the fans to see some of the key moments from the older games with modern graphics which is awesome but they are nowhere near the actual experience that RE 2, 3 and CV are. Again I strongly recommend to get them on the PS Store.

I could give you RE 3 and Code Veronica for free, though I would need some time to figure out my login data for my US account which I have forgotten Havent been online there for a while since my german account is my main one.

I could also give you Revelations for free from my german account. If you´re interested we can discuss this further via private message. I just hate seeing true, passionate RE fans who havent played these games Besides I desperately need a co-op partner for Revelations Raid mode

For the future I think combining the action gameplay with the scary horror and exploration, puzzles etc. of the classic games would really be a good way to go. Like they did in Lost in Nightmares and Revelations.

 

[Dollow]

I only have two request for Capcom to do for the series as a whole, get rid of the Co-Op system and the QTE moments, if they do that then we will talk, other wise that series is dead to me.

 

[Azuardo]

QTEs should die full stop.

That's a generous offer, Omega! I'll have to drop you a PM to see what the catch is haha : P

I could actually play those RE games I missed out on through my Wii actually, since I've modded it. In fact, I remember now that I actually started playing RE2 GC with cheats on for the hell of it. I should probably give it another go. But concerning the story, since the Wii shooters came out later, wouldn't they now be the canon story if they changed anything in particular?

It does sound like Revelations could be the future. I'm sure someone at Capcom acknowledged the disappointment with RE6 and the positives with Revelations, which will probably be incorporated into RE7.

Still need to play through Lost in Nightmares too. I recently did that Jill and Josh mission since I'd never done it before. Bit crap lol.

 

[Omegaflare]

@Dollow: You should play Revelations, there are no QTEs and while you sometimes have a partner, you are also often alone and the game is back to monsters and scary atmosphere and puzzles and all that. No weapon-wielding people^^ It should be the game you want from a modern RE, thought it doesnt play exactly as fluid as RE 6 (it used to be a handheld game so cut it some slack)

@Azuardo:

no catch, I just hope I can trust you not to screw around with my account But I generally like to believe in peoples best. Basically all you´ll have to do is log in with my data , using your US-profile, pick the games you want to download from my DL list, activate the downloads and log out of my account again. Then you give me the heads up and I´ll change my password (just out of principle, its nothing personal).

For Revelations, which I have in my german download list (the game is in english though if your console settings are english so dont worry) you will have to create a new profile and sign up for PSN, using the option "use an existing account" and then log in with my data, download revelations (and whatever else you´d like to download. I have the Batman games and God of War games in that list too), log out and then I´ll change that PW too. Done.

But be careful not to delete the new profile or you wont be able to play the game. you can access it from your Us profile but you cant delete any profiles because if the profile that downloaded a game doesnt exist anymore the game cant be played.

I doubt you´ll need them (since you should have them already) but you can also download FF V and VI (german account) and FF VII, VIII and IX from my US account if you like just in case you dont have them yet which would be very shameful

The Wii shooters are not really retconning the actual games, since they are not meant as remakes of the actual games. the changes were just made to shorten the episodes and for gameplay reasons. So no the events from the main games are most definitely the canon here.

Lost in Nightmares is awesome. It PERFECTLY combines the 3D action gameplay with the classic atmosphere and horror. There are only like 4 enemies in the whole episode but the atmosphere, the sound and the whole design makes you tense the whole time. especially on higher difficulties that episode scared me shitless.

Because on higher difficulties suddenly enemies that dont appear on easy or normal suddenly burst through doors or even follow you through rooms. I always said that a whole game like this episode would be the best RE of all time.

if you want to, we can play RE 5 and 6 story mode co-op together. I always love playing through those games with fellow RE fans. I just dont like the Multiplayer modes like Mercenaries. Thats just shooting things without context or story. I prefer playing story mode with friends.

The Jill/Josh episode in RE 5 is the exact opposite of Lost in Nightmares. That is just totally insane brutal battle. Even on easy and normal that episode is still pretty crazy. The only trophy left for me to obtain in that episode is completing it on professional. Yeah, right lol.

Just like Infernal mode on revelations. That is so beyond insane. On that mode enemy and item placements are completely different, the enemies take extremely minimal damage, you take extremely much and of course the toughest enemies are there from the start. That is pretty much the most extreme survival horror you could imagine. I havent been able to beat this even with maximum upgrades (since Chris and Parker cant actually use upgrades in their brief chapters - only Jill can)

But the most insane thing is the gold trophy in Code Veronica which you get for obtaining the rocket launcher. however in order to do that you need to beat the game in under 4 hours without saving and using a first aid spray (you can save only when the game prompts you to do so after the Nosferatu battle). That is just insane. Not even gonna try that.

 

[Azuardo]

Right, I will get back to you on the accounts thing in a PM tomorrow!

I'll think about doing co-op story in 5 or 6, but I've replayed through various chapters of 6 many times so I'm a bit burnt out on that game. Not sure I'd replay 5 right now. But if Lost in Nightmares is online co-op then I would probably give that a go so that I can say I've finally completed that episode.

I did RE6 Mercs a lot and teamed up with some players online to help me get S ranks and such, in order to unlock costumes. But it took the piss that you could only use the costumes in Mercs and not the Story. Dunno what the hell Capcom was thinking there.

Regarding the Wii shooters: that's fine. I just thought there may have been actual story parts that changed what was written or said in the original games as a new canon. But sounds like it's just the same. Was cool that they added new missions to the games, like that Jill/Chris mission in that snowy region (Russia?) and the Leon/Krauser mission prior to RE4. I definitely wouldn't say no to a new rail shooter, because they were fun in co-op.

