Why did they ruin Resident Evil?

Hi All,

I may be the first person to post this, I may not.

I used to be a massive fan of Resident Evil on the old platforms. Could not fault 1,2 or 3. They were all flawless and in my mind, absolute classics. But then 4 came out. Now here's where I'm confused.

Why did they feel the need to have the game set as an "Over the shoulder" view? For me, that ruined it, but albeit I could live it. It wasn't so much of a dissapointment, but I still loved the classic fixed camera angles in the first 3, and let's face it, when they re-made the 1st one. The graphics were 10 times better than the original, but they didn't make alterations to the camera angle, and it worked superbly. Now, aside from that, the other thing I have to moan about is the "more human like" zombies that appear in the 4th and 5th game. Now don't get me wrong, I would love the zombies to have a bit of pace and human like functions about them, but they just seemed like p****d off farmers running after you with their pitchforks, type sketch.

Maybe it's me, and I'm not moving with the times, and I'm perhaps not happy that they decided to push for a 4th and a 5th. Or maybe it's the fact I just don't like what they've done to the whole thing, and would love them to remake the 2nd and the 3rd.

I wonder if anyone else shares these views...

I don't share these views, none whatsoever.

I loved the RE games before it switched to over-the-shoulder, and I loved the games post OTS. Changing the camera, wasn't, and isn't a big deal, at all, in the least.

It still has the same controls, does that not count for anything at all? People sit and complain about this and that, let us not only highlight the negative stuff(which doesn't include an OTS camera), but the positive too.

In the world of RE, the way a parasite works is that it allows for more controlled and intelligent hosts. i.e. Nemesis in RE3. According to you RE3 was a flawless game, although I would definately disagree with that. The gameplay added in some features that were unnecessary, kind of lame really, and were probably just there to make sure people knew it wasn't the same game from the year prior. Of course my evidence of these features that were unnecessary is that they didn't return in their sequel, Code Veronica, which I noticed you neglected to mention, is that because you also don't think fondly of CVX?

Back to the point I was making, Nemesis was a Tyrant, with a parasite used with it, thus making it more intelligent, "more human like", which is exactly what Umbrella was trying to create, mostly. The ultimate BOW was definately close with the Tyrant, and making them pass as human was a nice feature that Spencer and those guys didn't overlook. Mr. X, Ivan, etc, wore trenchcoats, and could even pass for human, especially Ivan, as the glasses covered it's stone face.

The ganados in RE4 are humans that are infected with a parasite, kind of like the humans infected with the T-virus in RE1, or the Tyrant with a parasite in RE3. We have parasite infectees rather than T-virus ones, and Capcom didn't just pull that out of their ass, obviously with parasites showing up earlier in the series, it was only a matter of time before they showed up again.

Not that having parasites is a problem. T-virus, G-virus, T-Veronica, T/G, Las Plagas, Type 2, Uroboros, NE-Alpha, it's all the same thing. Now let us realize that the original zombies in film weren't the flesh eating variety, they were actually almost exactly like what you see of the ganados & majini, so that also puts us in a state of normality, when playing against Las Plagas infectees.

These points I've made, among many others that could be made, should colorfully illustrate just how much RE4 is not a dissapointment, and how it isn't that different, and that it's just another game in the series, the fact that it won a plethora of Game Of The Year awards is just the icing on the cake.

I think I've just had my a** handed to me...

You can't just call 4 a dissapointment JUST because a few changes YOU don't like.
Now 5....5 was a dissapointment

fun as a game, but for a RE title, it was lacking

mblessing19 wrote:

I think I've just had my a** handed to me...

Well you'll have to excuse the lenghty replies I sometimes give, but I have had this exact same debate with many other people, and as such, I have really honed my reasons and know exactly what I'm talking about in regard to this subject.

RE4 does get a bad rep at times, and I feel the need to defend what so many people overlook in favor of a few negative things, or a few changes.

@Excel, RE5 was dissapointing, in many, many ways...the way it actually changed the controls, to cater to 3rd Person Shooter fans. Certain voices in the game were questionable, and the mandatory co-op experience. No typewriters, and well, many other things that I'm not going to mention...but if I need to I can.

mblessing19 wrote:

I think I've just had my a** handed to me...

