Another crack at Survival Horror Co-op

Project Resistance Characters

The closed beta for Project Resistance is here. This weekend, some lucky players will be able to try out the multiplayer that we saw at the Tokyo Game Show. With some gameplay trailers and cinematics already shown, there are certain expectations for this game. I know a vast majority of people are against this multiplayer focus for our beloved franchise, still hurt from Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps, but I am willing to give this the chance that it deserves. Project Resistance could be the key to unlocking a much bigger and expansive Resident Evil experience. I‘m trying to keep my exceptions low, but the idea of experiencing RE with my buddies gets me thinking about ways that this game could be great. Here’s what I am looking forward to and hoping to experience during my time with the Project Resistance Closed Beta.

Project Resistance vs REmake 2

Project Resistance Screenshot

Well, right away I’m looking at this game in comparison to the Resident Evil 2 remake. (I’ll refer to this as REmake 2) With Project Resistance being in the same engine, it’s easy to assume how the game will play. I loved the weight in REmake 2. The movement felt fluid but more restrictive than traditional third-person shooters. Every gun had a satisfying weight to their movements and shooting them felt more realistic than previous titles. This is what I hope carries over to the Project Resistance. From the gameplay we have seen, this feels like the case. I understand if the tweak some minor things to the gameplay and refine it, but please do not lose the REmake 2 feel. There’s a reason it is such a good came in regard to the gameplay. If we lose that, we lose any hope for Project Resistance.

Don’t just follow tREnds

On the same beat as keeping the aspects of REmake 2, I would not want Project Resistance to fall into the abyss of games that jump on the bandwagon of what’s popular right now. Dead by Daylight is a really fun game, and even pretty good game to watch. It has the horror multiplayer that wasn’t really done well since the Left 4 Dead games. Seeing its popularity skyrocket and even seeing it take up a massive amount of floor space at PAX East 2019 makes me fear for what’s to come. It doesn’t look like it right now, but if Capcom decides to try and work Project Resistance more towards the Dead by Daylight formula, it will lose all of its Resident Evil identity. Doing that will put the game six feet under faster then Kendo can put his daughter to sleep.

Advertisements

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst

Going into this Beta, my exceptions are minimal. Please Capcom, show the Resident Evil community that you can still have a true RE game even with multiplayer. If Operation Raccoon City was just a little bit better, it would have been one of my favorite RE games. Learn from the burning pile of garbage that was Umbrella Corps, and keep what makes Resident evil the franchise many of us love so much. Project Resistance really has a lot riding on it. Doing poorly, this could put any hope of a proper Outbreak Remake with multiplayer in the ground. However, if Project Resistance prevails, and shows us how kick-ass a multiplayer Resident Evil can actually be, this could pave the way for so much more Resident Evil spin-offs and one-shot games to come.