Great Games, Terrible Legacy - Resident Evil 4
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- Jan 17, 2013
Tom Mc Shea takes a look at how the legacy of Resident Evil 4 has shaped the survival horror genre.
930 comments
I too don't blame RE 4! In my opinion, I would say it was the uncontrolled evolution of the industry and corporations with dollar signs for eyes demanding ways to quickly generate revenue at the expense of quality! What? I'm not sure even I understood what I wrote!
People say RE6 sucks, yet they don't explain why it sucks... not defending it, I just need an explanation of the downfall of this series.
I thought ZombiU is scary because of the sound system and a lot of other stuff.
@GameSptop because somebody understands regames more than other,,specially while have played it from the start;)
2 Like Closer and closer to action movies, and call of duty is what happened. Dead Space was terrifying to me. I was always afraid of what was going to come next. Even when you think you're safe you aren't. I was adding on to my gun and when I get done and turn around, what do you know a monster. I was battling something done a long corridor and when I step inside of a room, a monster was there to give me a warm welcome. Dead Space 2 was good for the mechanics that it brought in rather then the environment that it was presented. I'm pretty sure that Dead Space 3 will do the same.
1 Like @jayd02 I'm with you hear. Unless you play on the easy difficulty, the game keeps you on your toes. Even at times when you think you've got the room covered, something is silently sneaking up behind you.
I recall times where I cringed at the sound of those necros with the explosive arms, especially when I couldn't see them - one wrong move or if you didn't find him in time and BAM! You're gone. Hardcore really brought the game to life for me.
1 Like after finally finishing RE6..RE has a long way to go to restore what it used to be
1 Like RE4 is a good game but incredibly overrated and it did kill the old school RE forever
RE 4 was and is a great title. The original Dead Space is sweet too. I love the RE Remake on Game Cube. It was a classic, but I am fine with RE 4. It may have changed survival horror, but it was still horrifying. The problem is that RE 5 and RE 6 went off a cliff. They saw Activision raking in a billion dollars on a single title and tried to copy it. At least RE 5 bared some resemblance to RE4 (barely). But RE 6... what a load of crap that is. I still regret my pre-order. Yes, I played it... a lot. And I still hate it. I will not preorder RE 7. I will wait to hear from the fans on sites like this first. Lesson learned. I miss the horror that used to make these games fun. I still can't get the twisted, dark amusement park out of my head from Silent Hill 3. Or turning a corner in the Residence during the RE Remake and seeing a some dude swinging from a noose. You enter the bathroom, exit, and he is gone. Only to show up right behind you. That is what I miss. Even RE 4 had a great balance with the creepy rooms that would trap you with chanting cultists trying to cut you down. Now Dead Space is going co-op too. Why does everything have to be co-op?? If I want real co-op... I will pop in something like Borderlands 2. I don't blame COD. I blame the Capcom and other developers for not having the guts to believe in their own product. You CAN be different and successful. See Dark Souls or even better... Demon Souls (which is still heavily played today).
@XxTheEvilxX Here's another comment I'm agreeing with - the co-op. Having loved Dead Space 1 & 2, I'm worried what will become of #3, purely because of the co-op aspect.
I'm looking forward to playing it still - and will do so with my brother who'll play it seriously too - but I just can't see how it can have that sense of lonely fear that the first 2 did.
3 Like I don't blame RE4 for what has become of survival horror. I blame Capcom and their inability to look beyond their greed, I blame people and I blame COD(sorry COD but this sadly is on you too)
@Deadly_Nemesis you sir are totally right im glad i was a teen in the 90's and enjoyed good games im sure you did too
4 Like The key, for me, is overpower. You don't need a lot of guns and super weapons. They don't fit in a horror game. Also, cheap scares are not the main point, sometimes a simple room can be scaring and a promise of what to expect. Good art design, some mind tricks, the fact that you'll be dead if you don't watch yourself, and that your dead will be, likely, a horrible one.
