What Are You Playing?

[Phonon89]

I can't attest to this article's sources, but it's been widely shared by people who tend to know what's up, which is why I posted it here. Also, if you read the article, they actually say RE8 will come out first (2021) while the RE4 remake would be out in 2022 at the earliest.

Yeah my bad. I went back and read it over than edited my post too late. But I stopped taking it seriously after they referred to the dusk golem guy. Because he “predicted” the RE3 remake coming sooner than we expected. As if that was such an insightful prediction to make. But after the Konami predictions I stopped taking anything quoting him seriously. But imagine how god aweful it would be if they didn’t rework the ganadoes and just made them bullet spongy like RE2 zombies? What could they really do to improve RE4 anyway? Maybe nerf the melee system. But that’s all I can think of.

Here is some leaked footage of our remake: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h_5kwX0LZAc

Remake Zero and add coop. Fix the inventory system. Remake CV and makes it balls to the wall action like 6. Remake one of the bad light gun games. But please do not remake RE4.

Animal Crossing: Trying to push myself to login for a bit each. I can’t get motivated in some games with loose goals. Can’t you make another pikmin Nintendo?

COD war zone: The only COD that I think I’ve legitimately enjoyed. Not that I have others much if a chance.

Resident evil project resistance. Not going to lie. I enjoyed this game more than the RE3 remake. It’s even fun to get wiped at the start by a spencer player and watch a zombie do a dance in front of you.

Yugioh dueling book/yugioh pro: Not a traditional video game. But anything to have fun while not giving Konami money is cool.

I wish I had acted and got FF9 while it was on sale. But I slept on it. I’ve played 6 and 7. After researching 9 seemed like it would be the next best for me. Can’t play FF7 remake because I don’t have the PS4.

 

[Aazealh]

What could they really do to improve RE4 anyway? Maybe nerf the melee system. But that’s all I can think of.

I don't think RE4 needs a remake.

Here is some leaked footage of our remake: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h_5kwX0LZAc

I don't know if you're joking or not but that's the RE4 prototype, it's unrelated. Also it seems RE8 might actually go in that direction (occult stuff), which, you know, why not?

Remake Zero and add coop. Fix the inventory system. Remake CV and makes it balls to the wall action like 6. Remake one of the bad light gun games.

Ehhh. If it's going to be as half-assed as what they did with RE2 and 3 (that's right I'm including RE2) then I'd rather have them not remake any of these games.

 

[Phonon89]

I don't think RE4 needs a remake.



I don't know if you're joking or not but that's the RE4 prototype, it's unrelated. Also it seems RE8 might actually go in that direction (occult stuff), which, you know, why not?



Ehhh. If it's going to be as half-assed as what they did with RE2 and 3 (that's right I'm including RE2) then I'd rather have them not remake any of these games.

Neither do I. Mostly only because of how many times the game has come out over the years. I’m just trying to think progressively on how they could even technically improve the game in a similar way that they did with the REmake 1. I’ve really got nothing. “Better gwafix.” Just don’t cut for a game during the GameCube era. God forbidden they add a more content while keeping everything in the original the same.

Yes. Humor online is hard . But I think if some RE Puritans had their way than this is what we would get for games like RE2R. Which is less than desirable for a game like that. It would be cool if they had a mode with fixed camera. But I think it’s not necessary.

I haven’t read your opinions on why you think RE2R is half assed. But after playing RE3R I’m going to have to disagree. If RE2R is half assed than you might as well call RE3R a fundamentally broken game. There is no zapping in RE2R. Some other stuff was omitted. But at least they did not cut entire large portions of the game. And what they added to the game breathed some new life into it. I feel like whatever they took out they added something to suppliment it at least.

 

[Aazealh]

If RE2R is half assed than you might as well call RE3R a fundamentally broken game.

I haven't even bought the RE3 remake. I'm voting with my wallet.

There is no zapping in RE2R. Some other stuff was omitted. But at least they did not cut entire large portions of the game. And what they added to the game breathed some new life into it. I feel like whatever they took out they added something to suppliment it at least.

Feel free to look for my posts on the matter, wherever they might be (likely three pages back in this very thread). Basically I think they should have kept the zapping system as it was, with Birkin for the first scenario and Mr. X for the second one. It feels to me like they got lazy with the second scenario and it is very underwhelming as a result. They did some things competently, but in the end I was disappointed.