These things happen. Hopefully you still keep posting

I've had my own pointless RE4 rant and got spike'd.
RE4 was a good game. a good RE game.... not really.
But RE5, despite the blatant change to Action-Shooter, i point out the whorish inventory system, that made you ration your supplies per level.
I also point out that it has a direct correlation with past RE games.
I also dont believe leon was a fitting title character, although the story was good, maybe they could add HUNK and made it Espionage/action-horror game.
Haha, dropping through a vent, grabbing an infectee, zipping back into said ven, snapping its neck, and as they run to investigate, they set off your proxy mine on the body

I don't think HUNK would be a good protagonist. It would probably fail, like with Wesker in UC, though HUNK would be more fitting than he was.

It would seem that HUNK is going to have a larger role in Revelations though, so you might just get your wish.

I don't think RE4 was a disappointment, just different. And RE5 definitely was not a disappointment to me. Some things were bad, but it did everything RE4 did and better imo.

No ass handings man, Spike is just a God amongst Mortals when it comes to RE knowledge. Personally, I, for the most part share your views on the franchise. All the games have their shining moments but in my opinion it took a turn for the worse with RE4. And as nekro said, RE4 would have been a great game by any other name. RE5 is redeemed only by it's cast and the Lost in Nightmares DLC, Again in MY opinion.

BOBLATHON wrote:

No ass handings man, Spike is just a God amongst Mortals when it comes to RE knowledge. Personally, I, for the most part share your views on the franchise. All the games have their shining moments but in my opinion it took a turn for the worse with RE4. And as nekro said, RE4 would have been a great game by any other name. RE5 is redeemed only by it's cast and the Lost in Nightmares DLC, Again in MY opinion.

The only way I think it had a bad turn with RE4, is the success of it with 3rd Person Action shooters looking for their fix, being the reason RE5 had so many action elements, and entire parts and chapters in the game in which it felt like it was made for an action game, but because of the RE controls, we weren't able to handle it like they expected, which of course resulted in fail, and annoying moments in gameplay...

Of course RE5's story is more relevant than RE4, but in terms of the gameplay, and all the other things that usually get complaints, RE4 isn't in the same boat, and I certainly hate when people label RE4 & RE5 in the same category, don't put RE4 in a box.

Spike991 wrote:

BOBLATHON wrote:

No ass handings man, Spike is just a God amongst Mortals when it comes to RE knowledge. Personally, I, for the most part share your views on the franchise. All the games have their shining moments but in my opinion it took a turn for the worse with RE4. And as nekro said, RE4 would have been a great game by any other name. RE5 is redeemed only by it's cast and the Lost in Nightmares DLC, Again in MY opinion.

The only way I think it had a bad turn with RE4, is the success of it with 3rd Person Action shooters looking for their fix, being the reason RE5 had so many action elements, and entire parts and chapters in the game in which it felt like it was made for an action game, but because of the RE controls, we weren't able to handle it like they expected, which of course resulted in fail, and annoying moments in gameplay...

Of course RE5's story is more relevant than RE5, but in terms of the gameplay, and all the other things that usually get complaints, RE4 isn't in the same boat, and I certainly hate when people label RE4 & RE5 in the same category, don't put RE4 in a box.

I am simply saying, It is my least favorite of all of them. It had a protagonist I didn't like and didn't connect with and it had a story that I saw as irrelevant compared to it's predecessors. Not saying it is irrelevant, it's just the way I perceived it when I first played. Since then, thanks mainly to you Spike, and our other conversations on this very topic, I have gone back and played it again and have come to appreciate the game for what it is. I will actually admit now that yes, it did a a few creepy moments that I had either forgotten or overlooked in prior playthroughs Fact is tho, it will never have the same effect as say, RE1 or REmake does on me.

Sure, those are all reasons I can appreciate. I for one thought Leon was cool, but not on a fanboy level like some...

Anyway, one such creepy moment was when you are playing as Ashely in that dark room, and once you finish the puzzle and get the puzzle piece, a bunch those suits of armor come in trying to kill you, and because you can't fight them, it really made for an intense part of the game, defiantely playing up on the horror.

Also, most people that have a negative view of RE4 really should go back and play it, I'm glad you did. When I played it recently, although I already thought fondly of it, I also noticed tons of things that some overlook. It was a very epiphany-like experience.

I have what could be considered a deep seeded hatred for Leon "The S stands for Scott" Kennedy that goes back to 8th grade or so, lol. While I love the fact that RE2 was well received back then, far too many people I knew worshiped that game and LSK, but gave no consideration to the game that started it all. Same goes for RE4 a bit too. I guess it just pissed me off that people jumped in on the bandwagon but didn't give the franchise as a whole the credit it deserved. So for some reason I haven't figured out myself, I blame Leon and I hate him.