There's nothing wrong with action games in the supernatural realm, but just don't try to label them like "horror" games.
1 Like to start off ive played most of the games in the RE series except the rail shooters, I do love those games but most of the scares were from bad controls and camera angles, if they made a game like that now it would get bashed on that alone, amnesia was a scary game and the new one coming out forgot the name looks really good, hope DS3 is good liked 1 and 2 so im sure it will be fun. All im saying its gonna be hard to make a game like silent hill and re the way they were, it gonna fill more action oriented just because your not moving like a tank, but i will always have love for those games(still can remember the first time those damn dogs break through the windows scared the hell out of me on RE and the great voice acting)
3 Like But see it wasn't really the tank controls or fixed camera angles. It was the sense that you did not have a proper handle on the situation. For the most part in those games you were winging it. Never sure if you should waste your shots on a zombie now or try and run for it and save it for something else. and let?s not forget that after 4 it seems everyone forgot all about atmosphere.
@Deadly_Nemesis Amen Brother! Today's so-called horror games feature a consistent atmosphere equivalent to jumping out of an exploding airplane with something slimey (the horror) hot on your heels while buildings are exploding and the sky is raining ash.. LOL
Today atmosphere is another Michael Bay movie backdrop in most games.
1 Like Well the key here is within the names look who was behind re4 no not capcom but Shinji Mikami look that name up and one can see why his games have been good the fact is survival horror games are not dieing off or rather turning into survival horror action but if done right can still be very fun just take a look at Shadows of the DAMNED
I lost my interesting in the RE franchise after 5. Having Co-op was so annoying. There was however a lot of things I liked about it. But yea, its more of the same.
i really love RE4, it is my favorite video game ! but yes is not the same from the first resident evil games, the survival horror has already end. But Im happy with the new concept of survival horror that RE4 has.
Jake Wesker? Please change your name. You are NOT a RE fan. You are a poser casual that thinks RE4 is the best RE game. If RE4 is your favorite game, that tells me alot about your inexperience as a gamer. You sound foolish.
@SgtStrungOut RE4 is the best game. It introduced the over the shoulder camera that makes the games better. I would give anything to play RE 0, 1, 2 ,3 and CVX with that camera. Those games have excellent atmosphere and story, but the tank controls and fixed cameras suck. Give me those 5 games with RE4 camera and controls, and I'll be one truly happy gamer.
Mininum they could do is put DMC like controls on them, so that you're playing as a human, not a tank...
@jake_wesker survival horror isn't dead. Just because Resident Evil as a series has stopped being in that genre, doesn't mean it's dead. Wether we like it or not Amnesia is a survival horror game, heck... even ZombiU is a survival horror game. The point of all of this is, the big household names are moving away from what made them stay in this genre. But as the games get more realistic in terms of graphics, animations and the like, all the genre's will continue to evolve. And survival horror is evolving, maybe not like everyone would want it to, but it is. And right now, the only ones that "get it" in a way are indie developers.
"Realism" in videogames is becoming greater because of all the power new graphic engines can muster. The fact of the matter is, we don't need tank controls, we don't need clunky animations, we don't need the CCTV camera angle and the painted backgrounds. What we need is a good story, good character development and a terrifying atmosphere. We don't need strong military character types, we need an average joe that's thrown into a seemingly no win scenario.
The closest to this feeling I have had at this point, has been zombiU. Granted, it's not perfect, I will not sing it's praises, but it does give me a sense of dread as I navigate through the streets and buildings. It does make you dread opening a door to the other room because you barely have ammo, if you're surrounded there's no way to escape, and a single bite and you're dead. So, is the survival horror genre really dead? Because of RE4? No. Is survival horror dead in the RE series because of RE4? Maybe so. But that would be a more accurate statement.
