Resident Evil 6 - Discussion (Must Read!)

I have always been a fan of Resident Evil but it's more than obvious that the series has become very distant from it's origins. The change in direction began with Resident Evil 4, which was a great game, but it didn't feel like a true sequel.

Resident Evil 5 followed the same path but completely removed all survival elements and held its head high as a well received action game. In my opinion Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis were by far the best of the series despite all incorporating the same formula, which most of us would like to see return.

Resident Evil 6 has been labelled as a 'reboot' of the much loved series which has strayed far from its roots, however, I feel as though Capcom will never return to what defined Resident Evil as a survival horror game.

Instead I feel as though Resident Evil 6 will try to introduce some survival elements but will ultimately remain an action game by either placing more unwanted strain on an already over-exhausted plot, by implementing a more vast co-op system, thus removing any atmosphere, or by once again having the protagonist as Leon or Chris.

If Capcom were to listen to the overwhelming majority of fans who wish to see a return to what made Resident Evil the godfather of survival horror, I am sure that by combining the isolation of Resident Evil, the atmosphere of Resident Evil 2 and the tension of Resident Evil 3:Nemesis, we will have our much desired 'reboot' (Resident Evil 6).

I really dislike that zombies have become non-apparent and desperately await and hope for their return. I probably stand alone on this one, but I can't help but feel that the characters of the series have become overused and ruined since their introduction. Personally I would like to see a new protagonist accompanied with the introduction of fresh and new characters for Resident Evil 6, maybe even a re-imagining of the series altogether, just something to make me feel as if I'm playing a Resident Evil true to its roots and in complete resemblance to the first three games of the series.

- Please comment. I would much appreciate your opinions and criticisms. Thank you.

There's already a few RE6 threads but what the hell.

You kinda dealt with everything here. Anyways, for me, if they carry on with the story I'll always treat it as a respectable RE game/sequel. I know people don't like the new things in the games and actually I'd like to have a good scary RE again... But the truth is, money talks. What's popular sells. For the next sequel I'd like to see new faces but I also wanna see old ones return, ones that have not been seen much in the franchise such as Ark, Barry, Carlos, Rebecca etc. That and having more horror in the game would make my day. I seriously love all the spin-offs since they always introduce new characters (waiting for Outbreak File#3). Still, I really hope they don't go all Silent Hill and start re-imagining the series.

Btw: don't forget the inspirer of RE, Sweet Home It was an awesome game...

You're right, money does talk. It's not that I haven't enjoyed the spin-offs and the sequels since Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, it's just that I guess I'm too 'oldskool'. The introduction of the over the shoulder view was very innovate and I really liked the feel of being able to pinpoint your shot. I would actually love to see Carlos make a return, and Rebecca, not so much Ark though as for me it felt like he didn't belong. About the re-imagining of the series, I would hate for it to stray from what made it great to begin with and to make the same mistake as Silent Hill, but instead for more of a darker approach to the plot, keeping similar characters, events and occurances, and obviously Raccoon City, with an updated look (such as a similar style and feel to R.P.D and other areas), just with allot more polish etc.. I like that idea, but each to their own. Thanks for the comment!

How about RE1.5 for a re-imagining. Now THAT would be awesome.

Btw. the best spinoff is Gaiden. Seriously.

EDIT: Oh man, nice avatar. Where did you get it? I think I've seen that before somewhere...

I agree... Just throw in a bit of Resident Evil 2.5 and we'll have a masterpiece! Nemesis never fails to entertain.. Google does wonders. I typed in Nemesis, and boom, there it was!

In RE6 I would like Barry Burton to be a suppourting character to the new main character. Barry could give advice to the fresh new face in RE6 and teach him skills he learned in the past.

Yes and bring back the zombies in RE6 and possibly a creepy mansion as well.

NiceMan, you bring up some good points. I think most diehard Resi fans will agree with you here. It's just that Capcom is not too well known for listening to fans. Not sure if you've seen it or not, but I promote the idea of having Sherry Birkin return in her adult form as an antagonist (hating the heroes for killing her father) and slowly turning to the good side over the course of a few games. I think that could really keep RE alive for a while until a full reboot is truly necessary. What do you think?

Thanks NiteKrawler. I think the idea of bringing back Sherry is pretty good, until there's room for a much needed reboot that is. Don't forget that since the events of Resident Evil 2 Sherry has been under government custody, so maybe the focal point of Resident Evil 6 revolves around her escape, or her location being overrun by the undead (or whatever their called these days). The way I see it there won't be another sequel until the next generation of consoles, but if I'm wrong, then for this generation Resident Evil 6 featuring Sherry (as well as Barry) is a pretty good idea.

Now lets move on to Barry. In my opinion I'm pretty tired of the same young, cocky, macho protagonist and would love to see the matured, rough edged and disciplined Barry Burton take the lead. But I stay true to the point I made, that being that all the characters of the series have outstayed their welcome, only due to the plot having spiralled out of control into mythical territory. But lets not start attacking the one who has just placed a big 'NO' above every characters head (me), it's only my opinion and I just don't want to see these much loved characters become exhausted and overused, as I want to see some new, fresh faces, with obvious references to past characters and events, just something to breathe new life into the series.

Is nobody out there open to a reboot or re-imagining of the Resident Evil series? It's more than obvious that the plot has strayed way too far from its origins. I can't see any other way of breathing new life into the series and by carrying on the already muddled and clearly crazed story will just force Resident Evil deeper into an action/fantasy orientated genre. With time I could come up with a great idea for a re-imagined plot, or maybe even a new story by clarifying the end of the time-line since Resident Evil 5, which in my opinion should have marked the last of the events featuring current characters and plot twists. There's only so much you can do with characters and the overall plot, and Resident Evil is an example of this. I hate to tread on the hopes and dreams of fans, but Capcom has already sold out. I think it's up to us to force Capcom to retreat to the drawing boards even though they are known to ignore fans. Chances are Resident Evil 6 will be pumped full of action with a total disregard for survival horror.

Double post? They're spreading fast... I can almost hear Nite swearing.

Anyways, I'm not that into the idea of a reboot. A gameplay reboot? Hell yes. A storyline reboot? God no.
For me RE has always travelled the thin line between fantasy and horror. Especially when you look at its roots, Sweet Home. That game had both horror AND fantasy elements.

As for that avatar pic, I actually remembered where I had seen it. It's japanese promotional art for BioHazard: Last Escape. It's the only official picture where Nemesis is killing the protagonist (Jill). At least the only one I know.

Yeah but being young and owning Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis,I thought that the series would always have an overall emphasis on survival horror. The story was dark and in some sense rather disturbing. It just isn't the same any more. Although I'm grateful to have been brought up with the series I just can't help but wish for Resident Evil to return to its roots. The plot suddenly jumped from a tense and dark survival horror story, to an action orientated fantasy tale. At least many other great gaming series have stayed true to their origins and have managed to enhance the formula in which they were built up from without abandoning the essentials, such as Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid.

- After this post I can guarantee that I've created a massive dispute...

Actually there's one game that took a really weird turn: Devil May Cry. What happened to the old Dante D:

Still, calling newer REs a fantasy tale is a bit too much. You gotta be thankful they decided to continue the series That way we actually might someday see the return of survival horror in all its glory.

Btw, I'm pretty laid back, so I ain't starting any disputes It's too tiresome.

Well thank f*ck for that! I can't stand disputes, especially with people that I haven't met. And I actually agree, it is a bit much of me referencing to Resident Evil 5 as a fantasy plot, but I can't find any other way to describe it. I am grateful that they continued the series as I thought that after Resident Evil 3: Nemesis the series had come to an end, but I just wish they would have gone a different way about reviving the series.

And about Devil May Cry.. What a shocker! Capcom are following the paths of Western developers instead of the hopes and dreams of their fans!

We actually don't know where Sherry has been. Evidence states that she may have been in Wesker's hands this whole time. I am not currently open to a total reboot. I don't think it is needed yet. We still have no idea where Sherry is. We don't know what is going on with Steve. Claire, Rebecca, HUNK, Carlos, and Billy are not overused yet and we need some info on them. Barry is just too old now. And not great for a leading role. He was fun in RE1 with his cheesiness, but that's where he needs to stay. Except for when he rescues Jill in RE3 of course.