 

[Phonon89]

I haven't even bought the RE3 remake. I'm voting with my wallet.



Feel free to look for my posts on the matter, wherever they might be (likely three pages back in this very thread). Basically I think they should have kept the zapping system as it was, with Birkin for the first scenario and Mr. X for the second one. It feels to me like they got lazy with the second scenario and it is very underwhelming as a result. They did some things competently, but in the end I was disappointed.

Assuming wallet voting actually does something for big games. Not saying you should buy the game. But I’ve come to learn that phrase simply doesn’t work in most cases. For future game direction today. But complaining a lot on social media seems to be the way to get developers to notice. Yay for twitter capcom actually put out a survey though.

CAPCOM ASIA

Capcom Asia official website

www.asia.capcom.com

Fair enough on RE2R. I’ll take a look. I suppose the second scenario felt fufilling to me only because I did it as Leon. So when I got to take down Mr. X at the end of the game it felt much more satisfying because he was chasing me basically since the start of the game. But if I did it with Claire than the payoff would not have had as big of an impact. But that really just boils down to subjectivity. Less to do with pound per pound content. Yes. Taking out zapping and not offering a similar alternative is respectable to Nick the game for. But that’s really it. Not enough to call it half assed.

I think all remakes at least for resident evil should be matched against the RE1R remake to see how they score. Speaking of scores the music they added to RE2R was better imo during some portions of the game. But imagine that. Giving the player an option to change between them. While not taking out the original.

To your point in not thinking any of the games should be remade..... I think that CV, 0 and many other titles could become objectively better games (since the originals originals have things that ruin them almost) like RE1R if they handle them the same as how they did with RE2R. But even RE4 on the GameCube is still untouchable in my opinion.

 

[Walter]

To your point in not thinking any of the games should be remade..... I think that CV, 0 and many other titles could become objectively better games (since the originals originals have things that ruin them almost) like RE1R

Didn't they already do this for Zero...? https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/339340/

 

[Phonon89]

Didn't they already do this for Zero...? https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/339340/

True. That game is objectively better. But it’s a remaster rather than a remake. Visual resolution is the main draw with this. Which is to be expected. RE1R and 0 look stunning on the GameCube still. It doesn’t fix my issues with the inventory or partner system either. Which make the game a choir for many people. Something I feel would require a complete overhaul to fix since some parts are built around it.

That said I definitely think CV deserves it the most. Both should be done since they have direction that is fundamentally flawed imo.

 

[Walter]

True. That game is objectively better. But it’s a remaster rather than a remake. Visual resolution is the main draw with this. Which is to be expected. RE1R and 0 look stunning on the GameCube still. It doesn’t fix my issues with the inventory or partner system either. Which make the game a choir for many people. Something I feel would require a complete overhaul to fix since some parts are built around it.

Got it, but then what you're asking for is a remake of the remaster (2016) of the original (2002). Next up would be a remake of the remaster of the remaster of the original RE1.

8 hours into FF7R. Still very much enjoying it. Still can't get enough of playing it in the limited time that I have with it each day. The story of this game for me has become: It didn't need to exist, but it keeps validating why it exists with all the additional layers it's adding to the world, characters, and a fresh stab at the problem of Midgar, mako, and revolutionary violence. But ... a few quirks are starting to catch up to me.

The over-embellished character animations are still bad, to the point that I often look at the screen and am like "What the fuck were they thinking?". Some of the filler characters are excruciating anime stereotypes (Roche), and some scenarios feel stretched too much. In general, if a sequence took 15 minutes in the original, expect at least 2h, along with some surprises. This creates an overall feeling of sequences that are "based on a sentence" or "based on a background character" in the original game. This plays out both good and bad. Bad in that it often feels artificial at its core. But good in that out of the blue, when you expected nothing to deliver, they'll nail the landing on something that adds substance to the existing storyline that didn't exist at all.

I was wrong to not mention it initially, but the strength of this game is the sense that you are fully experiencing life in Midgar. All of the embellishment so far have aided in this. And it's something I kind of forgot I had wanted as a teen: life in the city that the original game hints at but obviously didn't have the technology (or inclination) to fully explore. This game goes there, kind of like what the Yakuza series has done. It's a mixed bag getting there, but the sense of place, scale, and atmosphere for this weird, fantasy-scifi city is earned.