1 Like @Jediprince @jake_wesker The survival horror genre did not "evolve", it devolved to appeal to idiot gamers that sucked on the older RE games. RE4 is a joke of a survival horror game. It is what ruined the RE series.
Why is more action a problem? What about doom 3, it had alot of action and, god it was scary!! RE4 was preety scary too, remmember regenerators? They doesnt freak you out but u get that creepy feeling when they walk towards you... those guys had it, dunno what but i enjoyed fighting them. Somehow, less ammo i had i was more scared so maybe difficulty could increase fear level... I have a friend who plays every game on easiest level, how can he enjoy game, how can he be frighted by monsters who take 2 shots to die. And then he uses his experience to judge game he played? We, players, are spoiled.
3 Like @Compact87 More action takes away from what it's trying to be. It's suppose to be survival horror, your not suppose to be able to kill everything, your not suppose to have enough ammo, your suppose to jump in your seat, your suppose to fear the noises you hear. That's survival horror.
Doom 3 was never really survival horror, Doom has always been and always will be an action game. They just tried a little scary in the mix with part 3 and I'm not talking about that lame BFG edition from EA but the Original Doom 3, it was cool because you had to make a choice, your gun, or your flash light. It was a nice twist to keep Doom fresh.
Resident Evil 4 was not scary it was a great stroy a great action story. Not once did RE4 make me jump like I did in RE , RE 2, or even RE 3.
Remember where the origins of the game are... Survival Horror, when they turn away from that they are pretty much throwing something great into the trash. They are also abandoning the original crowd who purchased the original games to play something that was trying to scare them and force them to figure out ways out of horrible situations. It made you think and your palms sweat. That's what made those games great.
Everyone will have there own opinion but I played RE series because it was trying to scare me and that is why I no longer play it.
They aren't trying to scare me.
1 Like @Compact87 You're talking about comparing a FPS with a history of action to a 3rd person game that had more elements of puzzle solving than action with bad pacing.
More action makes it a totally separate game.
3 Like @Compact87 FEAR also had a lot of action but was still a scary game, Some games really can balance action and scares I think.
@pimpofdoom FEAR was a lame FPS ripoff of every bad scary movie out. "Let's take the girl from The Ring and make her a focus of the this game using a bullet time mode that doesn't fit the story at all."
Lame.
People want to complian about the changing of video game series.....change is inevitable...its going to happen, RE6 is a great game....yes it has tons of action in it but what a bunch of people overlook is the fact that there are 3 campaigns split up to provide the gamers with each of the genres of resident evil (i.e, Leon-survival horror, Chris- Action & Jake- A mix of the two). People complain about petty instances in video games because they want them made for just them, well its not going to happen. For example Call Of Duty has been horrible for years but alot of people continue to brag on it like its the best thing since sliced bread when the makers of Call Of Duty add one or two uninteresting features upon every release/sequel of the next upcoming game. Game styles change for the better, some change for the worst, but complaining about how it used to be won't change anything....just go rent a game or borrow it from someone, play it, then call it a day. Can't complain about a game when you bought it on your own free will!!!! (Oh yea, can't wait for the release of GOW: ASCENSION. The beta is badass!!!!!)
@mcarloss89 leon survival horror in RE6 BAHAHAHAHHAHAH it cant be survival when theres fucking ammos and green herbs dropping off zombies and crates/barrels in EVERY single rooms. Just like the trash that RE4 is. Seriously whoever is trying to defend RE4-6 stay away from this serie.
2 Like @GamerOuTLaWz @mcarloss89 what difficulty did you play on? the easiest? as i remember it resources were very short everywhere i went on 4 and 6 i agree with mcarloss89 6 is a amazing game stop trying to complain about it if you dont like it just dont play it and leave the people who do like it alone
Hmm...some interesting comments guys. The remake of Res1 and Res2 will always be my favourites, maybe I'm just a slave to nostalgia? Res4 was and still is fantastic fun but as so many have said, those jumpy moments have gone, it continues with very graphic violence sure but I wouldn't hand it the horror label, more like something Paul Verhoven would make in the 80's. After Res4, number 5 came along and although missing the target it claimed to hit, the game wall loved was in there somewhere. As for number6, I'm really not sure, I wont say I hated but it simply wasn't my kind of game at all, I finished Leons story and touched the surface of the others but I honestly couldn't stand them.
