Resident Evil – 20 years young today

The granddaddy of survival horror has turned 20, as GameCentral takes a look at the past, present and future of Resident Evil.

On March 22nd, 1996 Resident Evil was released in Japan. Known in its home country as Biohazard, the game was released in America a week later and then in the UK on August 2nd. Somehow managing to be both ultra scary and ultra cheesy all at the same time it was the first mature-rated game to find mainstream success, and with the term ‘survival horror’ went on to found an entire genre.

Publisher Capcom has produced many sequels and spin-offs over the years but despite this being its anniversary year the series’ future currently hangs in limbo, after the poor reaction to Resident Evil 6. A major announcement about a new game is surely imminent, but in the meantime enjoy our tribute to one of the most influential video games series of all-time




Before Evil Capcom invented the term ‘survival horror’ for Resident Evil, but it was by no means the first horror game. Resident Evil itself was heavily influenced by 1992 PC game Alone In the Dark, which had a similar style of graphics, with pre-rendered camera views, but a Lovecraftian rather than pseudo-scientific theme. It’s hard to say what was literally the first survival horror, although 1982 Sinclair ZX81 game 3D Monster Maze is one popular candidate. Despite being Japanese-only Capcom’s own Sweet Home was also highly influential when it was released in 1989 on the NES, so much so that the original Resident Evil was originally supposed to be a remake of it.

Resident Evil origins Until he was put in charge of Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami had only made Disney games while at Capcom. But when it was decided not to make the game a direct remake of Sweet Home, Mikami instead relied on movie influences such as Zombi 2 and The Shining. Resident Evil was originally envisaged as a first person shooter (which were extremely rare on consoles at the time, especially in Japan) and had a co-op mode, before it evolved into the game we know today. Because Capcom USA were unable to trademark the name Biohazard it had to change its name for the West, while the gloriously cheesy live action remake had to be censored for violence and Chris Redfield’s smoking.

The sequels Resident Evil was an instant commercial and critical success, and that meant only one thing: sequels. But they didn’t come easy and Resident Evil 2 was over 60 per cent complete before the whole game (referred to as Resident Evil 1.5 in fan circles) was ditched and started again from scratch because Mikami found it ‘dull and boring’. But the final game became another huge hit, and so two further sequels were commissioned. But although Resident Evil 3 got a number at the end of its name it wasn’t much more than a side story, and instead Code: Veronica on the Sega Dreamcast was the one to advance the series’ plot further. It was also much more technically advanced than the PlayStation games, and featured 3D backgrounds for the first time – instead of pre-rendered ones.

The spin-offs Never ones to let a hit game go underexploited, Resident Evil didn’t just get sequels but also a wide array of spin-offs. The first was a light gun shooter called Survivor, which eventually became a trilogy, but there was also a Game Boy Color game featuring Barry Burton on a boat, the Outbreak experimental online titles, and a second pair of lightgun games called Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles. More recently there’s also been the 3DS game Revelations, which ended up being ported to home formats and emphasising co-op play. None of these games were classics but the only complete stinker was 2012’s Operation Raccoon City, a squad-based shooter that most fans would rather forget ever existed.

The progeny Especially after the success of Resident Evil 2, it quickly became obvious to other games companies that survival horror was the next big thing. Resident Evil helped to pave the way for other genuine classics such as the Silent Hill series, as well as Square’s Parasite Eve games, Project Zero (aka Fatal Frame), Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, and Forbidden Siren. Capcom wasn’t slow to take advantage of the genre’s sudden expansion either, with Dino Crisis and Omnisuha both using similar gameplay and graphics to Resident Evil – even if they weren’t quite as horror-focused. But alas, the bottom fell out of the genre in the mid-2000s and today most survival horror games are made only by indie developers.

The magnum opus By the early 2000s Capcom realised survival horror was on the wane (being both scary and generally quite difficult became a harder sell the more mainstream games got). Their answer was to reinvent the entire Resident Evil franchise, which in 2005 led to the release of the peerless Resident Evil 4. Still regarded as one of the best games ever made, it was a masterful mix of third person action and horror – and a major influence on Gears Of War. Many don’t consider it a true survival horror game, but the endless variety in set pieces and action created a new template for Resident Evil to follow. Although since creator Shinji Mikami left Capcom shortly after completing work on Resident Evil 4, 2009’s Resident Evil 5 felt like a hollow rerun as a result. Especially with the tension-depleting emphasis on co-op play.

The movies If you’re not a gamer then it’s possible you might know Resident Evil only as a movie franchise. There have been five films so far and although they’re all varying shades of awful, and aren’t remotely scary, they do manage to emulate the goofier side of the game’s charms fairly well. Thanks to their low budgets they’re also highly profitable, and Resident Evil is officially the most successful video game movie franchise of all-time. Although they have many of the same characters and enemies as the games the similarity is usually only skin deep and Milla Jovovich’s protagonist Alice isn’t even in the games at all. A sixth and final film is planned, but in a typical lack of synergy between Hollywood and video games it’ll miss this anniversary year and won’t be out until 2017.

The tipping point Resident Evil 5 was nowhere as good as its immediate predecessor, but it wasn’t a bad game and most fans still stuck by the series. But everything went to pot in 2012, with the release of Resident Evil 6. With survival horror in general becoming an increasingly niche genre this was Capcom’s big attempt to make Resident Evil a mainstream action game. The bloated mess that resulted was derided by fans and enjoyed a decidedly mixed reaction with critics. But the game wasn’t necessary flop, and although it didn’t do as well as Capcom hoped it still sold 6.3 million copies and is their second best-selling game ever, after Resident Evil 5. But ever since it’s loomed like a shadow over the whole franchise, and there hasn’t been a numbered sequel since.

The remakes Capcom clearly knew they messed up with Resident Evil 6, but to try and make up for it all they’ve put out is the underrated Resident Evil Revelations 2 and a whole bunch of remakes. The one for the original game is actually a remake of a remake, having first appeared on the GameCube in 2002. It was originally overseen by Shinji Mikami himself, and still stands as one of the best remakes of all time. Resident Evil 2 is getting a brand new remake next year and next week Resident Evil 6 is being remastered for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with 4 and 5 to follow in reverse order later this year. With prequel Resident Evil 0 also recently re-released that means the only mainline entries not available on, or scheduled for, the current gen are Resident Evil 3 and Code: Veronica, although they are both on the last gen consoles.

The future Beyond all the remakes it’s not clear at all what Capcom is planning for the next mainline sequel. Although many now assume that a series reboot is just as likely, if not more so, than an actual Resident Evil 7. The only game we know about for sure though is Umbrella Corps, a multiplayer team-based shooter that couldn’t be further from the return to the series’ roots that most fans have been calling for. You’d have to assume that Capcom will make an announcement in their anniversary year (perhaps even today if we’re really lucky) but what it might be remains the biggest mystery so far in gaming’s longest surviving horror series.

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