Resident Evil series appreciation thread

[noiseredux]

this thread is for discussing, exploring, and hopefully celebrating the Resident Evil series. Yes, I realize that this is a series that is often divisive. But my goal here is not to let this be a place to bash the games. In fact, the b-movie-isms of the series probably goes a long way towards appreciation. (You might compare something like Operation Raccoon City to a SyFy original movie, no?) Oh and speaking of movies, we can include talk of those here as well. Whatever. It's all good. So yeah, pop in your favorite RE or perhaps try an entry you haven't yet. Compare/contrast various ports and re-releases. Try to make sense of the story (seriously, bonus points for making sense of the movies). Delight at your favorite "Jill sandwich moments" and so on...


MAIN GAMES:

Resident Evil (1996)
Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Resident Evil 6 (2012)

SIDE STORY GAMES:

Resident Evil Code Veronica (2000)
Resident Evil Gaiden (2001)
Resident Evil Zero (2002)
Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)
Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 (2004)
Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D (2011)
Resident Evil Revelations (2012)
Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City (2012)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015)

LIGHTGUN GAMES:

Resident Evil Survivor (2000)
Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code Veronica (2001)
Resident Evil Dead Aim (2003)
Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)
Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles (2009)

MOVIES:

Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil Extinction (2007)
Resident Evil Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil Retribution (2012)

CGI FILMS:

Resident Evil Degeneration (2008)
Resident Evil Damnation (2012)


To get the ball rolling, I'll ramble a bit...

I actually got the idea to start this thread when Mike mentioned to me that he wanted to play some scary games w/ the kids for Halloween time this year, and was inquiring about stuff to play on GameCube/Wii. (He actually mentioned N64 as well, but I let it slide). So we were talking about REmake and RE4. His inclination was to play 4, but I was kind of urging him to plan on attempting the first game first. Not so much for story, but for... I don't know, atmosphere? Although I consider myself a fan of the franchise, I've actually not played that many RE games over the years. I've just sort of stumbled upon specific entries that have caught my eye for one reason or another. I've played about half of the mainline games and a handful of gaidens. Having said that, the 1 and 4 are definitely two of my favorites. And really, 1 is just a really important game to me.




PlayStation was the first console I ever bought with my own money. It took months to pay off that layaway, and when I finally got the thing it was like I had bought a whole new world of technology. A friend let me borrow RE over Summer vacation and there was just no game like it before. It felt so real to me. I fond memories of waiting til my family went to bed those Summer nights so I could hook up the PS1 to the 'big' TV in the living room and play RE late at night. This is the first game I have any memory of actually scaring me. I mean seriously, that first zombie that you actually encounter makes the heart jump. And that mansion is just so iconic! What's cool about the original game is that it often feels like an adventure game. Sure the game was inspired by some very cheesy sources - and in fairness some of that cheese has been removed in later revisions. But honestly, I still find the setting and sound effects quite creepy.




RE4 is a totally different extreme. It's fast and action-heavy. It removes the sense of claustrophobia. It relies heavily on shooting. And running. It's a way more action game. It also seems to incorporate some Lovecraftian themes into the world of RE. There's no doubt in my mind that the first time you see a tentacle it wasn't at least subconsciously inspired The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The game is awesome, but it feels far less b-movie than the original did. Think of this as a horror movie backed by a major studio rather than a straight-to-video affair.

And so I find it appropriate to open such a thread with these two entries because they're both excellent games but also they represent the two extremes the series can go in. Every other game in the series feels like it can be grouped into one of two camps - camps that were started by these two games. You can debate the success of each entry of course. But as a horror fan I love that this same series can have such high- and low-brow moments. Such gritty low budget feel along with such big budget gloss. It's all pretty fascinating and hopefully this thread will encourage me to continue to explore the entries I have missed.


As a side note, the Humble Bundle right now is for Capcom, and currently paying the average of $9.28 will net you (along w/ other non-RE games) Revelations 2 Episode 1, Revelations, and RE4 and 5.

[TSTR]

Went whole hog on the Humble Bundle to get that extra DLC for RE5.

This is a series that is also near and dear to me, having a similar sort of experience as noise did with the first one. I really want to fully explore this series at some point, having only played the first three. I'd like to sit down and do them all in order of release, to really see how the series evolved.

Never seen any of the flicks. Should do that.

[Flake]

Honest confession: The Resident Evil series has always fascinated me, all the way back to the original on the Saturn and Playstation but I've never made it through any of the titles. Even the modern "less good" ones do a good enough job of scaring me off.