 

[Aazealh]

Fair enough on RE2R. I’ll take a look. I suppose the second scenario felt fufilling to me only because I did it as Leon. So when I got to take down Mr. X at the end of the game it felt much more satisfying because he was chasing me basically since the start of the game. But if I did it with Claire than the payoff would not have had as big of an impact. But that really just boils down to subjectivity. Less to do with pound per pound content. Yes. Taking out zapping and not offering a similar alternative is respectable to Nick the game for. But that’s really it. Not enough to call it half assed.

I think I'll be the one deciding what's enough or not for me to call it half-assed... No matter how you cut it, I was very disappointed with how they handled the second scenario.

Speaking of scores the music they added to RE2R was better imo during some portions of the game.

I found it to mostly be a downgrade, like in the police station for example.

To your point in not thinking any of the games should be remade..... I think that CV, 0 and many other titles could become objectively better games (since the originals originals have things that ruin them almost)

I'd rather have new games. I have little interest in replaying CV or Zero, whether they're alternate versions or not. Like I told @Griffith the other day, I'd much rather actually get a full version of the RE4 prototype. But luckily for you, I'm sure Capcom will remake them all eventually.

 

[Phonon89]

Got it, but then what you're asking for is a remake of the remaster (2016) of the original (2002). Next up would be a remake of the remaster of the remaster of the original RE1.

8 hours into FF7R. Still very much enjoying it. Still can't get enough of playing it in the limited time that I have with it each day. The story of this game for me has become: It didn't need to exist, but it keeps validating why it exists with all the additional layers it's adding to the world, characters, and a fresh stab at the problem of Midgar, mako, and revolutionary violence. But ... a few quirks are starting to catch up to me.

The over-embellished character animations are still bad, to the point that I often look at the screen and am like "What the fuck were they thinking?". Some of the filler characters are excruciating anime stereotypes (Roche), and some scenarios feel stretched too much. In general, if a sequence took 15 minutes in the original, expect at least 2h, along with some surprises. This creates an overall feeling of sequences that are "based on a sentence" or "based on a background character" in the original game. This plays out both good and bad. Bad in that it often feels artificial at its core. But good in that out of the blue, when you expected nothing to deliver, they'll nail the landing on something that adds substance to the existing storyline that didn't exist at all.

I was wrong to not mention it initially, but the strength of this game is the sense that you are fully experiencing life in Midgar. All of the embellishment so far have aided in this. And it's something I kind of forgot I had wanted as a teen: life in the city that the original game hints at but obviously didn't have the technology (or inclination) to fully explore. This game goes there, kind of like what the Yakuza series has done. It's a mixed bag getting there, but the sense of place, scale, and atmosphere for this weird, fantasy-scifi city is earned.

Yeah lol. I know it seems silly. But they’ve remastered RE4 basically three times now. So I don’t think it’s asking too much for them to try and fix a game that is looked down upon by most RE fans. Remaking RE1 would be the same as remaking RE4 to me. What else could they add? I’m not asking you but more like posing the question in general.

I’m glad that you’re getting to enjoy FF7 and seeing how what they added is enough to supplement anything that was cut. It is easy to be blinded by nostalgia for some games. But I was still cringing when I watched the added bike chase online.

I’m personally a bit miffed that Sony has been securing so many timed exclusives especially during times like these. It’s one thing when they help fund games like Death stranding. But with FF and even modern warfare 2 (speaking of a company that NEVER confuses people with remakes and titles... Activision) it just feels kind of gross.

I think I'll be the one deciding what's enough or not for me to call it half-assed... No matter how you cut it, I was very disappointed with how they handled the second scenario.



I found it to mostly be a downgrade, like in the police station for example.



I'd rather have new games. I have little interest in replaying CV or Zero, whether they're alternate versions or not. Like I told @Griffith the other day, I'd much rather actually get a full version of the RE4 prototype. But luckily for you, I'm sure Capcom will remake them all eventually.

Imagine thinking that anyone other than a capcom shareholder would want them to remake every resident evil title

Again fair enough. Maybe if you’re lucky they will pull a FF versus 13 and turn the RE4 prototype into a full game some day.

