Capcom has bit the bucket, kicked the cricket and bumped and barn when it comes to Resident Evil. Lately, they've been trying to go off the deep-end into “Call of Duty” territory and the long-term sales and feedback did not go over well at all. Now, Capcom is revising their approach to Resident Evil and they're saying the core fans were right all along.
Apparently Capcom wants to renege on turning Resident Evil into Call of Duty. Video Gamer picked up a few noteworthy quotes from Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata who mentioned that...
"When you look back on Resident Evil in the last year, we've had a variety of approaches to the [IP],""Looking at user feedback from the last couple of games, I've started to slightly revise my opinion on that matter. I still think that, for example, bringing Resident Evil: Revelations to consoles falls within what I was saying where, it's a game that contains classic Resident Evil elements but it also has features that modern gamers expect in a game. Hopefully it can appeal to both camps."
And by both camps he means getting back to the horror roots and focusing on trying to find a good balance between new-generation gameplay and the “horror and fear” that helped shape the franchise.
I can definitely get on board with that idea. I'd love to see a well-done horror game that lets you move around and shoot, explore and interact with the environment similar to some new-gen games. I think perfect examples of this are games like DayZ, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Slender, where freedom of exploration, military-style combat and open-worlds don't stop them from being terrifying, tension-ridden experiences.
Kawata, however, goes on to say...
"No matter what, we're always going to have to focus on horror and fear as the main core pillar of the series. That's something I think that is not going to change.”"Take Operation Raccoon City, which was essentially developed as a pure shooter set in the Resident Evil universe. I think there could be potential in taking the base of that game and if we were - hypothetically - to develop a sequel to that, then start bringing back horror into that base that we started with. That could be a way to start bringing the elements that we think we need together in one game."
I've repeated time and time over again that Resident Evil 4 has been my favorite of the series, I've re-played that game a lot across various platforms, even the crappy PC version that sucked donkey toes. But the combination of great pacing, awesome weapons, light RPG mechanics and good horror elements helped make the game one of the best of the generation.
Hopefully, Capcom can recover their image after their dismal display of anti-consumerist antics throughout 2012 and get back on track by embracing new, gameplay enhancing features while also maintaining the very things that helped make some of their franchises a big success to begin with.
Also, Capcom, please stop taking tips for the Resident Evil games from Paul W. S. Anderson, the movies based on your games suck.
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