BOBLATHON wrote:

I have what could be considered a deep seeded hatred for Leon "The S stands for Scott" Kennedy that goes back to 8th grade or so, lol. While I love the fact that RE2 was well received back then, far too many people I knew worshiped that game and LSK, but gave no consideration to the game that started it all. Same goes for RE4 a bit too. I guess it just pissed me off that people jumped in on the bandwagon but didn't give the franchise as a whole the credit it deserved. So for some reason I haven't figured out myself, I blame Leon and I hate him.

I guess if you got to blame someone, Leon is a great candidate. Like I said before though, when RE4 first came out, Leon was the epitome of cool, and I couldn't get enough, unfortunately everybody and their mama thought the same thing, which kind of ruined it...

Also, that whole Leon "S" Kennedy thing, his overpopularity really showed in his appearance in Degeneration too.

Yeah his appearance in Degeneration was kind of what killed him to me. Just plain overdone. I'd rather have had Wesker.

NiteKrawler wrote:

Yeah his appearance in Degeneration was kind of what killed him to me. Just plain overdone. I'd rather have had Wesker.

That's why I always say Degeneration was kind of a fail...it was more of a practice thing, with the next one probably going to be much better.

I understand where you're coming from but personally, I didn't receive him as cool. It looked like they tried too hard to make him hip in some over the top teeny bopper way. I didn't mind him so much in RE2 as kind of the naive rookie cop, but the dark mysterious personality they gave him later on just didn't suit him in my opinion. I understand that what he went through would make him more cynical, but they just took it too far with his been there done that attitude.

As far as Degeneration goes..... God, the vocal sync was terrible to me. Also, I don't like that they made Claire out to be some environmentalist hippie, sure, she kicked some ass but the whole traded in her Hi Power for a picket sign rubbed me the wrong way.

Leon was great in RE2, and I think he developed perfectly by RE4. Degeneration though, he was definately personalityless.

Claire...well I can honestly say that I didn't expect a pretty, smart, tomboy, biker, etc, such as herself to be in the role she was in Degeneration, part of TerraSave. She looked and sounded great, but needless to say, a bit odd seeing her as some kind of environmnetalists.

Definately a mature turn for her character though, and I liked when Leon mentioned how she did something that he and her brother could not, fighting BOWs in a non-violent kind of way.

I don't wanna come of as knocking EVERYTHING that Leon was in.... I loved Degeneration for the most part, I was very happy to see the return of zombies and the G forms. And I don't really care what they do RE wise, they could have Leon on an easter egg hunt and slap the RE label on it and I would buy it.

BOBLATHON wrote:

I don't wanna come of as knocking EVERYTHING that Leon was in.... I loved Degeneration for the most part, I was very happy to see the return of zombies and the G forms. And I don't really care what they do RE wise, they could have Leon on an easter egg hunt and slap the RE label on it and I would buy it.

Wow, so you really don't like Leon.

I have my little things like that too, other than lame characters like Sheva or Angela. DC Douglas is one that I can't stand, for obvious reasons.

Usually, rough biker listening to Queen all day is just a hop, skip, and a jump from hippy environmentalist.

I wouldnt say that the series was ruined because of RE4...the game is very enjoyable throughout...even though the game pace is a bit faster then the originals I still found myself coming back for more...it is one of the best games that I have played

This is turning into the Sonic fanbase, huh?

Spike991 wrote:

BOBLATHON wrote:

No ass handings man, Spike is just a God amongst Mortals when it comes to RE knowledge. Personally, I, for the most part share your views on the franchise. All the games have their shining moments but in my opinion it took a turn for the worse with RE4. And as nekro said, RE4 would have been a great game by any other name. RE5 is redeemed only by it's cast and the Lost in Nightmares DLC, Again in MY opinion.

The only way I think it had a bad turn with RE4, is the success of it with 3rd Person Action shooters looking for their fix, being the reason RE5 had so many action elements, and entire parts and chapters in the game in which it felt like it was made for an action game, but because of the RE controls, we weren't able to handle it like they expected, which of course resulted in fail, and annoying moments in gameplay...

Of course RE5's story is more relevant than RE4, but in terms of the gameplay, and all the other things that usually get complaints, RE4 isn't in the same boat, and I certainly hate when people label RE4 & RE5 in the same category, don't put RE4 in a box.

Objection!

I don't necessarily think that RE4 or RE5 ruined Resident Evil, it changed the pace and the genre from survival horror to pure action, but the storyline (Moreso in 5) was still there. I do think that Resident Evil 4 kind of strayed a little too far from it's roots though.