Just curious what was your opinion of RE7? As far as good direction to take a franchise goes? Do you think it could be enjoyable equally without VR? I can’t seem to find much on it here since it was released awhile ago. But I think it’s fair to bring up again since it seems like RE8 will continue the VR route.

Of course music is subjective also. The police station is the most obvious example to give since you spend the majority of the game there. But at least you have the option to change the music to the original at any time (unlike FF7 remake). So it’s a win-win.

This is also a thing: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z3CA_HTvULc

They need to bring back more classics though if they remake RE1 again:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0kcF7E69C6Q

 

[Griffith]

It didn't need to exist, but it keeps validating why it exists with all the additional layers it's adding to the world, characters, and a fresh stab at the problem of Midgar, mako, and revolutionary violence. But ... a few quirks are starting to catch up to me.

The over-embellished character animations are still bad, to the point that I often look at the screen and am like "What the fuck were they thinking?". Some of the filler characters are excruciating anime stereotypes (Roche), and some scenarios feel stretched too much. In general, if a sequence took 15 minutes in the original, expect at least 2h, along with some surprises. This creates an overall feeling of sequences that are "based on a sentence" or "based on a background character" in the original game. This plays out both good and bad. Bad in that it often feels artificial at its core.

Until we get a look at the bigger picture here it's going to be hard to tell when the game is adding extra layers or when it's just adding layers of fat that didn't and don't need to be there. Like, am I going to meet all the tertiary characters parents? =)

So far it's all been interesting, like the larger Avalanche politics, or that this game's initial plot points are more relevant than ever, and other than Roche nothing has stood out of place, but also nothing has struck me as adding anything vital or essential thus far. It's all been kind of, appropriate extrapolations, but at the risk of watering down these things down eventually. So far I've spent more time with Wedge than Aerith, and Jesse is more of a main character than... maybe even Barret thus far. This should eventually take care of itself as the game expands beyond these "early events," and maybe to increased storytelling effect in their cases, but in the meantime I wonder how this increased ratio of minor character time will affect our perception of the purported mains, and if or how much extra screen time they'll get in kind to compensate. And of course, some of the voice acting, animations and archetypes on display clash with the simplicity of the original game and the versions of these characters and events it left to my imagination.

But good in that out of the blue, when you expected nothing to deliver, they'll nail the landing on something that adds substance to the existing storyline that didn't exist at all.

I was wrong to not mention it initially, but the strength of this game is the sense that you are fully experiencing life in Midgar. All of the embellishment so far have aided in this. And it's something I kind of forgot I had wanted as a teen: life in the city that the original game hints at but obviously didn't have the technology (or inclination) to fully explore. This game goes there, kind of like what the Yakuza series has done. It's a mixed bag getting there, but the sense of place, scale, and atmosphere for this weird, fantasy-scifi city is earned.

I see the potential of this extra immersion, but until I get the answers to my questions above the jury is still out for me if this is actually adding more to Midgar or just adding more generic questlines and modern RPG locales, NPCs, and ecosystems. Maybe I'm looking at this from a delusionally "objective" critical point of view like they really need to worry about the balance, pace or economy of a story everyone's already familiar with. I am the guy worried about Sephiroth spoilers, so I probably trust your judgement here more than mine. The achievement of them making a game you've always been skeptical of work for you isn't lost on me.

Anyway, I'm on my way to the Sector 5 reactor and probably enjoying the new equipment, materia and combat systems more than anything.

 

[Walter]

I wonder how this increased ratio of minor character time will affect our perception of the purported mains,

Agreed this is the true cost of exaggerating the role of a side character like Jessie and turning her into a love interest. It potentially changes the dynamic of Tifa and Aerith (boy that spelling is going to take some getting used to) later in the story. If not for the story, then for the players’ experiences of those characters. (She was the one!)

Spoiler: Mild early spoilers

What they seem to be doing with her is superficial at its core. They’re turning her few coy lines about Cloud being attractive into a mini character arc (even this is an exaggeration because her fling with Cloud is window dressing on their suburban excursion). So while I doubt it will truly disrupt things, I’d be cool with it. BURN IT DOWN! I like Jessie (always have!) If Cloud wants to run off into the sunset with a different girl, cool with me!

the jury is still out for me if this is actually adding more to Midgar or just adding more generic questlines and modern RPG locales, NPCs, and ecosystems.