 

[Dollow]

@Omegaflare, I did play RE:R when my friend got in HD, and I was not that impressed by it, it had some good points, but overall eh, so I did not buy for three reasons.

1. Capcom didn't think it was worth it to put it on PSVita (They are full of crap, it was a portable title on 3DS)
2. I wasn't really feeling the game, it was okay but can tell it was a handheld game and played like one that was just ported to HD consoles..
3. I am still angry at Capcom for the way they handled the whole MegaMan Legends 3/ MegaMan situation (Boycotting their products)

I still play the old RE games on my PSVita and I miss that whole exploring and trying to figure stuff out.

EDIT
I forgot to add this, no RE tread is complete without this video of the best moment in all of RE and maybe in all of video games.
Chris Redfield VS Boulder

 

[Omegaflare]

@Dollow:

I thought Revelations was awesome. I really loved the atmosphere, the return to horror and puzzles and exploration. Yes you could tell it used to be a handheld game, because the controls were not as fluid as usual but they are still better than in the 90s RE games. And since I dont play handheld at all, I was just so glad that I finally got to play this game and then there is the fact that Jill (my most fav RE character ever) is the main character.

And yeah Chris and his beloved boulder lol

@Azuardo:

hm too bad. I have played through all chapters of RE 5 and 6 countless times myself but I always love doing that again in co-op. Yes you can co-op both Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape. You can also unlock trophies for them.

You cant co-op Revelations in story mode but there is the Raid mode. In that mode you have to go through a certain area of the game and kill all the enemies. While doing that you earn experience and your level increases. Since with every stage on every difficulty it gets tougher and tougher, you need a certain level to be able to beat the higher difficulty stages. You can also get special upgrades for weapons (many of the upgrades from raid mode cant be used in story mode and vice versa). In revelations you dont find money or skill points but instead you can find upgrade parts for weapons. some of them are hidden and can be found with the Genesis scanner (a device which you can use at any time by simply pressing a button to scan the area for items, upgrades, ammo or analyzing enemies. Once you analyze something 100 % you´ll get a herb. There are no first aid sprays in revelations, herbs heal you fully but you can only carry a limited supply). Jill (and only her) can then use weapon crates to put upgrades on her weapons and switch out weapons (she can only carry a limited amount of weapons).

You´ll have to beat the story mode first to unlock all Raid mode stages. I have been starting Raid mode but found that it would be WAY easier to do that mode in co-op. But since I havent found anybody who would co-op raid mode with me yet I havent really played raid mode ever since. I would love to finally complete it (Also since all the trophies left to obtain for me are the raid mode ones and the one for beating infernal mode) so it would be really cool if you would beat story mode of Revelations and then play Raid mode with me in co-op.

 

[Azuardo]

I would give the Lost in Nightmares co-op a go when I get the chance. Not sure when yet, but will let you know. Got a few other games to get through and such. I normally beat a game then move on to another, so I don't know if I'd do another RE5 run any time soon. But like I say - will let you know if my mind changes.

As for that Raid mode in RE:R, I'll give that a go too. I'll get through the story mode then let you know when I've done it to try out Raid.

 

[Omegaflare]

Hmm, thats where we are different then. I like playing through games more than once. especially if you can use all the weapons, upgrades, skills etc. from previous playthroughs. I only recently played through the Batman games again and have completed Tomb Raider Anniversary again as well despite already having platinumed it.

I must have played through all of the RE games 10 times as well, with 5 and 6 I even think I played them through like 40 times by now

And of course the FF games. I think I have beaten FF VII - X over 20 times by now. I only recently completed VIII again and was planning on replaying VII or IX again soon as well.

Let me know if you need any help with RE 3, Code Veronica and Revelations when you play them.

And I am looking forward playing Raid mode together^^

 

[Azuardo]

Oh, it depends on the game. In recent years, because I am trying to experience as many games as I can (PS3 catalogue is over 100), I generally don't always have the time to replay many of them. Of course, there's always some that are great enough that I do replay them - Mass Effect, The Last of Us, etc (still plan to replay others). And I replay FF789 usually every year. It's just in recent times that I'm trying to exeprience as many stories and games as I can in my spare time, so I don'talways get the chance to replay many so soon. It really depends on the game if it captivates me enough to replay it.

Though like I say - with RE6 I've done the main game, and replayed many of the chapters multiple times for certain RE.net challenges, plus I started doing a co-op run with a friend (which is on-going when we both get online together), so I've spent a good amount of time in that one. Clearly you love RE so much that that's a series you will always replay over and over. For me, those games would be FF games : )

 

[Omegaflare]

well I do love FF more than RE. I really love RE but FF will always be my most favorite gaming series of all time.

But I only play the games that interest me or that I know I´ll love because I am a fan of a series. I would never play games just for the sake of having played as many as possible as you seem to do. I dont need to play 100 different games, I am happy with playing just those I am a fan of or that interest me. But to each his own...

 

[Azuardo]

Haha, that's not what I'm saying : p The fact is, there are over a hundred games that I want to play on the PS3, which is why I have them all. There's just so many great games that it doesn't give me a lot of time to replay them, let alone play them once! It just so happens that the PS3 has so many games that interest me that I have so many, and so little time to play them all : )

 

[Omegaflare]

nah my interests are more selective then that I never was interested in so many different games on a console. I always have like maybe 30 games that I am passionate about during one console generation. Most of the games I am passionate about are also parts of franchises that I am a fan of.

well at least you want to play raid mode together...

 

[soup or mann]

Great post.

I'm hoping they give some of the other, earlier Resident Evil games the Code Veronica X HD treatment.