I was sad that the movies kind of went on their own tangent with the plot because the RE storyline seems great but there's not really a way for a coward like me to experience it.

[Lazer]

I'v played RE 1 (Cube remake), RE 4 (Cube), and RE 5 (360).

RE4>RE1>>>RE5

RE1 and RE4 are two of my favorite games. RE5 was a disappointment.

I saw the first movie. I don't remember anything about it except that Milla Jovovich is in it, which is reason enough to watch it.

[noiseredux]

This is a series that is also near and dear to me, having a similar sort of experience as noise did with the first one. I really want to fully explore this series at some point, having only played the first three. I'd like to sit down and do them all in order of release, to really see how the series evolved.

the ones I've spent serious time with were 1, 4, 5, 0, Code Veronica, Gaiden and recently had started Revelations 2. I think I might try to get back into R2 for now. 5 is actually really good for co-op.

Never seen any of the flicks. Should do that.

I've only seen the first one - and it was just a few years ago. I actually enjoyed it. I'm gonna watch it again soon and then maybe look into the sequels.

Honest confession: The Resident Evil series has always fascinated me, all the way back to the original on the Saturn and Playstation but I've never made it through any of the titles. Even the modern "less good" ones do a good enough job of scaring me off.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I watch tons of horror movies, but survival horror games tend to freak me out. Something about a movie being a passive experience vs. the game being something you're putting yourself into. Maybe you'd be better off watching some YT vids to explore the series?

I was sad that the movies kind of went on their own tangent with the plot because the RE storyline seems great but there's not really a way for a coward like me to experience it.

Yeah it's kind of weird the way the films don't really line up w/ cannon of the games. My understanding is that that there is overlap and stuff, but it's kind of convoluted. I've also heard that one of the movies actually does touch heavily on RE3's story?

RE4 would make a killer movie... though I just picture Dagon or Dead & Buried haha.

[Ack]

Oh dear, let's see... As of right now, I've beaten these in the series:

Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil Gaiden
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

I've also played a fair chunk of the other games(though admittedly I've never gotten into the Gun Survivor sub-series), but around 2009 I gave up on the series because I didn't like how it was getting away from its straight-to-video roots, and Capcom's business strategies had evolved in ways I didn't care for.

My first real encounter with the RE series was actually playing RE2. I had heard of them, of course; a buddy in my class in middle school raved about it and Final Fantasy 7 every day. He would go on and on about how difficult it was, and how freaky the encounters could be. I got to hear all kinds of grisly details about zombies, ape-looking things, dogs, and even a giant snake. By the end of the day, I'd be pumped and wanting to track it down. Just one problem: no PlayStation!

Then my parents got a divorce, and a few months later my dad ended up marrying this rich lady who had a mansion up in Maine. During the summer of 1998, we went up there to spend a week. It was actually quite an impressive place, out in the countryside, with a big berry patch across the street and a great view down a hill into a forest. But hidden away inside this mansion behind a tiny door in a small attic area, I discovered a PlayStation and a little TV. And in that PlayStation sat a copy of Resident Evil 2. That was my first real encounter with horror games, sitting in that hidden attic with a controller in my hand, absolutely terrified that I was going to be eaten. Eaten! The thought of watching as Leon repeatedly managed to be devoured made my skin crawl. There were other games, but none of them mattered to me. I just wanted to play RE2. The end result: nightmares for the week, and a budding addiction to horror that became a stable anchor in my life during those heady teenage years when everything about my life was in flux.

There are a handful of games that I have encountered in my life which have left lasting impacts and completely changed my views on video games: Doom, Final Fantasy 6, Asheron's Call, Team Fortress Classic. Resident Evil 2 is one of these games. It helped shape me into who I am today.

[Lazer]

But hidden away inside this mansion behind a tiny door in a small attic area, I discovered a PlayStation and a little TV.

[Ack]

Pretty much, only my Atreyu was a rookie cop new in town and my Nothing was hordes of the living dead.

[Lazer]

Noise, about "atmosphere", RE1 and RE4 certainly have it: thick, spooky, chilling, dripping atmosphere. RE5, not so much. That's mainly why I was disappointed by it. I was so utterly entranced by RE4, and RE5 just dialed the ambiance way down. It's still a good game, and I agree that is is great for co-op, but it's way more of a straight action game. And the steroid junky in 5 is nowhere near as cool as Leon.

Cool


Not cool.

[noiseredux]

I agree that RE5 feels like any other action 3rd person shooter game. It could have had any other name and been the same game. But yeah, it's still fun - especially for co-op. It's not bad, it'st just not a great RE game. But I'd still recommend it.