Cloud was right. “This sucks.” Doing all those extra missions in the slums was a huge misstep on my part. No one should do them. They were the one dark patch of my experience with the game so far. The bonuses aren’t worth it, they’re boring, and they break pacing. As soon as I was back on the main story, my wavering faith was restored.

some of the voice acting, animations and archetypes on display clash with the simplicity of the original game and the versions of these characters and events it left to my imagination

On the note of imagination, Roche being the answer to the inevitable question of: “if Soldier is so special and cool, why aren’t more members more prominent in the story?“ is extremely disappointing.

 

[Griffith]

It potentially changes the dynamic of Tifa and Aerith (boy that spelling is going to take some getting used to) later in the story. If not for the story, then for the players’ experiences of those characters. (She was the one!)

Spoiler: Mild early spoilers

What they seem to be doing with her is superficial at its core. They’re turning her few coy lines about Cloud being attractive into a mini character arc (even this is an exaggeration because her fling with Cloud is window dressing on their suburban excursion). So while I doubt it will truly disrupt things, I’d be cool with it. BURN IT DOWN! I like Jessie (always have!) If Cloud wants to run off into the sunset with a different girl, cool with me!

Funny thing is I always liked Jesse too, but precisely because she and her role were more casual and coy, which obviously isn't the case in this version. Feels more like I'm playing The Witcher 3 or something.

Cloud was right. “This sucks.” Doing all those extra missions in the slums was a huge misstep on my part. No one should do them. They were the one dark patch of my experience with the game so far. The bonuses aren’t worth it, they’re boring, and they break pacing. As soon as I was back on the main story, my wavering faith was restored.

Yeah, I knew it too, right from the get go, I went straight back to the bar to skip them but they got me with a prompt like, "Are you sure? You won't be able to complete these quests..."

On the note of imagination, Roche being the answer to the inevitable question of: “if Soldier is so special and cool, why aren’t more members more prominent in the story?“ is extremely disappointing.

I hope that wasn't the question they were answering! Of course, on his introduction I immediately thought, "Yeah, there should be at least one other SOLDIER around." But then, that there's not and their scarcity means something about them and to the game, and adding one that's a jackass doesn't aid that tone or theme. But even he doesn't bother me that much because he's so eccentric and seemingly outside the power/story structure here; he's not evil, he's not your friend, he's a flamboyant nuisance, to everybody seemingly (his Assess info even points out his own side doesn't liked him =). The broader danger in all this extra fleshing out for something like this is that some of it was minimal, especially in the Midgar portion of the game, for a reason, and like I said SOLDIER and Sephiroth had a mystique to it that is slowly unraveled at first with some explosive punctuations later. Here it's pretty much all up front and old hat from the start, partly because it's old hat to anyone with even a cursory familiarity with FF7.

I think that's partly what's throwing me, is in some ways this game is as much a sequel as a remake; they're adding new wrinkles and following up with and deepening our understanding of certain characters and organizations based on what we already know about them from... the last FF7. Characters like Jesse and Sephiroth aren't so much being introduced here as they are returning, particularly Sephiroth as like a recurring villain. Even the way its been broadly sold and presented to us is almost like Final Fantasy VII-2; finally the next gen follow up we've all been waiting for since that PS3 tech demo. =)

 

[Aazealh]

Just curious what was your opinion of RE7? As far as good direction to take a franchise goes? Do you think it could be enjoyable equally without VR? I can’t seem to find much on it here since it was released awhile ago. But I think it’s fair to bring up again since it seems like RE8 will continue the VR route.

RE7's VR mode was tacked on, it's not the way it was meant to be played. Honestly I'm surprised it didn't make people sick more than it did. I do think an FPS-style RE built for VR would be amazing though, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time until they do it. Also to be honest, while I love the RE franchise I think it has basically run its course. If you're into VR there's a game called Lies Beneath that came out recently that's very good.

 

[Fancypantaloons]

There is a great deal on Steam for the Gothic Universe (Gothic 1, 2 & 3), so I grabbed them and will start playing them in order, very slowly. I never played them but I always read great things from those games. We will see.

