Resident Evil 4 Remake is finally on the way, after being announced on June 2nd at State of Play.
Resident Evil has had a long, illustrious and at times tumultuous tenure in the world of survival and action-horror gaming. And although you can attribute the series’ resurrection to the likes of Biohazard and Village, it was their remake of Resident Evil 2 that truly catapulted the title back into the fold.
It is understandable that Capcom has continued their use of the remake format alongside their first-person entries with the likes of Resident Evil 3 and the upcoming 4; even more understandable is the fan demand for their favorite titles to be brought back to the epicenter of the franchise and share some of the limelight they deserve.
As such, let’s have a look at three Resident Evil remakes that Capcom should look to after Resident Evil 4.
Resident Evil (HD Remaster)
The debut of Resident Evil has already received a well-needed remake and that remake has been remastered in HD, still playing and looking well on today’s consoles.
However, with Resident Evil 2, 3, and now 4’s remakes being produced in the RE Engine to fit the third-person over-the-shoulder gameplay format of Resident Evil 4-6 & Revelations, there is an opportunity to once again visit Spencer Mansion in a brand-new light.
When playing Resident Evil 2 you can’t help, but admire the immaculate design of the RPD Police Station. Now just think of what Capcom could do the mansion where it all started. Beyond the setting, we have seen with the 2 & 3 remakes and Village that Capcom likes to insert an impervious to damage and relentless stalker enemy with the likes of Mr X, Nemesis, and Lady Dimitrescu; Resident Evil has that element already built-in with the likes of Lisa Trevor.
In fact, so much of what made players sit up and pay attention to Resident Evil 2’s remake is easily transferable to the content in Resident Evil. The originator of the survival horror franchise makes for an intriguing and exciting remake concept
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 received a considerable amount of disliking for its betrayal of the horror and embracing of action, which facilitated the full transition to Michael Bay action in the sixth entry. But have you ever wondered what Capcom could do with the title if they went back and did it again?
That’s part of the beauty, the way Capcom does their Resident Evil remakes, it leaves previous missteps rectifiable and can help iron out what let the entry down, to begin with. For the most part, Resident Evil 5 is a good game, there are some glaring issues, but on the whole, you won’t truly find anyone out there that found RE5 an offensive experience.
A remake would need to do what Resident Evil 2 remake did best, strip the title down and work off the bare bones, staying true to the horror that launched the franchise, to begin with.
Dial down the action, ramp up the horror, and staying true to form convert the first boss battle with Wesker to a hide and survive such as when you have Nemesis stalking you in 3’s remake, and his final boss battle similar to the first clash with William Birkin in 2. Resident Evil 5 could make for an exciting remade experience.
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil Zero trod the ground that any prequel title should, filling key plot details and casting new light on the events that transpired in the original game. It’s not even a graphical facelift that the game would benefit from, in fact, even nowadays it remains a remarkably stunning outing. It would bode well instead, that the title got the remake treatment for the sake of merging what rejuvenated Resident Evil with what worked, to begin with.
For example, Zero sees the protagonists Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen spend a considerable amount of the story together, this would easily facilitate the addition of Co-op multiplayer to the game. The original game inexplicably omitted the item box which necessitates a tedious amount of backtracking to retrieve items that were discarded for lack of inventory space, and that should/could be rectified in a remake.
It would also make for a different and more claustrophobic change to the Resident Evil Remake line-up with the train segment of the game, and you could also insert humanoid leeches to the Hall of Stalker Enemies that chase you tirelessly throughout levels ala Mr X.
If you enjoyed this article check out more Resident Evil content below:
