3 possibilities about any upcoming RE0 HD Remaster

As many of you know, Capcom released RE2, RE3, RE4, and RE:CV almost without fanfare for the PS3, Xbox360, and PC quite some time ago. From what I can tell, they were quite easy to port, with very little changes all Capcom had to do with them was increase the textures. With RE2, RE3, and RE:CV they increased the textures on the polygons and smoothed out the edges to make it more HD friendly. RE4 most likely took a bit more work, and was more than likely what spured the REmake remastering. They did a lot more to this game. If you've played it you know they changed quite a bit, from the moment controls, adding a new outfit for both Chris and Jill, as well as upping the character models. They also made the set backgrounds scroll ever so slightly to account for widescreen as opposed to either cropping it or stretching it.

Turns out their work paid off, it came out on Jan 20th and in 11 days it had become the best selling game of January. Which begs the question: will Capcom be looking for the lighting to strike twice? In particular with a game that looks very similar: Resident Evil 0.

I see 3 possibilities:

1. Capcom already has the RE0 remastering done and are waiting for a drop in sales of the REmake showing that most everyone who is going to buy it has bought it in order to start generating buzz about RE0 then release it shortly after. This would result in a game that plays very much like the REmake remaster.

2. Capcom released the REmake as a water tester, unsure whether a game they put so many changes to would sell well. So they didn't sink funds into creating two games if they weren't sure the first would sell. Now that they see that the fan base won't turn their back towards innovation, they feel confident in pushing the envelope a bit further.

3. Capcom never plans on releasing a RE0 remaster.

Of course, each option will come with it's pros and cons:

1. If they already have it made then we can expect to get a game that plays pretty much like the REmake remaster, only have the changes in a few outfits and the graphic rerendering. However, we will get the game much faster since they already have it ready made.

2. We will get a few more bells and whistles but developing it will take much longer(at least a year or more), as even with the procedure nailed down they each of the remaster's backdrops took awhile and the effects had to almost be made scratch. http://www.destructoid.com/resident-evil-was-a-difficult-game-to-remaster-in-hd-282902.phtml

3. We might see it at a later date, but it could be years if at all.

I think that we will see it in time. We have been talking in another thread about what Rebecca has been up to. They may end up treating this like REmake and Revelations 2. They released REmake a month before Revelations 2. This undoubtedly increased the hype for Barry before the release of a title staring Barry.

If they intend to bring Rebecca back they could go a similar route with re0. They may already be working on it or have it completed but are waiting for the release of a new game staring Rebecca. They could release it just before or just after the release of the new game to help increase sells for both.

I suppose my theory ties into both your 1. and 2. theory.

VitalSigns wrote:

As many of you know, Capcom released RE2, RE3, RE4, and RE:CV almost without fanfare for the PS3, Xbox360, and PC quite some time ago. From what I can tell, they were quite easy to port, with very little changes all Capcom had to do with them was increase the textures. With RE2, RE3, and RE:CV they increased the textures on the polygons and smoothed out the edges to make it more HD friendly. RE4 most likely took a bit more work.

Not quite. RE2/3 for PS3 are the original PS1 ISO files converted into the EBOOT.PBP file that the PS3 uses for its emulator, you could use a program to convert an ISO into the EBOOT in seconds (it is possible to find a program to do so online, but you'd need a hacked console to use an unofficial one). The only effort it took them was the effort of getting it to the PS Store. The console versions of RE4 HD use the original textures, only the PC version added new ones. The models do look smoother, but that's not because of the textures. They certainly did take more work than RE2/3 though, since it's actually a port and not emulation.

Anyway, Capcom has indicated (and sometimes directly stated) on multiple occasions that they think the old school Resident Evil style wouldn't sell well in today's market, hence why even the Revelations games feature the over-the-shoulder camera despite being marketed as a return to survival horror. That's why I think number two is the most likely option. RE6's poor performance led to them reexamining their plans for the series so they decided to give the old formula another chance by using a game that had great acclaim in its day despite its disappointing sales (by their standards) on the GameCube.