 

[Tabris]

Just recently beat Dark Souls 2 again for that 'Return to Drangleic' event. Took me a while to beat due to being busy with other stuff, but I really do love this game more every time I play it. Some stupid things piss me off though.

Like I was stoked to try out Darkdrift, a completely badass looking weapon just to find out it breaks in a few hits. Like the fuck's the point? Who the hell's gonna carry a thousand repair powders just to use an 'okay' weapon? Anger!

I'm also on the FFVII Remake bandwagon. I absolutely love it so far. I'm really trying to judge it on its own merit rather than comparing it 'too' hard to the original. But I can honestly say through the 8 hours I've played so far, I've had a total blast.

 

[Lawliet]

I went back for another playthrough of RE2, since 3 was so criminally short that I wanted to fill that RE craving somehow. Playing the two back-to-back, aside from being pretty fun actually, just shows how much more care was put into RE2.

Nothing beats the first time though, and while I wasn't super-powered like the below Leon...

...I still enjoyed the second playthrough.

Just out of curiosity, is the RE storyline actually going somewhere? From the ones I played (2,3,5,6,7), 2 and 3 are obviously connected, 5 does its own thing and I can't recall how 6 fits in. But 7, on the other hand, seems to have nothing to do with its predecessors. And it seems 8 will be the same.

---

Also started Doom Eternal. It's pretty good actually, probably among the best of its kind. I can only play it for short stretches of time, however. Going through wave after wave of enemies all the time tends to get old fast. It's not the game itself, it's just that this type of game design doesn't appeal to me much, no matter how great the action is (and it is great, no doubt).

Still, the many weapon mods, the glory kill animations which change depending on your angle, the optimized engine and frame-rate, the enemy variety and how you should approach each of them, and so on, are truly impressive.

---

And lastly, Final Fantasy VII. About 3 or 4 hours in, and it's really good so far!

The world feels alive, like the Sector 7 slums with its population (though it could have been handled better/more dynamically; like, the whole town knows you're a great merc for hire literally minutes after you start taking jobs). I quite like the conversations you listen to as you pass through, and that they're not all serious or about current world events. Some of them are just down to earth, like an npc complaining about his cat allergy for example.

I only played Cloud, Barret, and Tifa so far and I like how different they each feel as you take control of them. The other characters are also nicely performed and voiced (except the motor cycle guy, Roche. He's so obnoxious...Maybe he sounds better if I change the voices to Japanese?).

I played a little bit of the original a few years ago, and even then I can tell they added a lot, like the monster hunting side-quests which I don't believe were there originally. I hope the additions they made to the game don't end up being mostly bland go-hunt-that-monster missions. The ones I did so far have been alright, but I can see them getting old if that's all there is to them.

Still, so far, so good.

 

[Aazealh]

Just out of curiosity, is the RE storyline actually going somewhere? From the ones I played (2,3,5,6,7), 2 and 3 are obviously connected, 5 does its own thing and I can't recall how 6 fits in. But 7, on the other hand, seems to have nothing to do with its predecessors. And it seems 8 will be the same.

Resident Evil was a self-contained story. After its huge success, they made Resident Evil 2, which continues its storyline but with new characters. Resident Evil 3 returns to one of the main characters from RE1. I consider this trilogy of games to be basically the first part of the series. They're supplemented by Code Veronica, which was released on Dreamcast and stands in a strange place. It's a sequel to these games and features Claire and Chris Redfield after the events of RE1 and RE2. It's also infamous as far as I'm concerned for reviving Albert Wesker in the "extended edition" of the game (he only appears in cutscenes) and making him into some superhuman mastermind. This game to me is where the story stopped making any sense. It was just really weak, and it's not like the first three games had super solid stories to begin with, but they at least were competent. A side story, Resident Evil 0, was later released exclusively on the GameCube and featured the same sort of gameplay. It's a prequel to RE1 that's pretty forgettable.

After that, Resident Evil 4 was basically a soft reboot. It technically stars Leon (from RE2) and has cameos from Ada but honestly just rename Leon to Johnny Johnson, Special FBI Agent, and the game becomes unrelated to the RE storyline. Which is fine really, because the story is the weak part of that game anyway. Its novel gameplay, more oriented towards action, inspired basically every third person action game that came after it. Resident Evil 5 kept RE4's gameplay but got even more actiony (can't really be called "Survival Horror" anymore) and got back to starring Chris Redfield facing a bunch of ridiculous villains, with Wesker taking center stage again as the final villain. RE6 was a continuation of that, with many old characters returning.