I would be happy to continue showing interest in this series but until it suits my style like the way it used to then I think I'll be giving it a miss from now on...
...On that note, I'm gona keep trying to beat Krauser with my knife! Ha!
I completely agree with the commentator! While Resident Evil 4 was revolutionary, refreshing and enjoyable and RE 5 managed to maintain a reasonable balance of fear and intense actions, Resident Evil 6 just took the actions way too far. Where is the fear and horror? After spending an expensive 100 soaring Australian dollars I realised the game was totally unplayable due to my disappointment from the lack of fear and repeatedly killing monsters with the clumsy control.
Please Capcom team, bring back my favourite game of all time to life! Revolutions are not always successful and we must take failure as a lesson. Trace some steps back and think why fans loved the Resident Evil series, think the mansion, the creeping enemies, the lightening in RE 5 Lost in Nightmare - that game made me scream to the roof!
1 Like None of the games mentioned here were bad. As Mc Shea explains, they were just not horror games as they claimed to be. RE6 is not a bad game, but it definitely is not great. You might enjoy it, but who should you be to enjoy it? Horror game fan? Action game fan? That's what new Resident Evil games are missing. They claim to be horror games, but they are just gothic action games that don't satisfy most people.
Resident Evil 4 did it on the limits of horror genre. A little push and it'd become a horrible game. That's the reason new games are all fooled by its success. You are not supposed to do the action your main tool in a horror game. Horror is your main tool in a horror game and nothing ruins the ways of horror more than strong characters and action.
4 Like Saturday i just start play again RE1...RE2 and RE3 was masterpieceses....From RE4 to RE6 + Op.Racoon City was fail...Come-back to RE1,2,3 - this games are true horror. SAVE RE!!! Back the game to play like in 90'S no need this fail racoon city!
@andruxandd I bet they sucked by todays standards didn't they? Games like Limbo hold up better than RE 1-3.
1 Like @Kryptonbornson @andruxandd rofl no they dont at all. You mean,theyre actually better and are masterpieces next to the rushed linear movie-like crap we got nowadays
3 Like Why does one call RE4-6 a survival horror? Nor they have survival elements, neither they are horror.
1)RE games don?t belong to survival genre. The linear gameplay is not survival. You just need to kill all foes, and reach the end of the level. You need to do the same thing in COD or Super Mario. This is not survival. Example of survival game: Dead Rising, Pathologic, System Shock.
2)RE 4-6 are not horror. Because they are not scary. Yes, the game can?t be called horror just because there are dead people in it. L4D is not horror. Dead Rising is not horror. Plants vs. Zombies is not horror. RE4-6 are not horror. BECAUSE THEY CAN?T SCARE ANYONE unless that would be a 10-years-old who piss their pants while playing Plants vs. Zombies. Example of horror game: Amnesia, Fatal Frame, Silent Hill.
Conclusion: RE4-6 have nothing in common with survival or horror, so please.
I would suggest that you all go back and play the survival horror type games that you didn't play in the 90's and early 00's.
I just bought Dino Crisis 2 on PSN. And even though it isn't survival horror per se, it does have that old Resident Evil feel to it.
Quite frankly, it is the most gaming fun I have had in a very long time. Remember, just because the technology gets better, it doesn't mean the games do. Go back and experience the massive, quality library of previous consoles.
@kavadias1981 Well the first Dino Crisis is more horror like, it had very dark enviroments and you wouldn't know when a dino may appear the 2nd is a lot easier than the first one
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