Survival horror remake fatique...

[Knight Plug]

I've been getting to the point where I'm really just so tired of hearing about many remakes of old horror games being developed. Especially with Capcom's handling of their remakes of Resident Evil 2 onwards with the story aspects undergoing changes, and whatnot, this indicates that I'm more sick of it than ever. And I mean, I played the original PS1 era games countless times in my younger years. I'd rather get new games in their respective series, or even something completely new and surprising, provided those games are trying to honour the franchise they are connected to. I don't mind.

Perhaps these remakes (or the more appropriate term, reimaginings) help to bring the series to a modern audience, sure. If anything, gamers today may not like to play classic horror games due to the fixed camera angles, low resolution graphics and tank controls, preferring the over-the-shoulder way of things in full HD, or first person even. So it is beneficial to them. But decades long fans like myself know that the remakes have a lot of unnecessary changes, repeated cutscenes and boss battles, and whatever else.

But after paying £500 for a PS5, I feel I would rather see the potential for more brilliant games like a Days Gone 2, The Last of Us Part III, or whatever. But instead, we're getting remakes of RE games being churned out in the wrong order, Silent Hill 2, Alone in the Dark, and others. While these games may admittedly be quite successful and play well, they are not *new* ideas, as such. Unless something gets changed, we already know James Sunderland hated Mary, and he ended her life out of pity for her. How can they put this across in a different way so that it feels unique?

To tell you the truth, I don't even find the RE universe in general to be all that scary any longer, especially after RE8 with the tall vampire lady nonsense, or the ugly, living doll-like person hiding in the sitting room, and the other weirdness that plagued the game. It was just incredibly dumb. So I reckon I'd rather play other horror games, because all the RE games feature returning heroes who are veterans, so you always just get cheesy lines now and too much guns to blast up stuff, and repetitive ideas means you get little in the way of a new experience. Because essentially, every game is just about a virus spreading, but with a new letter at the start. Like the new K-Virus, or something.

This is why the games just aren't creepy enough any more for my personal taste. Everything is getting recycled. Although the mutant baby thing you have chasing Ethan Winters in RE8 was kind of clever, the game did have a werewolves shooting section with Chris Redfield, which felt random and just added in for a bit of your bog standard, typical fan service. 

Besides remaking games, Capcom has long had a history of trying to rip things off from other games in general. This is definitely the case with RE8 having mannequins, that act like the nurses in the Silent Hill games. I also got a lot of P.T. vibes from exploring that house as well. But if you tell anybody that on GameFAQs, they imply you're stupid for pointing that out.

But take it from me: RE has lost the edge it once had. I've grown so fed up of moaning about it on forums, that I've basically gone and found other games to enjoy that have better graphics and are way more scary, tense, and interesting. I'm gonna be all the better for it.

Look at Stray Souls, for example. That's an upcoming indie game that looks like it has way better combat mechanics than any of the recent RE sequels. And of course, there's the remake of Dead Space and Alan Wake 2. Yet another big budget game that looks to be taken the survival horror sub-category seriously again...

[Shagger]

Fear is biological. It's an instinct. Expose a bacterium to a toxic substance and it will flee, that's how basic fear is. Fear only became complex because the human animal became complex. The cause may be simple and the complex and dangerous relationship humans have with fear is vital, but also very open to interpretation.

 

Tapping into so something powerful, but also unrecognisable without understanding the primal element of fear you are trying to provoke is dangerous, but that's part of the appeal. The original Resident Evil games prompted terror by limiting your ability to defend yourself. The way the game controlled directly affected the horror element. Gamers these days, they want the full package. Deliberately restricting the controls as a method to install fear and panic in the player is no longer an valid reason for that type of control, even if it should be. But in my opinion, it shouldn't be. We can have horror games now that can put you into that sense of panic and fear, but still control well because the technology has improved.

 

I understand how the old School Resident Evil games were designed to control. How that limited scheme and options in combat with delays in control were designed to induce panic, I understand that, I truly do, but if those same developers were able to access the same tools we have today, would they do the same thing? Honestly, I'd say not.

 

Tech' these days opens the possibility to create games that are just as scary as they were back then with a more connected feeling in how they control. I think Capcom get that. They want to replicate that same feeling, but in a game that controls like a game developed in the 21st century. Is that really so wrong?

Edited June 30, 2023 by Shagger

[Knight Plug]

Today, I learned that Bloober Team wants to do less psychological horror games and become more mainstream.