RE7 was another reboot, starring new characters with a different kind of story. It's kind of a return to survival horror but with a focus on horror more than action and resource management. And with completely new first-person gameplay. I honestly feel like that was the right choice to make, although to be clear, at this point this has got nothing to do with the original games other than "let's explore this mysterious, dreadful mansion". In a perfect world, RE4 would have been a standalone title, and RE5 and RE6 would have been sequels to that. RE7 would also be a new title in a new series. The reason this isn't the case is that the Resident Evil brand has a lot of power to it and that helps drive sales a lot.

Also worth noting are the Resident Evil: Revelations games. The first one was a Nintendo 3DS title released in 2012 that returned to a more survival horror type of gameplay and starred Jill. Was a great game, and its success led to a sequel, also starring a mix of new and returning characters. It was also very nice, and in these Revelations titles they're trying to stick to the "bioweapon zombies and monsters" storyline, but honestly it's kind of a ridiculous mess too. Oh and there are the remakes, of course, because this is Capcom.

 

[Walter]

Just out of curiosity, is the RE storyline actually going somewhere?

Resident Evil was a self-contained story. After its huge success, they made Resident Evil 2, which continues its storyline but with new characters. Resident Evil 3 returns to one of the main characters from RE1. I consider this trilogy of games to be basically the first part of the series. They're supplemented by Code Veronica, which was released on Dreamcast and stands in a strange place. It's a sequel to these games and features Claire and Chris Redfield after the events of RE1 and RE2. It's also infamous as far as I'm concerned for reviving Albert Wesker in the "extended edition" of the game (he only appears in cutscenes) and making him into some superhuman mastermind. This game to me is where the story stopped making any sense. It was just really weak, and it's not like the first three games had super solid stories to begin with, but they at least were competent. A side story, Resident Evil 0, was later released exclusively on the GameCube and featured the same sort of gameplay. It's a prequel to RE1 that's pretty forgettable.

After that, Resident Evil 4 was basically a soft reboot. It technically stars Leon (from RE2) and has cameos from Ada but honestly just rename Leon to Johnny Johnson, Special FBI Agent, and the game becomes unrelated to the RE storyline. Which is fine really, because the story is the weak part of that game anyway. Its novel gameplay, more oriented towards action, inspired basically every third person action game that came after it. Resident Evil 5 kept RE4's gameplay but got even more actiony (can't really be called "Survival Horror" anymore) and got back to starring Chris Redfield facing a bunch of ridiculous villains, with Wesker taking center stage again as the final villain. RE6 was a continuation of that, with many old characters returning.

RE7 was another reboot, starring new characters with a different kind of story. It's kind of a return to survival horror but with a focus on horror more than action and resource management. And with completely new first-person gameplay. I honestly feel like that was the right choice to make, although to be clear, at this point this has got nothing to do with the original games other than "let's explore this mysterious, dreadful mansion". In a perfect world, RE4 would have been a standalone title, and RE5 and RE6 would have been sequels to that. RE7 would also be a new title in a new series. The reason this isn't the case is that the Resident Evil brand has a lot of power to it and that helps drive sales a lot.

Also worth noting are the Resident Evil: Revelations games. The first one was a Nintendo 3DS title released in 2012 that returned to a more survival horror type of gameplay and starred Jill. Was a great game, and its success led to a sequel, also starring a mix of new and returning characters. It was also very nice, and in these Revelations titles they're trying to stick to the "bioweapon zombies and monsters" storyline, but honestly it's kind of a ridiculous mess too. Oh and there are the remakes, of course, because this is Capcom.

No.

 

[Phonon89]

No.

I’m still confused how RE7 is even connected at all to the established canon at this point. Did Capcom even make an effort to clarify this? Considering it’s a numbered sequal the series. Is Capcom afraid of a full reboot because of how people reacted to games like DMC? They could still reboot it and call it resident evil.

 

[Aazealh]

I’m still confused how RE7 is even connected at all to the established canon at this point. [...] They could still reboot it and call it resident evil.