I understand the points you've made but it's just my opinion that the plot behind each character has spiralled out of control. Too many characters to keep track of in my opinion, and throwing them all into one game really doesn't go well, and I'd rather not see a whole load of sequels being developed primarily to explain the outcome of each character. I want something fresh and innovative. No more Las Plagas, Wesker, hulking protagonists, characters with hair dye, and for the love of the series, no more Lord of the Rings/Rambo cross over!
It's a shame that games feel as though they need to rely on every past character in the series...

But Capcom can't just leave us hanging. We need to know what has happened to the main cast. Damnation could tell us some of the story but we need games to reveal the rest. I'm ok with new characters, as I've stated, but I for one would like to know what everyone is up to. And to add to the characters Nite mentioned I'd like to know what Nicholai and Ark are doing. I still think Steve is dead for good, but on the other hand I think Krauser is still alive so at least there are possibilities.

I for one would prefer if we had a new game in the series with a whole new cast but with respectable references or appearances of the past characters. I'm pretty tired of the same lousy, muddled plot with clichéd characters. I admit though, these characters were all great when first revealed to us, but now they lack personality and instead resemble predictable Hollywood counterparts.

And with all these theories of characters presumed dead still being alive, you'll only continuously drag this horrible plot onwards and we'll never see anything new! If they're dead, brilliant, lets please allow the series to move on...

Ada killed Krauser. He's done. There should be no questioning that. He sucked as a character anyway. He was so utterly boring. We pretty much know that Steve was being experimented on by Wesker. I'm sure he's still around somewhere.

^ Nuff said... Krauser was introduced to series purely for the sake of it.

- By the way, what would you like to see in Resident Evil 6 in terms of plot and setting etc.?

I've already stated what I want. An emotionally gripping tale of Sherry overcoming what happened in her childhood and to her family. Setting: Mars (just kidding ) How about a Gotham-esque city? More gloomy than Raccoon City. Main character: One of the less used classic characters or a new one. Make him/her seem like a real human being though. Take away the guns from enemies. It was dumb. It made them too humanly alive. I don't personally like Las Plagas. I'd rather have a new (better) virus which degenerates the physical form of beings while still having them maintain the qualities of a good BOW. Control, mainly. I'm not sure how you would go about controlling a virus though.

I think that I would actually enjoy that. Well, only time can tell, even though I've already lost faith in Resident Evil if the rumour that the series has fallen to the hands of a Western developer is true.

i totally agree on all points... but stray far from Raccoon... how about a nearby town, that an infected.... squirrel? got to (yes i know not very far, i didn't mean literally)

Now, that all being said, i'd like to add a bit to your Sig, for effect. Tasty.

NicemanCandy wrote:

I think that I would actually enjoy that. Well, only time can tell, even though I've already lost faith in Resident Evil if the rumour that the series has fallen to the hands of a Western developer is true.

Western developer isn't always a bad thing. Silent Hill Homecoming actually felt like getting back to the roots of SH and the upcoming game looks even better. Siren series hasn't gone bad either, Blood Curse was a very disturbing and creepy game.

But they didn't sell well and received bad reviews compared to previous entries. Although Homecoming felt as if it were a true sequel, many considered it to be a technical flaw, myself included. And as for Siren, I did actually enjoy it, but in no way can it compare to what Resident Evil once was. That said, it's a great game in its own right, but yet again it didn't sell as well as Sony had hoped.

I would hate to see Resident Evil follow the same path as Silent Hill. It seems as though Capcom is siding with the new fans of the series (mostly kids), to help boost sales by swaying further towards action rather than survival horror. I've played enough action games and they all seem exactly the same since the last generation, it's nothing new. But lets hope I'm wrong because I want to see Resident Evil return to its roots whilst enhancing the over-the-shoulder view to make combat and movement more fluid and accessible.

I agree with you NicemanCandy but I do want to see some things resolved like wheres billy and what happened to alex wesker. Maybe the 3ds game will involve alex.