They're talented. I wish them the best. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

Maybe in the case of RE8 they tried to add too much and branch out a bit. There is some serious scariness in simplicity like in RE7 it scared the holy mackerels out of me when the infected humans pop out and chase me. And that creepy old lady in the chair always having her head follow you. One thing all humans share is fear of other humans or a monster inside a human body. That messes me up. Other types of non human monsters may scare some people but not others. That's why adding an assortment of monsters is a gamble. Diverse monsters is good of course because it adds lore, but it's still a gamble. There is something so natural when we look at a person, we are left to the fear of our imaginations. That simplicity has created some of the best movies ever made as well as games. And that's a big reason why I love survival horror and psychological horror, with Bloober Team being my favorite. They definitely found their niche. If they branch out more mainstream, I still have confidence they would make some great games.  

Remaking games is gonna happen. It's a win win because we get to relive classics for a new generation and they get to profit using an old blueprint. That will never change. There is a lot of talent out there and I'm honestly impressed by many developers of all types of genres. It's just that they have to listen to where the market is and right now the apocalypse style games owns it. And I believe The Last of Us series has peaked that genre and set the standards so high that it may have intimidated that genre lol. 

I personally would love to see an Evil Within 3. I can't imagine how awesome that would be. Cool you mentioned Days Gone. I enjoyed that game and it really needs a sequel. There is a petition for Sony to make a Days Gone 2. There is a discussion about it here:

 

 

[Knight Plug]

I think the problem with modern media as a whole is that they put in a lot of unnecessary things like gay and lesbian people kissing or dating, like anybody cares. It's like they want a group of characters to feel as mixed as possible. This is something the director of Days Gone claims made the game get all these woke attacks. When like I said, none of that matters to me.

Even in similar games like The Last of Us Part II, every SJW person loves that game because of the themes it puts across with making women tougher than usual. But I love it because it's a thrilling experience and one of Naughty Dog's best titles to date, despite the death of Joel. Not because Ellie and her girlfriend are making out, or because you have a transgender kid helping you. 

Honestly could care less about these people's sexual orientation in a movie or game where their goal is usually to run away or get slain by the killers, or something lurking in the forest. LOL. Unless you're the hero that overcomes the problem. But still. 

Yeah. RE7 was a decent effort. Still hate what they did to Chris by not hiring an actor similar to the guy who portrayed him in RE5 and 6. It doesn't look like him much, because of his face and the voice is different. But it was a more commendable effort than the last slew of sequels. Especially RE6, where Capcom just didn't know what the hell they were doing. 

But if they can keep it up, RE will be restored to its old glory by RE10. The new animated movie looks like a fan's dream come true with Jill, Leon, Chris, Claire and Rebecca teaming up, so this is something to take note of if you're working with Capcom. 

[Shagger]

1 hour ago, Knight Plug said:

I think the problem with modern media as a whole is that they put in a lot of unnecessary things like gay and lesbian people kissing or dating, like anybody cares. It's like they want a group of characters to feel as mixed as possible. This is something the director of Days Gone claims made the game get all these woke attacks. When like I said, none of that matters to me.

Even in similar games like The Last of Us Part II, every SJW person loves that game because of the themes it puts across with making women tougher than usual. But I love it because it's a thrilling experience and one of Naughty Dog's best titles to date, despite the death of Joel. Not because Ellie and her girlfriend are making out, or because you have a transgender kid helping you. 

Honestly could care less about these people's sexual orientation in a movie or game where their goal is usually to run away or get slain by the killers, or something lurking in the forest. LOL. Unless you're the hero that overcomes the problem. But still. 

 

That, right there, is the problem with people taking issue with inclusion. The problem for a lot of people isn't so much prejudice as much as it selfishness. Yes, maybe characters being on the spectrum doesn't matter to you (I've never taken much stock in anyone who says that on the back of complaining about it for reasons I'll explain in moment), but think about what it means to people who have been, and in many ways still are, under attack and have had this world constantly try to tell them that how they are is some way wrong. Inclusion actually benefits somebody and make them feel like they belong and are right to feel how feel abouts themselves, that they can be comfortable in thier skin.

 

If that truly means nothing to you, why even complain about it? I've said if before, but I'll say it again, good fiction reflects reality, that's how it connects to our real emotions and relates to our experiences. Nobody only has an issue with LGBTQAI+ representation in fiction, they have a problem with it being represented in reality. LGBTQAI+ representation in not an agenda, it's not politics, it's just life. People use the politics and agenda excuses because they don't want to face thier prejudices. That's why I don't take much stock in people who complain about LGBTQAI+ representation (or any other kind of inclusion, for that matter) in fiction and say they don't care and it doesn't bother them because if that was true they wouldn't have felt the need to complain about it in the first place. Non-factors produce a non-reaction. Analysing and discussing character representation, including thier orientation, that's a fair conversation to have, but there's a difference between that and complaining about it.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Shagger

[Knight Plug]

OK. That's fair enough.

I wasn't complaining, though. Honest. 😉