The oversaturation of Resident Evil...

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Well, I don't know if anybody here likes the Resident Evil movies or the more popular video games, but I think everything in the horror genre has become too ten a penny, two a penny, or whatever. It's basically just a big franchise that prints money for Capcom.


There was a time when slasher films, vampire stories and haunted house films felt fresh and exciting. But when these multiple fictional vanguards ended, people just began copying each other's ideas. You know?


The problem with Resident Evil, is how long it has went on for. The series now overlapses with different genres, meaning it's all kind of confusing and meh these days. The main issue seems to be that Capcom always uses the same characters. Which on one hand, isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'd rather see iconic characters come back than always using newer ones that people may just not care for. But the downside here is that these games aren't really all that scary any more, due to their veteran status. That's why games like Silent Hill feel more varied, as somebody just gets thrown into a horrific world, not knowing what the hell to do.


For example, if you've seen the animated RE films, you'll know Leon dashes around on a motorcycle, and Chris is just laid back and cool, usually seen with a machine gun. Aspects like that are why the horror side has been radically reduced throughout the once scary franchise. Because if you played the 2002 remake, you'll see what I mean when I say that game is absolutely splendid at being a horror story.


But I think RE4 was when the series just became utterly crap. Not that it's a bad game. A lot of fun can be had with it. However, the game doesn't really feel like a survival horror adventure, because when you shoot villagers, they drop bullets and currency. This is used to buy new guns from a merchant. "What are ya buying?"


I just always found that more or less ruined the feel of the franchise. Because prior to RE4, you always had to scratch and claw to obtain weapons and ammo, or whatever it was. But RE4, 5, 6 and so on, changed all of that formula.


Then of course, we had RE8 a few years ago. And my God. I think that game is just flat out dumb. The story was stupid, and a lot of the antagonists just came across as super weird. But anyway, that's just my thoughts.



I haven't noticed. Back when Resident Evil was a Playstation game I would watch my friend play it in his room. I remember there being a sequel or two and thats about the extent of the saturation of this franchise into my personal life. I don't browse the horror mags so I haven't been subject to the adverts. I am not interested in seeing the movie but wouldn't mind playing the games, although it isn't very likely, as I prefer tactical RPGs and scifi-fantasy.



The Bib-iest of Nickels
Personally, I believe Resident Evil 4 is, head and shoulders, the best Resident Evil game of the series. I have done my homework (I've beaten 0-8, Operation Raccoon City, Revelations 1-2, and played Code Veronica a good deal), and 4's absolutely my favorite (Resident Evil 2 is a good, but distant second).

I do agree with you that Resident Evil has become a little oversaturated though - in a lot of ways. Resident Evil 7 and 8 both felt like they could have been their own unique, original 'thing', and I feel like it would have reaped a benefit by not having to shoehorn itself to the established canon.

Of course, for Capcom, and for common sense marketing, they chose to make them into sequels rather than start a new I.P. (like they did with Devil May Cry decades before).

I don't hate Resident Evil 5 or 6 nor do I hate 7 or 8, I like all four of them for different reasons (even if some, especially 6, had glaring faults). Personally, of the mainline series, I consider "3" to be the weakest (although it was originally envisioned as a spin-off and Code Veronica was meant to be mainline).

Nevertheless, as a series, Resident Evil at least has persevered, course corrected, and adapted, which is more than can be said for a lot of series'. Do I wish Capcom would have made 7-8 into a new franchise (like it's own new Evil Within like property?), absolutely. Do I believe Resident Evil has become "crap"? Certainly not.

If we're talking about the movie series though, both answers would be a deafening "yes".



While I didn't play them (I did watch playthroughs) of 7 and 8, I thought that they included some nice and interesting changes. Whether they live up to the originals or not, I think they both left an initial impression of what is mentioned in the first post about Silent Hill---"somebody just gets thrown into a horrific world, not knowing what the hell to do." The tie-in to the main plotline did feel implausible/weird, but it is what it is.



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ofcourse i loved resident evil movies and the games also. i only played old school resident evil games, i havent played the remasterd one yet and i stopped playing resident evil 7 on VR it was sooo scary i couldnt sleep lol




I beat the DLC.


It was very good. But the old games are still what refines the whole franchise. At least to myself.