Capcom loves their Resident Evil remakes. Resident Evil 1 has had almost innumerable versions, including a ‘Director’s Cut’ and a complete reboot on the Gamecube. Most RE games get at least one port to a new platform with added content and extra features. Still, this latest re-issue is something a bit different:

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is collaboration between Capcom and Vancouver based studio Slant 6 Games and is scheduled for release this Winter. Since the launch of the first title 15 years ago the Resident Evil® series has enjoyed phenomenal success, selling over 45 million units worldwide to date. This latest offering will take the series in a completely new direction and offer a style of gameplay yet to be seen from the franchise.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City delivers a true third person team based shooter experience set within the dark and sinister Resident Evil universe and a reinterpretation of the events depicted in Resident Evil® 2 and Resident Evil® 3. The setting of the Resident Evil universe not only provides a rich backdrop to the action but delivers a unique and thrilling triple threat battle. Zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W’s) add to the mix as players not only compete against an opposing squad but also tackle this third unpredictable element, creating a brand new style of gameplay and breaking the conventions of traditional team based shooters.

Yep, Capcom is farming out the work to another studio; in this case it makes some sense, as Slant 6 is known for the SOCOM games, and as the advertising blurb describes, ‘Operation Raccoon City’ is going for a mix of team based shooter and survival horror, so why re-invent the wheel, I guess.

Still, here we have yet another remake of yet another *couple* of RE games. The same tired story of the same Zombie Apocalypse outbreak in the same fictional midwestern city, replete with police stations whose doors lock and unlock not with keys but with statuary, and whose officers tote around bazookas but not extra ammo for their sidearms.

Resident Evil 2 in particular had two main playthrough modes and several special levels to begin with; it was an enormous, sprawling meta-game. Then in some of the recent Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles light gun games you got to play through new pieces of interwoven story set in that timeline; now there will be yet another take on this already well-mined strata of Anti-Zombie hate.

It’s almost like Capcom doesn’t have any idea where to take the series *now* and just wants to relive the glory days when every Resident Evil was an enormous commercial success. I guess they still have those critically acclaimed films to tide fans over though, right?

*snicker*

Right.

This is also an online multiplayer Anti-Zombie angle to this game, adding to the growing 2011 list of Zombie-bashing online titles:

In addition, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will deliver a number of competitive online multiplayer modes. Each one of these will provide a unique gaming experience thanks to the three way combat between the Umbrella Security Service, US Special Ops and threat of zombies and B.O.W’s that could only exist in the deadly and twisted Resident Evil Universe.

Twisted is right.

Capcom is working on a bit of new Resident Evil story though, for a DS game we’ve mentioned before on the ZRC blog:

Purchasers of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, scheduled for release in the coming months, will get an extra taste of horror thanks to the addition of a playable demo of Resident Evil Revelations. Set on board an ocean liner, the demo lets players take control of one of the full game’s characters, Jill Valentine, as she explores the ship’s dark interior, killing any mysterious creatures that emerge from the shadows. A brand new title built from the ground up for the Nintendo 3DS, further details on Resident Evil Revelations will be revealed at this year’s E3.

Even ‘Resident Evil: Revelations’ is a bit of a retread however, filling in gaps between the story of Resident Evil 4 and 5. I really think they hit a brick wall after RE:5 and are stalling for time. Or just pushing out titles while the Anti-Zombie market is red-hot, either way.

As always the ZRC blog will keep you apprised of any further developments in Capcom’s never-ending search for more money.

Tags: Videogames, What's Up with Japan?

This entry was posted by John Sears on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm and is filed under Zombie Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.