Ideas for Resident Evil 7

[Darkmoon]

I think it's more accurate to say that anything that isn't proven to sell games by the boat load sucks, at least as far as the accounting department is concerned, and thanks to our Esteemed Leaders driving us face first into a recession (which we now get to pay for...thanks guys!) games company are terrified of doing anything that they aren't sure will sell. You invest twenty mil in a game, you almost have to be sure that you're getting thirty back out (or whatever profit margin a successful game enjoys) and so risks just don't happen.

Which is a shame, because it essentially means we've got a generation of games that are all the same.

[Kei_M]

Oh God, I've never seen so many grown men act like babies over a video game.

What I would like to see? Claire.
What I expect to see? Jake.

I feel like Jake is being set up to be the new hero of the series. I think they could easily make a storyline around Jake seeking the origin of his special blood, which could lead to Alex Wesker. There's too much of a connection there for them NOT to.

[Wrathborne]

Acting like babies? Really dude? We're not sitting around here throwing insults, or calling each others ideas stupid here.

If tossing around ideas and ideas with mixed sarcasm is your idea of grown men acting like babies, then you're the one who needs to grow up. Or stop using the internet. -_-

[Mr. Spencer]

The best part of RE6 was the enemy designs. They were great. Nice, varied selection of grotesque monsters. Tone down the action, though that will never happen because the vast majority of the fanbase consists of Anderson-fuelled action fans. Don't make a game towards newcomers, because newcomers these days are shaped by action and go nuts if they don't gun something down every five seconds. Stick with the fans that have been there since the beginning, focus on survival horror. It must be slow paced, with suspense and a lot of build-up. That way when the scares do happen, they have a lot more impact.

[Tyrant Rose]

Revisit the old Hallucination concept of biohazard 4. An isolated, derelict castle and adjacent forest and outside areas in a snow-based setting. Single-player. Puzzles. Have Leon and Ada featured and give a conclusion to their relationship and Ada's mysteries with in-game files that explain other unresolved plot threads in the rest of the series. Keep the gameplay system of BH6 but drastically tone down the action. No gun-wielding enemies or enemies with human intelligence. Grotesque enemy designs. Add a full-fledged Nemesis-esque "Pursuer" with increased random appearances depending on difficulty setting. More gothic atmosphere. Include Raid Mode and Mercenaries with multiplayer.

Done, fans pleased. Cash gained.

Pretty much this, but it looks like at least part of the next game will be in a Middle Eastern setting and we're going to be seeing Jake again. I'd also like to see a proper resolution to Ada and Leon's relationship. Maybe they could have two intertwining scenarios, one for Leon and Ada doing what you suggested and another for Sherry and Jake, where they'd track down Jake's origins and maybe everybody runs afoul of Alex. I have no problem with the convergent storyline concept. They just didn't handle it well in RE6. Yes it would be very relationshipy, but I think a lot of fan would enjoy that as long as it's not too angsty.

[Archelon]

And yet, companies like Konami have (thus far) managed to please fans AND newcomers alike with every installment in the Metal Gear series.

Not sure what fans you've been talking to.

[Enigmatism415]

Not sure what fans you've been talking to.

I should have specified main canon. Not a bad egg in the bunch.

[Enigmatism415]

I'd like to see a city die. I'd like to start playing a game right as the outbreak begins, so we have to deal with all the panic and looting. Have it so your choices matter, maybe throw in some randomness (maybe the cops hold longer randomly, so some areas don't get hit as badly randomly, things like that)

You mean Outbreak?

[Archelon]

I should have specified main canon. Not a bad egg in the bunch.

Maybe for you, but there are plenty of fans out there that were disappointed with Metal Gear Solid 4. Its story, in particular.

I am one of them. The gameplay left a lot to be desired, too, but that's a discussion for another time.

[LVL100 Merchant]

The next RE game should be Metroidvania/Dark Souls in structure and progression. Big emphasis on exploration, but still have the flashing blips that people can use to find out where to go because God forbid folks figure that shit out for themselves anymore in this franchise. I don't care how co-op or action-driven the series is as long as I'm not predominantly fighting tactical gun-wielding enemies like in 6 (good grief) and the game gives me the opportunity to explore and figure things out for myself. Also, put files back directly into the game instead of as rewards that are narrated from outside the context of the story. Expand on the RPG elements, bring back weapon upgrading in some form, tone down the Michael Bay-dripping dramatic flair that plagued almost everything in RE6, cut back (or remove entirely) the QTEs, and feature more dark areas where a flashlight is necessary.

I'd also like to see some sort of forgotten "BOW ecosystem." Maybe some botched underground village/lab complex that has had viral carriers festering and adapting for decades.

[MiLØ]

To me the real Resident Evil has to have labs. Secret labs about virus research. So there's a bunch of computers, locked heavy doors, security cards, test subjects in glass capsules, and an overall high tech feel of the environment. The important thing is that it has to create a contrast with what is settings preceding it. Which is why it worked so well in RE1&2: an old mansion and city's underground sewers system.
This is exactly what's been missing in RE4 and 5. Which is why I didn't like them as "Resident Evil games". Too much of a departure from mysterious bio warfare research formula. And this is why I was so glad to see it return in RE6. Would be nice to see it continue, but not on such global scale anymore.

Oh and by the way, they better not return to that middle east setting again, but this time with Jake as a hero. Oh no, for Sherry's sake no. No no no! That stuff is just way too boring, had enough of it RE5. No thank you.

[Darkmoon]

You mean Outbreak?

To a certain point. But from the very start, to the very finish, with a combination of random events and player controlled choices to make playthroughs as unique and difficult to predict as possible. But I am an Outbreak fan, so...

[Wrathborne]

Outbreak was a great idea, still is. Its just the execution and and story related elements that were done made it a mediocre experience.

[Enigmatism415]

Outbreak was a great idea, still is. Its just the execution and and story related elements that were done made it a mediocre experience.

Yeah, I loved the Outbreak sub-series too, but its execution was lacking. I didn't think its story-related elements were terrible, but they could have been improved. I am still waiting for Capcom to remaster Files 1&2 in HD and put them on the Playstation Store... wishful thinking :/

[biohazard_star]

Imagine if they released it as an HD pack on the PS3 and 360. They'd easily be able to fix all the major problems people whined about: the long loading times, the horrid lag, and the lack of voice chat. All the better if they port it to the MT Framework, like what they did to Code Veronica HD.