I mean for all intents and purposes it's what they did. And again, it's basically what they'd already done with RE4, even though they didn't admit it.
But yeah, they should just issue a statement saying the series is now moving on from the old canon and it's going to be like Final Fantasy going forward. Maybe they already did honestly, I never bothered to check. Love the series but stopped caring about the story long ago.

 

[Lawliet]

I mean for all intents and purposes it's what they did. And again, it's basically what they'd already done with RE4, even though they didn't admit it.
But yeah, they should just issue a statement saying the series is now moving on from the old canon and it's going to be like Final Fantasy going forward. Maybe they already did honestly, I never bothered to check. Love the series but stopped caring about the story long ago.

I was thinking something like that after reading your post, that we should think of RE as more a lore based series like Fallout or FF as opposed to a single coherent story. It's still a shame though, as some kind of resolution to the storyline of the first 3 would have been nice. Despite it being illogical as you said, does Code Veronica at least provide some sort of conclusion to the "Raccoon City" story?

 

[Aazealh]

does Code Veronica at least provide some sort of conclusion to the "Raccoon City" story?

Not AT ALL.

If anything CV leaves you with more questions than when you start the game. As far as I remember, RE5 and then RE6 were the ones supposed to "bring the story to a close". But frankly by that point the story really sucked.
What's infuriating about it to me, or at least used to be back when I cared (over 10 years ago) is that they could have easily provided a satisfying closure, or even a coherent story development. They didn't do it because they didn't give a shit.

The Raccoon City story is basically RE1, 2 and 3. They're all great in their own way, with RE3 being shorter and more of a side story. After that it just becomes a mess. My recommendation to you, if you're a fan of the series, is to play the original game as it was on PlayStation. It's old now, but it's still a great game. I replayed it to completion on the Nintendo DS and I had a great time. Then after that you could play "REmake", i.e. the remake of the original game. Kinda overkill to play both back to back? Well... not that much actually because REmake changed a lot of things. Technically RE0 also takes place in that time frame/location, but I wouldn't recommend playing it unless you're a huge fan.

Also if you haven't played RE4 (from your list) you really ought to. it's a great game.

 

[Lawliet]

Not AT ALL.

If anything CV leaves you with more questions than when you start the game. As far as I remember, RE5 and then RE6 were the ones supposed to "bring the story to a close". But frankly by that point the story really sucked.
What's infuriating about it to me, or at least used to be back when I cared (over 10 years ago) is that they could have easily provided a satisfying closure, or even a coherent story development. They didn't do it because they didn't give a shit.

Ouch

Guess I won't bother checking out CV. Probably for the best anyway, as I have more trouble stomaching "old games" than other folks. So unless they "unfaithfully" remake it (or 5/6) in a way that also fixes the original's problems, I'll just have to settle for yet another unfinished story. But I'm not holding my breath.

The Raccoon City story is basically RE1, 2 and 3. They're all great in their own way, with RE3 being shorter and more of a side story. After that it just becomes a mess. My recommendation to you, if you're a fan of the series, is to play the original game as it was on PlayStation. It's old now, but it's still a great game. I replayed it to completion on the Nintendo DS and I had a great time. Then after that you could play "REmake", i.e. the remake of the original game. Kinda overkill to play both back to back? Well... not that much actually because REmake changed a lot of things. Technically RE0 also takes place in that time frame/location, but I wouldn't recommend playing it unless you're a huge fan.

I was thinking of getting the RE1 remake actually. I watched a friend play a bit of it yesterday, and it seems to hold up even now. I suppose I'll check it out. As for 0, I think I'll just check out some gameplay footage. I'm not that big of a fan yet.

Also if you haven't played RE4 (from your list) you really ought to. it's a great game.

I played a few minutes of 4 on the PS3 a long time ago, but didn't stand the controls. They turned me off of the whole game. But who knows, I may actually go for it this time, since the remakes really whet my appetite for the series in a way that 5 and 6 failed to do.

 

[Aazealh]

I was thinking of getting the RE1 remake actually. I watched a friend play a bit of it yesterday, and it seems to hold up even now.

Yeah I guess if "old games" are abhorrent to you, it'd be better to go with the remake. Although Resident Evil isn't that old to me. 1996 feels like yesterday.