What the Hell Happened to Resident Evil?
OPINION
Resident Evil is almost single-handedly responsible for popularizing the survival-horror genre and for many years epitomized it, being the first thing to come to mind when recalling the genre. Why then have Capcom seen fit to completely f**k with their winning formula, ripping this otherwise brilliant series from its survival-horror roots and planting it in the bland realm of the action game?
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil was a hit, so much so that Capcom decided to make two direct sequels for the Playstation in 1998 and 1999. Resident Evil 2 is often referred to as the best of the bunch. The story goes that the zombies from the Umbrella mansion spilled out into the surrounding forest and worked their way into the city, where such a dense concentration of living victims meant the spread of the T-virus was remarkably fast. Before long the entire city was overrun by zombies and quarantined by the military. Enter our two heroes: Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, a first day on the job S.T.A.R.S. member and younger sister of Chris Redfield respectively.
Thrust into the midst of the zombie outbreak the two meet up by coincidence and head for the Raccoon city police station. Once there, Claire discovers the brother she came to find missing and instead decides to leave the city along with Leon. They eventually discover a secret research facility underneath Raccoon City, where umbrella had been working to refine the T-virus into something more deadly: the G-virus.
The idea behind this new G-virus was to create full-blown bio-organic weapons (BOWs) for use in the military. They aimed to create gigantic mutated creatures that were extremely violent and dangerous yet subservient, like living tanks that they could sell worldwide to the highest bidder. As you can image, things didn’t go so well. Claire and Leon encounter the G-virus’ creator, William Birkin, after he deliberately injects himself with the virus in an effort to stop himself dying (Umbrella sent soldiers in to the facility to take the G-virus sample and in the ensuing struggle, Birkin was shot and left for dead). Birkin transforms into a monstrous beast that tries to kill the protagonists repeatedly.
After a high-octane battle against time, the duo escapes the facility by train with Birkin’s daughter Shelley, as Umbrella nukes the city to destroy all evidence. Good stuff and a brilliant ante-up for the series. The suspense is crushing, the scares terrifying and the characters likeable, not to mention the fact the game features some incredibly interesting special features. The Umbrella Corporation is still the most evil part of the games, with a disgusting lack of morality and the power to do as they wish.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
After the blockbuster hit of Resident Evil 2, Capcom decided to bring back Jill Valentine and explain in a bit more depth the fate of Raccoon city. The game takes place over several days, beginning before the events of Resident Evil 2. The T-virus has begun taking over the city and Jill is stuck in the middle of it, trying desperately to escape. Umbrella has sent its troops in to cleanse the city and keep the outbreak under wraps, but all isn’t going so well.
Joining forces with an Umbrella operative named Carlos Oliveria, Jill heads to the Raccoon city police station, where she encounters “The Nemesis”, a bio-organic weapon ten feet tall that can break down walls that only speaks one word: “STARS!” Umbrella, now aware of the S.T.A.R.S. Team’s escape from their mansion, sets the beast loose to track down and kill them in order to silence anyone who could connect them to the outbreak.
Throughout the game, the player is ruthlessly hunted by the Nemesis and upon hearing that Umbrella plans on nuking the city, the tension reaches breaking point. Not only does the player have a time limit to escape the city, there is a murderous behemoth intent on stopping that from happening. Needless to say, Resident Evil 3 is the most action-packed of the games so far but it still stays true to the staples of zombies and intrigue.
The Umbrella Corporation just keeps getting worse, they are willing to kill thousands of innocents to cover up their immoral research and the player is stuck in the middle of it, powerless to do anything. The game ends with Jill escaping the city and swearing revenge on Umbrella. At this point in the series we really feel like it is all going to kick off. The surviving S.T.A.R.S. members are going to take the fight to Umbrella, and no amount of Zombies are going to stop them.